Best Colleges accepting CAT Score in India

There are approximately 1,550+ MBA colleges in India accepting CAT scores. Of these,  1,077 colleges are privately owned, 177 colleges are owned by public/government organisations, and public-private entities own 7 MBA colleges. CAT is the most accepting entrance exam in top MBA colleges in India. IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow, IIM Indore, Indian Institute of Management Mumbai, etc. are some of the top MBA colleges that accept CAT score in India.

Here are the best MBA colleges in India that accept CAT:

Disclaimer: This info. is taken from the official website and may differ.

Joining the best MBA colleges accepting CAT scores in India can be worthwhile for you. For that, you need to check its ROI. Listed below are some of the colleges along with their tuition fees and average placement package:

There are over 170 cities where CAT exam is held. These 170 cities are spread across India consist of metropolitan cities, capital cities, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Candidate can select up to five cities for allotment of test centre. The process of test city selection is a part of CAT application process. In the CAT application form, there is a field in which candidates have to select the cities. They need to select the city of preference in order of 1 to 5. The examination authorities will try to allot the test centre in the city of first preference. Thus, candidates must fill all the five cities carefully. They must choose their home city of city of current residence as the first preference. The test city option can only be changed during the form correction window. After that, the request for change of the city will not be accepted by the exam authorities.

The key highlights of IIM Ahmedabad summer placements for the PGP batch of 2024-26 are presented below:

It is estimated that joining the top B Schools accepting CAT scores in India can be affordable as most colleges have tuition fees between INR 1-2 lakh. Listed below are some of the affordable colleges having tuition fees of less than INR 1 lakh:

The table below shows the best government colleges accepting CAT scores in India along with their total tuition fees:

The CAT exam pattern and difficulty levels do not change drastically. The core syllabus of Quant, VARC, and DILR typically remains the same.

CAT exam pattern saw a major change in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic demanded a reduction in the exam duration. The exam sections remained the same, while the question count was reduced to 76 from 100, and the exam duration was reduced to 2 hours from 3 hours previously. In 2021, the question count was further reduced to 66. Without an intimation later, candidates found an additional 2 questions starting 2024. in 2024, and 2025, CAT exam has retained 68 questions to be answered within 120 minutes. CAT 2026 pattern is expected to follow the 68 question format.

Also Check: Changes in CAT Exam Pattern in Last 15 Years

Yes, MBA programme is offered at DMS IIT Delhi. The Department of Management Studies (DMS) at IIT Delhi offers MBA, MBA (Telecom), Executive MBA programmes. For admission to the MBA Programme at DMS IIT Delhi the aspiring candidates need a Bachelor's Degree or equivalent, with a minimum of 60% marks or a CGPA of 6.00/10. Relaxation to 55% or 5.50 CGPA for SC/ST/PwD candidates. Final-year candidates can apply, with provision to join upon submitting results. Admission involves CAT scores, interview assessment of personality and knowledge, followed by an offer letter sent to registered email. 

The general eligibility criteria to get MBA admission in India that accept CAT scores are listed below:

• Candidates should have a bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification in any discipline from a recognised university or institution with a minimum of 50% aggregate.
• MBA colleges in India consider scores from national-level entrance exams such as Candidates are required to meet the minimum cutoff scores set by the respective colleges.

Preparing for CAT 2024?

• Click to practice Q&A for Verbal Ability and Q&A for Quantitative Aptitude.
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Yes CAT syllabus is difficult to crack if you do not have enough time. There are three subjects in CAT- VARC, DILR and Quantitative Aptitude. Most of candidates find RC passages tough to crack. In Quants, Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry pose significant challenge during preparation. In DILR, Reasoning questions often turnout to be tricky and confusion. 

IMs and top business schools use CAT percentiles and sectional cutoffs to shortlist candidates for selection rounds. For final selection, they assign a 25 per cent to 65 per cent weightage to the CAT score, combining it with academics, work experience, and interviews.

There are 65 seats for Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics (PGDBA) course of IIM Kolkata. There could be more number of seats for MBA programme as it is institute's flagship course. The institute follows seat reservation policy of the Government of India. In addition, it must be noted that the seat count mentioned here is taken from the official website/sanctioning body. However, it is subject to changes and hence, is indicative.

Yes, candidates can get admission in IIM Indore without CAT for two programmes: Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) and Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management (EPGP). Admission into IPM is based on the IPMAT (Integrated Program in Management Aptitude Test), followed by a Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI). Admission into EPGP is based on GMAT or GRE score.

CAT 2026 exam pattern remains stable with 68 questions and a 120-minute duration. Only the registration fee has been increased to INR 2,700 for general candidates and INR 1,350 for reserved categories.

Candidates need the following documents while filling the CAT application form:

• A recent passport size photo (color against white background)
• Scanned signature with black pen on white paper
• Any photo ID card like PAN card, Aadhaar Card, Voter ID, Passport 
• Class 10 marksheet 
• Class 12 marksheet 
• Graduation marksheet 
• Permanent address proof 
• Work experience documents Reserved category students need to upload Category Certificate along with the CAT application form. The Certificate is available on the CAT website. Candidates can download, fill it, get it attested by competent authority and upload it as PDF with the CAT application form. 
• The PwD category students also have to fill the PwD form and Scribe affidavit along with the exam application form. This is necessary for getting scribe facility and PwD facility at the test centre. The CAT application form is same for students from all categories. Those belonging to a particular category (SC/ST/PwD) will be required to mention it in the relevant field of the CAT form.

IIM exam score remains valid a period of one year for admissions. However, IIM Ahmedabad has a deferred admission policy for its flagship PGP course, allowing selected candidates to postpone joining by up to two years to gain work experience.

Some other IIMs like IIM Trichy and IIM Sirmaur have known to permit, conditional deferrals in the past. However, they do not have a structured policy for the same.

Several components add up to the total fee for MDI Gurgaon courses. Candidates can get in touch with the MDI Gurgaon admission office for the complete fee structure. The PGDM specialisation-wise tuition fee is further mentioned in the following table:

*The mentioned fee is from the official website and is subject to change.

No, candidates from Maharashtra can get admission in MBA at SPPU through MAH-CET. Candidates who are not from Maharashtra can get admission through scores in CMAT if they do not have valid score in CAT. 

For admission in MBA (PBT) offered by PUMBA, admission is given based on score in ATMA.

Following the results announcement, Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) will make available the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2023 cutoff. By the second week of January 2024, the outcome will be known.Prior to that, the qualifying CAT cutoffs—the minimal score requirements for admission to MBA programs—were announced by the IIMs. The CAT cutoff is different for every IIM. Shortlisted candidates for the admissions process will be those who meet the CAT 2023 cutoff. Candidates must meet the requirements set out by each IIM in order to be selected for the Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). 

Yes, IIT Madras is worth it and definitely a prime choice for MBA aspirants right now. The biggest selling point is the incredible ROI combined with the prestige of having an "IIT" stamp on your resume forever. Their latest placement numbers prove it, they hit a 100% placement rate, with an average package of INR 17.9 LPA and a highest package of INR 35.5 LPA during the 2025 placement report. If you want a top-quality MBA without the massive debt of traditional B-schools, it’s a no-brainer.

The placement rate recorded during SJMSOM IIT Bombay MBA placements 2023 was 100%. Students get a good salary package after completing MBA from a reputed institute like SJMSOM. The highest package and average package offered during SJMSOM IIT Bombay MBA placements 2023 stood at INR 54 LPA and INR 28.88 LPA, respectively. The top recruiters of SJMSOM IIT Bombay in 2023 included leading companies such as GEP, HUL, Google, Accenture, Cargill, etc. 

IIM Raipur offers certification, PG, and doctoral-level management courses. The eligibility criteria for every particular course are different. Given below are the admission processes for IIM Raipur courses

MBA: MBA is the flagship programme of IIM Raipur and one of the highly opted courses by students. For admission in the MBA course at IIM Raipur, the candidate should possess a bachelor’s degree in any field with a minimum of 50% (45% for reserved categories) and have a valid CAT score/ percentile to become eligible for the personal interview (PI) round.

FPM: Fellow Programme in Management (FPM) is a full-time doctoral course offered by IIM Raipur. Candidates planning to pursue FPM from IIM Raipur should have either a Post-Graduation degree with a minimum of 50% aggregate (45% for reserved categories) or have a CA/ICWA degree with a minimum of 60% aggregate, or have done BTech with a minimum of 6.5 CGPA on a scale of 10 and should have a valid score/ rank of any on these entrance exams like CAT/ GMAT/ GATE/ GRE/ UGC-NET.

Bharathidasan University has collaborated with several universities and colleges. Bharathidasan University has signed MoUs with various companies, organisations, and industries. The below-mentioned table reflects on the Bharathidasan University collaborations: