IIM

IPMAT is conducted by IIM Indore for admission to its IPM programme. The IPMAT Indore scores are also accepted by various other top Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The colleges which accept IPMAT Indore scores include IIM Indore, IIM Ranchi, IIM Amritsar, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Shillong, etc. Each college releases its own IPMAT cutoff for admissions. Hence, there is not common admission test for the IPMAT admissions. 

IIM Rohtak also conducts the IPMAT exam for admission to IIM Rohtak's IPM programme. 

Both Yonsei University and IIM are globally recognised universities. According to QS World University Rankings, Yonsei University is ranked #56 whereas IIM (Ahmedabad) is ranked #60. Although both the universities have their own strengths and weaknesses, Yonsei university stands better than the IIM Ahmedabad. The table below mentions the comparison between the two universities.

The CAP round is the abbreviated term used for the Common Admission Process that is conducted by new and baby IIM's for the ease of candiates. Candidates are shortlisted for the CAP round based on their CAT scores and candidates are required to appear for the GDPI round which is conducted once for the bunch of CAP colleges. IIM Kashipur does participate in the CAP round and has participated in the CAP 2025 as well. 

Here are some names of colleges that accept CMAT - 

Jaipuria Institute of Management

K J Somaiya Institute of Management

Amity University Noida

Christ University

Birla Institute Of Management Technology

Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies

Management Development Institute

N. L. Dalmia Institute of Management Studies and Research

S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research

Great Lakes Institute of Management

Institute of Management Studies

These are some IIMs which take admission without CAT score- 

IIM Ahmedabad

IIM Bangalore 

IIM Indore 

IIM Lucknow 

IIM Calcutta.

Outside of the IIMs, Chandigarh University (CU) is one of the top MBA colleges in India. With a #4 national rank (QS World Rankings 2025) and collaborations with top corporates like IBM, PwC, Adobe, and NSE Academy, CU offers an MBA experience that's modern, practical, and globally relevant. The highest MBA package has hit INR 28 LPA, and students are trained through mock interviews, internships, and real-time projects in state-of-the-art labs. CU also stands out for its merit-based admission via CUCET only—no CMAT required. It's a fantastic IIM-alternative with real career results.

Yes, it is mandatory to qualify CAT for admission to full time MBA programmes offered by the 21 IITs, along with full-time MBA, qualifying CAT score is also required for PGP, FPM, PhD, PhD Executive, Executive MBA, Doctoral Programme, PGPx courses.

Doing PhD in economics from top institution like IITs and IIMs would be a great option.If you want a business and management oriented (applied economics) role go for IIM, while IITs are best suited for research in core economics and quantitative economic research.So the choice is totally dependent upon you field of interest and future goals.

Hope this would be fruitful to decide between the two.