Eligibility, selection weights, important dates and batch profile
IIM A Admission 2026-27 — Eligibility, Cutoffs, Selection Process & Important Dates
IIM Ahmedabad runs three flagship programmes — the 2-year PGP (MBA), the 1-year PGPX (Executive MBA for 4+ yrs of experience), and the FPM doctoral programme. Admission to the flagship PGP is via CAT (~2.5L applicants → ~1,000-1,200 shortlisted → 414 seats, roughly 8-10% PI call rate and 4-5% final admit rate). For the 2026-28 batch, IIMA has raised its published CAT cutoff dramatically from 80 to 95 percentile (General) — the largest single-cycle revision in recent history. The selection process is a two-stage composite: shortlisting uses 65% CAT + 35% Application Rating; final selection after AWT-PI uses PI 50% + CAT 25% + AR 15% + AWT 10%. Realistic CAT scores for General-category shortlists remain 98+ percentile despite the higher published floor.
Programmes & fees (PGP 2025-27 admit data)
PGP (MBA) — flagship
2-year residential · 414 seats · CAT 2025 entry · ₹27.50 L total (Tuition ₹20.10 L + Other academic ₹7.15 L) · for international students: US$ 50,000 all-inclusive
PGPX (Executive MBA)
1-year residential · ~60-80 seats · GMAT/GRE (sometimes CAT) · ₹35-37 L (₹35 L single, ₹37.10 L married housing) · min 4 yrs work-ex, min age 25
PGP-FABM
2-year residential · 46 seats · CAT 2025 entry · ₹27.50 L · only tier-1 Indian agri-business management MBA
FPM (Doctoral)
4-5 years · fully funded with stipend ₹42,000-50,000/month · CAT/GMAT/GRE accepted · Master's with 55% min
CAT 2025 cutoffs — PGP 2026-28 (raised from 2025-27)
General / EWS
Published min 95 %ile overall · 85 %ile sectional (each of VARC, DILR, QA) · realistic shortlist: 98-100 %ile · jumped from 80/70 in 2025-27
NC-OBC
Published min 90 %ile overall · 80 %ile sectional · realistic 95-98 %ile
SC
Published min 85 %ile overall · 70 %ile sectional · realistic 85-92 %ile
ST
Published min 75 %ile overall · 60 %ile sectional · realistic 75-85 %ile
PwD
Published min 45 %ile overall · 40 %ile sectional
Why so much higher this year
Raising the General cutoff from 80 to 95 reduces the eligible pool from ~30-40K to ~12-15K, making shortlisting administratively cleaner. Below 95, candidates were almost never shortlisted anyway — the new published cutoff just matches reality.
Shortlisting formula — Stage 1 (Composite Score = CAT × 0.65 + AR × 0.35)
CAT 2025 score
65% of composite. Same calendar-year CAT only — previous-year scores not accepted.
Application Rating (AR)
35% of composite. AR is built from Class 10 + Class 12 + Graduation + Work-Ex + Gender Diversity (see breakdown below).
Class 10 (B10)
Normalised by board pool & category. ~20% of AR.
Class 12 (B12)
Normalised by stream (PCM/Commerce/Arts) and regional board. ~20% of AR.
Graduation (C)
ACRC academic-category grouping — your marks compared to 80th percentile benchmark within your stream (engineering vs commerce vs humanities). ~30% of AR.
Work Experience (D)
Formula: D = 0.20 × (months − 11) for 12-36 months · D = 0 for <12 months (freshers get zero credit on this) · D = 5 capped for >36 months. Sweet spot: 24-36 months. ~20% of AR.
Gender Diversity (E)
3 points for non-male candidates (raised from 2 in previous cycle). ~10% of AR. IIMA targeting 50% gender diversity (currently 30.6%).
Shortlist call ratio
~1,000-1,200 PI calls for 414 PGP seats — roughly 3:1 shortlist-to-seat. From an applicant pool of ~10-15K, that's an 8-10% PI invite rate.
Final selection formula — Stage 2 (after AWT + PI)
Personal Interview (PI)
50% of final score · 20-30 minutes · 1-2 faculty interviewers · evaluates academic background, work-ex, general awareness, MBA motivation, leadership, fit · IIMA penalises overconfidence/arrogance, values intellectual humility
CAT score
25% of final score
Application Rating (AR)
15% of final score
Analytical Writing Test (AWT)
10% of final score · 45 min total (15 min read + 30 min write) · 1000-1200 word analytical essay on unseen contemporary topic · computer-typed · evaluated for clarity, structure, argumentation
Eligibility
PGP
Bachelor's in any discipline · min 50% (or equivalent CGPA) · min 3-year programme · valid CAT 2025 score from same admissions year · no stream restrictions
PGPX
Bachelor's + 15+ yrs formal education · min age 25 by application deadline · min 4 yrs post-graduation work-ex · valid GMAT/GRE (sometimes CAT)
FPM
Master's in any discipline with min 55% · valid CAT/GMAT/GRE from same year · written test + PI
Batch profile (PGP 2025-27)
Size & gender
414 students · 30.6% female (~126) · 69.4% male (~288) · steady upward trend in gender diversity
Gross family income < ₹15 LPA · for PGP and PGP-FABM students · amount varies
SC/ST Scholarship
₹1,500/year (govt-funded, ₹150/month × 10 months)
Minority Community
Family income ≤ ₹2.5 LPA · amount varies
Disability (DA/PWD)
Meritorious DA/PWD students · family income ≤ ₹6 LPA
Alumni Endowment Fund
₹15,000-3,00,000 range · includes PGP Alumni Endowment, Class of PGP 2001, Shri GC Mital Entrepreneurship Aid, Smt. J Nagamma Memorial Award · applications open Sep-Nov annually
Education loans
Partner banks: SBI · Bank of Baroda · PNB · Central Bank · Union Bank · loan up to ₹20-30 L · often no collateral up to ₹20 L for IIM admits · 8-10% p.a. · 5-7 year repayment after course + 6-12 month moratorium
Living cost (Ahmedabad)
₹8,000-15,000/month on-campus (mess + personal) · ₹4,000-7,000/month additional for leisure/travel · campus is largely self-contained
Application & contact
Application fee
~₹2,000-2,500 (varies by category, non-refundable). International candidates ~US$ 75-100. Some categories (SC/ST/PwD) get exemptions/discounts.
Official site
www.iima.ac.in — always verify current dates and fees against the official portal
CAT cutoffs (official, by category)
Category
VARC
DILR
QA
Total
General
85
85
85
95
EWS
85
85
85
95
NC-OBC
80
80
80
90
SC
70
70
70
85
ST
60
60
60
75
PwD
40
40
40
45
Sectional + total percentile minimums from the official admission policy. Meeting the cutoff is the FIRST gate — final selection depends on the composite score.
How selection works
Stage 1 — Shortlisting for PI
CAT 2025 score65%
Application Rating (AR) composite35%
Stage 2 — Final selection (post-PI)
Personal Interview (PI)50%
CAT 2025 score25%
Application Rating (AR)15%
Analytical Writing Test (AWT)10%
Detailed selection process — what to expect at each stage
01
CAT (Common Admission Test)
Computer-based · 120 min · 3 sections (VARC, DILR, QA, 40 min each) · annual exam (Nov-Dec) · same-year score required for 2026 admission (CAT 2025).
02
Application Submission
Portal opens early Jan 2026 after CAT score release. Upload transcripts, CAT scorecard, ID proof, photo. Respond to essay questions on motivation, career goals, and why IIM-A. Application fee ~₹2,000-2,500.
03
Application Rating (AR) computed
IIMA calculates your AR from Class 10, Class 12 (stream-normalised), Graduation (ACRC academic-category benchmark), Work-Ex formula D = 0.20 × (months − 11) capped at 5, and Gender Diversity (3 points non-male).
04
Stage 1 Shortlist
Composite Score = (CAT × 0.65) + (AR × 0.35). ~1,000-1,200 of ~10-15K applicants invited for AWT-PI — roughly 3:1 shortlist-to-seat. Announced mid-March.
05
AWT (Analytical Writing Test)
45 min total (15 min read + 30 min write) · unseen contemporary topic · 1000-1200 word analytical essay typed on computer · evaluated for clarity, structure, argumentation. Usually 1-2 days before PI.
06
Personal Interview (PI)
20-30 min · 1-2 faculty interviewers · evaluates academic background, work-ex, general awareness, MBA motivation, leadership, communication, cultural fit. IIMA values intellectual humility — overconfidence is penalised.
07
Stage 2 Final Selection
Final Score = PI × 0.50 + CAT × 0.25 + AR × 0.15 + AWT × 0.10. Merit lists prepared by category. PI dominance (50%) means a weak PI cannot be rescued by high CAT.
08
Admission & Enrollment
Offer letter mid-April · fee payment deadline ~30 Apr · document submission ~15 May · Programme starts 1 Jun 2026. Round 2/waitlist movement possible if initial round under-yields.
Batch profile
414 students
Batch size
30.6%
Female %
25 months
Avg work exp
50%
Engineers
73%
With work exp
IIM A Financial Aid 2026 — Loans, EMI Options & Scholarships
IIM A scholarships — published categories
IIMA Special Need-Based Scholarship
Gross family income < ₹15 LPA · for PGP and PGP-FABM
Varies by need
SC/ST Scholarship
SC/ST category · government-funded
₹150/month × 10 months (₹1,500/yr)
Minority Community Scholarship
Family income ≤ ₹2.5 LPA
Varies
Disability (DA/PWD) Scholarship
Meritorious DA/PWD students · family income ≤ ₹6 LPA
Varies
PGP Alumni Endowment Fund
Merit + need · applications Sep-Nov · funded by alumni
₹15,000 – ₹3,00,000
Class of PGP 2001 Scholarship
Part of Alumni Endowment family · merit-based
Within ₹15K-3 L range
Shri GC Mital Entrepreneurship Aid
Entrepreneurship-leaning PGP students
Within ₹15K-3 L range
Smt. J Nagamma Memorial Award
Specific alumni-funded award · part of endowment family