CAT 2026 cutoff for IIMs: top institutes require 90-99 percentile for MBA admissions

The Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 cutoff scores are a key determinant for candidates seeking admission to MBA and PGDM programs across India’s premier management institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), IITs, FMS Delhi, and MDI Gurgaon. These cutoffs, which vary significantly by institute, category, and program, are used to shortlist candidates for subsequent stages of the admission process, such as Group Discussions (GD) and Personal Interviews (PI).

While the official qualifying cutoffs may appear modest, the actual percentiles for interview calls are considerably higher due to intense competition and limited interview slots. The CAT 2025 examination forms the basis for IIM admissions in the 2026-28 academic session, with the CAT 2026 cutoffs for the 2027-29 batch expected to be released by individual IIMs in January 2027.

IIM Cutoff Percentiles and Sectional Requirements

Top IIMs, including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta, generally set CAT cutoffs ranging between 90 and 99 percentiles for the general category. Newer IIMs like Udaipur, Trichy, Raipur, and Ranchi typically shortlist candidates with overall percentiles in the 94-96 range, while Baby IIMs such as Nagpur, Amritsar, Sirmaur, Visakhapatnam, and Bodh Gaya generally consider candidates with percentiles in the 88-94 bracket.

Most IIMs mandate that candidates clear sectional CAT cutoffs in Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Aptitude (QA), on top of the overall cutoff. Failing to meet these sectional benchmarks can disqualify a candidate, even with a high overall percentile, as IIMs seek balanced thinkers with strong analytical, reasoning, and communication skills across domains.

Category-Wise Cutoffs and Admission Criteria

Cutoffs for various categories differ significantly, with lower requirements for reserved categories such as Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), and Persons with Disabilities (PwD). For the 2026-28 MBA batch, the CAT cutoff for OBC candidates typically ranges from 74 to 90 percentile across various IIMs, with IIM Jammu setting its OBC cutoff at 74 percentile and IIM Ahmedabad requiring 90 percentile.

IIM Ahmedabad’s official CAT 2025-based admission criteria specify preliminary screening cutoffs for the General/EWS category at 95 overall and 85 sectional, NC-OBC at 90 overall and 80 sectional, SC at 85 overall and 75 sectional, and ST at 75 overall and 65 sectional. IIM Mumbai’s expected overall CAT Cutoff 2027 for the General category is 97–99+, EWS 93–97, NC-OBC 90–95, SC 75–85, and ST 60–75.

The CAT 2026 cutoff scores are not the sole criterion for MBA admission. Performance is evaluated on a mix of CAT scores, academic performance, effort experience, and diversity factors. The final selection is based on a composite score, ensuring a big-picture evaluation of every applicant.

Admission to Other Top Institutions and Seat Reservations

Beyond the IIMs, other prominent institutions like IITs (SJMSoM, DMS, VGSoM, DoMS), FMS Delhi, TISS Mumbai, and NIBM Pune also consider CAT scores for their MBA/PGDM programs. These institutions also set up category-wise seat reservations as per Government of India norms.

The CAT percentile is a relative ranking system, indicating the percentage of candidates a student has outperformed. For instance, a 95 percentile means a candidate has performed better than 95% of all test-takers. This percentile is the primary metric used by IIMs to shortlist candidates for the subsequent stages of the admission process.

IIM Program Fees and Placement Statistics

The cost of MBA programs at top IIMs varies, as do the average and highest salary packages offered to graduates. IIM Ahmedabad’s PGP program fees are approximately ₹25–26.5 Lakhs, with an average salary in 2026 of ₹34.5–35.4 LPA and a highest package reaching ₹1.15 Crore. IIM Bangalore’s PGP fees are around ₹24.5–26.2 Lakhs, with an average salary of ₹34.9–35.9 LPA and a highest package exceeding ₹1 Crore.

The CAT 2025 application window was from August 1, 2025, to September 20, 2025. Admit cards were released on November 5, 2025, and the exam was conducted on November 30, 2025. Results were announced in January 2026.

Further reading

• NMAT 2026 exam window opens November 2; how it differs from CAT in difficulty, pattern
• CAT and NMAT 2026: exam pattern, marking scheme, difficulty compared
• MMS 2026: Apply for admission with CAT/MAT/XAT/CMAT/ATMA/MAH-CET scores
• XAT 2027 application edit window opens October 16-17: Correct initial forms
• DMS IIT Delhi MBA 2027 application opens November 30, apply by January 25 Applications open
• CAT: complete exam guide

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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