IIMs consider common UG entrance test, centralised MBA counselling for 2026-27

The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are considering significant overhauls to their admission processes and student mobility policies, including a common entrance test for undergraduate (UG) management programmes and a centralised counselling platform for MBA admissions. These proposals, along with a uniform fee-refund policy and inter-IIM transfers, were discussed during a Coordination Forum of IIMs meeting on May 14, 2026, chaired by then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan in Ahmedabad.

The Union education ministry circulated the minutes of this meeting to all IIMs on June 17, 2026. HT obtained these minutes on September 15, 2026, through a Right to Information (RTI) application. The proposed changes aim to address issues such as the complexity of MBA admissions, financial losses due to multiple non-refundable seat bookings, and varied fee refund policies across institutions.

Proposed Common UG Entrance Test

The IIMs are deliberating the introduction of a common entrance test for undergraduate admissions to align with futuristic requirements and speed up the application process. Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan had stated that multiple UG entrance tests should be “avoided.” Currently, 13 of the 22 IIMs offer UG programmes, including seven IIMs (Indore, Rohtak, Ranchi, Jammu, Bodh Gaya, Amritsar, and Shillong) that offer five-year Integrated Programmes in Management (IPMs).

These seven IIMs presently use three distinct admission mechanisms for IPMs: IPMAT, JIPMAT, and IIM Rohtak’s own aptitude test. Other IIMs like Lucknow and Mumbai use JEE Advanced and JEE Main respectively for their specialised BS programmes, while IIM Kozhikode conducts its own BMS Aptitude Test and IIM Bangalore uses the IIMB Undergraduate Admissions Test. IIM Udaipur admits students to its BBA without an entrance examination. IIM Bodh Gaya, Jammu, Amritsar, and Ranchi have expressed support for a common entrance test for UG admissions, with IIM Jammu and Bodh Gaya favouring a test conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Conversely, IIM Kozhikode advocated for “minimal regulation” and flexibility for individual IIMs regarding UG admissions, while IIM Udaipur suggested using existing JEE, CUET, and CLAT scores instead of introducing another test. IIM Indore director Himanshu Rai noted that a “broader consensus idea was to avoid creating new entrance tests and instead use credible examinations that already exist.” Higher education secretary Vineet Joshi cautioned that such a significant decision required analysis of students’ test-taking patterns and socio-economic backgrounds.

Centralised MBA Counselling Platform

To address the complexities and uncertainties in MBA admissions, the forum discussed implementing a centralised counselling platform. This initiative seeks to develop standard operating procedures for MBA admissions and mitigate financial losses and blocked seats that occur when candidates accept multiple offers due to varying release times and short acceptance windows. IIM Mumbai has been tasked with developing a prototype for this common digital platform.

A senior IIM Mumbai official confirmed that the prototype was sent to the education ministry by the end of July 2026. The official stated, “The ministry might be reviewing the platform and will update us accordingly. The final decision is yet to be taken. The platform will ensure smooth and timely counselling in IIMs.” The current MBA admission process sees 2-3 lakh aspirants appearing for CAT annually, often leading to challenges for IIMs in predicting final enrolments and managing waitlists due to the uncoordinated admission process. IIM Indore’s Rai highlighted that “the concern raised by newer IIMs was that seats sometimes stay vacant when students leave after receiving offers from older IIMs.” He added that a suggestion was for older IIMs to stop admissions after a defined date and share information with newer IIMs to better manage waitlists and admissions, with the objective of improving coordination and minimising vacancies.

Uniform Fee-Refund Policy

The Coordination Forum also called for the framing of a “standardised policy” for fee refunds, to be implemented from the academic year 2026–27. This policy is intended to be modeled on University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, which typically involve deducting only ₹1,000 for withdrawals before classes commence. This move aims to resolve complaints over non-refund of fees and address financial losses incurred by students.

Currently, while most IIMs follow a standardized refund policy under UGC guidelines, some institutions have different practices. For instance, IIM Udaipur allowed withdrawals after classes began with a ₹30,000 deduction. IIM Visakhapatnam barred refunds after the start of Term-I, and IIM Mumbai prescribed forfeiture of the admission amount in certain cases. IIM Calcutta’s policy for some programmes explicitly stated that “fees paid are not refundable under any circumstances.” The proposed uniform policy seeks to bring consistency across the IIM system, ensuring transparency and fairness for students.

Further reading

• Distance BTTM colleges in Uttarakhand 2026: admission involves entrance exams, counselling
• GGSIPU Special Entrance Test 2026 Announced for BEd, BA JMC, BEd SE
• Panjab University UG Law Migration Entrance Test 2026 on October 18: Registration Dates, Fees & Other Updates

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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