After the CAT result, your percentile becomes an important factor in determining which IIMs and B-schools you may be shortlisted for. However, each institute has its own sectional and overall cut-off requirements, making it important to know the expected percentile before planning your applications.
CAT Cut Off 2026 gives you a clear view of category-wise IIM cut-offs, sectional and overall requirements, IIM CAP cut-offs and expected cut-offs for top non-IIM B-schools. These benchmarks can help you assess your shortlisting chances and understand the admission requirements you may need to meet.
The CAT cut-off is the minimum percentile used by IIMs and other MBA colleges to shortlist candidates. Along with CAT percentile, institutes also consider academics, work experience and overall profile during the final admission process.
|
Particular |
Details |
|
CAT Result |
Expected in the first week of January 2027 |
|
Cut-off Purpose |
MBA shortlisting |
|
Selection Method |
Sectional + Overall percentile |
|
Additional Factors |
Academics, work experience & profile |
Note: The highlights below are based on CAT 2025 admission trends.
Every IIM considers both sectional and overall percentiles. Clearing only the overall percentile is usually not enough if you fail to meet the minimum requirement in VARC, DILR or QA.
|
Sectional Cut Off |
Overall Cut Off |
|
Minimum percentile in VARC, DILR & QA |
Minimum overall CAT percentile |
|
Evaluated separately for each section |
Based on total CAT performance |
|
Mandatory for most IIMs |
Required for first-stage shortlisting |
|
Missing one section may affect eligibility |
Must be cleared alongside sectional cut-offs |
Note: Based on the CAT 2025 admission criteria followed by IIMs.
The tables below show the expected CAT 2026 qualifying percentiles based on CAT 2025 admission data.
|
IIM |
Category |
VARC |
DILR/LRDI |
QA |
Overall |
|
IIM Ahmedabad |
General/EWS |
70 |
70 |
70 |
80 |
|
NC-OBC |
65 |
65 |
65 |
75 |
|
|
SC |
60 |
60 |
60 |
70 |
|
|
ST |
50 |
50 |
50 |
60 |
|
|
PwD |
60 |
60 |
60 |
70 |
|
|
IIM Bangalore |
General |
80 |
75 |
75 |
85 |
|
EWS/NC-OBC |
70 |
65 |
65 |
75 |
|
|
SC |
65 |
60 |
60 |
70 |
|
|
ST |
55 |
55 |
55 |
65 |
|
|
PwD |
50 |
50 |
50 |
60 |
|
|
IIM Calcutta |
Open |
80 |
80 |
75 |
85 |
|
EWS/NC-OBC |
70 |
65 |
65 |
75 |
|
|
SC |
65 |
60 |
60 |
70 |
|
|
ST |
55 |
55 |
55 |
65 |
|
|
PwD |
45 |
45 |
45 |
55 |
|
|
IIM Lucknow |
General |
85 |
85 |
85 |
90 |
|
EWS/NC-OBC |
77 |
77 |
77 |
82 |
|
|
SC |
55 |
55 |
55 |
65 |
|
|
ST |
50 |
50 |
50 |
60 |
|
|
PwD |
50 |
50 |
50 |
60 |
|
|
IIM Kozhikode |
General |
75 |
75 |
75 |
85 |
|
EWS/NC-OBC |
65 |
65 |
65 |
75 |
|
|
SC |
55 |
55 |
55 |
65 |
|
|
ST/PwD |
45 |
45 |
45 |
55 |
|
|
IIM Mumbai |
General |
80 |
80 |
75 |
85 |
|
EWS/NC-OBC |
70 |
65 |
65 |
75 |
|
|
SC |
65 |
60 |
60 |
70 |
|
|
ST |
55 |
55 |
55 |
65 |
|
|
PwD |
45 |
45 |
45 |
55 |
|
|
IIM Indore |
General/EWS |
80 |
80 |
80 |
90 |
|
NC-OBC |
70 |
70 |
70 |
80 |
|
|
SC |
55 |
55 |
55 |
60 |
|
|
ST |
40 |
40 |
40 |
45 |
|
|
PwD |
40 |
40 |
40 |
45 |
|
|
IIM Shillong |
Others |
75 |
75 |
75 |
— |
|
EWS |
75 |
75 |
75 |
— |
|
|
SC |
60 |
60 |
60 |
— |
|
|
ST |
50 |
50 |
50 |
— |
|
|
DA |
50 |
50 |
50 |
— |
|
|
IIM Rohtak |
General |
— |
— |
— |
96 |
|
EWS |
— |
— |
— |
92 |
|
|
NC-OBC |
— |
— |
— |
82 |
|
|
SC |
— |
— |
— |
60 |
|
|
ST |
— |
— |
— |
50 |
|
|
IIM Visakhapatnam |
General |
70 |
70 |
70 |
82 |
|
EWS/NC-OBC |
63 |
63 |
63 |
72 |
|
|
SC |
40 |
40 |
40 |
50 |
|
|
ST |
30 |
30 |
30 |
40 |
|
|
PwD |
30 |
30 |
30 |
40 |
|
|
IIM Amritsar |
General/EWS |
75 |
75 |
80 |
88 |
|
NC-OBC |
60 |
60 |
65 |
78 |
|
|
SC |
50 |
50 |
55 |
55 |
|
|
ST |
35 |
35 |
35 |
40 |
|
|
PwD |
35 |
35 |
35 |
40 |
Note: The above cut-offs are based on the latest CAT 2025 category-wise cut-off data. The CAT 2026 cut-offs will be updated once the CAT 2026 results are announced
The Common Admission Process (CAP) is conducted for several newer IIMs using a common qualifying percentile. While the interview process is common, each IIM prepares its own final merit list using a composite score.
IIM Kashipur
IIM Nagpur
IIM Raipur
IIM Ranchi
IIM Trichy
IIM Udaipur
IIM Bodh Gaya
IIM Jammu
IIM Sirmaur
Category-wise CAP Cut Off |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Category |
VARC |
LRDI |
QA |
Overall |
|
General |
73 |
73 |
73 |
94 |
|
EWS |
50 |
50 |
50 |
77 |
|
NC-OBC |
50 |
50 |
50 |
77 |
|
SC |
44 |
44 |
44 |
60 |
|
ST |
25 |
25 |
30 |
40 |
|
DAP |
25 |
25 |
30 |
40 |
Note: The above cut-offs are based on the CAT 2025 CAP criteria and will be updated once the CAT 2026 results are announced.
Apart from the IIMs, many leading MBA institutes accept CAT scores. The following expected percentile ranges are based on previous admission trends.
|
Institute |
Expected Percentile |
|
FMS Delhi |
99.3+ |
|
JBIMS Mumbai |
99.9+ |
|
MDI Gurgaon |
97+ |
|
SIBM Pune |
98.5+ |
|
SCMHRD Pune |
97+ |
|
DMS IIT Delhi |
98+ |
|
IIT Kharagpur (VGSOM/MHRM) |
94+ |
|
DoMS IIT Roorkee |
94+ |
|
IME IIT Kanpur |
92+ |
|
Great Lakes Chennai |
90+ |
|
GIM Goa |
90+ |
|
IMT Ghaziabad |
90+ |
|
IMI Delhi |
88+ |
|
BIM Trichy |
87+ |
|
IRMA |
86+ |
|
TAPMI Manipal |
85+ |
|
FORE School of Management |
85+ |
|
Delhi School of Economics |
85+ |
|
DoMS IIT Madras |
85+ |
|
NIBM Pune |
85+ |
|
KJ Somaiya |
84+ |
|
LIBA Chennai |
80+ |
|
Welingkar |
77+ |
|
Vivekananda Business School |
75+ |
|
MICA |
45+ MICAT Marks |
CAT Cut Off 2026 can help aspirants understand the percentile requirements for IIMs, CAP participating institutes, and leading non-IIM B-schools. Since the cut-offs mentioned above are based on previous admission trends, candidates should use them as an initial reference and check the official admission criteria once released. A strong CAT percentile, combined with a well-rounded profile and timely applications, can improve your chances of moving ahead in the MBA admission process.