
The Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM Calcutta) has released the admission policy for its two-year, full-time MBA programme for the 2027–29 academic batch. The policy explains the eligibility requirements, CAT 2026 percentile cutoffs, and evaluation criteria that will be used throughout the admission process.
The selection procedure involves multiple stages. Candidates are assessed using their CAT 2026 performance and academic records for initial shortlisting, followed by the Personal Interview and Writing Ability Test. The final selection process considers interview performance, entrance examination scores, WAT performance, work experience, and academic diversity.
Candidates can refer to the following table for the key details of the admission policy.
| Particulars | Details |
| Institute Name | Indian Institute of Management Calcutta |
| Programme Name | Master of Business Administration (MBA) |
| Batch | 2027–29 |
| Programme Duration | 2 years |
| Admission Test | CAT 2026 |
| Shortlisting Stages | Personal Interview (PI) and Writing Ability Test (WAT) |
| Initial Shortlisting Score | 85 points |
| Final Selection Score | 100 points |
| Official Website | iimcal.ac.in |
IIM Calcutta has specified minimum CAT 2026 percentile requirements for candidates seeking consideration for the PI and WAT selection stages. Applicants must meet the prescribed CAT eligibility criteria and percentile thresholds in each CAT section as well as the overall percentile requirement for their respective categories.
Candidates must also obtain non-negative raw scores in all three CAT 2026 sections to qualify for consideration at the first stage.
The category-wise minimum CAT percentile requirements are provided below.
| Category | VARC | DILR | Quantitative Ability (QA) | Overall Percentile |
| OPEN | 80 | 80 | 75 | 85 |
| EWS | 70 | 65 | 65 | 75 |
| NC-OBC | 70 | 65 | 65 | 75 |
| SC | 65 | 60 | 60 | 70 |
| ST | 55 | 55 | 55 | 65 |
| PwD | 45 | 45 | 45 | 55 |
Note: These figures represent the minimum percentile requirements for consideration, not guaranteed interview-call cutoffs. The actual cutoffs may be higher depending on the number of candidates shortlisted in each category.
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The institute follows a two-stage process to shortlist candidates for the Personal Interview and Writing Ability Test. CAT performance, academic records, and gender diversity are considered in the shortlisting process.
Candidates must meet the prescribed section-wise and overall CAT 2026 percentile requirements. They must also have non-negative raw scores across all three sections.
Only candidates who satisfy these initial conditions can be considered for the next stage of shortlisting.
Candidates who qualify for the first stage are evaluated using an 85-point composite score. This calculation combines CAT 2026 performance, Class 10 marks, Class 12 marks, and the gender diversity factor.
The distribution of points is as follows.
| Selection Parameter | Weightage |
| CAT 2026 Score | 56 points |
| Class 10 Marks | 10 points |
| Class 12 Marks | 15 points |
| Gender Diversity Factor | 4 points |
| Total | 85 points |
For the CAT component, the candidate's total overall scaled score is compared with the maximum possible overall scaled score, and the result is multiplied by 56.
Female and transgender candidates receive 4 points under the gender diversity component. The combined composite score is used to determine which candidates will be shortlisted for PI and WAT.
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After the shortlisting stages, the institute uses a separate 100-point composite score to prepare the final selection list. The assessment gives the highest weightage to Personal Interview performance, followed by CAT 2026 scores.
The final selection weightage is outlined below.
| Selection Component | Weightage |
| Personal Interview (PI) | 48 points |
| CAT 2026 Score | 30 points |
| Writing Ability Test (WAT) | 8 points |
| Work Experience | 8 points |
| Academic Diversity | 6 points |
| Total | 100 points |
The Personal Interview accounts for 48 points, making it the most heavily weighted component of the final selection process. CAT 2026 performance contributes another 30 points, while WAT and work experience carry 8 points each. Academic diversity accounts for the remaining 6 points.
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Academic diversity points depend on the candidate's educational and professional qualifications. The policy provides different scores for applicants from engineering and non-engineering backgrounds, along with certain professional and integrated degree qualifications.
Candidates with an engineering bachelor's degree receive 0 academic diversity points, while those holding a bachelor's degree in a non-engineering discipline receive 4 points. The maximum academic diversity weightage in the final selection process is 6 points.
Work experience contributes a maximum of 8 points to the final composite score. The assessment considers completed managerial or executive work experience acquired after obtaining a bachelor's degree, up to January 31, 2027.
Candidates should review the admission policy to understand how their qualifying work experience will be assessed during the final selection process.
Candidates can access the admission policy through the institute's official website by following these steps.
Visit the official IIM Calcutta website at iimcal.ac.in.
Navigate to the MBA admission section.
Open the admission procedure for domestic candidates.
Access the admission policy for the 2027–29 batch.
Review the CAT percentile requirements, shortlisting formula, and final selection criteria.
Refer to the relevant sections to understand the applicable requirements for your category and academic background.
Candidates planning to apply to IIM Calcutta should carefully understand the distinction between minimum CAT percentile requirements and the composite scores used for shortlisting.
Meeting the minimum CAT cutoffs makes a candidate eligible for consideration at the initial stage but does not guarantee a PI or WAT call. The institute may apply higher cutoffs depending on the number of candidates being considered in each category.
Applicants should also note that the final admission decision is based on a separate 100-point evaluation system. Performance in the Personal Interview, CAT 2026 score, WAT, work experience, and academic diversity all contribute to the final assessment.
Reviewing the complete admission policy can help candidates understand the different stages of the selection process and the weightage assigned to each component.
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