IIM Ahmedabad MBA (PGP) Selection Criteria 2026–28 | CAT 2025
December 28, 2025 2025-12-28 2:12IIM Ahmedabad MBA (PGP) Selection Criteria 2026–28 | CAT 2025
IIM Ahmedabad MBA (PGP) Admission / Selection Criteria (CAT 2025 → PGP 2026–28)
This page compiles the complete official selection process for IIMA’s two-year PGP (MBA Core) for the 2026–28 batch through CAT-2025 — including minimum cutoffs, eligibility, Application Rating (AR), Composite Score (CS) shortlisting, and Final Composite Score (FCS).
📌 Quick Navigation
1) Snapshot 2) Eligibility 3) CAT Cutoffs (Table 1) 4) Shortlisting for AWT & PI (Stages + CS) 5) Application Rating (AR) Tables (A–E) 6) Criteria C1–C3 + P Cutoffs (Table 7) 7) Academic Categories (Table 8) 8) Final Selection (FCS) 9) Cities + Reservation 10) Video 11) Sources✅ Snapshot (What you must know in 60 seconds)
2) Eligibility Criteria (as stated by IIMA)
- Must hold a bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% for SC/ST/PwD).
- If CGPA/grades are awarded, conversion is based on university equivalence; if no conversion exists, IIMA may compute: (Obtained CGPA ÷ Max CGPA) × 100.
- Final-year candidates / awaiting results can apply, subject to certificate requirements and deadlines (provisional admission rules).
- Age rule (selected candidates): Must be 19 years as on June 30, 2026 (born on or before June 30, 2007).
- Final-year provisionally admitted candidates must submit marksheet & degree certificate by IIMA’s stated deadlines (including June 30, 2026 completion requirement; submission deadline December 31, 2026).
3) Minimum CAT-2025 Percentile Cut-offs (Table 1)
Candidates must be above the minimum sectional and overall percentiles, and must have a positive raw score in each section.
| Category | Non-PwD: Overall (PT) | Non-PwD: Sectionals (PVARC/PDILR/PQA) | PwD: Overall (PT) | PwD: Sectionals (PVARC/PDILR/PQA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General / EWS | 95 | 85 | 85 | 75 |
| NC-OBC | 90 | 80 | 80 | 70 |
| SC | 85 | 75 | 75 | 65 |
| ST | 75 | 65 | 65 | 55 |
4) Shortlisting for AWT & PI (Two Stages + CS)
IIMA shortlists candidates for Analytical Writing Test (AWT) and Personal Interview (PI) using a two-stage mechanism. Shortlisting is done across academic backgrounds using: CS = 0.35 × Norm(AR) + 0.65 × Norm(CAT Overall).
Stage 1: “Exceptional performers” across disciplines
- From each academic category (AC-1 to AC-5), if the number of applicants in SC/ST/NC-OBC/PwD is at least 100, IIMA shortlists the top 5% in each ACRC group (subject to an upper limit per category).
- Stage 1 requires fulfilling Criteria C1–C3.
Stage 2: Additional shortlisting after removing Stage-1 candidates
- After removing Stage-1 selections, additional candidates are shortlisted on the basis of CS, subject to Criteria C1–C2.
Upper Limits on shortlist per ACRC group (Tables 6a & 6b)
Table 6a (AC-1, AC-2, AC-3, AC-5)
| Category | Upper Limit per ACRC |
|---|---|
| General | 100 |
| NC-OBC | 57 |
| SC | 32 |
| ST | 16 |
| PwD | 6 |
Rule: 5% or the above numbers, whichever is smaller.
Table 6b (AC-4)
| Category | Upper Limit per ACRC |
|---|---|
| General | 150 |
| NC-OBC | 85 |
| SC | 48 |
| ST | 24 |
| PwD | 9 |
Rule: 5% or the above numbers, whichever is smaller.
5) Application Rating (AR) = A + B + C + D + E
AR is computed from rating scores: A (10th), B (12th stream-wise), C (Bachelor’s discipline-wise), D (Work-ex), E (Gender diversity). Normalised AR is AR divided by the average of top 50 AR scores in the applicant pool.
Table 2: 10th Std (Score A)
| 10th % | Rating A |
|---|---|
| ≤ 55 | 1 |
| > 55 and ≤ 60 | 2 |
| > 60 and ≤ 70 | 3 |
| > 70 and ≤ 80 | 5 |
| > 80 and ≤ 90 | 8 |
| > 90 | 10 |
Score E: Gender Diversity
E = 3 for all other candidates
(IIMA uses Gender Diversity as part of AR; it is not a separate final weight.)
Table 3: 12th Std (Score B) — Stream-wise
Science
| 12th % | Rating B |
|---|---|
| ≤ 55 | 1 |
| > 55 and ≤ 60 | 2 |
| > 60 and ≤ 70 | 3 |
| > 70 and ≤ 80 | 5 |
| > 80 and ≤ 90 | 8 |
| > 90 | 10 |
Commerce
| 12th % | Rating B |
|---|---|
| ≤ 50 | 1 |
| > 50 and ≤ 55 | 2 |
| > 55 and ≤ 65 | 3 |
| > 65 and ≤ 75 | 5 |
| > 75 and ≤ 90 | 8 |
| > 90 | 10 |
Arts / Humanities
| 12th % | Rating B |
|---|---|
| ≤ 45 | 1 |
| > 45 and ≤ 50 | 2 |
| > 50 and ≤ 60 | 3 |
| > 60 and ≤ 70 | 5 |
| > 70 and ≤ 85 | 8 |
| > 85 | 10 |
Table 4: Bachelor’s Degree (Score C) — Academic Category-wise
IIMA uses different C-rating slabs based on academic category (AC). (AC definitions are given in Table 8 below.)
AC-1
| Bachelor’s % | Rating C |
|---|---|
| ≤ 55 | 1 |
| > 55 and ≤ 60 | 2 |
| > 60 and ≤ 62 | 3 |
| > 62 and ≤ 65 | 5 |
| > 65 and ≤ 70 | 8 |
| > 70 | 10 |
AC-2 (Professional courses)
| % | Rating C |
|---|---|
| ≤ 50 | 1 |
| > 50 and ≤ 53 | 2 |
| > 53 and ≤ 55 | 3 |
| > 55 and ≤ 57 | 5 |
| > 57 and ≤ 63 | 8 |
| > 63 | 10 |
AC-3
| Bachelor’s % | Rating C |
|---|---|
| ≤ 55 | 1 |
| > 55 and ≤ 60 | 2 |
| > 60 and ≤ 65 | 3 |
| > 65 and ≤ 70 | 5 |
| > 70 and ≤ 80 | 8 |
| > 80 | 10 |
AC-4 & AC-6
| Bachelor’s % | Rating C |
|---|---|
| ≤ 60 | 1 |
| > 60 and ≤ 65 | 2 |
| > 65 and ≤ 70 | 3 |
| > 70 and ≤ 75 | 5 |
| > 75 and ≤ 85 | 8 |
| > 85 | 10 |
AC-5
| Bachelor’s % | Rating C |
|---|---|
| ≤ 50 | 1 |
| > 50 and ≤ 55 | 2 |
| > 55 and ≤ 60 | 3 |
| > 60 and ≤ 65 | 5 |
| > 65 and ≤ 75 | 8 |
| > 75 | 10 |
Table 5: Work Experience (Score D)
| Work-ex months (as in CAT form) | Rating D |
|---|---|
| < 12 months | 0 |
| ≥ 12 and ≤ 36 months | MF × (months − 11) |
| > 36 months | 5 |
Work-ex Multiplication Factor: MF = 0.20.
6) Criteria C1–C3 + P Cutoffs (Table 7)
C2: P must meet minimum cutoff (Table 7), where P = average of 10th% and 12th%.
C3: Bachelor’s % must be at least the 80th percentile cutoff within the relevant applicant pool group (as defined by IIMA).
Table 7: Minimum cut-off for P (P = avg(10th%, 12th%))
| 12th Stream | General / EWS | NC-OBC | SC | ST | PwD (Gen/EWS/NC-OBC/SC) | PwD (ST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Science | 80 | 75 | 70 | 65 | 70 | 65 |
| Commerce | 77 | 72 | 67 | 62 | 67 | 62 |
| Arts / Humanities | 75 | 70 | 64 | 59 | 64 | 59 |
7) Academic Categories (Table 8) — Bachelor’s discipline grouping
IIMA classifies applicants into AC-1 to AC-6 based on bachelor’s degree / integrated master’s degree as per CAT application. Final discretion rests with IIMA’s Admissions Committee.
Table 8 (as published):
AC-2 (Selected Professional): CA, ICWA, CMA, CS, FIAI
AC-3 (Commerce/Eco/Finance/Management): includes Economics, Hospitality/Hotel/Travel/Tourism, Commerce & Management (wide list)
AC-4 (Engineering/Tech/Architecture + Science/Agriculture non-medicine): includes BTECH/BE/BARCH etc; plus Science & Agriculture degrees (BSC/BS etc) with listed inclusions/exclusions
AC-5 (Arts/Humanities/Design/Education/Law/Rural Studies): includes BA (with stated exclusions), Design, Education, Journalism, Law, Psychology, Rural Studies etc
AC-6: Any other discipline not mentioned in AC-1 to AC-5
If you want, I can expand AC-3/AC-4/AC-5 into the full “In particular, including…” lists as an accordion section (the official page has long enumerations).
8) Final Selection (Final Composite Score — FCS)
FCS = 0.50×Norm(PI) + 0.10×Norm(AWT) + 0.25×Norm(CAT) + 0.15×Norm(AR)
- Final selection is done separately for each reservation category, as per Government of India norms.
- Normalised AWT and PI are based on division by the average of top 1% scores in the respective field (as stated).
- IIMA notes that it does not disclose individual performance details in AWT/PI to prevent pressure on panelists and protect process integrity.
9) AWT/PI Cities + Reservation (Official)
AWT & PI Cities
IIMA conducts AWT & PI in: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi.
Candidates choose two cities in the CAT application form.
Shortlist information is expected around the second week of January 2026 after CAT results, as per IIMA note.
Reservation
As per Government of India requirement: 27% NC-OBC • 15% SC • 7.5% ST • 5% PwD • up to 10% EWS.
Candidates must mark category carefully in the CAT application form.
10) Must-Watch Video (AzuCATion)
Embed your YouTube explanation directly in the selection criteria page (boosts time-on-page + trust).
11) Sources (Official) + Disclaimer
1) IIM Ahmedabad – PGP (MBA) Admissions (Domestic)
https://www.iima.ac.in/academics/mba/admissions/domestic
2) IIM Ahmedabad – PGP Selection Criteria (CAT 2025 → PGP 2026–28)
https://www.iima.ac.in/academics/mba/admissions/domestic/selection-process
These official pages are the final authority on eligibility, CAT cut-offs, Application Rating (AR), Composite Score (CS), Final Composite Score (FCS), reservation norms, and any subsequent updates or changes.
Disclaimer: This page is an explanatory and aspirant-friendly compilation created by AzuCATion | Maths by Amiya for guidance purposes. Final authority for admission decisions, cut-offs, shortlisting logic, interview evaluation, and offer criteria rests solely with IIM Ahmedabad. IIM Ahmedabad reserves the right to modify its admission criteria based on CAT-2025 data distribution, operational constraints, statutory requirements, or institutional policy decisions.
