Each IIM Admission Criteria 2022-2024 was released only after the CAT exam registration process had started in the month of August. Every year, while the IIM Admission Criteria for IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode and Indore is released by respective IIM in the month of August/September, other IIMs admission criteria with specific guidelines on how to get admission in IIM for MBA , is released later in October/November around the CAT exam date. The new IIMs MBA admission criteria is released in the month of November or even later.
Before going deep into IIM admission criteria 2022 individually, let us look at the key highlights of overall features of IIMs admission 2022-2024 criteria at a glance, including the IIM Eligibility Age Limit, Shortlisting criteria and weightage, final selection criteria and other key details.
IM MBA Admission Criteria 2022-2024 batch at a glance
IIM Admission 2022 process is based on each IIM admission Policy. Following components are the key parts of each IIM admission criteria 2022-2024 batch
| Admission in IIMs | Key Points in IIM Admission Criteria | Remarks |
| IIM Ahmedabad Admission Criteria | 1. 65% weightage for CAT score in Shortlisting 2. Sectional CAT cut off is 70 and overall cut off is 80 percentile 3. 5% Weightage for work experience 4.In final selection 60% weight for PI-WAT 5.Only 25% weightfor CAT score in final Selection | May conduct online PI depending upon Covid-pandemic situation |
| IIM Bangalore Admission Criteria | 1.50% Weight goes to Academics in Shortlisting 2.Sectional CAT percentile requirement is 75 for DILR & QA and 80 for VARC 3. 40% Weightage to CAT Score in Shortlisting for PI-WAT 4. Only 25% weightage for CAT score in final selection | Consistently good academic record offers good admission opportunity |
| IIM Calcutta Admission Criteria | 1.WAT scrapped due to Covid 2. May conduct PI round online 3. Weightage for CAT score reduced to 56% in shortlisting 4.Weightage for Academics and Diversity is increased to 44% in shortlisting 5. Class 10 & Class XII score weightage reduced to 10% and 15% in shortlisting respectively | Final admission based on various attributes |
| IIM Lucknow Admission Criteria | 1.Reduced Weightage to 60% for CAT score in Shortlisting 2.Sectional CAT percentile required is 85 for PGP and 80 for PGP-ABM & PGP-SM 3.Overall CAT percentile required is 90 for PGP and 85 for PGP-ABM & PGP-SM 4.50% weight to PI-WAT 5. Weightage to CAT in final selection reduced to 30% | Admission Criteria liberalised |
| IIM Indore Admission Criteria | 1.20% Weightage to CAT Score in Shortlist & Final Selection 2.74% Weightage to Academics in Shortlisting for PI-WAT round 3.60% Weight to PI-WAT in Final Merit List Generation 4.6% Weight to Diversity factor | Admission is for Indore and Mumbai campuses |
| IIM Kozhikode Admission Criteria | 1. 45% weight to CAT score in Shortlisting 2. 40% Weight to Academics in Shortlisting 3. Gender/Academic Diversity will be awarded 10% weight 4. No WAT in Final Selection 5. PI Round to get 44% weight 6. Weight to ‘Resume’ increased to 12% | In last two years IIM Kozhikode admission criteria changed very much |
| IIM Rohtak Admission Criteria | 1. No Sectional Cut off in Shortlisting 2.No WAT in Final Selection 3.Online PI Round 4.Not to Participate in IIM-CAP | Apply separately to IIM Rohtak |
| IIM Raipur Admission Criteria | 1.CAT sectional cut off reduced to 80 percentile 2. 8% weightage awarded to female applicants 3. Weightage to Bachelor’s Degree Marks reduced to 5% for final admission 4. Weightage for work experience is awarded at 8% | IIM Raipur will follow New IIMs MBA Admission Criteria and will participate in new IIMs CAP |
| IIM Nagpur Admission Criteria | 1. CAT Weightage Reduced to 15% in final Admission 2. WAT Process Restored 3. May Conduct PI Round Online | Not to participate in IIM CAP, you need to apply separately for admission |
| IIM Visakhapatnam Admission Criteria | 1.CAT Weightage Reduced to 25% in final admission 2.More Weightage for Work Experience 3.No WAT Round 4.PI Round Online depending upon the Covid-19 situation | Submit Application separately, will not participate in CAP |
IIM Eligibility Age Limit
There is no officially announced IIM Eligibility Age limit either by CAT exam center or any individual IIM for IIM Admission 2022. However, the IIM Eligibility Age limit is automatically applied in each IIM admission process as all the IIMs require bachelor’s degree with minimum 3 years of graduation while CAT Exam Center allows even those candidates, who did their graduation in 70’s or 80’s when only 2 years of graduation degree was awarded.
IIM admission criteria 2022 is slightly changed to improve the batch profile and diversity. Admission in IIMs is based on each IIM Admission Policy 2022. One important common mandatory requirement in all the IIMs’ Admission Policy is that the candidate must have appeared in CAT exam and must have scored non-zero positive marks with required minimum overall and sectional percentile cut off in CAT exam.
Although, 20 IIMs admission policy individually contains this common eligibility criteria, IIMs Admission Criteria 2022 is also individually announced with each IIM’s respective shortlisting and final selection weightage parameters. Besides, IIMs Admission criteria with CAT cut offs remain different and as such each IIM criteria 2022 is different and is not dependant on other IIMs MBA admission criteria even after the fact that many new and baby IIMs conduct Common Admission Process (CAP.
IIM Admission Criteria: Similarities and Differences
IIM Criteria explain the key requirements, process and weightage parameters how to get admission in IIM right from taking the mandatory entrance-Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by IIMs till getting the final admission offer. The key components in IIMs Admission Criteria are more or less same but they are used at different stages. The most important criterion is the IIM Eligibility for admission, cut off and weightage for CAT exam score and applicability of age limit.
IIM Ahmedabad admission criteria, IIM Bangalore admission criteria, IIM Calcutta admission criteria and all other 17 IIMs’ admission criteria differ from one IIM to another. While out of 20 IIMs, the older and top IIMs’ admission criteria 2022 would be different, the New IIMs MBA Admission Criteria is through IIM-CAP process. Some of the new IIMs MBA admission criteria 2022 like that of IIM Nagpur, IIM Visakhapatnam would not be through CAP as they will conduct their own final admission round as detailed above.
These IIMs’ admission criteria consist of CAT score cut offs, weightage points for other components like academics, work experience, diversity. However, the applicability of this weightage at the shortlisting stage and final admission round stage, differs from one IIM to other IIM.
IIM CAT: Mandatory Exam for IIMs
IIM-CAT is the mandatory MBA entrance exam for all the IIMs and many other top MBA colleges. All the 20 IIMs offer admission to their flagship MBA programmes by conducting a Common Admission Test IIM-CAT every year. Considered as the largest MBA entrance test, number of candidates registered in IIM-CAT are increasing year after year. For CAT 2020, 2.28 lakh candidates had applied, for CAT 2019, more than 2.44 lakh candidates had applied as against 2.41 lakh candidates registered in 2018.
IIM Admission criteria with CAT cut offs
IIMs Admission criteria with CAT cut offs is shared below. Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) MBA admission criteria describe complete process in their admission policy. All the 20 IIMs shortlist the candidates for final admission round on the basis of CAT scores and other parameters like Academics, Diversity, Work experience among others. Each IIM has announced its distinct weightage to different parameter apart from announcing minimum qualifying sectional and overall percentile score in CAT exam.
IIMs admission criteria now have a reduced weightage to CAT exam scores to improve the academic diversity in the IIM class rooms. Each IIM admission criteria is independent from one another. There is no role of another IIM in formulating the admission policy of one IIM unless it is a new IIM and is under the mentorship of another IIM. The CAT cut offs and programme fee of IIMs are shared below:
| IIM Admission Criteria with CAT cut offs | CAT Cut Offs for admission 2022 | Programme Fee (Rs. in Lakhs) |
| IIM Ahmedabad | 80 | Rs. 23 lakhs |
| IIM Bangalore | 85 | Rs. 23.20 lakhs |
| IIM Calcutta | 85 | Rs. 22.50 lakhs |
| IIM Lucknow | 90 | Rs. 19.25 lakhs |
| IIM Indore | 90 | Rs. 17.06 lakhs |
| IIM Udaipur | 93 | Rs. 18.65 lakhs |
| IIM Tiruchirappalli | 93 | Rs. 16.50 lakhs |
| IIM Kozhikode | 85 | Rs. 20.50 lakhs |
| IIM Rohtak | 95 | Rs.16.65 lakhs |
| IIM Ranchi | 93 | Rs. 16.30 lakhs |
| IIM Raipur | 93 | Rs. 14.21 lakhs |
| IIM Visakhapatnam | 90 | Rs. 14.33 lakhs |
IIM MBA Admission Criteria
All the 20 IIMs open and close their admission process simultaneously with the opening and closing of CAT registration dates. Two out of the four step Admission criteria and process at IIMs synchronizes with conduct of CAT exam and rest two steps are conducted by the IIMs individually or by making a group as done by new IIMs every year.
Step-1: Register & Apply for CAT exam
The admission opens in August first week and closes in September last week with close of Registration for CAT exam. Candidates desirous of getting into IIMs should register and apply for CAT exam within the specified registration window. Usually the CAT registration process remains open for 45 to 50 days.
Step-2: Appear in CAT Exam
Those who want to pursue management course PGP/MBA programme from IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta or other IIMs must have appeared in Common Admission Test (CAT).
Step-3: Shortlisting Process
After declaration of CAT result in January, IIMs shortlist the suitable candidates for final admission round on the basis of CAT exam scores, academics, diversity, work experience among other parameters as per the their admission policy and weightages. The process is completed by each IIM individually. While comparatively newer IIMs declare the 1st stage shortlists on the basis of CAT scores, older IIMs also take into account the other parameters at the 1st stage shortlist. Read More
Step-4: IIM Admission Criteria: GD-PI-WAT Round
All the shortlisted candidates shall have to appear in the Written Ability Test (WAT) followed by Personal Interview (PI). Some of the IIMs like IIM Shillong, also conduct GD round based on the WAT. On the basis of their performance in final selection round, weightage awarded to CAT scores, academic profile & diversity, work experience and gender diversity, final merit list will be generated by the respective IIMs. Read More
New IIMs MBA Admission Criteria: IIM-CAP
The common WAT and PI round, known as Common Admission Process (CAP), for 9 new IIMs namely IIM Kashipur, Raipur, Ranchi, Trichy, Udaipur and 5 newest IIMs – IIM Amritsar, IIM BodhGaya, IIM Jammu, IIM Sambalpur, IIM Sirmaur, is coordinated by one of these comparatively older IIMs. All these participating IIMs do not conduct their final admission round separately and on the basis of scores obtained in CAP round alongwith their other individual components, prepare the merit list to make admission offer to the candidates.
IIM Rohtak, IIM Nagpur and IIM Visakhapatnam conduct own final Process for Admission
IIM Rohtak has opted out of CAP round and has its own admission criteria. IIM Nagpur and IIM Visakhapatnam have so far not participated in CAP round and conduct their own final round to make admission offer to the students. The offers will be generated as per the merit lists prepared on the basis of CAT scores, Academic profile, Work experience and gender diversity in accordance with the weightage awarded to each of these factors.
The shortlisting criteria, parameters and weightages in IIMs for final admission round, are shared below:
IIM Ahmedabad Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall Required CAT percentile: 80
- Required Sectional CAT percentile:70
Shortlisting Criteria
- Weight to CAT score: 65%
- Weight to Academic profile: 30%
- Weight to Academic diversity: Clubbed with profile
- Weight to Work Experience: 5%
- Weight to Gender Diversity: In final selection
Final Selection Criteria
- Weight to PI-WAT Round: 60%
- Weight to CAT score: 25%
- Weight to Academics, Diversity, Achievements, Work Experience & Others: 15%
IIM Bangalore Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 85
- Sectional CAT percentile: 75 for Quant and DILR and 80 for VARC
- Weight to CAT score: 40%
- Weight to Academic profile: 50%
- Weight to Academic deversity: Clubbed with Academic Profile
- Weight to Work Experience: 8%
- Weight to Gender Diversity: 2%
IIM Calcutta Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 85
- Sectional CAT percentile: 75
- Weight to CAT score: 56 points out of 85 (66%)
- Weight to Academic profile: 25 points (29%)
- Weight to Gender Diversity: 4 points (5%)
- Weight to Academic deversity: Nil
- Weight to Work Experience: In Final selection
IIM Lucknow Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 90
- Sectional CAT percentile: 85
- Weight to CAT score: 60%
- Weight to Academic profile: 20%
- Weight to Academic deversity: 5%
- Weight to Work Experience: 10%
- Weight to Gender Diversity: 5%
IIM Indore Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 90
- Sectional CAT percentile: 80
- Weight to CAT score: 20%
- Weight to Academic profile: 74%
- Weight to Diversity: 6%
- Weight to Work Experience: Nil
IIM Kozhikode Admission Criteria 2022
- Shortlisting cut off & Weightage
- Overall CAT cut off percentile: 85
- Sectional CAT cut off percentile: 75
- Weight to CAT 2021 score: 45%
- Weight to Academic profile: 40%
- Weight to Academic/Gender deversity: 10%
- Weight to Work Experience: 5%
Final Selection Weights
- No WAT in final selection 2022
- Weight to CAT score: 44%
- Weight to PI Performance: 44%
- Weight to Resume: 12%
IIM Rohtak Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 95
- Sectional CAT percentile: 80
- Weight to CAT score in shortlisting: 100
New IIMs Admission Criteria
Six New IIMs which started operation in 2010 conduct Common Admission Process (CAP) after declaration of CAT result. Except for IIM Rohtak, all the remaining 5 IIMs will shortlist the candidates purely based on CAT performance and announce the shortlist around mid-January. The candidates in the shortlist would be eligible for WAT and PI process for admission to the PGP/MBA at IIM Kashipur, Raipur, Ranchi, Tiruchirappali, Udaipur.
Except IIM Rohtak which conducts its own PI-WAT, and awards weigthtage to other parameters like academics, work experience, gender diversity at the shortlisting stage, other IIMs will award weightage to these parameters at the time of preparing the final merit list after WAT and PI round.
IIM Kashipur Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 93
- Sectional CAT percentile: 80
- Weight to CAT score: 100%
IIM Raipur Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 93
- Sectional CAT percentile: 80
- Weight to CAT score: 100%
IIM Ranchi Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 93
- Sectional CAT percentile: 80
- Weight to CAT score: 100%
IIM Tiruchirappalli Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 93
- Sectional CAT percentile: 80
- Weight to CAT score: 100%
IIM Udaipur Admission Criteria 2022
- Shortlisting Cut offs
- Overall CAT percentile: 93
- Sectional CAT percentile: 80
- Weight to CAT score: 100%
7 Newest IIMs Admission Criteria 2022
Seven IIMs are the newest IIMs and are mentored by top rated older IIMs. These IIMs started operation in 2015 and 2016. The shortlisting in these IIMs is based on CAT scores and some of these IIMs will also consider the academics, diversity, work experience and other factors at the time of shortlisting. Most of the baby IIMs announce their admission policy in January every year. Out of the 7 IIMs, 4 of them namely, IIM Bodhgaya, IIM Jammu, IIM Sambalpur, IIM Sirmaur participate in new IIM Common Admission Process (CAP) round comprising PI-WAT, while other 3 namely IIM Amritsar, IIM Nagpur and IIM Visakhapatnam conduct their own final selection process. The cut offs and weightage on CAT score and other parameters for other IIMs vary in each year admission criteria for the shortlisting stage
IIM Amritsar Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 90
- Sectional CAT percentile: 70
- Weight to CAT score: 60
- Weight to Academic profile: 20
- Weight to Work Experience: 10
- Weight to Gender Diversity: 10
IIM Bodh Gaya Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 90
- Sectional CAT percentile: 80
- Weight to CAT score: 100%
IIM Nagpur Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 85
- Sectional CAT percentile: 72
- Weight to CAT score: 30
- Weight to Academic profile: 35
- Weight to Diversity: 15
- Weight to Work Experience: 20
IIM Sambalpur Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 94
- Sectional CAT percentile: 80
- Weight to CAT score: 100
IIM Sirmaur Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 94
- Sectional CAT percentile: 80
- Weight to CAT score: 100
IIM Visakhapatnam Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 85
- Sectional CAT percentile: 80
- Weight to CAT score: 40
- Weight to Academic profile: 38
- Weight to Diversity: 10
- Weight to Work Experience: 12
IIM Jammu Admission Criteria 2022
- Overall CAT percentile: 93
- Sectional CAT percentile: 70
- Weight to CAT score: 100
IIMs in India: Institutes of Excellence
IIMs in India came into being in 1960’s and are now declared as the Institutes of Excellence. The first IIM at Calcutta followed by IIM at Ahmedabad was established in 1961. After that IIMs were established at Bangalore and Lucknow. The number of IIMs in India remained four for a long time. Later on, more IIMs were added to this family gradually. At present there are 20 IIMs in India located across the country. The MBA admission to IIM is through a Common Admission Test conducted by IIMs – IIM CAT. No IIM offers admission to the candidates of Indian Resident category without clearing and qualifying the IIM CAT exam with prescribed minimum score.
