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Navigating Admission Criteria for the Newer IIMs A Guide for CAT 2025 Aspirants

StratCAT Team
StratCAT Team ·

Hello there, aspiring MBA candidates! As you prepare for CAT 2025, understanding the admissions landscape for different business schools is crucial. Beyond the renowned older IIMs like IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore, Kozhikode, and Shillong, there's a fantastic set of newer Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) offering excellent programs. Their selection processes have nuances you should be aware of.

We've put together a detailed look at the typical requirements for shortlisting and final admission at several of these newer institutes. This information is based on recent admission cycles (often for the 2025-27 or 2024-26 batches, reflecting processes based on CAT 2024 or CAT 2023 respectively), drawing from official disclosures and Common Admission Process (CAP) guidelines where applicable. Remember, while these provide a strong indication, always check the latest admission policy directly on each institute's website when it's released for your specific CAT attempt year.

Let's break down what you generally need to know for each:

Eligibility Requirements

For most of the newer IIMs, the basic eligibility criteria involve having a bachelor's degree. You'll typically need a minimum of 50% aggregate marks (or equivalent grade) in your degree course. There's usually a relaxation in this requirement for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categories, often requiring 45%. Crucially, you must possess a valid score from the Common Admission Test (CAT) and ensure you have indicated your interest in that specific IIM when filling out the CAT application form. Some institutes may also require a separate registration on their portal.

Understanding Shortlisting for Personal Interviews (PI)

The path to getting an interview call usually starts with meeting minimum percentile thresholds in the CAT exam. Many newer IIMs participate in a coordinated process called CAP, which involves common Personal Interview (PI) rounds. Others manage their interviews independently.

The cut-offs for interview calls vary by institute and candidate category. Here's a look at how several newer IIMs have generally approached this:

IIM Rohtak

IIM Rohtak typically uses an overall CAT percentile cutoff to determine candidates eligible for the Personal Interview stage. While specific sectional minimums aren't usually highlighted for this initial screening, the overall percentage is key. Based on data from the CAT 2024 cycle for 2025-27 admissions, the indicative overall percentiles were around:

  • General: 97+
  • EWS: 93+
  • NC-OBC: 83+
  • SC: 60+
  • ST: 50+
  • DAP (General/EWS): 87+/83+
  • DAP (NC-OBC/SC/ST): 73+/50+/40+

Meeting this mark qualifies you for the interview round.

IIM Udaipur

For shortlisting candidates for their Personal Appearance (PA) round, which includes a Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI), IIM Udaipur sets minimum cutoffs for both individual sections of the CAT and the overall score. For the 2025-27 batch admissions based on CAT 2024, the minimums were:

  • General: VARC ≥ 75, DILR ≥ 75, QA ≥ 75, Overall ≥ 95
  • EWS: Sectionals ≥ 55, Overall ≥ 81
  • NC-OBC: Sectionals ≥ 52, Overall ≥ 81
  • SC: Sectionals ≥ 45, Overall ≥ 66
  • ST/DAP: VARC/DILR ≥ 25, QA ≥ 30, Overall ≥ 42

Shortlisting is primarily based on clearing these thresholds.

IIM Raipur

IIM Raipur also considers minimum sectional and overall CAT percentiles for inviting candidates to the PI round. Drawing from their 2024-26 policy (based on CAT 2023), the required minimums were approximately:

  • General: QA ≥ 73, DILR ≥ 73, VARC ≥ 73, Overall ≥ 94
  • EWS/NC-OBC: Sectionals ≥ 50, Overall ≥ 77
  • SC: Sectionals ≥ 44, Overall ≥ 60
  • ST/DAP: VARC/DILR ≥ 25, QA ≥ 30, Overall ≥ 40

These cutoff points are considered indicative and might be adjusted slightly depending on the applicant pool size in each category.

IIM Ranchi

Similar to other institutes participating in CAP, IIM Ranchi specifies minimum percentile requirements across CAT sections and overall for PI calls. According to their criteria for the 2024-26 program (using CAT 2023 data), these cutoffs were:

  • General: QA ≥ 73, DILR ≥ 73, VARC ≥ 73, Overall ≥ 94
  • EWS/NC-OBC: Sectionals ≥ 50, Overall ≥ 77
  • SC: Sectionals ≥ 44, Overall ≥ 60
  • ST/DAP: QA ≥ 30, DILR ≥ 25, VARC ≥ 25, Overall ≥ 40

These are minimums used for initial screening; candidates are then ranked within their category based on performance.

IIM Kashipur

IIM Kashipur requires candidates to meet specific minimum sectional and overall CAT percentiles to be considered for the Personal Interview. Their policy for the 2025-27 batch (based on CAT 2024) set cutoffs around:

  • General: VARC ≥ 75, DILR ≥ 75, QA ≥ 75, Overall ≥ 95
  • EWS: Sectionals ≥ 55, Overall ≥ 81
  • NC-OBC: Sectionals ≥ 52, Overall ≥ 81
  • SC: Sectionals ≥ 45, Overall ≥ 66
  • ST/DAP: Sectionals ≥ 30/25, Overall ≥ 42

Clearing these initial hurdles makes you eligible for the interview process.

IIM Tiruchirappalli (Trichy)

IIM Trichy typically sets a minimum overall percentile for shortlisting candidates for the WAT & PI rounds. For the 2025-27 cohort (CAT 2024 basis), the general category minimum was around 94-95 overall. While precise sectional cutoffs can vary annually, they often align near 75 percentile for VARC, DILR, and QA. The shortlist decision is primarily based on meeting these minimum thresholds.

IIM Jammu

IIM Jammu participates in the CAP process and therefore follows similar shortlisting norms. For CAT 2024 based admissions, the published minimum cutoffs generally fell in these ranges:

  • General: Sectionals ≥ 70-75, Overall ≥ 95-97
  • EWS/NC-OBC: Overall ≥ 80-85
  • SC: Overall ≥ 65
  • ST/DAP: Overall ≥ 45

Meeting these minimums makes you eligible for the next stage of evaluation.

IIM Sambalpur

IIM Sambalpur also specifies minimum sectional and overall CAT percentiles for the initial shortlisting phase for the PI round. Based on their policy for PGP 2025-27 (CAT 2024), candidates must clear threshold percentiles in each section and overall, which are published in detail in their admission document. Generally, these hover around:

  • General: Overall ~95-97, Sectionals ~70-75
  • EWS/NC-OBC: Overall ~80-85
  • SC: Overall ≥ 65
  • ST/DAP: Overall ≥ 45

Clearing these minimums is step one in their selection process.

IIM Bodh Gaya

Participating in CAP, IIM Bodh Gaya releases specific minimum CAT percentiles for shortlisting candidates for PI. For PGP 2025-27 (based on CAT 2024), these cutoffs were stated as:

  • General: VARC ≥ 73, DILR ≥ 73, QA ≥ 73, Overall ≥ 94
  • EWS/OBC: Sectionals ≥ 50, Overall ≥ 77
  • SC: Sectionals ≥ 44, Overall ≥ 60
  • ST/PwD: VARC/DILR ≥ 25, QA ≥ 30, Overall ≥ 40

Meeting these minimums is the basis for receiving a PI call.

IIM Nagpur

IIM Nagpur’s shortlisting for PI calls is based on clearing minimum positive scores in each CAT section and meeting category-specific overall percentile cutoffs. For the 2025-27 batch (CAT 2024), indicative overall percentiles were:

  • General: ~94-95 overall (while any positive sectional score counts, the actual call cutoffs are around this overall range)
  • EWS/NC-OBC: ~85-88 overall
  • SC: ~75-80 overall
  • ST/PwD: ~40-50 overall

These thresholds guide their initial selection of candidates for interviews.

IIM Visakhapatnam

For PGP 2025-27 admissions, IIM Visakhapatnam's initial shortlisting for interviews involves meeting minimum CAT section and overall percentiles. Their specified minimums included:

  • General: VARC ≥ 70, DILR ≥ 70, QA ≥ 70, Overall ≥ 82
  • EWS/NC-OBC: Sectionals ≥ 63, Overall ≥ 72
  • SC: Sectionals ≥ 40, Overall ≥ 50
  • ST/PwD: Sectionals ≥ 30, Overall ≥ 40

Note that these are minimum eligibility scores; the actual percentiles needed for a shortlist call can be higher based on applicant numbers.

IIM Amritsar

As an institute often participating in CAP, IIM Amritsar's shortlisting process typically mirrors the guidelines of the CAP group. While the latest official policy should be consulted, indicative cutoffs often align closely with other newer IIMs in the CAP pool. Based on past trends, expect requirements similar to:

  • General: Overall ~94-96, Sectionals ~70-75
  • EWS/NC-OBC: ~80-85
  • SC: ~60-65
  • ST/PwD: ~40-45

Specific details are always confirmed upon release of their official admission document.

How Your Profile Contributes to Final Selection

Once you've been shortlisted and participated in the interview process (PI, and sometimes WAT), the final decision isn't solely based on your CAT score anymore. The newer IIMs use a composite score that considers multiple factors to build a holistic profile. Here’s a general breakdown of the components and their typical weightages:

IIM Rohtak

For final admission offers, IIM Rohtak combines different elements:

  • CAT Percentile: 60%
  • Personal Interview Score: 20%
  • Academics & Diversity: 20% (This component typically includes your past academic performance in 10th, 12th, and graduation, plus points for gender or academic diversity.)

IIM Udaipur

After the WAT and PI rounds, IIM Udaipur calculates a final merit score using these weights:

  • Normalized CAT Score: 55%
  • Written Ability Test (WAT): 6%
  • Personal Interview (PI): 15%
  • Academic Profile: 10%
  • Work Experience: 6%
  • Diversity: 8% (Includes both gender diversity for female/trans candidates and academic diversity for non-engineering backgrounds).

IIM Raipur

IIM Raipur's final selection composite score is structured as follows, post the PI process:

  • Overall CAT Score & Sectionals: 42% (This is further broken down, often giving more weight to the overall percentile and smaller weights to individual section percentiles - e.g., Overall 25%, QA 6%, DILR 5%, VARC 6%)
  • Personal Interview: 23%
  • Profile: 33% (Composed of Academic Profile based on 10th, 12th, and Graduation marks (12%), Work Experience duration (approx. 12%), Academic Diversity (2%), Gender Diversity (6%), and sometimes extra points for degree duration or Personal Profile Mapping (approx. 2%)).

IIM Ranchi

IIM Ranchi allocates weights to different aspects for the final merit list, assuming the candidate was eligible for the PI:

  • CAT Score: 40%
  • PI Score: 30%
  • Profile: 30% (This includes academic performance (13 marks for SSC, HSC, Graduation), work experience (7 marks), academic diversity (5 marks for non-engineers), and gender diversity (5 marks for female/trans candidates)).

IIM Kashipur

While specific weightages can fluctuate slightly year-to-year, IIM Kashipur's final selection generally follows this pattern:

  • CAT Score: Approximately 50%
  • WAT/PI (Combined): Roughly 25%
  • Academic Profile (10th, 12th, Graduation): Around 10-15%
  • Work Experience: Typically 5-10%
  • Diversity: About 5-10%

IIM Tiruchirappalli (Trichy)

Based on their admission policy summaries, IIM Trichy's final selection incorporates these components:

  • CAT Percentile: Around 47%
  • WAT: Approximately 5%
  • PI: Roughly 20%
  • Other components (academics, work experience, diversity): Make up the remaining 28%. (Policies may also note that the lowest performing PI candidates might be excluded).

IIM Jammu

IIM Jammu calculates the final merit based on a combination of factors:

  • CAT Score: 45%
  • Personal Interview (PI): 30%
  • Profile: 25% (This encompasses academic record, relevant work experience, and diversity factors).

IIM Sambalpur

For their final merit list after the PI process, IIM Sambalpur considers a composite score with weights generally distributed as:

  • CAT Percentile: 40-50%
  • PI/WAT: 30-35% combined
  • Academic Profile: 10-15%
  • Work Experience: 5-10%
  • Diversity: 5-10%

The exact distribution is detailed in their official admission policy document.

IIM Bodh Gaya

After completing the PI/WAT stage, IIM Bodh Gaya determines final admission offers using these approximate weights:

  • CAT Percentile: Around 40%
  • PI Score: Approximately 40%
  • Academic Profile: About 10%
  • Gender Diversity: Roughly 10% (Academic diversity and work experience are often factored within the academic/profile section under CAP guidelines).

IIM Nagpur

IIM Nagpur's final selection process typically aligns with the common pattern for newer IIMs:

  • CAT Percentile: Roughly 40-50%
  • PI/WAT: Combined 30-35%
  • Academic Profile: 10-15%
  • Work Experience: 5-10%
  • Diversity: 5-10%

Consult IIM Nagpur’s specific admission policy document for the precise weightage breakdown.

IIM Visakhapatnam

IIM Visakhapatnam provides a clear breakdown of component weights in their final selection process:

  • CAT Percentile: 50%
  • 10th Board Marks: 10%
  • 12th Board Marks: 10%
  • Graduation Marks: 10%
  • Work Experience: 10%
  • Personal Interview/WAT: 10% (The split between WAT and PI, if both are conducted, is specified in their detailed policy).

IIM Amritsar

Based on general CAP practices, IIM Amritsar's final selection process likely gives significant weight to CAT score, followed by PI/WAT, and then profile components like academics, work experience, and diversity. Expect a structure where CAT accounts for around 40-50%, PI/WAT for 30-35%, and Profile for 15-25%. The exact weights should be verified from their official admission document.

Aiming for a "Safe" CAT Percentile

While minimum cutoffs are published, competition means you should target a score well above these thresholds to feel confident about receiving an interview call. Based on observed trends and the need for a buffer, here are suggested target CAT percentiles (remembering these are estimates and can vary):

  • General Category: Aim for ≥ 97-98+ percentile. If the stated minimum is 94, targeting 97+ provides a much stronger chance.
  • EWS/NC-OBC Categories: Target ≥ 85-88+ percentile. If the minimum is 77, aiming for 85+ gives you a good buffer.
  • SC Category: Aim for ≥ 65-70+ percentile. If the minimum is 60, targeting 65+ increases your probability significantly.
  • ST/DAP (PwD) Categories: Target ≥ 45-50+ percentile. If the minimum is 40, aiming for 45+ provides a safer margin.

For all categories, targeting approximately 3-5 percentile points higher than the officially listed minimums is generally recommended to enhance your chances of getting a PI call from these institutes.

Key Takeaways for CAT 2025 Aspirants Targeting Newer IIMs

Preparing for CAT 2025 and the subsequent IIM admissions requires strategic planning. Here are some essential points to keep in mind:

  • Official Sources are Gold: Always refer to the most current Admission Policy documents released by each IIM. These provide the definitive criteria, including exact cutoffs and weightages for your specific application year.
  • Surpass the Minimums: Published cutoffs are just the entry gate. To improve your chances of receiving an interview invitation, strive to achieve a CAT percentile that comfortably exceeds these minimums, ideally by several points.
  • Your Profile Matters: Success in the final selection isn't just about your CAT score. Your academic performance throughout school and college, relevant work experience, and diversity factors (like being a female candidate or having a non-engineering background) play a significant role. Build and highlight these aspects.
  • Master the Interview & Writing: With PI and WAT often carrying substantial weight (around 30-35% or more combined), dedicated preparation for these rounds is crucial. Engage in mock interviews and practice writing to articulate your thoughts clearly under pressure.
  • Understand the Process: Be aware of whether the institutes you are applying to participate in the CAP process or conduct independent admissions, as this impacts timelines and procedures.
  • Plan Strategically: Given the competitive nature and potential fluctuations in cutoffs, consider applying to a diverse set of B-schools, including a mix of newer IIMs and other reputable institutions, to maximize your opportunities.

By focusing on both your CAT preparation and building a strong overall profile, you can effectively navigate the admission process for the newer IIMs.

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