Compare IIM Bangalore vs IIM Ahmedabad IIMA

The Admissions office follows a well-defined process which profiles candidates on a number of parameters since empirical research on recruitment and selection shows the efficacy of multiple criteria.

We use multiple parameters, namely academic performance in school, high school and graduation as well as scores in CAT/GMAT to ascertain your suitability for the programme. The CAT/GMAT score is also used to establish the minimum level of proficiency that is expected as indicated by the section-wise minimum scores in the CAT/GMAT. Multiple criteria are used to arrive at a composite score, which is then used to select candidates for the subsequent stage.

The admissions process includes a personal interview, conducted through remote video conferencing for international students, and an assessment of writing ability. 

There are two channels for admissions to the programme: one for domestic candidates and the other for international candidates. The admission requirements and application processes for each channel are different.

Domestic Admissions are based on the applications received through the Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in November every year at various centres in India. Domestic candidates are Indian nationals or foreigners normally resident in India who are in a position to take the CAT. Shortlisted candidates attend a written test and personal interview, and provide two letters of reference from persons who know them closely in terms of their academic/professional performance. The final selection is based on the CAT performance, scholastic achievement, performance in the Writing Ability Test, and interview

Admission/Selection Process for Candidates for PGP at IIMA through CAT-2025

The selection of the candidates for admission to the 2026-28 Batch of the PGP at IIMA is a two-step process.

 In the first step, candidates are shortlisted for Analytical Writing Test (AWT) and Personal Interview (PI) from among the candidates who have a valid CAT-2025 score, have applied to the programme and satisfy the eligibility criteria for the programme described as below.

The basic criteria for applying to the Programme include:

• The applicant must hold a Bachelor's degree (minimum 50%) that has been recognized by an authorized body in India. Bachelor's degrees from outside India are also eligible, provided their equivalence to accepted degrees is established. The Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification obtained by the candidate must entail a minimum of three years of education after completing higher secondary schooling (10+2) or its equivalent. 

The candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (in case of the candidate belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Persons with Disabilities (PwD) category, this is relaxed to 45%), of any of the universities incorporated by an act of the central or state legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a university under section 3 of UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. The bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification obtained by the candidate must entail a minimum of three years of education after completing higher secondary schooling (10+2) or equivalent. The percentage obtained by the candidate in the bachelor’s degree would be based on the practice followed by the institution/university from where the candidate has obtained the degree. In case of the candidate being awarded grades/CGPA instead of marks, the equivalence would be based on the equivalence certified by the institution/university from where they have obtained the bachelor's degree. In case the institution/university does not have any scheme for converting the CGPA into equivalent marks, the equivalence would be established by IIMA by dividing the obtained CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA and multiplying the resultant by 100.

A candidate appearing for the final year bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification examination and those who have completed the degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply. Such a candidate must produce a certificate from the Principal/Head of the Department/Registrar/Director of the Institution/University certifying that the candidate is currently in the final year/is awaiting final results and has obtained at least 50% marks or equivalent (45% in case of the candidate belonging to SC/ST/PwD category) based on latest available grades/marks. Such a candidate, if selected, will be allowed to join the programme provisionally only if they submit a certificate latest by June 30, 2026 from the Principal/Head of the Department/Registrar/Director of the Institution/University (issued on or before June 30, 2026) stating that they have completed all the requirements (the result may, however, be awaited) for obtaining the bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification on the date of issue of the certificate. Their admission will be confirmed only when the candidate submits the marksheet and a certificate of having passed the bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification referred to in the certificate issued by the Principal/Head of the Department/Registrar/Director of the Institution/University with at least 50% marks (45% in case of the candidate belonging to SC/ST/PwD category). It is mandatory for a final year student, who is provisionally admitted, to submit the marksheet and degree certificate of the final year bachelor’s degree examination held on or before June 30, 2026 (including supplementaries, if any), to be eligible for admission to the Post Graduate Programme (PGP) 2026-28 Batch. The deadline for submission of the marksheet and the certificate is December 31, 2026. Non-fulfillment of this condition will automatically result in the cancellation of the provisional admission. IIMA would not allow any candidate to join its PGP in case the candidate is unable to complete all the requirements for a bachelor’s degree on or before June 30, 2026.