Those appearing for the CAT 2026 this year are curious about the number of candidates appearing for the CAT 2026 to have an idea about the toughness of the top MBA entrance examination. However, without any official confirmation from IIM Indore yet, the number of CAT 2026 registration is expected to be between 2.8 lakh to 3.3 lakh, based on the trends of the past years. Similarly approximately 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh candidates may appear for the CAT 2026 examination on November 29, 2026. CAT 2026 registration has been extended for a week,making the CAT 2026 registration last date September 22, 2026. Go through the article to learn more about the CAT 2026 Application number, how many candidates appearing for CAT 2026, how many seats are there in CAT 2026 etc.
Latest: IIM Ahmedabad Admission Criteria Changed 2027 | MBA Admission 2027-2029 Live Update
The total number of CAT 2026 registration and the number of candidates who will appear for the CAT 2026 will be out on the day of the CAT 2026 result. CAT 2026 will be conducted by IIM Indore on November 29, 2026, and the CAT 2026 result is expected in the last week of December 2026.. The number of CAT 2026 registrations and the total count of students participating in the CAT exam are mentioned here.
Total CAT 2026 Registrations | To Be Updated |
Number of students attending the CAT 2026 exam | To Be Updated |
% of students who attended CAT 2026 | To Be Updated |
If one looks at the previous trends of the CAT application one thing will be evident that CAT registration and number of students appearing for CAT has decreased more than 10%. Last year 2.95 lakhs candidates registered for CAT 2025 while 2,58 lakh appeared for CAT 2025.
Year | Total CAT registrations | Increase /Decrease | Total Students Appeared for the CAT exam | Increase /Decrease |
CAT 2025 | 2.95 Lakhs | ↓ 10.33% | 2.58 Lakhs | ↓ 11.95% |
CAT 2024 | 3.29 Lakhs | ↑ 0.30% | 2.93 Lakhs | ↑ 0.30% |
CAT 2023 | 3.28 Lakhs | - | 2.88 Lakhs | - |
In CAT 2025, 2.95 lakh candidates registered and 2.58 lakh appeared for the exam. Check out the last six years CAT exam attendance to understand how the trends have changed this year.
Year | CAT Conducting IIMs | Total CAT registrations | Total Students Appeared for the CAT exam |
2025 | IIM Kozhikode | 2.95 Lakhs | 2.58 Lakhs |
2024 | IIM Calcutta | 3.29 Lakhs | 2.93 Lakhs |
2023 | IIM Lucknow | 3.28 lakhs | 2.88 lakh |
2022 | IIM Bangalore | 2.55 lakhs | 2.22 lakh |
2021 | IIM Ahmedabad | 2.30 lakhs | 1.90 lakh |
2020 | IIM Indore | 2.30 lakhs | 1.90 lakh |
While the discussions about the number of CAT application 2026 and how many candidates will be appearing for CAT 2026 goes on, here is the list of IIM Fees 2027 based on the trends of the previous years.
IIMs in India | Flagship 2-Year MBA/PGP Programme Fee |
26.30 Lakhs | |
20.75 Lakhs | |
27.50 Lakhs (2025-27) | |
25.00 Lakhs (2023-25) | |
23.50 Lakhs | |
25.15 Lakhs | |
21.50 Lakhs | |
21.13 Lakhs | |
25.00 Lakhs | |
22.80 Lakhs | |
21.51 Lakhs | |
21.00 Lakhs | |
17.90 Lakhs | |
20.08 Lakhs | |
17.96 Lakhs | |
21.00 Lakhs | |
26.18 Lakhs (2024-26) | |
20.80 Lakhs | |
21.24 Lakhs | |
23.58 Lakhs | |
19.20 Lakhs | |
18.00 Lakhs |
The above-mentioned fees are as per last year's (2026-28) MBA fees.
Those who are appearing for the CAT 2026 , majorly prioritise to take MBA 2027-29 admission in the 22 IIMs, the premier B-Schools in India. Therefore here is the expected number of IIM seats available based on the trends of past years.
IIMs in India 2026 | IIM Seats 2027 (Expected) |
IIM Ahmedabad seats | 402 |
IIM Bangalore seats | 535 |
IIM Calcutta seats | 475 |
IIM Lucknow seats | 576 |
IIM Indore seats | 489 |
IIM Nagpur seats | 356 |
IIM Mumbai | 505 |
IIM Kozhikode seats | 497 |
IIM Amritsar seats | 262 |
IIM Sambalpur seats | 316 |
IIM Raipur seats check | 327 |
IIM Ranchi seats | 250 |
IIM Vizag seats | 344 |
IIM Bodh Gaya seats | 326 |
IIM Shillong seats | 395 |
IIM Sirmaur seats | 297 |
IIM Rohtak seats | 348 |
IIM Kashipur | 474 |
IIM Udaipur seats | 343 |
IIM Jammu | - |
IIM Trichy seats | - |
The above-mentioned seats are based on 2024-2026 batch.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
CAT 2026 is expected to see around 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh candidates appearing for the exam, based on recent registration and attendance trends. The official number will be known after IIM Indore releases the final data.
The official CAT 2026 registration number has not yet been released. Based on recent trends, registrations could be around 2.8 lakh to 3.3 lakh.
Around 2.58 lakh candidates appeared for CAT 2025, out of approximately 2.95 lakh registered candidates.
Yes. CAT 2025 registrations fell by about 10.3% from 3.29 lakh in CAT 2024 to 2.95 lakh.
Around 2.93 lakh candidates appeared for CAT 2024.
The 22 IIMs collectively offer thousands of seats across their flagship MBA/PGP programmes, although the exact number varies by institute and admission year.
On Question asked by student community
Hello, for AP NEET PG Category C seats, NRI documents are generally required if you are applying under the NRI quota, and eligibility depends on the applicable counselling rules. The fee payment currency and procedure should be confirmed from the current Dr. NTRUHS notification at its official website drntr.uhsap.in.
Hello, CAT aur B-school entrance exams ke baare mein aap exam dates, eligibility, registration, exam pattern, syllabus, colleges ya admission process ki information dekh sakte hain. Aapki requirement ke according relevant details yahan mil sakti hain: https://bschool.careers360.com/exams
You can download the latest CAT syllabus from here:
Hey there,
For a B.Sc. with Chemistry, Botany and Zoology (CBZ), if the CAT application asks separately for:
If the Discipline dropdown has a more specific option such as “Biological Sciences,” “Life Sciences,” or “Zoology/Botany,”
Hey there,
Yes. With 2 years of work experience, you are eligible to target the regular 2-year MBA at IIM Calcutta as long as you have a bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD). Work experience is not required for eligibility.
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