MBA Colleges Accepting 80-90 Percentile in CAT 2026: IIMs, Fees & Expected Cutoffs

List of MBA Colleges Accepting 80-90 Percentile in CAT 2026

Let's address this question from various candidates: "Can I get into an IIM with 80 percentile?" Candidates can get admission into new IIMs with an 80 percentile. MBA Colleges accepting a CAT cut-off of 80 percentile and above in CAT 2026 are the top MBA colleges in India. They include some IIMs and other top MBA/PGDM colleges in India. IIMs have announced to accept below 90 percentile in CAT, but actual data based on past trends reveal a much higher cut-off.

However, after one clears the CAT 2026, they still have to go through the Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI) to get admitted to a B-school. Check below CAT 85 percentile colleges and other B-schools accepting below 90 percentile in the CAT 2026 exam.

MBA Colleges Accepting CAT Score 80-90 Percentile for Admission 2027

Check out the list below of MBA colleges accepting CAT 80-90 percentile for admission 2027-29.

Question: Which IIM accepts an 80 percentile in CAT?
Answer: No top-tier IIMs accept MBA admission at an 80 percentile, as their cutoffs are much higher. Newer IIMs such as IIM Amritsar, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Nagpur, and IIM Visakhapatnam are known to have cutoffs that might be in the 80 percentile range, as they often use a Common Admission Process.

Question: Which IIM accepts the lowest CAT score?
Answer: IIMs like Bodh Gaya, Sirmaur, and Nagpur are known to have the lowest qualifying CAT cutoffs, often in the 50-70 percentile range depending on the candidate's category.

MBA Colleges with Low CAT Cutoffs 2026

There is a big difference between the cut-offs announced by these MBA colleges accepting 90 percentile in CAT 2026 and the actual cut-off percentile for MBA admission 2027. For example, if IIM Ahmedabad announces a cut-off as low as 80 percentile in CAT, the actual cut-off percentile may go above 98.

Let’s have a look at these MBA colleges in India.

Top MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT 2026 (Expected)

Below is the list of B-schools accepting CAT scores in the 80-85 percentile range.

CAT Colleges 80 Percentile 2026 (Expected)

Candidates can check the list of CAT colleges accepting 80 percentile in the table below to choose the perfect college to pursue the MBA program in 2027.

Top MBA Colleges Accepting 90 Percentile in CAT 2026 (Expected)

Below is the list of B-schools accepting CAT scores of 85-90 percentile.

What’s Next? After Scoring 80-90 Percentile in CAT 2026

After scoring 80-90 percentile in CAT, which means you are one step closer to getting admission to the management school of your choice, some students are still looking to see whether a 90 percentile is good in CAT or whether an 85 percentile is good in CAT. Apart from that, other factors are part of the selection process of the top management institutes. After shortlisting candidates based on CAT score, candidates are required to participate in the following steps:

• Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI)
• Final Selection

Check the MBA selection process and criteria: Unlike the IIMs or other B-schools, which evade Group Discussion (GD), in the above-provided institutes, it is prevalent. So, candidates are advised to do their preparation for the Group Discussion (GD) round. Apart from that, candidates prepare for the Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds.

Also check: CAT marks vs percentile

How to Check & Choose MBA Option?

Despite having a high CAT percentile, you may not be able to decide which, out of the top MBA colleges accepting 80 to 90 percentiles in CAT, should be chosen. Before making your decision, you should consider the following:

• Approvals & Recognitions: The MBA/PGDM should be AICTE-approved or UGC recognized.
• Program Fee: There are top MBA colleges with low fees of Rs 2 to 6 lakhs, like FMS, JBIMS. If your CAT percentile matches the requirement, pursuing your MBA from such institutes is no different than pursuing it from IIM A, B, C, where the fee range is between 21 to 23 lakhs. The higher the fee, the bigger the hole in your pocket.
• Programs Offered: Better to check the programs offered by the B-school before submitting the application for admission. If you wish to do an MBA in Finance and the institute does not offer it, there is no use applying for admission
• Placements: Choose the best MBA college that has a consistently good placement record and a rising average salary.
• Faculty: The institute with highly qualified and research-oriented faculty should be the first choice.
• Infrastructure: The institute campus must be good and should be well equipped with the latest study material, library, and Wi-Fi, and should be conducive to education.
• Students’ Hostel: There are many IIMs and other MBA colleges that do not have their own hostels on campus. It reduces peer learning. So choose the MBA college with a hostel available on campus.

Read more -

• Top MBA Personal Interview Questions for Admission
• How to prepare for GD-PI & WAT rounds of top B-schools
• CA vs MBA - Know the Differences

CAT Score vs Percentile 2026: Expected

Take a look below at the expected CAT 2026 score vs percentile, section-wise.