CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Qualification, Age Limit, Reservation for IIM CAT Exam

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026  

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) has released the CAT eligibility criteria 2026 along with the official notification. The candidates who intend to fill the CAT 2026 application form must go through the detailed CAT eligibility before they fill out the form. 

CAT registration 2026 will begin on August 5, 2026 and will end on September 15, 2026 . The CAT exam date 2026 is November 29, 2026. The exam will be held in online mode. Check the IIM CAT eligibility criteria 2026 such as educational qualification, percentage required, reservation criteria, age limit other factors in this page. 

CAT Eligibility 2026 - Key Highlights

Check the major highlights of CAT eligibility in the following table below. 

CAT Exam Eligibility Highlights
Particulars	Details
Educational Qualification	Graduation/ Bachelor’s Degree
Percentage in Graduation	At least 50% (45% for SC/ ST/ PwD)
Age Limit	No Age Restriction
Work Experience	Not Mandatory

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 Age Limit 

There is no age limit restriction to apply for CAT exam 2026 . Any candidate who has a graduation degree or is pursuing graduation from a recognised university is eligible to apply for CAT exam. 

CAT Educational Qualification 

Candidates who are willing to apply for CAT 2026 exam have to ensure that they have or are pursuing the following given graduation degree from a recognised university. 

CAT Qualification 2026
Educational Qualification	Affiliation
Engineering Degree – B. Tech/ B.E.	Recognized by MHRD/ UPSC/AICTE
Bachelor’s Degree from any University	Recognized by UGC
Students in final year of graduation degree can sit for the examination.	Continuing graduation from any University that is recognized by either MHRD/ UPSC/AICTE or UGC
CA, CS, ICWA, or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI)	Recognized by MHRD/ UPSC/AICTE

What is the Minimum Percentage for CAT 2026 Exam?

IIM has set a minimum percentage requirement that has to be obtained by every candidate in aggregate in graduation. The candidates who are from General and other categories must have obtained at least 50% in aggregate in graduation. On the other hand, those who belong to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Disability (PwD) categories] should have obtained at least 45% in aggregate in graduation.  

If any University/Institution confirms that there is no scheme for converting CGPA into equivalent marks, the equivalence would be established by dividing the candidate’s CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA, and multiplying the result with 100.

Read about CAT syllabus and CAT exam pattern here.

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 12th Marks 

The marks secured by candidates in their class 12th is not taken into consideration while registering for CAT exam. However, some of the prestigious IIMs do take into consideration the marks secured by candidates in class 12th to determine the merit list for admission into that particular IIM. A certain amount of weightage is given to class 12th marks as well as class 10th marks. 

CAT Exam Eligibility - Can candidates with backlog apply for CAT exam?

The question of whether a candidate with a backlog can apply for CAT exam or not is one of the frequently asked questions by any CAT exam aspirant. To make it clarified for you, yes, candidates with a backlog can apply for CAT exam without any difficulty. 

The only condition that one has to fulfil while applying for CAT exam is that he/she should have scored more 50%  (45% for the reserved category) in the degree (even in supplementary) can apply for CAT 2026 . 

IIM CAT 2026 Eligibility - Reservation Criteria

The criteria for admission into IIMs is governed by the IIM’s own procedure. The reservation guidelines for admission into IIMs is applicable as per the government guidelines. Check the following table to know about the CAT eligibility for OBC, MBC, SC, ST, PwD, and General categories of candidates. 

IIM CAT reservation criteria
Category of the candidates	Reserved Percentage
NC-OBC (Non-Creamy Other Backward Classes)	27%
SC (Scheduled Caste)	15%
Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)	up to 10%
ST (Scheduled Tribe)	7.5%
PwD (Person with Disability)	5%

CAT Eligibility Criteria - Work Experience Requirement

Work experience is not mandatory to apply for CAT exam 2026 . However, in case a candidate has prior work experience or internship experience, then it is a boost for him/her. IIMs give a certain weightage to those who have work experience. The weightage of work experience varies from one IIM to another. 

What courses are offered through CAT at IIMs?

The following given courses are offered through the CAT exam.

IIM Name	Courses Offered Through CAT
IIM Ahmedabad	PGP, PGP-FABM, ePGP, PhD
IIM Amritsar	MBA, EMBA, MBA-Business Analytics, MBA-HRM, PhD
IIM Bangalore	PGP, PGPEM, PGPBA, PhD
IIM Bodh Gaya	PGP, PhD (FPM)
IIM Calcutta	MBA, PhD
IIM Indore	PGP, PGP-HRM, FPM
IIM Jammu	PGP, PhD
IIM Kashipur	MBA, MBA (Analytics), MBA (WX), PhD, EFPM
IIM Kozhikode	PGP, PGP-BL, PGP-F, PGP-LSM, PhD, PhD (PT)
IIM Lucknow	PGP, PGP-ABM, PGP-SM, FPM
IIM Nagpur	PGP, PhD
IIM Raipur	PGP, FPM/ PhD, EFPM
IIM Ranchi	PGP, PGP-HRM, PGP (Business Analytics), PhD, EPhD
IIM Rohtak	PGP, EPGPX, EPGDSM, PhD, Part-Time FPM
IIM Sambalpur	MBA, PhD, E PhD
IIM Shillong	PGP, PGPEX, PGPWE, PhD, PhDWP
IIM Sirmaur	MBA, MBA (T&HM), PhD
IIM Tiruchirappalli	PGPM, PGPM-HR, PGPBM, FPM, E-FPM
IIM Udaipur	MBA, PhD
IIM Visakhapatnam	PGP, PGPEx, PGPDGM, PhD
IIM Mumbai	MBA, MBA in Sustainability Management MBA in Operations and Supply Chain Management

What is the difference between IIM Eligibility Vs CAT Eligibility?

Candidates who wish to pursue a course from IIM should be aware of certain factors that differentiate between IIM eligibility and CAT eligibility. The CAT score is accepted by the 20 IIMs that are spread across the country as well as over 1200 B schools of the country. A majority of candidates intend on pursuing a degree from IIM over other B schools. 

• The IIMs conduct their own personal interview and group discussions. 
• IIMs might consider taking class 10th and 12th marks for admission to MBA courses.
• Work experience is not mandatory to appear in CAT exam. However, some IIMs give weightage to work experience during the selection process. 
• Candidates without work experience need not panic about their CAT selection process in MBA courses for IIMs do take freshers as well

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026  

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) has released the CAT eligibility criteria 2026 along with the official notification. The candidates who intend to fill the CAT 2026 application form must go through the detailed CAT eligibility before they fill out the form. 

CAT registration 2026 will begin on August 5, 2026 and will end on September 15, 2026 . The CAT exam date 2026 is November 29, 2026. The exam will be held in online mode. Check the IIM CAT eligibility criteria 2026 such as educational qualification, percentage required, reservation criteria, age limit other factors in this page. 

CAT Eligibility 2026 - Key Highlights

Check the major highlights of CAT eligibility in the following table below. 

CAT Exam Eligibility Highlights
Particulars	Details
Educational Qualification	Graduation/ Bachelor’s Degree
Percentage in Graduation	At least 50% (45% for SC/ ST/ PwD)
Age Limit	No Age Restriction
Work Experience	Not Mandatory

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 Age Limit 

There is no age limit restriction to apply for CAT exam 2026 . Any candidate who has a graduation degree or is pursuing graduation from a recognised university is eligible to apply for CAT exam. 

CAT Educational Qualification 

Candidates who are willing to apply for CAT 2026 exam have to ensure that they have or are pursuing the following given graduation degree from a recognised university. 

CAT Qualification 2026
Educational Qualification	Affiliation
Engineering Degree – B. Tech/ B.E.	Recognized by MHRD/ UPSC/AICTE
Bachelor’s Degree from any University	Recognized by UGC
Students in final year of graduation degree can sit for the examination.	Continuing graduation from any University that is recognized by either MHRD/ UPSC/AICTE or UGC
CA, CS, ICWA, or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI)	Recognized by MHRD/ UPSC/AICTE

What is the Minimum Percentage for CAT 2026 Exam?

IIM has set a minimum percentage requirement that has to be obtained by every candidate in aggregate in graduation. The candidates who are from General and other categories must have obtained at least 50% in aggregate in graduation. On the other hand, those who belong to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Disability (PwD) categories] should have obtained at least 45% in aggregate in graduation.  

If any University/Institution confirms that there is no scheme for converting CGPA into equivalent marks, the equivalence would be established by dividing the candidate’s CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA, and multiplying the result with 100.

Read about CAT syllabus and CAT exam pattern here.

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 12th Marks 

The marks secured by candidates in their class 12th is not taken into consideration while registering for CAT exam. However, some of the prestigious IIMs do take into consideration the marks secured by candidates in class 12th to determine the merit list for admission into that particular IIM. A certain amount of weightage is given to class 12th marks as well as class 10th marks. 

CAT Exam Eligibility - Can candidates with backlog apply for CAT exam?

The question of whether a candidate with a backlog can apply for CAT exam or not is one of the frequently asked questions by any CAT exam aspirant. To make it clarified for you, yes, candidates with a backlog can apply for CAT exam without any difficulty. 

The only condition that one has to fulfil while applying for CAT exam is that he/she should have scored more 50%  (45% for the reserved category) in the degree (even in supplementary) can apply for CAT 2026 . 

IIM CAT 2026 Eligibility - Reservation Criteria

The criteria for admission into IIMs is governed by the IIM’s own procedure. The reservation guidelines for admission into IIMs is applicable as per the government guidelines. Check the following table to know about the CAT eligibility for OBC, MBC, SC, ST, PwD, and General categories of candidates. 

IIM CAT reservation criteria
Category of the candidates	Reserved Percentage
NC-OBC (Non-Creamy Other Backward Classes)	27%
SC (Scheduled Caste)	15%
Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)	up to 10%
ST (Scheduled Tribe)	7.5%
PwD (Person with Disability)	5%

CAT Eligibility Criteria - Work Experience Requirement

Work experience is not mandatory to apply for CAT exam 2026 . However, in case a candidate has prior work experience or internship experience, then it is a boost for him/her. IIMs give a certain weightage to those who have work experience. The weightage of work experience varies from one IIM to another. 

What courses are offered through CAT at IIMs?

The following given courses are offered through the CAT exam.

IIM Name	Courses Offered Through CAT
IIM Ahmedabad	PGP, PGP-FABM, ePGP, PhD
IIM Amritsar	MBA, EMBA, MBA-Business Analytics, MBA-HRM, PhD
IIM Bangalore	PGP, PGPEM, PGPBA, PhD
IIM Bodh Gaya	PGP, PhD (FPM)
IIM Calcutta	MBA, PhD
IIM Indore	PGP, PGP-HRM, FPM
IIM Jammu	PGP, PhD
IIM Kashipur	MBA, MBA (Analytics), MBA (WX), PhD, EFPM
IIM Kozhikode	PGP, PGP-BL, PGP-F, PGP-LSM, PhD, PhD (PT)
IIM Lucknow	PGP, PGP-ABM, PGP-SM, FPM
IIM Nagpur	PGP, PhD
IIM Raipur	PGP, FPM/ PhD, EFPM
IIM Ranchi	PGP, PGP-HRM, PGP (Business Analytics), PhD, EPhD
IIM Rohtak	PGP, EPGPX, EPGDSM, PhD, Part-Time FPM
IIM Sambalpur	MBA, PhD, E PhD
IIM Shillong	PGP, PGPEX, PGPWE, PhD, PhDWP
IIM Sirmaur	MBA, MBA (T&HM), PhD
IIM Tiruchirappalli	PGPM, PGPM-HR, PGPBM, FPM, E-FPM
IIM Udaipur	MBA, PhD
IIM Visakhapatnam	PGP, PGPEx, PGPDGM, PhD
IIM Mumbai	MBA, MBA in Sustainability Management MBA in Operations and Supply Chain Management

What is the difference between IIM Eligibility Vs CAT Eligibility?

Candidates who wish to pursue a course from IIM should be aware of certain factors that differentiate between IIM eligibility and CAT eligibility. The CAT score is accepted by the 20 IIMs that are spread across the country as well as over 1200 B schools of the country. A majority of candidates intend on pursuing a degree from IIM over other B schools. 

• The IIMs conduct their own personal interview and group discussions. 
• IIMs might consider taking class 10th and 12th marks for admission to MBA courses.
• Work experience is not mandatory to appear in CAT exam. However, some IIMs give weightage to work experience during the selection process. 
• Candidates without work experience need not panic about their CAT selection process in MBA courses for IIMs do take freshers as well