CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 are prescribed by the IIMs for applying to the CAT exam. CAT Eligibility Criteria for General Category candidates requires a Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD categories) or equivalent CGPA from a government recognized university. Final year students and those awaiting results are also eligible to apply for CAT exam. There is no age limit for the exam. This comprehensive guide covers the complete IIM CAT 2026 Eligibility Criteria including educational qualifications, percentage requirements, professional degree acceptance, final year student eligibility, IIM reservation policy, age and work experience requirements, eligibility for foreign nationals, and who is not eligible for the exam. CAT 2026 is expected to be held on Sunday, November 29, 2026, subject to official confirmation in the CAT 2026 notification expected on July 26, 2026. CAT 2026 Registration will start in early August 2026.
As per the CAT exam eligibility criteria 2026, candidates applying for CAT 2026 should fulfil any one of the following conditions:
As per the CAT exam eligibility criteria 2026, required percentage of marks are based on category of candidate applying for CAT. SC/ST/PwD candidates should have a minimum 45%. For General, EWS and NC-OBC candidates, the minimum is 50%. IIMs have clarified that the percentage of marks obtained by the candidate would be calculated based on the practice as followed by the respective University/Institution.
As per the CAT eligibility criteria 2026, in case of grades/CGPA, the conversion to percentage of marks would be based on the procedure as certified by the respective University/Institution. 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.
As per the CAT exam eligibility criteria 2026, candidate from general category must hold a Bachelor’s Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA.
Candidate from Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Disability (PwD) categories must hold a Bachelor’s Degree, with at least 45% marks or equivalent CGPA.
As per the CAT eligibility criteria 2026, “Bachelor’s Degree should be awarded by any University or educational institution as incorporated by an Act of Parliament or State legislature in India or declared to be deemed as an University under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification recognised by the Ministry of Education, Government of India.”
As per the CAT eligibility criteria 2026, candidates appearing for the final year of Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification examination and those who have completed degree requirements and are awaiting results can also apply.
However, CAT eligibility criteria 2026 states that “it may be noted that such candidates, if selected, will be allowed to join the programme provisionally, only if they submit a certificate from the Principal/Registrar of their University/Institution (issued on or before the date as stipulated by the respective IIM) stating that they have completed all the requirements for obtaining the Bachelor’s degree/equivalent qualification on the date of issue of the certificate.”
Yes, if you have completed professional degree such as CA or CS or ICWA (CMA) or Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI)) with the required percentage, you can apply for CAT exam. The official CAT eligibility document 2026 clearly states that “Candidates who have completed professional degree (CA/CS/ICWA (CMA)/Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of India (FIAI)) with required percentage are eligible for CAT 2026”.
As per the Government of India directives, the following reservations apply in IIM admissions:
The CAT Eligibility 2026 clearly mentions following regarding reservation in IIMs:
“As per the legal requirements, 15% of the seats are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) and 7.5% for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates. 27% of the seats are reserved for Other Backward Classes candidates belonging to the “non-creamy” layer (NC-OBC). Up to 10% of the seats are reserved for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) candidates.” It further adds, “As per the provisions of The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act 2016), 5% seats are reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD).”
Asking students to be careful while filling their reservation status in application form, CAT eligibility criteria states that “The candidates should read the updated description of the selection process followed by each IIM on their respective websites. No change in the category will be entertained after CAT registration. The applicants are advised to pay attention while registering.”
CAT Eligibility Criteria Age Limit: Is there age limit for CAT exam? No. Applicants of any age who meet the educational qualifications can apply. Check more details about CAT eligibility criteria age limit below.
However, IIMs and other MBA colleges can have age restrictions at the time of offering MBA admissions.
According to CAT eligibility criteria 2026, how many times can I take CAT exam? This is a question often asked by students. Good news is that if you are eligible, you can take CAT exam as many times as you wish. So, there is no restriction on the number of times a candidate can take CAT.
As per CAT eligibility criteria 2026, work experience is not mandatory to appear for CAT. However, IIMs may have minimum work experience requirements, or give weightage to work experience in their final MBA selection process
The official CAT 2025 Information Bulletin and CAT 2025 Eligibility document do not contain specific provisions for Foreign Nationals or NRIs separate from the general CAT eligibility criteria. Based on the official CAT eligibility framework, the same Bachelor's degree requirement (with 50% marks for General/EWS/NC-OBC and 45% for SC/ST/PwBD) applies to all candidates registering for CAT, regardless of nationality.
However, admission to IIMs from CAT scores is governed by each IIM's individual admission policy not by the CAT exam alone. Foreign Nationals, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) should note the following important distinctions:
CAT Exam Registration: Foreign Nationals and NRIs can register for CAT 2026 on the official website iimcat.ac.in if they meet the basic eligibility criteria i.e. a Bachelor's degree from a recognised University.
IIM Admission Routes: Most IIMs offer separate admission channels for Foreign Nationals and NRIs/PIOs, typically through GMAT or GRE scores, with their own application processes that run parallel to the CAT-based PGP admission.
CAT Score Acceptance: Some IIMs accept CAT scores from Foreign Nationals for their PGP programmes, while others reserve specific seats for International candidates with GMAT/GRE scores. The policy varies significantly by IIM and by programme.
What Foreign Nationals and NRIs Should Do? The should follow these steps:
IIMs conducting CAT exam have clarified about who is ineligible for the CAT exam? The key criteria to understand who is not eligible for CAT 2026 are:
You can download the CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 PDF from the link below. This document has all the information available on this page. You can download the PDF, save and read it anytime for your reference.
Download CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 PDF
While the CAT 2026 eligibility criteria (Bachelor's degree with 50% / 45% marks) is uniform across all candidates, individual IIMs apply their own additional eligibility and shortlisting criteria for their MBA / PGP programmes. Meeting the basic CAT eligibility does not automatically qualify a candidate for shortlisting by any specific IIM.
The official CAT 2025 document explicitly states: “Applicants should note that the mere fulfilment of the minimum eligibility criteria will not ensure consideration for shortlisting by IIMs. Candidates should read the updated description of the selection process followed by each IIM on their respective websites.”
Each IIM publishes its own selection criteria and weightages annually on its admissions website. Below are the typical IIM CAT eligibility criteria and shortlisting components candidates should be aware of:
Common IIM-Specific Eligibility Components
Eligibility Factor | What IIMs Consider |
|---|---|
Academic Diversity | 10th, 12th, and graduation marks (with their own sectional cutoffs) |
Gender Diversity | Additional points/weightage for female candidates (varies by IIM) |
Academic Diversity | Additional points for non-engineering academic backgrounds |
Work Experience | Weightage in shortlisting (typically 0–24 months, varies by IIM) |
Sectional CAT Cutoffs | Each section (VARC, DILR, QA) has minimum percentile requirements |
Overall CAT Cutoff | Overall percentile required varies — IIM A/B/C require 99+ percentile typically |
Personal Interview | All shortlisted candidates appear for PI / WAT / GD rounds |
How IIM Eligibility Differs from CAT Eligibility? The basic CAT eligibility (50% / 45% in graduation) is the minimum required to write the exam and apply. IIM-specific eligibility is what determines whether a CAT-qualified candidate gets shortlisted for the next round (PI/WAT/GD) by a particular IIM.
CAT 2026 candidates must visit each IIM's official admissions website to check their specific eligibility, shortlisting criteria, and weightages for the 2027 academic session.
CAT 2025 was conducted by IIM Kozhikode on November 30, 2025. According to MBAUniverse.com analysis CAT exam registration trends, total number of CAT registrations have grown significantly over the last 20 years -- from 1,70,000 in CAT 2005 to a peak of 3,29,000 in CAT 2024. However, in last five years, the number of CAT exam registrations have been fluctuating. CAT 2025 registrations fell to 2,95,000 from a peak of 3,29,000 in CAT 2024, a decline of approximately 10%. The number of candidates who actually appeared for CAT 2025 also dropped to 2,58,000 compared to 2,93,000 in CAT 2024. Check CAT exam registration trends for last 20 years.
CAT Eligibility Criteria for MBA: CAT 2026 exam eligibility criteria are prescribed by the IIMs for applying to CAT exam. To be eligible for the CAT 2026 exam, candidates need a Bachelor's degree with a minimum of 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD categories) or equivalent CGPA from a government recognized university. Final year students and those awaiting results are also eligible to apply for CAT exam. There is no age limit for the exam. Read above guide to understand complete CAT 2026 exam eligibility criteria including educational qualifications, percentage requirements, professional degree acceptance, final year student eligibility, IIM reservation policy, age and work experience requirements, eligibility for foreign nationals. Also read about CAT 2026 Application Form and CAT 2026 Notification for related information. In following section, check answers to important questions like who is eligible for CAT exam 2026?
