CAT 2025: Four IIMs exit Common Admission Process to join JAP 2026, leave MBA aspirants confused

IIMCAT 2025: The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) have added yet another admission counselling process to the list this year. Four of the second-generation IIMs – Raipur, Kashipur, Ranchi and Tiruchirappalli – have broken away from the Common Admission Process (CAP) that was in place in 2025 and will, instead, have a Joint Admission Process (JAP) in 2026.

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Unlike the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), the IIMs don’t have a common admission counselling platform. Beyond the Common Admission Test (CAT), which every IIM participates in, each is free to manage its admission process on its own. However, to ease the process for candidates, different IIMs have come together to hold a joint process.

IIM Raipur is the coordinator of JAP 2026; IIM Udaipur, part of CAP 2025, will go it alone in 2026. As of the filing of this story, IIM Jammu had confirmed that they would remain a part of CAP for 2026 as well. There is no clarity IIMs Bodh Gaya, Nagpur and Sirmaur were still part of it. The older IIMs – Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta – as well as some of the newer ones, such as Indore, Lucknow and Kozhikode, hold their own processes.

Update: IIM Bodh Gaya and IIM Sirmaur will remain part of CAP 2026, sources at IIM Jammu have now confirmed.

While the point behind the joint efforts is to make the process accessible and reduce duplication of effort, it is still too cumbersome for aspirants who feel a single counselling process for all 21 IIMs would help.

IIM CAT admit card 2025 was issued on November 12 for 2.95 lakh candidates. The MBA entrance exam will be held on November 30 in three slots.

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CAT Exam: Common admission in IIMs

The IIMs admit to postgraduate management programmes and the process involves more selection steps – an additional written ability test (WAT), a personal interview (PI) and/or a group discussion (GD). Both CAP and JAP are intended to relieve applicants of the burden of appearing for multiple WAT, PI or GD rounds.

A common or joint admission process allows candidates to apply to all participating institutions at once and appear for one round each of WAT, PI and GD. In the case of JAP 2026, the four participating IIMs will follow similar admission criteria, following the declaration of Common Admission Test (CAT) results – CAT 2025 is scheduled for November 30 – and candidates will have to pay and fill the form only once.

“The collaboration aims to ensure transparency, efficiency, and consistency in evaluating candidates while reducing duplication of efforts for both applicants and institutes. By sharing resources and aligning selection criteria, the IIMs have created a fair and accessible framework that upholds their academic standards,” said Rabin K Jana, chairperson, admission, IIM Raipur.

IIMs Raipur and Sambalpur moved out of CAP in 2025 and conducted their own admission processes. IIM Udaipur said conducting admissions independently in 2026 will allow it to frame its own guidelines and parameters, “in line with the IIMU’s academic priorities and global outlook”.

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IIM Kashipur, part of JAP 2026, refused to comment on its reasons for joining another admission process. IIM Raipur had earlier said that CAP was not fulfilling the admission criteria requirements of the institute.

To Careers360, Jana said, “As JAP is set to conduct its first exam in 2026, there is a possibility that more IIMs may consider joining JAP in the coming years. Any future expansion would depend on mutual agreements, alignment of admission policies, and shared objectives among the institutes to ensure a cohesive and efficient admission process.”

JAP 2026: Admission to IIMs

Admissions under JAP 2026 will be based on CAT percentile, academic performance, work experience, and diversity considerations. Final weightages and cut-offs will be determined after joint consultations among the participating IIMs and communicated to applicants.

“Eligibility criteria are expected to be consistent with previous cycles, with adjustments aimed at expanding access to qualified candidates. JAP 2026 offers candidates the convenience of applying to multiple leading IIMs through a unified platform, reducing logistical complexities and enabling interview options spread across various regions of the country. The initiative seeks to make the admission process more accessible, cost-effective, and efficient,” said IIM Tiruchirapalli director Pawan Kumar Singh in a statement released in September.

As part of CAP, the admission policy, merit list finalisation, and subsequent admission offers were independent at all eight IIMs.

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JAP 2026 IIM: Process still confusing

Students feel common counselling for all 21 IIMs would streamline the process more.

Shristi Sen, an aspirant adds, “While applying for CAT we pay fees. Then there is registration for each IIM. Since we don’t want to take chances, you generally end up applying to most. A single joint admission policy and counselling process would have greatly reduced cost and time,” said Shrishti Sen, an aspirant.

The present system of different IIMs coming together and their grouping changing every year simply adds to the confusion.

“When CAP started there were 10 IIMs together. Then it came down to eight and now we don’t know how many there will be,” said Aryaan Tripathi, an aspirant based in Surat, Gujarat. “We now have a new grouping of IIMs. Ultimately most IIMs follow a similar admission policy and take the CAT score, so why can’t there be a common one-stop solution.”