IIM Calcutta MBA Admission 2027-29: PI carries 48% weight, CAT score 30%; selection criteria explained

The Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM Calcutta) has announced the admission policy for the MBA programme batch 2027-29. The institute offers a two-year Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme which includes a core curriculum, summer internship and elective courses. In the first year, students study compulsory subjects from different fields of business and management. The second year offers students the opportunity to select electives according to their interests.

IIM Calcutta will shortlist candidates for the Writing Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) based on CAT 2026 scores. Other parameters include academic performance and gender diversity.

IIM Calcutta MBA admission: Academic eligibility

Candidates seeking admission to the MBA programme must hold a bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks or an equivalent cumulative grade point average (CGPA). For candidates belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Persons with Disability (PwD) categories, the minimum requirement is 45%.

The degree must be awarded by a university established under an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India, an educational institution established by an Act of Parliament, an institution declared to be a deemed university under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or an institution offering an equivalent qualification recognised by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

Candidates holding foreign degrees must obtain certification of equivalence from the Association of Indian Universities.

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The percentage of marks obtained in the bachelor’s degree will be calculated according to the practice followed by the university, college or institution that awarded the degree. For candidates who receive grades or CGPA instead of marks, the conversion method prescribed by their institution will be used.

If the institution does not have a system for converting CGPA into an equivalent percentage, the percentage will be calculated by dividing the candidate’s CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA and multiplying the result by 100.

For candidates who completed an integrated master’s or dual-degree programme directly after Class 12, the percentage of marks considered equivalent to a bachelor’s degree by the institution will be used. If the institution does not separately report undergraduate and postgraduate marks for a dual-degree programme, the postgraduate marks will be considered undergraduate marks for determining eligibility and calculating composite scores at the admission stages.

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Special eligibility provision for graduates from 2020 to 2023

Candidates who graduated in 2020, 2021, 2022 or 2023 can also apply if their university did not conduct examinations or award marks or CGPA for one or more years or semesters of their bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification. This provision applies where the university awarded only a pass, pass marks or promotion for the relevant period.

Such candidates must submit a certificate from the principal or registrar of their college, institute or university confirming that examinations were not conducted or marks or CGPA were not awarded for the relevant period.

IIM Calcutta MBA admission shortlisting criteria

In the first stage, candidates must meet the minimum overall and section-wise CAT 2026 percentile cut-offs specified by the institute. They must also secure non-negative raw scores in all sections of CAT 2026 to be considered for the second stage of shortlisting. Candidates who meet these requirements will be considered for stage II of selection process.

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Actual section-wise and overall percentile cut-offs may be much higher than the above-mentioned minimum percentiles as it will depend upon the number of candidates to be called for personal interview (PI) in each category.

Stage II: Shortlisting for PI and WAT

Those who qualify stage 1 will be called for PI and WAT based on the composite score derived using the parameters and the corresponding weights specified below.

*A = Candidate’s CAT 2026 Total Overall Scaled Score & B = Maximum possible CAT 2026 Total Overall Scaled Score

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Points for marks secured in Class 10 and Class 12

For computing the marks (in %) secured in Class 10 and Class 12, the aggregate marks of all subjects that appear in the mark sheet/grade sheet would be considered irrespective of whether the Board considers them for calculation of percentage or not.

The composite cut-offs will be decided in each category for shortlisting candidates for stage II of the selection process. Number of candidates to be shortlisted for PI and WAT in each category depends upon the size of the in-coming batch and would be at the sole discretion of the Institute.

Parameters and weights for final selection for the MBA Programme

A composite score for final selection will be derived using the parameters and the corresponding weights listed in Table 4. This composite score will be used for preparation of category-wise merit list.

Academic Diversity

Category ID 4, 5, 9, 10, 11: Points will be awarded to only those candidates who have uploaded their relevant degree/course mark sheet at the time of filling up the MBA application form for personal interview. The mark sheet must clearly indicate that the candidate has passed the relevant degree/course.

Category ID 2, 3, 6, 7, 8: Points will be awarded to the candidates who have completed or are in the final year of the relevant degree/course. However, the candidates who are in the final year of their degree/course must submit a certificate latest by June 30, 2027 from the Principal/Registrar of his/her University/College/Institute (issued on or before June 30, 2027)

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IIM Calcutta reservation policy

The institute will apply the standard (Government of India) reservation policy for providing admission.

IIM Calcutta's policy reads, "For the purpose of being considered for reservations, a valid certificate as per the applicable Central Government list is to be furnished during the personal interview."