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Before investing months of preparation into CAT 2026, every aspirant must confirm they meet the eligibility criteria set by the convening IIM. Ineligible candidates who register and appear for CAT face cancellation of results and cannot be admitted to any IIM programme regardless of their score. IIM admission processes involve thorough document verification, and eligibility discrepancies discovered at the WAT-PI or admission stage result in immediate disqualification.
CAT eligibility is deliberately straightforward compared to government entrance exams. There is no age limit, no attempt restriction, no domicile requirement, and no specific stream restriction. The sole academic requirement is a bachelor's degree with minimum marks. This openness reflects the IIMs' goal of attracting talent from engineering, commerce, arts, science, and every academic and professional background.
This page covers the complete CAT 2026 eligibility criteria: educational qualification, minimum marks, recognised institutions, year of passing, age conditions, attempt limit, final year student eligibility, NRI and foreign national conditions, work experience requirements, category-wise minimum marks, and the specific eligibility conditions set by individual IIMs for their programmes.
All information is based on the official CAT 2025 Information Bulletin and IIM programme-specific eligibility data. CAT 2026 eligibility is expected to be identical unless announced otherwise in the July 26, 2026 notification.
Official Source: CAT 2026 eligibility will be officially confirmed in the Information Bulletin at iimcat.ac.in, expected July 26, 2026. Verify all details from the official document before registering.
Visit the CAT complete guide for the full exam overview, dates, syllabus, cutoff, and all resources.
| Eligibility Parameter Requirement | |
| Educational Qualification | Bachelor's degree from a recognised university or institution |
| Minimum Marks (General / EWS / NC-OBC) | 50% aggregate in bachelor's degree |
| Minimum Marks (SC / ST / PwD) | 45% aggregate in bachelor's degree |
| Age Limit | No minimum or maximum age limit |
| Attempt Limit | No restriction on number of attempts |
| Academic Stream | Any stream (Engineering, Commerce, Arts, Science, Law, Medicine, etc.) |
| Year of Passing | Any year; no restriction |
| Final Year Students | Eligible to apply provisionally |
| Work Experience | Not required to appear; benefits during IIM selection process |
| Nationality | Indian citizens, NRIs, PIOs, OCIs, and foreign nationals eligible |
| Domicile | No domicile or state requirement |
Candidates must hold a Bachelor's degree (also known as a graduate degree) from a recognised university or institution. The degree must be awarded by a university or institution recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) or an equivalent statutory body.
Accepted qualifying degrees include:
There is no restriction on the stream of study. An engineering graduate competes equally with a commerce graduate, arts graduate, or a doctor for the same IIM seat. However, at the IIM selection stage (WAT-PI and composite scoring), academic background may be used as a diversity factor.
The bachelor's degree must be from a university or institution recognised by one of the following:
Candidates with degrees from distance learning or open universities (such as IGNOU) are eligible provided the institution is UGC-recognised. Candidates with degrees from private deemed universities are eligible provided the institution is recognised by UGC.
The minimum aggregate marks requirement is the only academic performance threshold for CAT eligibility. It applies to the aggregate percentage across all years or semesters of the bachelor's degree.
| Category Minimum Aggregate Percentage in Bachelor's Degree | |
| General / UR | 50% |
| EWS (Economically Weaker Section) | 50% |
| NC-OBC (Non-Creamy Layer OBC) | 50% |
| SC (Scheduled Caste) | 45% |
| ST (Scheduled Tribe) | 45% |
| PwD (Person with Disability) | 45% |
The aggregate is calculated across all subjects in all years or semesters of the bachelor's programme. Only the subjects included in the degree programme are counted; audit courses or electives not part of the degree structure may be excluded.
For candidates from universities that use the CGPA or GPA grading system instead of percentage, the conversion formula specified by their university is used. In the absence of a university-specified conversion formula, IIMs have their own conversion benchmarks (typically 6.5 CGPA on a 10-point scale equates to 55%, and 7.5 CGPA equates to 65%).
Class 12 marks are NOT part of the CAT eligibility criteria for appearing in the examination. However, Class 10 and Class 12 marks are significant inputs in IIM shortlisting formulas and composite scores. IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta all include Class 10 and 12 marks in their shortlisting criteria. A candidate with 50% in graduation but weak Class 10 and 12 marks may clear CAT eligibility but face challenges in IIM shortlisting.
There is no age limit for CAT. This is one of the most important and liberating aspects of CAT eligibility, particularly compared to most government service and defence examinations.
There is no minimum age requirement and no maximum age cap. A 21-year-old fresh graduate and a 45-year-old working professional with a bachelor's degree are equally eligible to appear for CAT 2026.
This was not always the case. Earlier versions of CAT had an upper age limit, but it was removed to encourage working professionals across all career stages to pursue management education.
Individual IIM programmes may have preferences regarding work experience and candidate profile that effectively favour certain age groups during selection, but these are programme preferences at the admissions stage, not eligibility conditions for the CAT examination itself.
There is no restriction on the number of CAT attempts. A candidate who appeared in CAT 2019 for the first time and is appearing in CAT 2026 for the eighth time is equally eligible as a first-time applicant.
This policy reflects IIMs' recognition that a candidate's performance in a single examination on a single day may not reflect their full potential, and that repeated attempts reflect persistence and seriousness rather than disqualification.
However, candidates should note that IIM selection processes do consider the CAT score in the context of the overall profile. A candidate appearing in CAT for the fifth time with declining scores may face questions during PI about their preparation approach and career goals.
Candidates who are in the final year of their bachelor's degree at the time of CAT registration are eligible to apply provisionally. This allows students to appear in CAT during their final undergraduate year without waiting to complete their degree first.
If a final-year student is shortlisted and offered provisional admission by an IIM, they must:
The deadline for submitting degree completion proof varies by IIM. Most IIMs require this by September or October of the joining year. Candidates must verify the specific deadline from each IIM's admissions office.
| Event Timeline | |
| CAT 2026 Registration | August 2026 (currently in final year of graduation) |
| CAT 2026 Exam | November 2026 |
| IIM Shortlisting | January 2027 |
| WAT-PI at IIMs | February to March 2027 |
| Final Exam / Graduation | April to May 2027 |
| IIM Programme Joining | June to July 2027 |
| Degree Certificate Submission Deadline | September to October 2027 |
Final-year students from most universities complete their last semester exams in April to May 2027 and receive their degree certificates between June and October 2027. This timeline generally aligns with IIM requirements.
Unlike JEE Main (which allows only candidates who passed Class 12 in the preceding 2 years) or NEET (which has no year restriction), CAT has no year-of-passing restriction for the bachelor's degree. A candidate who completed their graduation in 2012 and is applying for CAT 2026 is fully eligible.
This makes CAT accessible to:
Work experience is not a mandatory eligibility criterion for CAT or for IIM admission. Fresh graduates directly out of college are eligible and regularly admitted to all IIMs including IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore.
However, work experience plays an important role at the selection stage:
| IIM Work Experience Weightage in Shortlisting | |
| IIM Ahmedabad | No explicit weightage in shortlisting formula; significant in PI |
| IIM Bangalore | Included in composite score; experience adds to profile score |
| IIM Calcutta | Included in shortlisting composite formula with explicit marks |
| IIM Lucknow | Included in shortlisting composite formula |
| IIM Kozhikode | Work experience given explicit weightage in shortlisting |
| IIM Indore | Work experience given weightage in shortlisting formula |
Candidates with 12 to 36 months of relevant work experience typically score better in WAT-PI rounds and final composite scores. However, exceptional fresh graduates with strong academic profiles and impressive extracurriculars are regularly selected by all top IIMs.
For IIM Calcutta (2025 cohort): Work experience was given explicit weightage in the shortlisting formula alongside Class 10, 12, and graduation marks, and CAT percentile.
International candidates may appear for CAT 2026 subject to the following conditions.
| Category CAT Eligibility Notes | ||
| NRI (Non-Resident Indian) | Yes | Must have Indian passport; all CAT rules apply |
| OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) | Yes | OCI card must be valid |
| PIO (Person of Indian Origin) | Yes | PIO card must be valid |
| Foreign National | Yes | Must have valid passport; nationality-specific rules may apply |
NRIs and foreign nationals must appear at exam centres in India. The IIM CAT portal does not conduct the exam at international locations. NRI, OCI, and foreign national candidates must travel to India for the November 29, 2026 exam.
Foreign educational qualifications are accepted provided they are equivalent to an Indian bachelor's degree as certified by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). Candidates with foreign degrees who cannot obtain AIU equivalence should contact the CAT helpdesk before registering.
All IIMs have a small NRI quota within their programmes. NRI candidates compete in a separate pool for these seats. Some IIMs also accept GMAT scores for NRI candidates applying through NRI quota, as an alternative to CAT.
For CAT purposes, NC-OBC refers to candidates from Other Backward Classes who fall outside the "creamy layer" (income-based exclusion). The minimum marks requirement is 50% (same as General category), but NC-OBC candidates benefit from reservation in IIM seat allocation.
Category certificates for NC-OBC must be:
EWS candidates from the General category with annual family income below Rs. 8 lakh per year are eligible for EWS reservation in IIM seats. The minimum marks requirement is 50%.
EWS certificates must be:
SC and ST candidates have a minimum marks requirement of 45% in bachelor's degree. IIMs reserve 15% seats for SC and 7.5% seats for ST candidates across programmes.
Category certificates must be from a competent state government authority and mention the specific caste/tribe name as per the Central/State government scheduled list.
PwD candidates with a benchmark disability (40% or more) have a minimum marks requirement of 45% in bachelor's degree. PwD candidates also receive additional time during the CAT exam (53 minutes and 20 seconds per section instead of 40 minutes).
PwD certificates must specify:
IIMs reserve 5% seats for PwD candidates across all categories (horizontal reservation).
Beyond the basic CAT eligibility criteria, individual IIMs have additional conditions for their specific programmes.
IIMs offering Executive MBA programmes (PGPX, ePGP) typically require:
IIMs offering FPM (PhD equivalent) programmes accept CAT scores alongside GMAT and GATE. Eligibility typically requires a bachelor's degree with 55% (50% for SC/ST/PwD) or a master's degree.
IIMs offering specialised programmes (e.g., IIM Lucknow's PGP-ABM for agri-business, IIM Calcutta's MBA in Business Analytics) may have additional eligibility conditions stated in their respective programme brochures.
Yes. Stream of study is not an eligibility criterion for CAT. An arts graduate with 50% aggregate is fully eligible to appear and to be admitted to any IIM programme.
Use your university's official CGPA-to-percentage conversion formula. If your university does not specify one, use the IIM's conversion benchmark (typically 7.0/10 CGPA = 60%). Always carry an official conversion document from your university during IIM document verification.
For General/EWS/NC-OBC category: No. The minimum is 50%. You are below the threshold. For SC/ST/PwD category: Yes. The minimum is 45%, and 48% meets this requirement.
Yes. Work experience from any organisation, whether a large corporation, a startup, an NGO, or self-employment, is counted provided it is full-time, paid work. Part-time work, internships, and freelance engagements are generally not counted as work experience by IIMs. The total experience is typically calculated as months of full-time employment before the programme start date.
Yes. CAT registration for final-year students does not require a provisional certificate at the registration stage. You declare yourself as a final-year student during registration. The actual degree certificate and marks are required only at the IIM admission stage (after WAT-PI). Contact the specific IIM's admissions office if you face document-related issues.
| Stage What is Verified | |
| CAT Registration (August to September 2026) | Self-declared details; no document upload required for eligibility |
| IIM Shortlisting (January 2027) | Shortlisting is based on self-declared CAT score, academic marks, and profile |
| WAT-PI Documents (February to March 2027) | Original documents for Class 10, 12, graduation, category, work experience |
| Final Admission (April to May 2027) | Complete document verification; degree certificate for final-year students |
| Programme Joining (June to July 2027) | Physical verification of all documents at IIM campus |
Misrepresentation of eligibility at any stage, including self-declaration during registration, can result in disqualification and permanent ban from IIM admissions.
Q1. What is the minimum percentage required for CAT 2026? 50% aggregate in bachelor's degree for General/EWS/NC-OBC candidates. 45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates.
Q2. Is there an age limit for CAT 2026? No. There is no minimum or maximum age limit for appearing in CAT. Candidates of any age are eligible.
Q3. Can a final-year student appear in CAT 2026? Yes. Final-year students are eligible to register and appear provisionally. If offered admission, they must submit proof of degree completion with required marks by the IIM's deadline.
Q4. Is work experience mandatory for CAT? No. Work experience is not required to appear in CAT or to be admitted to IIM flagship programmes. However, it is a positive factor in IIM selection processes and is given explicit weightage in shortlisting formulas at several IIMs.
Q5. Can an NRI appear for CAT 2026? Yes. NRIs, PIOs, and OCIs can appear for CAT. They must travel to India for the exam as no international centres are available.
Q6. Is there a limit on how many times I can appear for CAT? No. There is no restriction on attempts. Candidates can appear in CAT every year without limit.
Q7. I have a 3-year B.Com degree. Am I eligible? Yes. Any 3-year or 4-year bachelor's degree from a recognised university is eligible for CAT. Stream of study does not matter.
Q8. My bachelor's degree is from a foreign university. Am I eligible? Yes, provided the degree is equivalent to an Indian bachelor's degree as certified by the Association of Indian Universities. Obtain the AIU equivalence certificate before registering.
Stay updated with the latest news and notifications about CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Degree, Minimum Marks, Age Limit, Attempts and Category Requirements and other exams.
ExamUpdateAspirantMitraa
20 May 2026
ExamResultAspirantMitraa
20 May 2026
