The Big 7 IIMs and their admission criteria
Below is an in-depth, category-wise breakdown of shortlisting and final selection criteria for the top 7 IIMs—Ahmedabad (A), Bangalore (B), Calcutta (C), Indore (I), Lucknow (L), Kozhikode (K) and Shillong (S). For each institute you’ll find: Eligibility: minimum academic marks & CAT validity Shortlisting cut-offs: sectional & overall CAT percentiles by category Shortlisting index weightage: how CAT, school marks, work-ex, diversity feed into the composite score Final selection weightage: PI/WAT vs CAT vs profile “Safe” CAT percentiles you should target by category IIM Ahmedabad (A) Eligibility Bachelor’s degree (10+2+3/4) with ≥50% (45% for SC/ST/PwD). ac.in Stage I Shortlisting (AWT & PI call) Category VARC ≥ DILR ≥ QA ≥ Overall ≥ 10+12 avg ≥ Grad ≥ (80th pct cut-off) General/EWS 70 70 70 80 80 (Sci) 77 (Comm) 75 (Arts) 80th pct of batch (<varies by stream>) NC-OBC/Trans* 65 65 65 75 75, 72, 70 80th pct (lower than Gen) SC 60 60 60 70 70, 67, 64 80th pct (lower) ST 50 50 50 60 65, 62, 59 80th pct (lower) PwD (Gen/OBC/SC) 60 60 60 70 Same as SC 80th pct (for PWD-Gen group) PwD (ST) 50 50 50 60 Same as ST 80th pct (for PWD-ST group) *Transgender category is grouped with NC-OBC for cut-offs. Cut-offs from Shortlisting Criteria PDF (2023-25)—very likely unchanged for 2025-27 iima.ac.in. Composite Score (CS) for shortlisting makefile CopyEdit CS = 0.65 × (CAT total raw)/800 + 0.35 × (Application Rating Score) where ARS is sum of: 10th & 12th marks (avg scaled to 10) Graduation percent (scaled to 35) Work-ex (max 11×0.2=2.2) ac.in Stage II Final Selection Component Weight Personal Interview 50% AWT 10% CAT (normalized) 25% Application Rating 15% Final Composite Score (FCS) formula given in same PDF iima.ac.in. Target CAT percentiles Category Safe Percentile General/EWS ≥ 99.5 NC-OBC/EWS/Trans ≥ 98.5 SC ≥ 95 ST ≥ 90 PwD ≥ 95 IIM Bangalore (B) Eligibility Bachelor’s ≥ 50% (45% for SC/ST/PwD). ac.iniimb.ac.in Stage I (Pre-PI) Shortlisting Category VARC ≥ DILR ≥ QA ≥ Overall ≥ Gen 80 80 80 85 NC-OBC 70 70 70 75 EWS 70 70 70 75 SC 60 60 60 70 ST 55 55 55 65 PwD 50 50 50 60 iimb.ac.in Pre-PI score (100 pt) CAT (55): VARC 19 + DILR 21 + QA 15 10th: 10, 12th: 10, Graduation: 10 Work-ex/prof course: 10 Gender diversity (female/trans): 5 Missing components re-weighted if COVID gaps iimb.ac.in Stage II Final Selection Component Weight PI 40% WAT 10% CAT 25% 10th 5% 12th 5% Graduation 5% Work-ex/prof course 10% Gender bonus not carried forward to Stage II iimb.ac.in. Target CAT percentiles Category Safe Percentile General/EWS ≥ 99 NC-OBC ≥ 97 SC ≥ 90 ST ≥ 85 PwD ≥ 85 IIM Calcutta (C) Eligibility Bachelor’s ≥ 50% (45% for SC/ST/PwD). ac.in Stage I Shortlisting Category VARC ≥ DILR ≥ QA ≥ Overall ≥ OPEN 80 80 75 85 EWS 70 65 65 75 NC-OBC 70 65 65 75 SC 65 60 60 70 ST 55 55 55 65 PwD 45 45 45 55 iimcal.ac.in Stage II & III Stage II: WAT + PI (weight undisclosed in public doc; likely ≈ 50% combined). Stage III: Final merit based on CAT (~ 60–66%), PI/WAT, academics, work-ex & Final weights typically mirror peers (~ PM = 40%, WAT 10%, CAT 25–30%, academics 10%, work-ex 10%). Target CAT percentiles Category Safe Percentile OPEN ≥ 99.5 NC-OBC/EWS ≥ 98 SC ≥ 95 ST ≥ 90 PwD ≥ 90 IIM Indore (I) Eligibility Bachelor’s ≥ 50% (45% for SC/ST/PwD). ac.in Stage I Shortlisting Category QA ≥ DILR ≥ VARC ≥ Overall ≥ Gen 80.00 80.00 80.00 90.00 EWS 80.00 80.00 80.00 90.00 NC-OBC 70.00 70.00 70.00 80.00 SC 55.00 55.00 55.00 60.00 ST 40.00 40.00 40.00 45.00 PwD 40.00 40.00 40.00 45.00 iimidr.ac.in Stage II (PI) Shortlist CS Component Weight 10th 39% 12th 20% CAT (sectional sum) 36% Diversity factor 5% Diversity = gender & academic; re-allocation if COVID gaps iimidr.ac.in. Stage III Final Selection Component Weight PI 45% CAT (scaled) 40% 10th 5% 12th 5% Diversity factor 5% FCS table from same PDF iimidr.ac.in. Target CAT percentiles Category Safe Percentile Gen/EWS ≥ 99 NC-OBC ≥ 97 SC ≥ 92 ST/PwD ≥ 85 IIM Lucknow (L) Eligibility Bachelor’s ≥ 50% (45% for SC/ST/PwD). ac.in Stage I Shortlisting Category VARC ≥ DILR ≥ QA ≥ Overall ≥ Gen 85 85 85 90 EWS 77 77 77 82 NC-OBC 77 77 77 82 SC 55 55 55 65 ST 50 50 50 60 PwD 50 50 50 60 iiml.ac.in Composite Score (Stage 1b) Scaled CAT: 60% 12th + Graduation: 10% (5% each) Diversity factors: 5% Work-ex: 5% WAT: 10% PI: 40% in Stage 2 ac.in Stage II Final Selection Component Weight PI 40% WAT 10% CAT 30% Academics (10+12) 10% Work-ex 5% Diversity 5% From “Table 4” of 2023-25 policy iiml.ac.in. Target CAT percentiles Category Safe Percentile Gen/EWS ≥ 99 NC-OBC ≥ 97 SC ≥ 90 ST/PwD ≥ 85 IIM Kozhikode (K) Eligibility Graduation ≥ 60% (50% for CA/ICWA/CS only). ac.in Stage I Registration Positive CAT raw in all iimk.ac.in Stage II Shortlisting (AIS) Component Weight CAT Index (scaled avg of 3 secs) 50% Class X % (normalized to board max) 15% Class XII % (normalized to board) 20% Gender/Academic diversity (max of one) 10% / 5% Work-experience (months → 5%) 5% iimk.ac.in Stage III Final Selection Component Weight CAT Index 35% PI 35% WAT 20% Resume score 10% iimk.ac.in Resume score (10%) from: NIRF-top 30 undergrad: 4 pts CA/ICWA/CS cert: 4 pts CFA-I/II/III: 4 pts ac.in Target CAT percentiles Category Safe Percentile Gen ≥ 99 OBC-NCL/EWS ≥ 97 Category Safe Percentile SC ≥ 92 ST/PwD ≥ 85 IIM Shillong (S) Eligibility Bachelor’s ≥ 50% (45% for SC/ST/PwD). ac.in Phase 1 Shortlisting Category VARC ≥ DILR ≥ QA ≥ OT (Gen) 75 75 75
Final Placements (2022–2025) of Leading Indian B-Schools
IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, Kozhikode, etc.): The older IIMs continue to lead on compensation. For example, IIM Ahmedabad (PGP) placed all students in March 2023 with an average CTC ~₹34.4 LPA (up from ₹32.8 LPA in 2022); the highest international offer was ₹1.15 Cr (≈₹115 LPA). Consulting dominated (McKinsey made 34 offers and BCG 33 offers)indianexpress.com. IIM Bangalore (PGP) (Batch 2022–24) reported median ₹32.50 LPA, mean ₹35.92 LPAiimb.ac.in, with 100% of its ~517 students placed. In 2023–25 placements, the 602-member class averaged ₹34.88 LPA (median ₹32.61 LPA)iimb.ac.in. Consulting again led (41% of offers) followed by IT and financeiimb.ac.in; top recruiters included Accenture Strategy (75 offers), BCG (25), Amex (20), Bain (17), PwC (16), McKinsey (14)iimb.ac.in. IIM Calcutta (PGPEx) – its 2022–24 Executive MBA (Batch 17) saw mean ₹32.68 LPA, median ₹32.27 LPAiimcal.ac.in with highest ₹52 LPA. IT was the largest sector (46% of offers) followed by Consulting (22%)iimcal.ac.in. (Older IIMs Lucknow and Indore report averages in the mid-20s LPA; e.g. combined IIM Indore PGP+IPM (2023–25) averaged only ~₹25.7 LPAiimidr.ac.in, reflecting a large dual-degree batch.) IIM Kozhikode (PGP): 2023 placements (Batch 2021–23) achieved mean ₹31.02 LPA, median ₹27.00 LPAiimk.ac.in. The largest sectors were Consulting (33%) and Finance (26%)iimk.ac.in. In 2024, average dipped to ₹28.05 LPA (median ~₹27 LPA)scribd.com. Top domain salaries were high (e.g. highest CTC increased to ₹72.02 LPA)scribd.com. IIM Kozhikode placed all ~556 students. Other IIMs: Newer IIMs (e.g. Rohtak, Ranchi, Raipur, Trichy, Sirmaur, Jammu, Bodh Gaya) saw average salaries typically in ₹20–25 LPA (much lower than legacy IIMs) with top recruiters often from IT/BFSI. All IIMs maintained ~100% placement (barring a few late opt-outs) in 2023–25. Other Premier Schools Institute (Program) Average CTC (LPA) Median CTC (LPA) Notes (Top recruiters/sectors) IIM Ahmedabad (PGP 2023) ~34.4 – (not published) BCG 34 offers, BCG 33indianexpress.com; consulting ↑ IIM Bangalore (PGP 2024) 35.92iimb.ac.in 32.50iimb.ac.in Top recruiters: Accenture, McKinsey, BCG, Bain etc.iimb.ac.in (consulting 41%iimb.ac.in) XLRI Jamshedpur (PGDM 2023) 32.7 30.0 100% placed (463 students); median up 6% YoY; top sectors: Consulting, BFSI, FMCG; highest dom. ₹78.2 SPJIMR Mumbai (PGDM 2025) 32.0spjimr.org 30.5spjimr.org 100% placed (336 students); top sectors: Consulting, FMCG, GM, BFSI, Techspjimr.org; highest ₹89 L (Intl) FMS Delhi (MBA 2023) 34.1 31 ≈100% placed; highest ₹1.23 Cr dom.; strong in Finance & Consulting; avg up from ₹32.4 L (2022) Institute (Program) Average CTC (LPA) Median CTC (LPA) Notes (Top recruiters/sectors) MDI Gurgaon (PGDM 2025) 26.2mbauniverse.com ~25 (not given) 100% placed (~578 students); Consulting & BFSI largest sectors; avg stagnant (2022–25)mbauniverse.com; top 25% ave ₹35.5 L IMT Ghaziabad (PGDM 2025) 16.25imt.edu 15.0imt.edu ~90% placed; women avg ₹17.28 L vs men ₹15.77 Limt.edu; highest ₹41.55 Limt.edu; top sectors: BFSI, IT/ITES, Consulting, FMCG (70% offers)imt.edu ISB Hyderabad (PGP 2023) 33.3goalisb.com 32goalisb.com ~95% placed; top domains: Consulting, Tech, Finance; 36% female in batch; top recruiters: MBB, Big Tech, JPMC, etc. (placement report)goalisb.com Others (selected) – XIM Bhubaneswar (MBA ~19.5 (2024) (median ~18)shiksha.com – ~99% placed (249 students); sectors: Consulting (30%), IT (25%), BFSI (20%); top recruiters: TCS, Infosys, RPG, HDFC, – IIFT Delhi (MBA-IB 2024) ~27 (drop from ~29)insideiim.com ~25insideiim.com Consulting/BFSI heavy; top salary ₹85 L (Intl) – JBIMS Mumbai (MJIM 2023) ~26 (est.), median ~25 (est.) – All placed; top sectors: BFSI, Consulting, FMCG, Tech; top package ~₹40 L. – NMIMS Mumbai (PGDM 2024) ~16–17 (est.) ~15 All placed; tech/consulting bulk; top offer ~₹21 L – MICA Ahmedabad (PGDM 2023) ~14–15 ~14 Media/marketing focused; top recruiters: HUL, Wipro, DDB Mudra, Google, Snapdeal. – SIBM Pune (PGP 2023) ~20 (est.) ~18 IT/Tech (Wipro, TCS), FMCG (P&G), Auto (Maruti), Consulting (Genpact). Notes on trends: Most top schools saw modest salary gains in 2022–25. For instance, XLRI’s median rose ~3.6% to ₹30 LPA; FMS’s average hit a record ₹34.1 LPA; IIM Ahmedabad’s average grew 5% year-on-year. In contrast, mid-tier schools (e.g. MDI, XIMB, IMT) saw flatter growth. Across schools, consulting, finance/BFSI, and IT/e-commerce remain the largest hiring sectors. Functionally, leadership/general management, sales/marketing, and analytics roles feature prominently in these offers. Sector Preference MBA Graduates India Here’s a comprehensive sector-wise breakdown of final placements at select top Indian B-schools, based on the latest verified data for 2024–25. This includes IIM Bangalore, XLRI Jamshedpur, SPJIMR Mumbai, and IIM Lucknow. IIM Bangalore (PGP 2024 – 517 students) Sector-wise Offers (517 students, 572 offers): Consulting: 218 offers (≈42%) — top firms: Accenture, McKinsey, BCG, EY Parthenon, Kearney, Bain, Strategy& . Finance/Banking/Investments: 81 offers (16%) — recruiters: Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Credit Saison . IT & Analytics: 49 offers (9%) — Microsoft, Browserstack, HCL Tech, Atlassian, Salesforce . E-commerce/Payments/Telecom: 49 offers (9%) — Amazon, American Express, Airtel . Manufacturing/Construction/Energy: 36 offers (7%) — Asian Paints, Jindal, Tata Steel . Conglomerates: 30 offers (5%) — Adani, Reliance, Vedanta . FMCG/Retail: 28 offers (5%) — ITC, P&G, Diageo . Analytics/AI/ML: 13 offers (2%) — Games24x7, Ease, Thoughtspot . Healthcare: 12 offers (2%) — Sun Pharma, Syngene, UHG . Insight: Over 40% of roles came from consulting, followed by ~25% from Finance + IT. Product and e-commerce roles also contributed meaningfully. xlridelhi.ac.in+11reddit.com+11education.indianexpress.com+11 XLRI Jamshedpur (PGDM – Class of 2025, 503 students) Sector-wise Offer Distribution: Consulting: ~29% — top recruiters: Accenture Strategy, BCG, Bain, PwC, EY, Deloitte ITES/ E-commerce/ Gaming: ~27% — Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Flipkart, PayTM, Uber Sales & Marketing: ~25% — roles in consumer goods and brand management . FMCG/Pharma/Real-estate: Participants from HUL, ITC, Asian Paints, Sun Pharma, Colgate, Coca-Cola. BFSI: Included JP Morgan, Mastercard, AmEx, HSBC Auto, Energy, Telecom: Mercedes, Bajaj, Shell, Airtel General Management: Roles at Mahindra, Aditya Birla, Offer Volume by Top Recruiters (2023–25 cycle): Consulting – 30 (Accenture); BFSI – 8; FMCG – 25 (Bajaj Auto); Conglomerates – 11; IT/E-commerce – 41 offers (Amazon lead). SPJIMR Mumbai (PGDM 2024, 292 students) Placement Highlights: Average salary: ₹33 LPA | Median: ₹31.5 LPA | Highest: ₹81 ~34% offers ≥₹35 LPA; ~71% ≥₹30 LPA; 90% ≥₹25 Sector-wise Distribution: Consulting: