The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have released the Information Bulletin for the Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026. The online registration process for CAT 2026 will begin on 3rd August 2026. Check complete details from the article.
IIM CAT 2026
The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) will conduct the computer-based Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 on Sunday, 29th November 2026, in three sessions. CAT 2026 serves as a prerequisite for admission to various Post Graduate Programmes (PGP) and Fellow Programmes in Management (FPM/PhD) offered by 21 participating IIMs, and its scores are also used by several listed non-IIM member institutions.
Interested candidates should go through the complete article for detailed information such as eligibility, reservation, registration fee, important dates and test centres.
IIM CAT 2026 Notification Out
The CAT 2026 Information Bulletin and Eligibility document have been released by the Indian Institutes of Management. The notification contains all important details such as participating institutes, programmes offered, eligibility criteria, reservation policy, registration fee and the tentative schedule. Candidates must go through complete details before beginning the registration process.
CAT 2026 Information Bulletin PDF – Click to Download
CAT 2026 – Highlights
CAT 2026 will be conducted by IIMs as a prerequisite for admission to management programmes across 21 IIMs, spanning cities from Ahmedabad to Visakhapatnam. Candidates can apply for Post Graduate Programmes (PGP/MBA and its variants) as well as Fellow Programmes in Management (FPM/PhD). The exam will be held on 29th November 2026 in three sessions, across approximately 170 test cities.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Conducting Body | Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) |
| Exam Name | Common Admission Test (CAT) 2026 |
| Exam Date | Sunday, 29th November 2026 |
| Exam Mode | Computer-based, 3 sessions |
| Programmes Covered | PGP (MBA and variants), FPM (PhD) |
| Participating IIMs | 21 (Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Bodh Gaya, Calcutta, Guwahati, Indore, Jammu, Kashipur, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Raipur, Ranchi, Rohtak, Sambalpur, Shillong, Sirmaur, Tiruchirappalli, Udaipur, Visakhapatnam) |
| Registration Window | 3rd August to 15th September 2026 |
| Registration Fee | Rs. 1350 (SC/ST/PwBD); Rs. 2700 (Others) |
| Official Website | https://iimcat.ac.in |
| Helpdesk Number | 1800 210 0175 |
Important Dates
| Events | Dates |
|---|---|
| CAT 2026 Registration Starts | 3rd August 2026 (Monday), 10:00 AM (IST) |
| CAT 2026 Registration Ends | 15th September 2026 (Tuesday), 5:00 PM (IST) |
| CAT 2026 Admit Card Download Begins | 4th November 2026 (Wednesday) |
| Admit Card Download Ends | 29th November 2026 |
| CAT 2026 Test Day | 29th November 2026 (Sunday) |
| CAT 2026 Result Declaration | First week of January 2027 (tentative) |
| Validity of CAT 2026 Score | Till 31st December 2027 |
CAT 2026 – Post Graduate Programmes (PGP) Offered by IIMs
| Institute | Programmes | Website |
|---|---|---|
| IIM Ahmedabad | PGP, PGP-FABM, MBA-BPGP: BA & AI | www.iima.ac.in |
| IIM Amritsar | MBA, MBA-Business Analytics, MBA-HRM, Executive MBA, MSDSM | www.iimamritsar.ac.in |
| IIM Bangalore | PGP, PGPEM, PGPBA, PGPPM | www.iimb.ac.in |
| IIM Bodh Gaya | MBA, MBA (Digital Business and AI), MBA (Hospital & Healthcare Mgmt.), EMBA | www.iimbg.ac.in |
| IIM Calcutta | MBA | www.iimcal.ac.in |
| IIM Guwahati | MBA | www.iimg.ac.in |
| IIM Indore | PGP, PGP-HRM, MSDSM, PGPMX | www.iimidr.ac.in |
| IIM Jammu | MBA, MBA (Healthcare), MBA (AI & Business Analytics), Executive MBA | www.iimj.ac.in |
| IIM Kashipur | MBA, MBA (Analytics), EMBA, EMBA (Analytics) | www.iimkashipur.ac.in |
| IIM Kozhikode | PGP, PGP-BL, PGP-Finance, PGP-LSM, EPGP-IL, EPGP Kochi | www.iimk.ac.in |
| IIM Lucknow | MBA, MBA-ABM, MBA-SM, PGPWE, Blended MBA, Tech-MBA | www.iiml.ac.in |
| IIM Mumbai | MBA, MBA (Operations & Supply Chain Mgmt.), MBA (Sustainability Mgmt.) | www.iimmumbai.ac.in |
| IIM Nagpur | MBA, E-MBA, BMWP, EMBA-EM | www.iimnagpur.ac.in |
| IIM Raipur | MBA, Executive MBA, MBA in Public Policy & Governance (Chhattisgarh domicile only) | www.iimraipur.ac.in |
| IIM Ranchi | MBA, MBA-HRM, MBA (Business Analytics) | www.iimranchi.ac.in |
| IIM Rohtak | PGP, EPGDSM, PGPx | www.iimrohtak.ac.in |
| IIM Sambalpur | MBA, MBA-BA, MBA for Working Professionals | www.iimsambalpur.ac.in |
| IIM Shillong | PGP, PGPEX, PGP(WE) | www.iimshillong.ac.in |
| IIM Sirmaur | MBA, MBA (Tourism Mgmt.), MBA (Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Mgmt.), PGPEX-LSM, ExMBA (AI) | www.iimsirmaur.ac.in |
| IIM Tiruchirappalli | PGPM (MBA), PGPM-HR, PGPBM | www.iimtrichy.ac.in |
| IIM Udaipur | MBA, MBA-DEM, MBA-GSCM, Executive MBA (Online) | www.iimu.ac.in |
| IIM Visakhapatnam | PGP (MBA), EMBA, PGPMCI, PGDMEx, MBA-AI & Innovation | www.iimv.ac.in |
IIM CAT 2026 – Fellow Programmes in Management (FPM/PhD)
| Institute | Programmes | Website |
|---|---|---|
| IIM Ahmedabad | Doctoral Programme in Management | www.iima.ac.in |
| IIM Amritsar | PhD | www.iimamritsar.ac.in |
| IIM Bangalore | PhD | www.iimb.ac.in |
| IIM Bodh Gaya | PhD | www.iimbg.ac.in |
| IIM Calcutta | Doctoral Programme (PhD) | www.iimcal.ac.in |
| IIM Indore | Doctoral Programme in Management | www.iimidr.ac.in |
| IIM Jammu | PhD, PhD (Working Professionals) | www.iimj.ac.in |
| IIM Kashipur | PhD, Executive PhD | www.iimkashipur.ac.in |
| IIM Kozhikode | DPM, DPM (Teaching Track), DPM (Practice Track) | www.iimk.ac.in |
| IIM Lucknow | PhD | www.iiml.ac.in |
| IIM Mumbai | Ph.D., Ph.D. (Executive) | www.iimmumbai.ac.in |
| IIM Nagpur | PhD, E-PhD | www.iimnagpur.ac.in |
| IIM Raipur | PhD, PhD (Practice Track) | www.iimraipur.ac.in |
| IIM Ranchi | PhD, EPhD | www.iimranchi.ac.in |
| IIM Rohtak | PhD | www.iimrohtak.ac.in |
| IIM Sambalpur | PhD, Executive PhD | www.iimsambalpur.ac.in |
| IIM Shillong | Doctoral Program, Doctoral Program (WP) | www.iimshillong.ac.in |
| IIM Sirmaur | PhD, PhD (Executive) | www.iimsirmaur.ac.in |
| IIM Tiruchirappalli | PhD, Executive PhD | www.iimtrichy.ac.in |
| IIM Udaipur | PhD, Executive PhD | www.iimu.ac.in |
| IIM Visakhapatnam | Doctoral Program (PhD), Executive PhD Program | www.iimv.ac.in |
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IIM CAT 2026 Eligibility
Check below:
Educational Qualification
- The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s Degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% for SC/ST/PwBD candidates), awarded by a University/Institution recognized by an Act of Parliament, State legislature, or deemed university under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or an equivalent qualification recognized by the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
- Candidates in their final year of Bachelor’s degree, or those awaiting results after completing degree requirements, can also apply — subject to submitting a completion certificate from their Principal/Registrar if selected.
Minimum Qualifying Conditions
| Condition | Minimum Percentage |
|---|---|
| Completed Bachelor’s Degree | 50% (General/EWS/NC-OBC); 45% (SC/ST/PwBD) |
| Completed Professional Degree (CA/CS/ICWA(CMA)/FIAI) | 50% (General/EWS/NC-OBC); 45% (SC/ST/PwBD) |
| In final year of Bachelor’s Degree | 50% (General/EWS/NC-OBC); 45% (SC/ST/PwBD) |
Check Eligibility Details Here
CAT 2026 – Reservation Policy
| Category | Reservation |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15% |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5% |
| Non-Creamy Layer OBC (NC-OBC) | 27% |
| Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) | Up to 10% |
| Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) | 5% |
Categories of Benchmark Disability (PwBD)
- Blindness and low vision
- Deaf and hard of hearing
- Locomotor disability (including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims, muscular dystrophy)
- Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness
- Multiple disabilities from the above categories
- Other ‘specified disabilities’ under the RPwD Act 2016
CAT 2026 Registration Fee
| Category | Registration Fee |
|---|---|
| SC, ST, and PwBD Candidates | Rs. 1,350/- |
| All Other Candidates | Rs. 2,700/- |
The fee is payable only once, irrespective of the number of IIMs applied for. SC/ST/PwBD candidates must upload their certificates at the time of registration. Fees once paid are non-refundable.
IIM CAT 2026 Registration Process
- The CAT 2026 registration window opens at 10:00 AM on 3rd August 2026 and closes at 5:00 PM on 15th September 2026.
- At the time of registration, candidates must select 5 preferred test cities from a drop-down menu; one city will be allotted based on availability after the registration closes.
- Admit cards can be downloaded from 4th November 2026 until 29th November 2026.
CAT 2026 Test Centres
CAT 2026 will be conducted across approximately 170 test cities. Test cities will be listed on the CAT website, and the specific test centre will be indicated on the Admit Card. IIMs reserve the right to add, remove, change, or cancel any test centre/city, and to change the test time and date at their discretion.
CAT 2026 Score & Admission Process
- CAT 2026 results are likely to be declared in the first week of January 2027.
- The CAT 2026 score will be valid only till 31st December 2027.
- Each IIM independently mandates its own eligibility criteria (including academic cut-offs and relative weights) and follows its own selection process. Performance in CAT 2026, previous academic record, work experience, and other inputs may all be used for shortlisting.
- CAT 2026 scores are also usable by listed non-IIM member institutions; however, IIMs have no role in the selection process of such institutions.
FAQs
When will CAT 2026 be conducted?
CAT 2026 will be conducted on Sunday, 29th November 2026, in three sessions.
When does CAT 2026 registration begin?
CAT 2026 registration begins at 10:00 AM on 3rd August 2026 and closes at 5:00 PM on 15th September 2026.
What is the eligibility criteria for CAT 2026?
Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s Degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwBD), or be in their final year of graduation.
What is the registration fee for CAT 2026?
The fee is Rs. 1,350/- for SC, ST and PwBD candidates, and Rs. 2,700/- for all other candidates.
When will the CAT 2026 admit card be released?
The admit card can be downloaded from 4th November 2026 until the exam date, 29th November 2026.
When will CAT 2026 results be declared?
CAT 2026 results are likely to be declared in the first week of January 2027, and the score will remain valid till 31st December 2027.
How many IIMs accept CAT 2026 scores?
A total of 21 IIMs across India accept CAT 2026 scores for admission to their PGP and FPM (PhD) programmes; several non-IIM institutions also accept CAT scores.
<p>The post IIM CAT 2026 Notification Out; Registration Begins August 3, Check Eligibility & Important Dates first appeared on Karmasandhan.</p>
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