IIM Calcutta MBA Admission 2027-29: Eligibility, CAT Cut-offs and Selection
IIM Calcutta’s 2027-29 MBA admission policy is specific to the two-year, full-time domestic MBA batch. It uses CAT 2026, academic records, a personal interview (PI), a writing ability test (WAT), academic diversity and qualifying work experience. This guide explains the policy’s minimums and scoring stages; it is not a prediction of who will be shortlisted.
Who can apply
Applicants need a bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA. The minimum is 45% for candidates in the SC, ST and PwD categories. The degree must be from a recognised university or equivalent institution. For a foreign degree, IIM Calcutta requires equivalence certification from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
Your university’s own method determines how marks or CGPA are converted. If it awards grades and has a certified conversion procedure, use that method. If it confirms there is no conversion scheme, the policy says to divide the CGPA by the maximum possible CGPA and multiply by 100. Integrated master’s or dual-degree candidates who entered after Class 12 should use the degree-equivalent percentage described in the policy; where undergraduate and postgraduate marks are not separately reported, the policy treats postgraduate marks as undergraduate marks for eligibility and composite-score calculation.
Final-year bachelor’s candidates and applicants who have completed degree requirements but are waiting for results may apply. For a selected candidate to join provisionally, the institute must receive a Principal/Registrar certificate by 30 June 2027 confirming that all degree requirements were completed by the certificate date. Final marksheets and certificates must be provided as soon as the university publishes them and no later than 30 September 2027. Missing that final deadline can lead to cancellation of registration. The policy also sets a specific calculation date for candidates yet to complete an integrated or dual degree after Class 12: marks through 3 August 2026 are considered.
The policy makes limited provision for candidates who graduated in 2020, 2021, 2022 or 2023 where their university did not conduct examinations or award marks/CGPA in one or more semesters and recorded only a pass, pass marks or promotion. Such candidates need a certificate from their institution explaining that result status. If a provisional certificate was issued by an affiliated college, the policy may also require university authorisation confirming that the college can issue it. Read the full rules for your exact record type before applying.
CAT 2026 minimum percentiles for PI and WAT consideration
These are minimum Stage I percentile requirements, and candidates also need non-negative raw scores in every CAT section. Clearing them moves an applicant into consideration for the next stage; it does not guarantee a PI/WAT invitation. IIM Calcutta says the actual section and overall cut-offs can be higher, depending on how many candidates it decides to call in each category.
How PI/WAT shortlisting is scored
Applicants meeting Stage I requirements are considered for Stage II shortlisting on a composite score capped at 85 points. CAT 2026 contributes 56 points, calculated as the candidate’s overall scaled CAT score divided by the maximum possible overall scaled score and multiplied by 56. Class 10 marks contribute up to 10 points, Class 12 up to 15, and the gender-diversity factor adds 4 points for female and transgender candidates under this policy.
For both school marks, the institute calculates the percentage using the aggregate of all subjects appearing on the marksheet or gradesheet, regardless of whether the board itself uses every subject in its percentage calculation. After scoring, IIM Calcutta sets category-wise composite cut-offs for the PI/WAT shortlist; it does not publish a guaranteed qualifying composite in this policy.
Final selection after PI and WAT
Candidates who appear for PI and WAT are assessed on a separate 100-point final composite. CAT 2026 carries 30 points, PI 48, WAT 8, academic diversity 6, and work experience 8. The institute prepares category-wise merit lists. Earlier-stage eligibility or a minimum CAT percentile alone does not secure admission, and an offer for one batch cannot be deferred to a later batch under this policy.
Academic-diversity points depend on the candidate’s degree combination. The policy assigns zero points to engineering bachelor’s, master’s or integrated-master’s backgrounds; 4 points to a non-engineering bachelor’s; 5 to a dual bachelor’s in law; 2 to an engineering bachelor’s followed by a non-engineering master’s; and 5 to a non-engineering bachelor’s plus non-engineering master’s. Certain dual/integrated combinations and professional qualifications (CA, ICWA, CS or FIAI) have their own 1-to-6-point categories. These categories are mutually exclusive: use the policy’s table to identify the one that matches your qualifications. For some combinations, relevant completed-degree marksheets must be uploaded with the MBA application; final-year candidates in specified categories must provide the required completion certificate by 30 June 2027.
Work experience is scored for a maximum of 8 points using completed months as of 31 January 2027. Only employment after completing the bachelor’s degree is counted. Internships, apprenticeships, articleships, training, projects or unpaid work that are part of a curriculum do not qualify. The policy requires an employer letter on company letterhead with an authorised signatory, dates, position and a brief description of responsibilities, along with payslips from each employer. Self-employed applicants and family-business workers must provide company registration, relevant licences or tax-payment proof when payslips are unavailable. The detailed formula is in the official policy; this summary does not estimate an individual’s work-experience score.
Reservation, policy scope and next steps
IIM Calcutta says it applies Government of India reservation policy for Central Educational Institutions. Its 2027-29 policy separately states a 5% reservation for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities and describes the certificate requirement for consideration. Applicants should use the policy’s current definitions and certificate instructions rather than rely on this summary for document eligibility.
This page covers domestic MBA admission for batch 2027-29 only. It does not describe MBA for Executives, PGDBA, PGPEX-VLM or overseas-candidate procedures. IIM Calcutta reserves the right to amend the policy. The official MBA page links the current batch information and CAT resources; check both it and the official 2027-29 domestic admission policy before submitting an application. No application opening or closing date is stated here.