The Department of Management Sciences (DoMS), formerly Industrial and Management Engineering, has not published a 2027-28 MBA admission notice in the official pages reviewed for this guide. Its live MBA admission material is for the 2026-28 batch. Treat those details as a dated reference, not as the rules for a 2027 intake. Before registering for CAT or paying an application fee, confirm the next batch, accepted CAT year, eligibility and dates on the DoMS admission page and its MBA admission process page.
What the last published MBA route required
For the MBA 2026-28 batch, DoMS specified CAT 2025 as the qualifying examination and described the programme as full time, with four semesters and a summer term. This is useful for understanding the previous route, but it does not establish that the next application will use CAT 2026 or retain the same structure. Check the year printed on the current notice before deciding which exam score to submit.
The 2026-28 process page sets different academic thresholds by category. For GEN, EWS and OBC applicants it lists an overall CAT percentile of at least 80, 65% or above in both Class X and XII, and a bachelor's degree with at least 60% aggregate or CPI 6.0/10. For SC, ST and PwD applicants it lists a bachelor's degree with at least 50% or CPI 5.0/10. Both eligibility sections require a bachelor's qualification involving at least three years after 10+2 or an equivalent diploma, with Mathematics among the subjects studied. The page says final-year degree candidates may apply, but admission is provisional until they complete the qualifying degree requirements by joining.
There is a material inconsistency in that same official page: its opening qualifying-exam line names CAT 2025, while the SC/ST/PwD eligibility bullet and the shortlisting section refer to CAT-2024. The published 2026-28 schedule identifies the batch, but the available page does not resolve which CAT year applies to those rules. Do not rely on the older CAT references to choose an exam or infer a 2027-28 threshold. Ask DoMS admissions for written confirmation if a future notice repeats the discrepancy.
Selection has several stages
The published process starts with an online application, followed by application shortlisting, group discussion and personal interview, then category-wise merit and waitlists. Shortlisting is described as based on overall CAT percentile; the page gives CAT-2024 for this stage elsewhere, which conflicts with its CAT-2025 qualifying-exam statement. The department says category cut-offs are decided using the completed eligible application pool and approved seats. It does not publish one fixed percentile that guarantees an interview or offer. Meeting a stated minimum is therefore only an eligibility check, not an admission prediction.
At the discussion and interview stage, the department describes group discussion assessment and a personal interview that considers academic background, work experience and interview performance. The official MBA FAQ gives a CAT 2025 selection-weight table for a preceding admissions context: CAT score 20%, school academic performance 20%, work experience 10%, personal interview 35% and undergraduate performance 15%, with a gender-diversity provision for women candidates. Since this table is explicitly tied to CAT 2025 and the current 2026-28 process page does not repeat those weights, use it only as historical context. Wait for the next batch's own scoring formula before estimating a composite score.
The FAQ says the process has no sectional CAT cut-offs and uses overall cut-offs, but that answer sits alongside its CAT 2025 references. Check the new cycle's notice for any change. For prior-cycle interviews, DoMS listed Kanpur and Noida centres. The notice and portal instructions for the next cycle should determine whether applicants may choose a centre, when it is held and whether a centre change is allowed.
Application sequence and practical checks
When the new notice appears, use this sequence:
- Confirm that the notice is for the intended MBA batch and that DoMS accepts the CAT year you plan to take. Do not substitute an exam year from a previous batch.
- Read the full eligibility rules for your category, including school marks, degree percentage or CPI, Mathematics and minimum duration of prior education. If you are in the final year, check the degree-completion deadline and keep proof of results or provisional status ready.
- Register for CAT through its official exam authority, then complete the separate DoMS application if that cycle requires it. A CAT registration alone should not be treated as an IIT Kanpur application.
- Submit the DoMS form through the official application link, check each field against certificates, and save the submitted form, application number and payment confirmation. The previous cycle used the Pingala application portal; verify that the current notice links to the same portal before entering personal or payment details.
- Monitor the admissions page and registered email for shortlist, GD/PI, merit and waitlist updates. Keep documents ready for academic records, category or disability status, work experience if claimed, and degree completion, following the exact list issued for that batch.
- If offered a seat, follow the offer letter for acceptance, fee payment and reporting deadlines. The previous notice says application fees were non-refundable; do not assume the next cycle's amount or refund terms are unchanged.
For the 2026-28 intake, the application deadline was extended to 10 February 2026 at 5:00 pm, and GD/PI shortlists were tentatively expected around 20-25 February. Those dates have passed. The official DoMS page reviewed here does not provide 2027-28 application dates, shortlist dates, interview dates, or a current application link for that batch. Check the notice page again before acting rather than planning around the previous calendar.
Fees and what is not yet announced
The 2026-28 process page lists a non-refundable application fee of ₹2,000 for General, OBC-NCL and EWS candidates and ₹1,000 for SC/ST/DAP candidates. This is a past-cycle amount, not a current payment instruction. The department's fee page currently displays a 2025-27 semester-I fee link, while its FAQ says MBA fee details are issued before each semester. Neither establishes the tuition or application fee for a 2027-28 applicant. Review the latest fee notice and offer letter before budgeting or paying.
As of the review date, the admissions pages do not establish the next batch's CAT year, category thresholds, school-mark rules, selection weights, seat count, application opening or closing date, interview schedule, application fee or tuition schedule. This is an evidence gap, not confirmation that the department will make no changes. Use the DoMS MBA admissions page as the official starting point and follow its linked notice and application portal when the 2027-28 batch is announced. DoMS lists separate admissions pages for its other programmes, so MBA criteria should not be carried over to MTech, PhD or eMasters applicants.