Gujarat .:The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad) has revised the shortlisting criteria for its two-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) for the 2027-29 academic session. The changes will apply to candidates appearing for CAT 2026 and seeking admission to the flagship management programme.
One of the major changes is the introduction of discipline-wise normalisation of candidates' composite scores. IIM Ahmedabad has also specified a broader set of undergraduate disciplines that will be considered while evaluating applicants.
The revised framework is intended to account for differences in academic backgrounds while continuing to use CAT performance, academic records, work experience and gender diversity as components of the shortlisting process.
CAT 2026 To Carry 65% Weight In Initial Composite Score
Under the revised shortlisting formula, the CAT 2026 total percentile will account for 65% of the raw composite score.
The remaining 35% will come from the Normalised Application Rating (AR), which takes into account elements of a candidate's academic and professional profile.
The formula for calculating the raw composite score is:
Raw Composite Score = 0.35 × Normalised AR + 0.65 × CAT 2026 Total Percentile
Therefore, while academic performance and other profile factors continue to matter, CAT performance remains the largest individual component of the initial shortlisting score.
Undergraduate Discipline Will Now Be Used For Normalisation
A significant feature of the revised policy is that IIM Ahmedabad will normalise the raw composite score within the candidate's undergraduate discipline.
The institute has identified 18 broad graduation disciplines for this purpose. These include:
- Engineering and Technology
- Computer Science and Information Technology
- Medical and Health Sciences
- Commerce
- Accounting and Finance
- Economics
- Agriculture and Allied Sciences
- Social Sciences
- Arts and Humanities
- Law
- Management
- Mathematics
- Pure Sciences
- Professional Courses
- Fashion and Design
- Journalism and Media
- Architecture and Planning
- Hospitality and Food Sciences
An 'Others' category is also included in the admission framework for undergraduate backgrounds that do not fall within the listed disciplines.
Why Graduation Discipline Matters For CAT 2026 Aspirants
The new approach could be particularly relevant for candidates from non-traditional management backgrounds.
Instead of directly comparing every candidate's raw composite score across all undergraduate streams, IIM Ahmedabad will compare performance within the relevant discipline during the normalisation process.
This means a candidate's undergraduate academic background will have a more explicitly defined role in the shortlisting formula.
The change is also consistent with IIM Ahmedabad's stated approach of admitting students from varied academic backgrounds. The institute's PGP programme has historically included graduates from arts, commerce, science, engineering, technology and medicine, among other disciplines.
Gender Diversity Component Retained
IIM Ahmedabad has also retained a gender-diversity component in its selection framework.
Under the revised policy, three additional points are available to eligible non-male candidates in the relevant component of the composite score. The change is intended to encourage greater gender diversity in academic categories where female representation has traditionally been lower.
The institute's existing PGP batches demonstrate the importance of this component. In the 2026-28 PGP batch, women accounted for around 30.92% of students.
CAT 2026 Minimum Cut-Offs Remain High
The revised policy retains high minimum qualifying CAT thresholds for the PGP 2027-29 admission cycle.
For General and EWS candidates, the minimum overall CAT 2026 percentile is 95, with a minimum of 85 percentile in each section.
The category-wise overall minimum cut-offs reported under the revised policy are:
| Category | Overall CAT 2026 Cut-off |
|---|---|
| General/EWS | 95 percentile |
| NC-OBC | 90 percentile |
| SC | 85 percentile |
| ST | 75 percentile |
These are minimum qualifying cut-offs and not guaranteed shortlist cut-offs. Meeting the minimum percentile alone does not ensure that a candidate will be called for the next stage.
Graduation Marks Will Continue To Matter
Although CAT 2026 receives the largest share of the initial composite score, academic performance remains part of the Application Rating.
The revised framework evaluates graduation performance through an academic rating scale, with higher graduation percentages receiving higher scores. Candidates with stronger academic records therefore continue to have an advantage during the shortlisting process.
The new discipline-based normalisation, however, changes how the resulting composite score is compared for shortlisting.
What Happens After Shortlisting?
Candidates shortlisted through the revised process will proceed to the Analytical Writing Test (AWT) and Personal Interview (PI) stages.
IIM Ahmedabad's PGP admission process uses CAT for domestic applicants, followed by the institute's selection stages. The final selection considers factors including the AWT, PI and the candidate's overall profile.
Therefore, the revised shortlisting formula should not be interpreted as the complete admission formula. It primarily determines which candidates progress to the subsequent selection stages.
What The New Policy Means For CAT 2026 Candidates
The revised criteria give CAT 2026 aspirants several factors to keep in mind:
- CAT performance remains crucial, accounting for 65% of the raw composite score.
- Undergraduate discipline will now have a clearly defined role through discipline-wise normalisation.
- Candidates from diverse academic backgrounds can identify the specific discipline under which their graduation degree will be evaluated.
- Graduation marks continue to contribute to the Application Rating.
- Gender diversity remains part of the shortlisting framework.
- The minimum qualifying CAT percentile is not the same as the percentile required to actually receive a shortlist.
- Candidates should therefore consider their CAT score, academic record and undergraduate discipline together rather than relying on CAT percentile alone.
IIM Ahmedabad Broadens Its Approach To Academic Diversity
The revised PGP 2027-29 policy represents a shift towards a more explicitly discipline-sensitive shortlisting process.
By identifying specific undergraduate fields and normalising composite scores within those fields, IIM Ahmedabad is attempting to account for the diversity of academic backgrounds among CAT applicants.
For CAT 2026 aspirants, the key takeaway is that admission to IIM Ahmedabad will continue to depend on more than just securing a high CAT percentile. CAT performance, graduation record, academic discipline and profile-based factors will all contribute to the journey from application to shortlist.
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