The Common Admission Test (CAT) serves as a gateway to prestigious MBA and PGDM programmes offered by Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and approximately 1,300 B-schools nationwide. As being a highly competitive examination, CAT not only focuses on skills of the candidates but also demands strict adherence to its eligibility criteria. It is important to fulfil CAT eligibility Criteria 2025 for your admission.
Explore and dive deep more into the CAT eligibility Criteria 2025 and other factors like age limit, reservation criteria, SC’s, ST’s, and OBC’s.
CAT Eligibility Criteria 2025
The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), will release the official CAT 2025 Eligibility Criteria along with notification of exam on their official website, iimcat.ac.in. These eligibility norms outline highly essential conditions that candidates must meet to appear for and qualify CAT examination. Key requirements for CAT 2025 Eligibility include:
- Educational Qualifications: Minimum academic credentials are required for eligibility.
- Past Academic Performance: Consideration of past academic records and achievements.
- Age Limit: Any applicable restrictions on the candidate’s age.
- Additional Requirements: Other factors like work experience, reservation policies, and final year graduation students’ eligibility are considered.
Candidates must adhere to these criteria’s to be eligible for examination and subsequent admission procedures to MBA/PGDM programs.
What are the Eligibility Criteria for CAT 2025: Overview
To be eligible for CAT 2025, aspirants must fulfil academic and general requirements that are set by IIMs. The key eligibility criteria include:
Educational Qualification: Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university with:
- At least 50% marks (for General and OBC categories)
- At least 45% marks (for SC, ST and PwD categories)
Final year Students: Students who are on final year of their undergraduate degree can also apply, provided they complete their degree within the specified time.
Age Limit: There is no upper age restrictions, allowing candidate’s from various academic and professional backgrounds to apply for entrance.
Institutional Recognition: The bachelor’s degree must be from a recognized institution by Ministry of Education, Government of India, or equivalent bodies.
| QUALIFICATION | REQUIREMENTS |
|---|---|
|
Age
|
Age
NA
|
|
Educational Qualification
|
Under Graduation/Bachelor’s Degree
|
|
Marks in Graduation
|
50% General Category
|
|
Work Experience
|
Not Compulsory
|
|
Reservation
|
As per category
|
Importance of Understanding CAT Eligibility
- Verify and go through academic qualifications before registration.
- Verify category-based relaxation for reserved candidate.
- Ensure final-year students should submit proof of graduation before deadline.
- Stay updated with all necessary announcement and notifications on the official IIM CAT website.
Understanding these necessary requirements in advance will help to avoid any problems related to application or certificates.
Eligibility Criteria for CAT 2025: Age Limit
According to official notification, CAT 2025 has no age restrictions for candidates. Candidates of all age groups are eligible to apply, ensuring equal opportunities to all.
CAT 2025 Eligibility Criteria: Educational Qualification
Candidates must strictly adhere onto the below outlined eligibility norms to be eligible for CAT 2025:
- Bachelor’s Degree Requirement: Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
- Minimum Marks Criteria:
- General/OBC Candidates-The candidates must have scored minimum 50% aggregate marks or equivalent CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average)
- SC/ST/PwD Candidates- The candidates must have scored minimum 45% aggregate marks or equivalent CGPA
3. Distance Education Eligibility: Candidates who have completed and earned their degree through distance learning are also eligible, provided the degree must be completed within three years.
4. Professional Degree Holders: Individuals who hold FCAI, CA, CS or ICWA qualifications with the required percentage are also eligible to apply.
5. Final Year students: Candidates who are currently in their final year of bachelor’s degree or who are waiting for their results are also eligible to apply provided they need to fulfil the eligibility criteria after completion of course.
CAT 2025 Eligibility Criteria: Reservation Policy
While CAT 2025 does not have specific reservation criteria beyond 5% relaxation in marks scored in graduation for ST, SC, and PwD candidates, the IIMs follow the Government of India’s reservation policy. The major points include:
- Graduation Marks Relaxation: SC, ST and PwD candidates receive 5% relaxation in the minimum required percentage in their bachelor’s degree.
- Government Approved Reservation Policy: IIMs allocate seats as per the official reservation norms set by the Government of India.
- Category-Based Seat Allocation: As per Indian Government regulations, seats are allocated for SC, ST, and NC-OBC candidates
- Detailed seat Distribution: Candidates must go through official notification about seat allocation table for category-wise reservation percentages in IIM admissions.
Go through the table below to understand about the CAT Eligibility 2025 Reservation Policy:
| CAT ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA 2025 | RESERVATION |
|---|---|
|
PwD
|
5%
|
|
OBC (non-creamy)
|
27 per cent
|
|
SC
|
15 per cent
|
|
ST
|
7.5 per cent
|
|
EWS
|
Upto 10 per cent
|
Eligibility Criteria CAT 2025: General and NC-OBC Category
- Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a university recognized by Government of India.
- Candidates must have scored a minimum 50% aggregate in graduation or equivalent in any stream.
- Candidates must be in final year of graduation or waiting for results.
- candidates with minimum 50% aggregate having professional degrees like CS/CA/ICWA.
Eligibility Criteria CAT 2025: SC, ST, and PwD
- Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a university recognized by Government of India.
- Candidates must have scored a minimum 45% aggregate in graduation or equivalent in any stream.
- Candidates must be in final year of graduation or waiting for results.
- Candidates with minimum 45% aggregate having professional degrees like CS/CA/ICWA.
If you fulfil all the above criteria, you can directly fill out CAT 2025 application form, which will be released on first week of SUFJDT 2025 (Tentative).
Eligibility Criteria CAT 2025: Work Experience
As per the eligibility for CAT 2025, it is not mandatory to have work experience. However, candidates with work experience are given preferences in some of the management colleges.
Eligibility Criteria CAT 2025 for Graduation Final Year Students
Students who are in final year of their graduation or who are waiting for their results can also apply for CAT 2025. Candidates must submit their original marksheet during the time of document verification conducted by the respective colleges.
Eligibility Criteria CAT 2025 for Students with Backlogs
Students must be wondering if they are eligible for CAT 2025 with backlogs. Well, the answer is Yes.
Students with backlogs can apply for CAT 2025 but should have an aggregate mark of 50% in their graduation.
Who are not eligible for CAT 2025?
The students not able to meet the following criteria are not eligible for CAT 2025:
- Candidates who have not completed their graduation.
- Students who scored below 50% in their graduation (general category).
- Students who scored below 45% in their graduation (reserved category).
- Candidates who are juts in process of pursuing radiation or not completed yet (CS/CA/ICWA).
FAQS CAT Eligibility Criteria 2025
Students who have completed their graduation or are in last year of their graduation from a recognized university can apply for CAT 2025. The minimum CAT exam eligibility score is 50% in graduation (general category) and 45% for reserved category.
No there is no specific age for to appear for CAT 2025. Therefore, candidates of any age with a bachelor’s degree with 50% marks can apply for CAT 2025.
To appear for CAT 2025, there is no requirement of any stream. Candidates from any stream can appear for CAT 2025.
