The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) follow the Government of India’s reservation policy to ensure equitable access to higher education. With the growing number of IIMs (20+ across the country) and increased seats in flagship MBA/PGP programs, it’s important for CAT aspirants to clearly understand how seats are allocated category-wise.

🎯 Reservation Percentages at IIMs (2025)

As per official guidelines, the following seat reservations apply across all IIMs:

CategoryReservation %Notes
OBC-NCL (Other Backward Classes – Non-Creamy Layer)27%Candidates must present a valid OBC-NCL certificate.
SC (Scheduled Caste)15%Reservation applies to all IIM programs.
ST (Scheduled Tribe)7.5%Reserved across all programs.
EWS (Economically Weaker Sections)10%Introduced from 2019 onwards.
PwD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities)5%Horizontal reservation, cutting across all categories.

The remaining seats (about 40–41%) are open to the General (Unreserved) category.

Top IIM Seat Matrix 2025

IIMTotal SeatsGeneralOBCSCSTEWSPwD
IIM Mumbai55022014983415528
IIM Kozhikode52521014279395326
IIM Calcutta46218512569354623
IIM Indore45018012268344523
IIM Lucknow43617411865334422
IIM Bangalore41216511162314121
IIM Ahmedabad39815910760304020

⚙️ Key Rules You Should Know

  • PwD Quota is Horizontal: The 5% PwD quota applies within each category. For example, an OBC-PwD candidate competes within OBC seats.
  • Valid Certificates Required: Caste, EWS, and PwD certificates must be submitted at the time of CAT registration and verified during admission.
  • Eligibility Relaxations: Some IIMs offer slightly lower minimum cut-offs (academic scores, CAT percentiles) for reserved category applicants.
  • Uniform Policy: All IIMs (old, new, and baby IIMs) follow the same reservation rules, though the absolute seat count varies per institute.

📊 Approximate Seat Distribution (All IIMs Combined, 2025)

While exact seats differ across institutes, the combined distribution for MBA/PGP programs in all IIMs looks like this:

CategoryApprox. Seats*
General (Unreserved)~3,500
OBC-NCL~809
SC~538
ST~270+
EWS~550
PwD~275 (distributed across categories)

*These are approximate numbers and may vary slightly depending on new seat expansions at individual IIMs.

CAT 2025 Eligibility Criteria by Category

General Category Requirements

For the General and NC-OBC categories, candidates must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum score of 50% from a recognized university. Professional degrees like CA, CS, or ICWA with 50% marks are also eligible.

Reserved Category Requirements

For SC, ST, and PwD candidates, the minimum percentage requirement is 45% in their undergraduate degree. Final-year students can also apply provided they meet the percentage criteria upon graduation.

Category-wise CAT Cut-off Ranges 2025

Based on historical data, here are the expected CAT percentile ranges for different categories:

  • General: 85-100 percentile
  • OBC-NCL: 75-95 percentile
  • SC: 40-70 percentile
  • ST: 35-65 percentile
  • EWS: 80-95 percentile
  • PwD: 30-85 percentile

Documents Required for Reservation Benefits

OBC-NCL Category

  • Valid Non-Creamy Layer certificate issued on or after April 1, 2025
  • Certificate must be in the Government of India format
  • Annual family income should be below ₹8 lakh

SC/ST Category

  • Caste certificate in the Government of India format
  • Issued by a competent authority
  • Must be from the Central Government list

EWS Category

EWS certificate for candidates with family gross annual income below ₹8 lakh who are not covered under SC/ST/OBC reservation schemes

PwD Category

Valid PwD certificate stating not less than 40% disability as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. Eligible disabilities include:

  • Blindness and low vision
  • Deaf and hard of hearing
  • Locomotor disability, including cerebral palsy
  • Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability
  • Multiple disabilities