You’ve just checked your CAT percentile, and now the real question hits: is it enough for IIM Kashipur? It’s a fair worry — IIM Kashipur’s cutoff isn’t one fixed number. It shifts by category, by section, and slightly every year based on how tough the paper was and how many seats are open. If you’re scrolling through five different websites right now trying to find a straight answer, this guide puts it all in one place: verified percentiles for every category, sectional cutoffs, the year-on-year trend, and what actually happens after you clear the cutoff.
Understanding the IIM Kashipur CAT Cutoff: What It Actually Means
Before diving into numbers, it helps to know what “cutoff” really refers to here. IIM Kashipur, like most IIMs, uses a two-stage filter:
- Qualifying cutoff: The minimum overall and sectional percentile you need just to be considered for the next stage.
- Shortlisting cutoff: The actual percentile at which candidates get called for the Personal Interview (PI), which is usually close to the qualifying cutoff but can shift slightly based on the applicant pool that year.
Clearing the CAT cutoff doesn’t guarantee a seat — it only gets you into the shortlist for the interview round. Final admission depends on a composite score that blends your CAT percentile, academic profile, work experience, and PI performance.
Eligibility Criteria for IIM Kashipur MBA Admission
Before worrying about the cutoff, make sure you meet the base eligibility: a bachelor’s degree with 50% aggregate marks (45% for SC/ST/DAP), a valid CAT score from the same admission cycle (previous-year scores aren’t accepted), and final-year graduation candidates can apply too, subject to proof of degree completion before the deadline. There’s no upper age limit — freshers and work-experience candidates are both eligible, though experience can add weightage during final selection.
IIM Kashipur CAT Cutoff 2025: Category-Wise Percentile
Based on the official cutoff released for the CAT 2025 admission cycle (batch 2026-28), here’s the category-wise breakdown you need to know.
| Category | Overall Percentile | Sectional Percentile (Each Section) |
|---|---|---|
| General | 95 | 75 |
| EWS | 81 | ~55 |
| NC-OBC | 81 | 55 |
| SC | 66 | ~44 |
| ST | 42 | ~28 |
| DAP/PwD | 42 | ~28 |
Note: Sectional cutoffs for reserved categories are approximate, extrapolated proportionally from official ratios where exact figures weren’t separately published. Always cross-check the final numbers on IIM Kashipur’s official admissions page or the Common Admission Test (CAT) official portal before finalising your preparation targets, since IIMs occasionally revise category-wise cutoffs close to the shortlisting date.
IIM Kashipur CAT Cutoff Trend: Year-on-Year Comparison
Cutoffs don’t stay static — they move with paper difficulty and applicant volume. Here’s how the General category cutoff has trended over the last three admission cycles, which is genuinely useful if you’re trying to gauge where CAT 2026’s cutoff might land.
| Admission Batch | Based On | General Cutoff (Overall) | General Cutoff (Sectional) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-28 | CAT 2025 | 95 | 75 |
| 2025-27 | CAT 2024 | 94 | 73 |
| 2024-26 | CAT 2023 | ~92 | ~70 |
Key takeaway: The General category cutoff has climbed steadily over the past three cycles — from roughly 92 to 95 — which reflects both a growing applicant pool and IIM Kashipur’s improving brand pull following its rise in NIRF rankings. If this trend holds, aiming for a safety margin of 96+ percentile for CAT 2026 is a realistic target rather than a stretch goal.
Why the Cutoff Differs Across Categories
India’s reservation policy under the Constitution mandates seat reservations at all centrally-funded institutes, including IIMs — which is why NC-OBC and EWS candidates see a cutoff of 81 while SC and ST candidates see 66 and 42 respectively, each reflecting a defined reserved-seat share. Full details are on the Department of Personnel & Training’s reservation policy page.
IIM Kashipur Cutoff vs Other Second-Generation IIMs
Since IIM Kashipur now shares its shortlisting and interview process with three other institutes under the Joint Admission Process (JAP), it’s worth seeing how its cutoff stacks up against its JAP partners for the same admission cycle.
| Institute | General Category Cutoff (Overall) | NIRF Management Rank 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| IIM Kashipur | 95 | 23 |
| IIM Trichy | ~92–94 | 26 |
| IIM Ranchi | ~90–92 | 33 |
| IIM Raipur | ~91–93 | 30 |
Figures for JAP partners are indicative and compiled from recent admission trends; each institute publishes its own final cutoff independently. IIM Kashipur currently holds the highest NIRF rank among its JAP partners, part of why its cutoff sits slightly above the group average.
If your percentile falls just short of IIM Kashipur’s cutoff but clears the range for Trichy, Ranchi, or Raipur, the shared JAP process considers you across all four. You don’t need to file separate applications.
About IIM Kashipur: Quick Institutional Snapshot
If you’re weighing whether to prioritise IIM Kashipur in your preference list, here’s the institutional context that usually shapes that decision.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Established | 2011 (Second-generation IIM) |
| NIRF Management Rank 2025 | #23 (Score: 61.74) |
| MBA Seats (2026-28 Batch) | 350 (MBA) + 139 (MBA Analytics) |
| Total Course Fee (2026 Batch) | Approx. ₹17–21 lakh |
| Accreditation | AACSB, AMBA |
| Campus | 200-acre campus near Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand |
IIM Kashipur is a Second Generation IIM, established under the Ministry of Education alongside institutes like IIM Raipur and IIM Rohtak, and holds Institute of National Importance status. For context on how it compares with older, more established IIMs, see our IIM Ahmedabad guide.
IIM Kashipur Placement Snapshot: Does the Cutoff Justify the Fee?
Clearing a high cutoff is only half the equation — the return on that effort matters just as much. Here’s how the most recent placement season played out.
| Metric | 2025 Placement Season |
|---|---|
| Highest Package | ₹33.12 LPA |
| Average Package | ₹14.95 LPA |
| Median Package | ₹14.46 LPA |
| Top 25% Average | ₹20.92 LPA |
| Number of Recruiters | 190+ |
| Total Offers | 433 |
Marketing & Sales, General Management, and Consulting led the hiring functions this cycle, with IT/Analytics and BFSI close behind. Against a ₹17–21 lakh course fee, an average package of nearly ₹15 LPA gives IIM Kashipur a reasonably strong ROI profile among second-generation IIMs.
IIM Kashipur Admission Process: What Happens After the Cutoff
Clearing the CAT cutoff is just the first gate. Here’s the sequence that follows.
- CAT Score Release: Results arrive in early January via the official portal iimcat.ac.in.
- Cutoff-Based Shortlisting: IIM Kashipur applies its category-wise overall and sectional cutoff. From 2026 onwards, it runs shortlisting jointly with IIM Trichy, Ranchi, and Raipur under the Joint Admission Process (JAP).
- WAT and PI: Shortlisted candidates appear for a Written Ability Test and Personal Interview, usually between February and March, testing communication, awareness, and clarity of intent.
- Final Merit List: Admission is offered based on a composite score — CAT percentile, academic record (Class 10, 12, graduation), work experience, and WAT-PI performance, weighted as per the institute’s published admission policy.
- Fee Payment: Once you get the final offer, pay the seat-confirmation fee within the deadline to lock in your admission.
Key Takeaways
- The General category cutoff for IIM Kashipur (CAT 2025 cycle) is 95 overall, 75 sectional — up from 94 the previous cycle.
- Reserved category cutoffs are notably lower: EWS/NC-OBC at 81, SC at 66, and ST/DAP at 42.
- Clearing the cutoff only gets you shortlisted — the final admission depends on a composite score, not the CAT percentile alone.
- IIM Kashipur’s placement numbers (₹14.95 LPA average, ₹33.12 LPA highest) make it a solid ROI pick relative to its ~₹17–21 lakh course fee.
- From 2026 onwards, admissions run through the Joint Admission Process (JAP) shared with IIM Trichy, Ranchi, and Raipur.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is the CAT cutoff for IIM Kashipur General category?
For the CAT 2025 admission cycle, the General category cutoff at IIM Kashipur is 95 percentile overall, with a sectional requirement of around 75 percentile in each of VARC, DILR, and QA.
Q2. What is the OBC and EWS cutoff for IIM Kashipur?
Both NC-OBC and EWS candidates need approximately 81 percentile overall for the CAT 2025 cycle, considerably lower than the General category due to the reservation-based percentile relaxation applied to these categories.
Q3. Is clearing the CAT cutoff enough to get admission to IIM Kashipur?
No. Clearing the cutoff only shortlists you for the Written Ability Test and Personal Interview round. Final admission is decided through a composite score combining your CAT percentile, academic record, work experience, and PI performance.
Q4. What is a good percentile to safely target for IIM Kashipur?
Given the cutoff has risen from around 92 to 95 percentile for the General category over the last three cycles, aiming for 96+ percentile gives you a safer buffer against year-on-year fluctuations in cutoff difficulty.
Q5. Does IIM Kashipur have a sectional cutoff along with the overall cutoff?
Yes. IIM Kashipur requires candidates to clear a minimum percentile in each section — VARC, DILR, and QA — separately, in addition to the overall percentile. A strong overall score with one weak section can still result in disqualification from shortlisting.
Final Word: Where Do You Stand?
The IIM Kashipur CAT cutoff 2025 data makes one thing clear: it’s a layered filter across category, section, and composite score — not a single pass/fail line. Candidates with a percentile close to their category cutoff should start preparing their WAT-PI narrative now, since the interview round can genuinely move the needle. If CAT 2026 is still ahead of you, use this year’s trend — a steady climb from 92 to 95 percentile — to set a realistic, slightly padded target.
If you’re still building toward that percentile, our CAT Cutoff 2026 for IIMs guide covers category-wise cutoffs across every IIM, and the CAT Score vs Percentile guide helps you turn a target percentile into a marks goal you can train toward with full-length CAT mock tests.
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