IIM Ahmedabad: Cutoff 2026, Admission, Fees, Courses, Placement, Ranking

The Government of India set up IIM Ahmedabad in 1961, among the first IIMs. The institute runs today under the IIM Act, 2017. It remains one of the most selective business schools in the country. Its flagship is the two-year Post Graduate Programme in Management, the PGP. Most people mean the PGP by the short name.

A CAT 2026 aspirant asks two questions here. Can I clear the cutoff, and does a Rs 27.5 lakh fee return enough? Both answers below come from the institute's own dated documents.

What do you actually get for the IIM Ahmedabad fees?

You get a two-year PGP taught largely through business cases. The Class of 2026 report shows 100% of the 392 students who sought placement receiving offers. Admission runs on a Composite Score, and your CAT score carries only 65% of it.

IIM Ahmedabad builds its first-year classroom on WAC, short for Written Analysis and Communication. You read a real business case, write your own analysis, and defend it aloud in class. The institute has documented this method publicly for years, and it shapes how the first year actually runs.

Who should choose IIM Ahmedabad, and who should check twice?

Your CAT percentile must clear 95 in the General or EWS category. IIM Ahmedabad suits a candidate targeting consulting, BFSI or general management, because its own placement report backs the fee there. A candidate with a CAT percentile in the 80s has low odds here; other IIMs remain more realistic targets at that score.

Check twice if you are choosing the institute for the highest package headline. The typical outcome sits far closer to the median than to Rs 1.1 crore.

So does a fee this size still fit your family's budget? Check the IIM Ahmedabad MBA fees and payment structure before you decide.

Every headline figure below carries its year. A number without a year is not safe to act on.

Why does IIM Ahmedabad carry no NAAC grade?

IIM Ahmedabad holds no NAAC grade, and that absence is not a red flag. NAAC assesses universities and UGC-affiliated colleges. IIMs run under their own law, the IIM Act, 2017, which grants autonomy and degree-granting power by a separate route.

Its real accreditation marker is EQUIS, the European quality mark for business schools. EQUIS renewed IIM Ahmedabad's accreditation in 2025 for five more years, the longest term it grants. IIM Ahmedabad does not appear on AACSB's own list of accredited schools. This page could not confirm a current AMBA accreditation either. Treat any "triple crown" claim with caution until you check all three bodies' current lists.

IIM Ahmedabad runs seven degree and diploma programmes at its Ahmedabad campus, plus a Faculty Development Programme, an Armed Forces Programme and a One-Year MBA at its Dubai campus, per its current official site (IIM Ahmedabad academics page). Two of the seven carry most of the search traffic: the two-year PGP and the one-year PGPX for working executives. Their fees differ, and so does their length. The Courses page linked below breaks down all seven.

What is the IIM Ahmedabad fee structure for each course?

The PGP costs Rs 27,50,000 in total for the 2025-27 batch, of which Rs 20,10,000 is tuition. The remaining Rs 7,40,000 covers on-campus components rather than personal spending. PGPX, the one-year executive programme, costs Rs 35,00,000 for a single room in the 2026-27 batch. A PGPX participant with a spouse in campus housing pays Rs 37,10,000.

IIM Ahmedabad publishes fees for PGP-FABM, ePGD-ABA and BPGP separately. This page does not blend them into one figure. The Blended MBA in Business Analytics & AI costs Rs 21,00,000 for its 2027-29 batch (Blended MBA BA & AI admission page).

Are the IIM Ahmedabad fees charged every year?

No. The institute states the PGP fee as one total figure covering both years, not a flat annual charge. The Rs 27,50,000 replaces an older Rs 22,00,000 figure announced in March 2018.

IIM Ahmedabad has not yet published a rupee fee for a domestic batch after 2025-27. It has published US$ 50,000 for a PGP batch under the foreign-national supernumerary quota. It states that it will announce later batches in due course (international admissions page). Budget against the Rs 27,50,000 figure, not a guess.

Which IIM Ahmedabad course costs the least?

The Blended MBA in Business Analytics & AI costs least among programmes with a public headline fee. Among the two residential flagships, PGP costs less than PGPX. PGP runs two years against PGPX's one, so their per-year costs sit closer than the totals suggest. The IIM Ahmedabad MBA fees and payment structure page carries the year-wise split and what the fee leaves out.

IIM Ahmedabad starts its admission with CAT for Indian candidates, or GMAT for overseas Indians and foreign nationals. Clearing the cutoff earns a place in the shortlisting pool. What happens after that decides the seat.

What is the IIM Ahmedabad eligibility rule?

• You need a bachelor's degree of at least three years, in any stream.
• You need 50% marks or equivalent (45% for SC, ST and PwD candidates).
• You must turn 19 or older by 30 June 2027, for the PGP 2027-29 admission cycle currently open.
• Final-year students may apply. They must finish the degree by the date the institute sets each year.

How does the IIM Ahmedabad selection criteria actually work?

IIM Ahmedabad does not shortlist on CAT score alone. It builds a Composite Score, weighting your normalised CAT percentile at 65% and your Application Rating at 35%. The Application Rating draws on your academic record, work experience and other profile details already in your form.

A candidate with a strong CAT score and a weak academic record loses ground here. Most guides skip that part.

How many students get an IIM Ahmedabad interview call?

IIM Ahmedabad shortlisted 1,308 candidates for the Analytical Writing Test and Personal Interview stage in the PGP 2026-28 cycle. That sits close to the 1,312 shortlisted for PGP 2025-27, even though the cutoff rose 15 points. The IIM Ahmedabad admission process and dates page carries the stage-by-stage timeline and the document list.

What is the IIM Ahmedabad average package?

IIM Ahmedabad's Class of 2026 report records 100% placement among the 392 students who sought placement. Their Guaranteed Cash Component averaged Rs 31.84 lakh, with a median of Rs 32.50 lakh. B2K Analytics audited that report (PGP placement audit report 2026). Out of 402 eligible candidates, 10 opted for entrepreneurship, higher education or an off-campus offer instead.

Compared with the previous year, the PGP 2025 batch reported a Total Guaranteed Cash Component averaging Rs 29,83,955, with a median of Rs 34,30,009. Its Fixed Yearly Cash Component averaged Rs 26,98,712, with a median of Rs 25,31,500. Out of 406 eligible students that year, 395 got placed, a 97.3% placement rate.

IIM Ahmedabad does not report a single "average package" figure. It names separate pay components instead, which is why two reports can look different at a glance. Its Maximum Earning Potential adds best-case variable pay on top of guaranteed cash. That measure averaged Rs 35,22,591 in the 2025 batch, with a median of Rs 34,53,000. Its highest value was Rs 1,10,00,000. One student earned that figure.

Has IIM Ahmedabad released the latest salary data?

Yes, the most recent audited release is the Class of 2026 report dated 27 August 2026. The institute had 182 firms participate and 267 different roles for that batch. It counted 203 Pre-Placement Offers, and candidates accepted 194.

The PGP 2025 report remains the prior-year reference, listing 178 recruiters alongside the medians above. Plan a loan around the guaranteed cash component, not the Rs 1.1 crore Maximum Earning Potential headline. Any IIM Ahmedabad salary figure quoted without its batch year is not safe to plan around. The IIM Ahmedabad placement report and sector split page carries recruiter names and programme-wise detail.

What percentile do you need for IIM Ahmedabad?

The IIM Ahmedabad cutoff for General and EWS candidates is a 95 overall CAT percentile, for the PGP 2026-28 batch. It also requires 85 in each of the three CAT sections: VARC, DILR and QA (PGP 2026-28 shortlisting criteria, 9 January 2026). That is a 15-point jump from the PGP 2025-27 batch's 80 overall figure.

NC-OBC, SC and ST candidates clear at lower, category-specific percentiles. However, clearing the cutoff percentile is only the first step—the Application Rating presents a higher barrier for many candidates. The IIM Ahmedabad CAT cutoff and category-wise table page carries the full table. It also carries the academic bar that averages your Class 10 and Class 12 marks.

IIM Ahmedabad's own Scholarship Guidebook lists 43 scholarships open to PGP and PGP-FABM students. They range from a single Rs 25 lakh award to broad, income-linked government schemes with far more slots.

Its Endowment Entry-Level Scholarship adds two more tiers: Rs 10 lakh a year, and Rs 5 lakh a year. Together they cover 30 slots, and a student needs a minimum CGPA to continue into year two. Read the IIM Ahmedabad scholarship eligibility and renewal rules page before you count on any single award.

Where do the IIM Ahmedabad rankings stand right now?

IIM Ahmedabad topped the NIRF Management ranking for the sixth year running in 2025. NIRF published the rankings on 4 September 2025. Internationally, its executive MBA (PGPX) climbed to 27th in the Financial Times Global MBA ranking for 2026. It stood 31st in 2025 and 41st in 2024.

QS ranks the same programme 58th for 2026, up from 60th in 2025 (IIM Ahmedabad rankings page). QS ranks the two-year PGP 48th in Masters in Management for 2026, up from 56th in 2025.

Does IIM Ahmedabad have triple crown accreditation?

Not a confirmed one. It holds EQUIS accreditation, renewed in 2025 for five more years. It does not appear on AACSB's list of accredited schools. This page could not confirm a current AMBA accreditation either. That rules out a confirmed EQUIS-AACSB-AMBA "triple crown" for now. The IIM Ahmedabad NIRF, QS and FT ranking history page carries five years of data across every ranking body.

Which IIM Ahmedabad entrance exam does your course need?

Indian candidates apply to the PGP with a CAT score. Overseas Indians and foreign nationals apply with GMAT instead. PGPX accepts GMAT or GRE. The Blended MBA in Business Analytics & AI accepts CAT, GMAT, GRE or the IIMA Admission Test.

IIM Indore conducts CAT 2026 on Sunday, 29 November 2026, in three sessions across roughly 170 test cities, per the official CAT 2026 notification. Registration ran 3 August to 15 September 2026, and admit cards release on 4 November 2026 (official CAT website).

Your CAT percentile alone does not decide the shortlist. It feeds the Composite Score above at a 65% weight, alongside your Application Rating. A 95 percentile with a weak Application Rating can still miss the call. A slightly lower percentile with a strong one can still clear it.

CAT percentile for IIM Ahmedabad: what actually counts as safe?

A 95-plus overall percentile, with 85-plus in each of VARC, DILR and QA, meets the minimum qualifying cutoff for General and EWS candidates in the PGP 2026-28 batch. Clearing it earns a place in the shortlisting pool. It does not earn a call on its own, because the Composite Score also weighs your Application Rating.

Category-relaxed percentiles apply for NC-OBC, SC and ST candidates. The IIM Ahmedabad cutoff and category-wise percentile page carries the full table.

IIM Ahmedabad occupies a campus in Vastrapur, Ahmedabad. Architect Louis Kahn designed its original buildings. The institute houses both PGP and PGPX students on campus.

It also runs exchange arrangements with 80 partner institutions abroad. About 150 second-year students spend one academic term overseas each year (MBA programme page).

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad sits about 15 km from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. That drive takes roughly 30 to 40 minutes. The campus also sits about 9 km from Ahmedabad Junction railway station, 25 to 35 minutes away.

Locals treat the IIM Ahmedabad location as a landmark. Name "IIM, Vastrapur" to a driver rather than reading out the full postal address. The how to reach IIM Ahmedabad guide page carries route options, fares and local transport.

What do students actually say about IIM Ahmedabad?

IIM Ahmedabad publishes no official student-satisfaction survey. This section draws on what the institute's own numbers show, plus what its NIRF submission and placement audit confirm. It uses no invented quotes and no star ratings.

Two findings repeat across every official document reviewed for this page. The academic pace is genuinely demanding, and the placement outcome genuinely backs it for most of the batch.

On academics. IIM Ahmedabad's own teaching-innovation documentation (iima.ac.in, "Case Method and WAC") confirms the format. The first-year classroom runs on the case method, paired with Written Analysis and Communication. A student writes and defends an original analysis rather than absorbing a lecture. By the institute's own description, this carries a heavier weekly workload than a lecture-based MBA. That is not a student complaint. A candidate who wants a lighter academic year should weigh it before applying.

On IIM Ahmedabad placements. The Class of 2026 reported 100% placement among 392 job-seeking students, at a Rs 32.5 lakh median guaranteed cash component. The 2025 batch reported 97.3% placed and a Rs 35.3 lakh median. Both describe a strong outcome for a typical student, not only a topper. A family budgeting a loan should plan around the median, not the Rs 1.1 crore Maximum Earning Potential headline.

On course quality. IIM Ahmedabad runs a genuinely separate track, PGP-FABM, for food and agribusiness management. Eduniversal has ranked it first in its category for five straight years, 2021 through 2025. A candidate focused on agribusiness gets a dedicated, internationally ranked course here, not a general PGP elective.

On campus life. Eighty exchange partner institutions exist, per the institute's own programme page, and about 150 second-year students spend an academic term abroad. That is a concrete fact about campus life beyond the classroom, not a marketing line.

Where official data is limited: IIM Ahmedabad does not publish a public student-satisfaction survey and no named alumni sentiment report. This page does not claim to know what students say beyond its own official numbers and programme documentation. Treat any page quoting a specific student or a star rating for IIM Ahmedabad with caution. Check whether it names an exact source.