The CAT, conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), is the most competitive exam, with over 3 lakh aspirants appearing annually. The 2025 CAT exam is scheduled for November 30, 2025, with registration opening from August 1 to September 20, 2025. The exam follows a computer-based format, lasting 2 hours, and is divided into three sections: Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Ability.
XAT 2026, conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur, represents another significant opportunity for aspiring finance professionals. Scheduled for January 4, 2026, this exam accepts applications from July 10, 2025, and provides access to over 250 MBA colleges across India. The exam's unique format includes sections on Decision Making, Verbal and Logical Ability, Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation, and General Knowledge.
NMAT, administered by GMAC, offers a different approach with its testing window from November 5 to December 20, 2025. This exam provides multiple attempt opportunities within the testing period, giving candidates flexibility in their preparation and performance optimization. The exam is particularly valued by institutions like NMIMS, XIMB, and TAPMI.
Cut-off scores vary significantly across colleges and entrance exams, creating a competitive filtering system that determines admission prospects. For instance, IIMs typically require CAT percentiles above 99, while other top institutions may accept scores in the 85-97 percentile range. This variation ensures that students with different performance levels can find suitable programs matching their capabilities and aspirations.
Top MBA Finance Colleges accepting CAT Cutoff
In total, only the CAT cut off 2024 is higher to achieve the call for GDPI(Group discussion and Personal interview) from the top IIMs, which is far higher than the CAT cut off required for Qualification. Determining the cutoff is largely contingent on the ranking of the IIM and the number of applicants. For the older IIMs, general category candidates usually need a percentile above 98 to receive a call.
For the rest of the IIMs, the average percentile lies between 94- 97. CAP starts at a score of 95 percentile, and there have been instances where students who scored as low as 89- 90th percentile have received calls based on the vacancy of seats post the initial rounds.
Top IIMs accepting CAT Cutoff for MBA Finance
Top IIMs like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta require 99+ percentile for final selection to MBA in Finance, despite having qualifying cutoffs of 80-85. Mid-tier IIMs (Lucknow, Indore, Kozhikode) demand 97-99 percentile, while newer IIMs (Udaipur, Trichy, Visakhapatnam) accept 92-95 percentile. Candidates must target 95+ percentile for a strong chance, with older IIMs being the most competitive.
Final Selection through CAT: Parameters and Their Weightage
The parameters and weightage mentioned in the table below are of IIMs and for reference purposes.
Top Non-IIM Colleges accepting CAT Cutoff for MBA Finance
Top non-IIM B-schools have high CAT percentile cutoffs for MBA Finance eligibility. FMS Delhi has recorded the highest percentile cut-off of 99+ followed by IIM Mumbai (97) and MDI Gurgaon (94). Even best IITs like Delhi (90+), Bombay (94.73), Kharagpur (90) have a tough cutoff.
While SPJIMR Mumbai (85+) and MICA (85+) have some profile based calls, IIFT (95.7), IMT Ghaziabad (90) and XIMB (92) still keeps the percentiles on higher side. For top institutes, the focus should be on 90+ percentile while for elite colleges like FMS, MDI etc 94+ would be required.
Top IITs accepting CAT Cutoff for MBA Finance
For MBA Finance admissions, some of the prestigious IITs ask for CAT percentiles between 75% to 90%. IIT Delhi, Bombay, Roorkee, and Kharagpur (VGSoM) has the highest – 90%, while IIT Kanpur, Jodhpur, and HSS Kharagpur admit students at 80%.
The cutoff of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad is the least with 75%. In fact, IIT Madras (DoMS) does not reveal the exact cut off, and it’s all about the candidate's overall profile! Candidates should be obtaining 85% and above to have a competitive edge with 90% and above providing a good shot at premium IITs like Delhi and Bombay.
Top MBA Finance Colleges accepting CMAT Cutoff
For admission to MBA Finance some of top colleges for CMAT accepting CMAT Score have high CMAT percentile cut offs like JBIMS Mumbai (99.9), GIM Goa (99.85) and KJSIM Mumbai (99.2). Other well known colleges like Welingkar Mumbai (99.06), MET Mumbai (97.27), PUMBA Pune (96.42) also have cutoff requirement of 95%+.
On the other hand, the cutoff at XISS Ranchi (95%), ABBS Bangalore (90%) and Asia Pacific Institute of Management (85%) are a bit more within reach. Aim for package of 95%+ for getting calls from premier institutes and package of 85%+ for getting through in good-tier B-schools.
Top MBA Finance Colleges accepting MAT Cutoff
Top B-schools that accept MAT scores for MBA Finance admissions generally have cut-off the range of 80-85 percentile. B-Schools like BIMTECH Greater Noida, XIME Bangalore, BIMM Pune, and ISBM Pune fall under this category. Others like SOIL Gurgaon, SIESCOMS Navi Mumbai, JIMS Delhi, and Christ University Bangalore have kept up the tradition with such cutoff trends.
As these institutes have average percentile cutoffs, candidates should target 85+ to improve their chances of admission, especially when they have applied for top colleges like BIMTECH and XIME. If the percentile is between 80-85 then a candidate becomes good to go most of the tier 2 MBA Finance courses.
Top MBA Finance Colleges accepting ATMA Cutoff
For MBA Finance admission through ATMA, the good colleges usually expect results ranging from 70 – 95 percentile, with premier institutes expecting even higher cutoffs. PUMBA Pune (90-95 percentile) is on the top and followed by premier institutes such as Welingkar Mumbai, Christ University and NDIM Delhi (80-85 percentile).
Other equally good B-schools like Jaipuria Noida, IMS Ghaziabad and SIESCOMS Navi Mumbai also have the marks in between 80-85 percentile. Meanwhile, colleges such as XIME Bangalore, SDMIMD Mysore, NIBM Pune accept scores in the range of 75-80 percentile and SSN Chennai, SRM Chennai, IES MCRC Mumbai with slightly less than 70-75 percentiles.
Candidates looking out to get into top colleges need to focus on 85+ percentile and for most of the good MBA Finance Colleges, 70+ percentile will make for the eligibility.
| College Name | Expected ATMA Cut-off (Percentile) |
|---|---|
| PUMBA: Department of Management Sciences, University of Pune | 90–95 |
| Prin. L. N. Welingkar WE School, Mumbai | 80–85 |
| Christ University, Bengaluru | 80–85 |
| New Delhi Institute of Management (NDIM), New Delhi | 80–85 |
| Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida | 80–85 |
| IMS, Ghaziabad | 80–85 |
| SIES College of Management Studies (SIESCOMS), Navi Mumbai | 80–85 |
| XIME, Bangalore | 75–80 |
| SDM Institute for Management Development (SDMIMD), Mysore | 75–80 |
| VIT Business School (VIT), Vellore | 75–80 |
| National Institute of Bank Management (NIBM), Pune | 75–80 |
| SSN School of Management, Chennai | 70–75 |
| SRM School of Management (SRM University), Chennai | 70–75 |
| IES Management College and Research Centre (IES MCRC), Mumbai | 70–75 |
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