What CAT percentile is needed for IIM Ahmedabad MBA admission 2027?

The announced minimum for General and EWS is 95 overall percentile. You also need 85 percentile in each of the three sections. The actual interview call score runs much higher than this floor.

Is CAT compulsory, or does IIM Ahmedabad accept GMAT and GRE?

CAT is compulsory for the two-year MBA and MBA-FABM for Indian candidates. GMAT or GRE is used only for MBA-PGPX and the Dubai one-year MBA. Foreign passport holders may use a test centre GMAT under the Supernumerary Quota.

Can final year students apply for IIM Ahmedabad MBA 2027?

Yes, final year students can apply. They must submit a certificate from their principal or registrar confirming their status. Admission stays provisional until the degree marksheet is submitted.

How is the final merit list calculated at IIM Ahmedabad?

The Final Composite Score gives 50% to the Personal Interview. CAT carries 25%, the Application Rating carries 15% and the AWT carries 10%. Selection is done separately within each reservation category.

Is work experience necessary for IIM Ahmedabad MBA admission?

No, freshers are eligible and are admitted every year. Work experience only adds points to the Application Rating score. You need at least 12 months to score anything, and 36 months to score the maximum 5 points.

Is direct admission or management quota available at IIM Ahmedabad?

No. IIM Ahmedabad admits strictly on merit through the published selection process. There is no management quota, donation seat or direct admission route.

What is the application fee for IIM Ahmedabad MBA admission 2027?

IIM Ahmedabad does not charge a separate MBA application fee. You pay the CAT 2026 registration fee of INR 2,700. SC, ST and PwD candidates pay INR 1,350.

What is the IIM Ahmedabad MBA fee?

The programme fee was INR 27,50,000 for the 2025-27 MBA batch. This included tuition of INR 20,10,000. The fee for the 2027-29 batch will be announced later and is subject to revision.

How many students does IIM Ahmedabad admit every year?

IIM Ahmedabad inducted 458 students in June 2026. Of these, 414 joined the flagship MBA and 44 joined MBA-FABM. Intake is not a fixed sanctioned figure and shifts slightly each year.

Does IIM Ahmedabad give extra marks to female candidates?

Yes. All non-male candidates receive a gender diversity score of 3 points. This is added into the Application Rating score used at both stages.

IIM Ahmedabad PGP vs PGP-FABM: Fees, Cutoff, Placements & MBA Comparison 2026

IIM Ahmedabad runs two full-time two-year programmes that admit through CAT. These are the flagship PGP and the specialised PGP-FABM. Both run on the same Vastrapur campus. Both carry the same published programme fee of INR 27,50,000.

The split begins at the CAT cutoff. PGP asks General category candidates for a 95 overall percentile. PGP-FABM asks agriculture background candidates for 90 overall. The sectional bar is also softer for PGP-FABM.

Batch size is the other big gap. The 2026-28 PGP batch admitted 414 students against 44 in PGP-FABM. Salary outcomes follow a similar gap. Both criteria sit on the institute site at iima.ac.in. Check the Official IIM Ahmedabad MBA-FABM Admission Process, Eligibility Criteria & CAT Cutoff

Check: IIM Ahmedabad Courses & Fees 2027

IIM Ahmedabad PGP vs PGP-FABM: Fees, Cutoff, Placements & MBA Comparison (2026)

IIM Ahmedabad PGP vs PGP-FABM: Quick Comparison 2026

The table below sets the two programmes side by side on the parameters students weigh most.

Parameter	PGP	PGP-FABM
Full name	Post Graduate Programme in Management	Post Graduate Programme in Food and Agri-business Management
Degree awarded	MBA	MBA (Food and Agri-business Management)
Batch size 2026-28	414 students	44 students
CAT 2025 cutoff, General	95 overall, 85 sectional	90 overall, 70 sectional (AC1-AC2)
Total programme fee	INR 27,50,000	INR 27,50,000
Mean fixed salary	INR 28.83 Lakh (Class of 2026)	INR 20.04 Lakh (Class of 2025)
Placement outcome 2026	392 offers accepted	45 students placed
Core hiring pool	Consulting, finance, general management	Agri-inputs, food processing, consulting

IIMA PGP FABM fees — IIMA Official website

What Is the PGP-FABM Programme?

PGP-FABM is IIM Ahmedabad's two-year residential programme in food and agri-business management. It trains managers for the agriculture, food, rural and allied sectors. The batch that joined in June 2026 is the 27th PGP-FABM cohort.

The degree is a Master of Business Administration (Food and Agri-business Management). The academic pages now list them as MBA and MBA-FABM. Press releases and the CAT application form still use PGP and PGP-FABM.

Check: IIM Ahmedabad Course Admission 2027: Dates, Eligibility, Registrations, Selection Criteria

CAT Cutoff 2026 for Both Programmes

Each cell below gives the overall percentile first and the sectional percentile second. All figures are minimum bars for a shortlist call, not final selection marks. Both criteria documents sit on the PGP-FABM admissions page.

Category	PGP	FABM (AC1-AC2)	FABM (AC3-AC5)
General and EWS	95 / 85	90 / 70	95 / 75
NC-OBC	90 / 80	85 / 65	90 / 70
SC	85 / 75	70 / 60	75 / 65
ST	75 / 65	70 / 60	75 / 65

CAT Cutoff rank 2025 — IIMA official website

Academic Categories AC1 to AC5 Explained

PGP-FABM sorts every applicant into one of five academic categories. The category depends on the bachelor's degree discipline. It decides which cutoff column applies.

Category	Disciplines covered
AC-1	Agriculture, agronomy, horticulture, dairy, animal husbandry, veterinary science
AC-2	Agricultural engineering, food technology, biotechnology, fisheries, forestry
AC-3	Economics, commerce, management, pure sciences, hotel and tourism management
AC-4	All engineering and technology degrees, computer science
AC-5	Architecture, law and other disciplines

Why Non-Agriculture Candidates Face a Higher Bar

An AC-1 or AC-2 candidate clears PGP-FABM at 90 overall. An AC-3 to AC-5 candidate needs 95 overall, the same as PGP. The sectional bar stays lower at 75.

Non-agriculture graduates must also file a special interest form. IIMA allows 5 days for it after the shortlist result. Candidates who skip it are removed from the process.

Example: an engineering graduate at 93 percentile misses PGP-FABM entirely. An agriculture graduate at 93 percentile clears the AC-1 bar. That candidate enters the shortlist pool.

Read More: IIM Ahmedabad Placement

Eligibility and Selection Weightage Compared

Eligibility is identical on paper. Both need a bachelor's degree with 50 percent marks. The bar drops to 45 percent for SC, ST and PwD candidates. The degree must run at least three years after Class 12.

Shortlisting works the same way in both. The composite score takes 35 percent from the application rating. The remaining 65 percent comes from the normalised CAT score. The application rating uses Class 10 marks, Class 12 marks, bachelor's marks and work experience.

The final stage is where the two differ. PGP leans harder on the interview.

Component	PGP	PGP-FABM
Personal Interview	50%	40%
Analytical Writing Test	10%	10%
CAT score	25%	32.5%
Application rating	15%	17.5%

So a strong CAT percentile carries more weight in PGP-FABM. A strong interview carries more weight in PGP. Shortlists for both are released in the second week of January 2026.

Curriculum and Campus Life Compared

A Shared First Year

Both batches take core management courses in year one. Accounting, finance, marketing, operations and quantitative methods are common ground. The PGP core runs across three terms and about 480 sessions.

PGP-FABM adds sector courses on top of that base. Rural, Social and Institutional Environment is one. Applied Data Science for Food and Agribusiness Management is another.

Rural Immersion Module in PGP-FABM

The Rural Immersion Module is compulsory for PGP-FABM and runs in two phases. Students spend about 10 days living in a village in year one. They return in year two to run a project there.

PGP has no equivalent module. Details of the module sit on the programme page.

Check: IIM Ahmedabad Scholarship 2026

Second Year Electives

PGP opens up around 173 electives in year two. Finance, marketing, strategy, economics and public systems are the big pools.

PGP-FABM year two runs mandatory sector courses plus a smaller elective set. Agribusiness Entrepreneurship, Agricultural Finance and Strategic Food Marketing are compulsory. About 12 sector electives cover rural marketing, agri-food supply chains and commodity markets.

Fees Compared for 2026-28

There is no fee advantage in either direction. Both programmes list the same total.

Head	PGP	PGP-FABM
Tuition fee	INR 20,10,000	INR 20,10,000
Other charges	INR 7,40,000	INR 7,40,000
Total programme fee	INR 27,50,000	INR 27,50,000

The total covers accommodation and mess for the full two years. It excludes food outside mess, laptop and travel. The figure above is the published fee for the 2025-27 batch. The revised fee is expected with the admission offers in April 2026.

A need-based scholarship scheme applies to both programmes. IIMA invites applications for it around May and June each year.

Placements Compared in 2026

Both programmes closed 2026 at full placement. PGP recorded 392 accepted offers from 402 eligible students across 26 cohorts. PGP-FABM placed its full cohort of 45 students. They join between April and June 2026.

The salary gap is the real separator. The table below uses the last audited figure available for each programme. IIMA hosts every report at www01.iima.ac.in.

Programme and class	Mean fixed salary	Highest domestic offer
PGP, Class of 2026	INR 28.83 Lakh	INR 81.60 Lakh
PGP-FABM, Class of 2025	INR 20.04 Lakh	INR 41.83 Lakh

The PGP median for 2026 stood at INR 28.81 Lakh. That is almost level with the mean. So the middle band is tight, not skewed by a few large offers.

Recruiter mix also differs. Boston Consulting Group made 33 offers to the PGP batch. McKinsey and Company followed at 21 and Bain and Company at 20. Goldman Sachs made 6 offers and Essar Group made 8.

PGP-FABM drew a different pool. Sahyadri Farms was the top recruiter. Godrej Agrovet, ITC, Amul, PI Industries and Valency International also hired. Accenture, EY and Grant Thornton Bharat picked up the consulting roles.

Sector	PGP-FABM offers 2026
Consulting	10
Agri-inputs and agri-tech	7
Food processing	6
Commodity trading	4
ESG consulting and advisory	4
FMCG	4
Pharmaceuticals and healthcare	4
Manufacturing	2

Consulting is the single largest recruiter for both programmes. It took 154 PGP offers and 10 PGP-FABM offers.

Batch Profile 2026-28 Compared

IIMA admitted 458 students in total to the two programmes in June 2026. The profiles look very different.

Parameter	PGP	PGP-FABM
Students admitted	414	44
Women in batch	30.92%	38.64%
Academic background	60.87% engineering	100% agriculture and allied
Average work experience	24 months	16 months

About 77 percent of the PGP batch joined with work experience. The share was about 34 percent in PGP-FABM. The average age in both batches is 23.

Rankings for Each Programme

IIM Ahmedabad held the top spot in the NIRF Management category in 2026. It placed 27th in the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking 2026. QS Global MBA Rankings 2026 put it at 58th. Both positions apply to the flagship MBA.

PGP-FABM carries its own ranking line. Eduniversal has ranked it first worldwide in Agribusiness and Food Industry Management. It held that position through 2025.

What Students Say About Each Programme?

Batch Size Changes the Experience

Students describe PGP-FABM as a close-knit cohort of around 44. Faculty access and section familiarity are rated higher there. Students report the 400-plus PGP batch feels far more competitive on internal grading.

The Salary Gap Is Real

Students consistently report that PGP-FABM offers sit below the flagship average. The published mean gap has run from INR 8 Lakh to INR 15 Lakh a year. Candidates choosing on salary alone are advised by seniors to weigh this first.

Many FABM Graduates Do Not Stay in Agri

Students report that many in the batch move into consulting and FMCG. The 2026 sector split supports this. Consulting alone took 10 of the 45 offers.

The Degree Name Follows the Candidate

Students report that recruiters outside the agri space ask about the FABM tag. The degree certificate carries the specialisation in brackets. Students describe it as a minor issue inside India. It matters more for lateral moves abroad.

IIM Ahmedabad PGP vs PGP-FABM: Which Is Better?

PGP is the stronger choice for a general management career. It pays more, opens more electives and feeds a wider recruiter pool. It also demands a higher CAT percentile from every category.

PGP-FABM is the stronger choice for a committed agri or food candidate. It gives the same campus and the same first-year core. AC-1 and AC-2 candidates also get it at a lower percentile bar. The Eduniversal rank is a sector credential PGP does not carry.

Example: an agriculture graduate at 91 percentile has no PGP call but a live PGP-FABM shot. The same candidate at 96 percentile can hold both calls. The decision then rests on career sector, not on cutoff.

An agriculture degree makes PGP-FABM a genuine second door into IIM Ahmedabad. Engineering and commerce graduates gain almost no cutoff relief.

IIM Ahmedabad PGP vs PGP-FABM FAQs

Ques. Is IIM Ahmedabad PGP-FABM an MBA degree?

Ans. Yes. IIM Ahmedabad awards the Master of Business Administration (Food and Agri-business Management) degree under the PGP-FABM programme. It is officially known as MBA-FABM.

Ques. Can I use the same CAT score to apply for both IIM Ahmedabad PGP and PGP-FABM?

Ans. Yes. A single CAT score can be used to apply for both programmes. During the IIM Ahmedabad application process, candidates can select PGP, PGP-FABM, or both. Each programme has its own shortlist and final selection process.

Ques. How many seats are available in IIM Ahmedabad PGP-FABM?

Ans. IIM Ahmedabad PGP-FABM has a small, highly selective batch. The 2026–28 batch admitted 44 students, while recent batches have generally ranged between 44 and 47 students.

Ques. Does IIM Ahmedabad PGP-FABM have a separate placement process?

Ans. Yes. IIM Ahmedabad conducts a dedicated final placement process for PGP-FABM and publishes a separate Indian Placement Reporting Standards (IPRS) audited placement report every year.

Ques. How are IIM Ahmedabad PGP-FABM summer internships?

Ans. PGP-FABM has consistently achieved 100% summer internship placements. For the 2025–27 batch, all 46 students secured internships, with 35+ recruiters participating between April and June 2026.

Ques. Is IIM Ahmedabad PGP-FABM easier to get into than the PGP programme?

Ans. Not necessarily. While the CAT cutoff is comparatively lower for Academic Categories (AC) 1 and 2), PGP-FABM admits only around 45 students each year, making the overall selection process highly competitive.

Ques. Do IIM Ahmedabad PGP and PGP-FABM students study together?

Ans. Yes. Students from both programmes study on the same IIM Ahmedabad campus and share the core management curriculum. PGP-FABM students additionally take specialized courses in food, agriculture, agribusiness, and rural management.

Ques. Which is better at IIM Ahmedabad: PGP or PGP-FABM for engineering graduates?

Ans. For most engineering graduates aiming for consulting, finance, product management, or general management, the PGP is the better choice. Engineers interested in food, agriculture, sustainability, supply chains, or rural business may find PGP-FABM a better fit. For AC-4 (Engineering) candidates, the qualifying CAT percentile for PGP-FABM is 95, the same as the PGP programme.