What is the minimum CAT percentile required for IIM Kozhikode PGP admission?

As per the 2026-28 batch admission policy, the minimum qualifying overall percentile for the General and EWS category was 85 percentile. The minimum sectional percentile (VARC, DILR, and QA each) was 80 percentile. Cutoffs for the 2027-29 batch will be released in the official policy document on iimk.ac.in. Meeting the minimum cutoff does not guarantee a WAT-PI call. The Aggregate Index Score (AIS) determines the shortlist.

Does IIM Kozhikode accept only CAT, or are other exams also accepted for PGP?

CAT is the only accepted entrance exam for the flagship PGP, PGP-Finance, and PGP-LSM programmes. GMAT and GRE are not accepted for these three tracks. For the EPGP (for working professionals), candidates may apply with CAT, GMAT, or GRE scores. Candidates without any of these may take the EMAT (EPGPs own aptitude test).

How is the AIS (Aggregate Index Score) calculated for IIMK PGP shortlisting?

As per the 2026-28 batch admission policy, the AIS weights are: CAT performance (50%), Class XII marks (20%), Class X marks (15%), and gender and academic diversity plus work experience (15%). Female and transgender candidates get 10 diversity points. Non-engineering graduates receive 5 academic diversity points. Work experience adds up to 5 points. All AIS components are added to produce a ranked shortlist within each category.

What is the IIM Kozhikode PGP final selection formula after WAT and PI?

For the 2026-28 batch, the final composite score was: CAT Index Score (35%), Personal Interview (35%), Written Ability Test (20%), and Resume Score (10%). The WAT essay topic is given at the venue. The PI lasts 15 to 25 minutes with a panel of 2 to 3 faculty members. Panels are held in six cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, and New Delhi.

Is work experience mandatory for IIM Kozhikode PGP admission?

No. Work experience is not mandatory for the PGP. Fresh graduates may apply. However, relevant work experience earns bonus points in the AIS formula (up to 5 points), which can improve the shortlisting rank. For the EPGP, a minimum of 3 years of post-graduation work experience is mandatory.

How many seats does IIM Kozhikode PGP have and what are the reservation details?

The PGP intake for the 2026-28 batch was 480 seats across all three tracks (PGP, PGP-Finance, PGP-LSM). Reservation follows Government of India norms: OBC-NCL (27%), SC (15%), ST (7.5%), EWS (10%), and PwD (5% horizontal). Each category has its own CAT cutoff threshold as specified in the admission policy.

What is the total fee for IIM Kozhikode PGP?

The total fee for the 2026-28 batch PGP was INR 24,17,000 for the 2-year programme (Year 1: INR 12,42,000 and Year 2: INR 11,75,000). This includes tuition, hostel, and other academic charges. Fees are subject to revision for the 2027-29 batch. The application fee is INR 3,000 (non-refundable), paid after receiving the Stage 2 shortlist email.

What is the IIMK BMS programme and who should apply?

The BMS (Bachelor of Management Studies - Honours with Research) is a 4-year undergraduate management programme at IIM Kozhikodes Kochi campus. It is intended for Class XII pass candidates who want a management degree from an IIM without an MBA. Admission is through the IIMK BMS Aptitude Test, not JEE or CUET. The inaugural 2026-27 batch has begun. Applications for the 2027-28 batch are expected to open around February 2027.

Does IIM Kozhikode offer direct admission or a management quota?

No. IIM Kozhikode does not offer direct admission to any programme. All PGP seats are filled through CAT-based shortlisting and WAT-PI merit. IIMK has not publicly disclosed any management quota or NRI quota seats for the PGP or EPGP. Candidates must go through the standard selection process.

Can final-year graduation students apply for IIM Kozhikode PGP?

Yes. Final-year undergraduate students may appear for CAT 2026 and apply to IIM Kozhikode PGP. Such candidates must complete their graduation degree and submit proof of passing before joining the programme in April 2027. Provisional admission may be revoked if the degree completion requirement is not met.

IIM Kozhikode Gender & Academic Diversity Weightage 2027: 10 Marks Rule Explained

IIM Kozhikode scores gender diversity and academic diversity as two separate heads. Gender diversity carries 10 marks. Academic diversity carries 5 marks. Both sit inside the flagship PGP Stage 2 shortlisting score.

A candidate can claim only one of the two. So a woman with a B.Com degree earns 10 marks, not 15. Only female and transgender candidates qualify for the gender score.

Neither score applies at the final stage of the flagship PGP. The final merit list uses four heads. These are CAT 35%, PI 35%, WAT 20% and resume 10%. The rule is printed in the PGP admissions policy on iimk.ac.in.
Check: IIM Kozhikode Courses & Fees 2027

IIM Kozhikode Gender & Academic Diversity Weightage 2027: 10 Marks Rule Explained

Download: Official IIM Kozhikode PGP Admission Policy 2026–28 (PDF)

IIM Kozhikode Gender and Academic Diversity Weightage 2026-28

The flagship PGP awards diversity marks only at Stage 2. Stage 2 decides who gets a WAT and PI call. Every registered candidate is ranked on an Aggregate Index Score.

Read: IIM Kozhikode Course Admission 2027: Dates, Eligibility, Registrations, Selection Criteria

What Is the Aggregate Index Score?

The Aggregate Index Score, or AIS, is the IIM Kozhikode shortlisting score. It combines CAT 2025 scores with Class X and Class XII marks. Diversity and work experience make up the rest.

The total is 100 marks. A separate AIS ranking is drawn up for each category. Candidates above the category cutoff get the interview call.

The component split for the flagship PGP 2026-28 batch is given below.

Component	Weightage
CAT 2025 Index Score	50%
Class XII Percentage Score	20%
Class X Percentage Score	15%
Gender Diversity Score	10%
Academic Diversity Score	5%
Work Experience Score	Up to 5%

The policy prints both diversity heads in a single row. It reads 10% or 5%. That wording is deliberate. A candidate takes home one figure, never their sum.

IIM Kozhikode gender and academic score — IIM Kozhikode Admission policy PDF

Gender Diversity Score of 10 Marks

Only female and transgender candidates receive the gender diversity score. The value is a flat 10 marks out of 100. There is no sliding scale and no extra condition.

Academic background makes no difference here. A woman with a B.Tech degree gets the same 10 marks. So does a woman with a B.A. degree. Male candidates get nothing under this head.

Academic Diversity Score of 5 Marks

Academic diversity is worth 5 marks in the flagship PGP. It goes to candidates with a bachelor's degree outside engineering and technology. Commerce, arts, science, law and management degrees all count.

There is a second route into this score. Candidates holding both an engineering and a non-engineering bachelor's degree also qualify. The non-engineering degree must carry an aggregate of at least 60%.

The policy also covers candidates still pursuing such a degree. So a final-year B.Com student is included.

IIM Kozhikode Placement

Gender and Academic Diversity Marks Are Not Added Together

This is the most misread line in the policy. The two scores are mutually exclusive at the flagship PGP. A female non-engineer takes the higher figure. That is the gender score of 10.

Example: three candidates have identical CAT 2025 scores. Their Class X and Class XII marks also match. None of them has work experience.

Candidate	Profile	Diversity Marks
Candidate A	Female, B.Com graduate	10
Candidate B	Male, B.Com graduate	5
Candidate C	Male, B.Tech graduate	0

Candidate A leads Candidate C by 10 AIS marks. Candidate B leads Candidate C by 5. Candidate A gains nothing extra from the commerce degree.

Diversity Weightage Across the Three IIM Kozhikode MBA Programmes

IIM Kozhikode runs three two-year MBA programmes through CAT. Each one weighs diversity differently. The flagship PGP tilts towards gender. PGP-LSM tilts towards academic background.

Programme	Gender Diversity	Academic Diversity
Flagship PGP	10%	5%
PGP-LSM	5%	10%
PGP-Finance	5%	0%

PGP-LSM stands apart in one more way. Its admissions policy lists the two heads separately. A female non-engineering graduate collects 15 marks there.

The PGP-Finance policy drops academic diversity altogether. In its place sits a Finance Suitability Score worth 20%. That score rewards CFA, FRM and PRM levels cleared.

Example: a woman with a B.A. Economics degree applies to all three. She gets 10 diversity marks at the flagship PGP. She gets 15 at PGP-LSM and 5 at PGP-Finance.

How Diversity Marks Move the Stage 2 Shortlist Score?

The AIS is scored out of 100. A 10-mark head start is wide. IIM Kozhikode published the 2026-28 Stage 2 shortlist on January 16, 2026. The composite score cutoffs show how tight the race gets.

Category	Composite Score	Candidates Shortlisted
General	63.1406	1,850
EWS	55.4460	400
OBC-NCL	54.5605	1,200
SC	48.5268	750
PwD	44.7634	140
ST	41.0356	360

General candidates were separated by fractions of a mark. Against that spread, 10 marks decides the call. Students report that women and non-engineers convert calls more easily. Male engineers describe needing higher CAT percentiles.

The diversity marks do not touch Stage 1 at all. Every candidate must clear the same CAT bar. General candidates need 85 percentile overall and 75 percentile in each section.

Do Diversity Marks Count in the Final Merit List?

For the flagship PGP and PGP-Finance, the answer is no. Both rebuild the score from scratch after the WAT and PI. PGP-LSM is the exception. Its final score carries the Stage 2 AIS forward.

Programme	Final Score Rule	Diversity Counted
Flagship PGP	CAT 35%, PI 35%, WAT 20%, Resume 10%	No
PGP-LSM	AIS 40%, PI 40%, WAT 20%	Yes
PGP-Finance	PI 35%, Quant 15%, DI 15%, Finance Orientation 15%, WAT 10%, Work Experience 10%	No

So the flagship diversity advantage buys a seat in the interview room. It does not carry into the offer. From the WAT stage, all shortlisted candidates face the same heads.

What the Diversity Weightage Has Done to the IIM Kozhikode Batch?

The 2026-28 flagship PGP admitted 499 students. Of these, 329 are women. That works out to nearly 66%. No other IIM flagship MBA batch has recorded a higher share.

Programme (2026-28)	Women	Non-Engineers
Flagship PGP	66%	57%
PGP-LSM	82%	96%
PGP-Finance	12%	45%
All three MBA programmes	63%	59%

The shift has been steady rather than sudden. Women were 46% of the flagship batch in 2022-24. The 2024-26 batch reached 59%. The 2025-27 batch of 489 students had 55% women.

PGP-LSM shows the sharpest effect. It gives academic diversity the larger weight. That batch is 96% non-engineers. PGP-Finance, which drops the academic head, sits at the other end.

IIM Kozhikode Diversity Weightage 2027 FAQs

Ques. Does IIM Kozhikode reserve seats for women in the PGP programme?

Ans. No. IIM Kozhikode does not reserve seats for women. Instead, eligible female and transgender candidates receive gender diversity weightage during the PI shortlist process. Reservation is provided only under the Government of India categories such as OBC-NCL, EWS, SC, ST, and PwD.

Ques. Does the IIM Kozhikode diversity weightage reduce the CAT cutoff?

Ans. No. Diversity marks do not reduce the minimum CAT percentile required for eligibility. Candidates must first meet the prescribed CAT cutoff before diversity weightage is applied while calculating the Aggregate Index Score (AIS).

Ques. Are transgender candidates eligible for IIM Kozhikode gender diversity marks?

Ans. Yes. As per the official admission policy, female and transgender candidates receive gender diversity weightage. The flagship PGP awards 10 marks, while PGP-Finance and PGP-LSM award 5 marks.

Ques. Can final-year students claim the IIM Kozhikode academic diversity score?

Ans. Yes. Final-year students pursuing an eligible non-engineering bachelor's degree can claim the academic diversity score, provided they satisfy the programme's eligibility requirements at the time of admission.

Ques. Can an engineering graduate receive the IIM Kozhikode academic diversity weightage?

Ans. Yes, but only if the candidate also holds an eligible non-engineering bachelor's degree with at least 60% aggregate marks. A B.Tech or BE degree alone does not qualify for academic diversity marks.

Ques. Has IIM Kozhikode changed its diversity weightage for the 2026–28 admissions?

Ans. No. The admission policy continues to award 10 marks for gender diversity and 5 marks for academic diversity in the flagship PGP. This structure has remained unchanged since the 2024–26 admission cycle.

Ques. Will the same diversity weightage apply for IIM Kozhikode PGP 2027–29 admissions?

Ans. The official 2027–29 admission policy is expected before the CAT 2026 admission cycle. Until a revised policy is released, candidates should refer to the latest official admission policy for guidance.

Ques. Does IIM Kozhikode add work experience marks separately from diversity weightage?

Ans. Yes. Work experience is a separate component worth up to 5 marks in the Aggregate Index Score (AIS). It is added independently of gender and academic diversity weightage, with experience calculated up to the prescribed cutoff date in the admission policy.