Content Strategist | Updated On - Oct 30, 2026
IIM Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode and IIM Lucknow are among the leading institutes listed for candidates with an 85 percentile in CAT 2026. According to the article's CAT 2025 cutoff data, 22 management colleges, including seven IIMs and DoMS IIT Madras, are included in the comparison.
IIM Bangalore leads the list with NIRF Management Rank 2 and a reported average package of INR 35.35 LPA. JBIMS Mumbai records the highest return-on-fees figure at 257.14%, while UBS Panjab University lists a first-year MBA fee of INR 31,675.
CAT 85 Percentile Colleges 2026: Key Highlights
| MBA Fees | Placements & ROI | Admission Details | College Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest First-Year Fee: UBS Panjab University - INR 31,675 | Highest Average Package: IIM Bangalore - INR 35.35 LPA | CAT Cutoff: 85 percentile (CAT 2025, General, Round 1) | Top Institutes: 7 IIMs and DoMS IIT Madras |
| Highest Total Fee: IIM Bangalore - INR 28.10 lakh | Best Return on Fees: JBIMS Mumbai - 257.14% | Selection Process: Shortlisting, written test/GD and interview, as applicable | Popular Specialisations: Finance, Marketing, Business Analytics, Agri-Business |
MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT 2026
IIM Bangalore leads the listed colleges with NIRF Management Rank 2 in 2025, followed by IIM Kozhikode at rank 3 and IIM Lucknow at rank 5. The table compares 22 institutes based on rankings, programmes, fees, CAT cutoffs and placement packages.
| NIRF 2025 Management Rank | College Name | Programme at 85 Percentile | Total Course Fees (INR) | CAT Cutoff (General) | Average/Median Package |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | IIM Bangalore | PG Programme in Business Analytics | 28.10 Lakh | 85 CAT | 35.35 LPA (average) |
| 3 | IIM Kozhikode | PGPM | 13.22 Lakh (first year) | 85 CAT | 28.18 LPA (average) |
| 5 | IIM Lucknow | PGP-ABM | 10.95 Lakh (first year) | 85 CAT | 33.20 LPA (average) |
| 6 | IIM Mumbai | MBA | 25.50 Lakh | 85 CAT | 31.40 LPA (average) |
| 7 | IIM Calcutta | MBA | 27.20 Lakh | 85 CAT | 30.00 LPA (median) |
| 13 | DoMS IIT Madras | MBA | 6.71 Lakh (first year) | 85 CAT | 17.90 LPA (average) |
| 20 | SPJIMR Mumbai | PGDM-BM | 24.86 Lakh | 85 CAT | 34.05 LPA (average) |
| 34 | IIM Sambalpur | MBA Business Analytics | 16.75 Lakh | 85 CAT | 15.65 LPA (average) |
| 37 | GLIM Chennai | PGPM | 23.50 Lakh | 85 CAT | 18.10 LPA (average) |
| 39 | TAPMI Manipal | MBA | 18.00 Lakh | 85 CAT | 13.99 LPA (average) |
| 46 | IBS Hyderabad | MBA | 17.01 Lakh | 85 CAT | Not published |
| 49 | Amity University Noida | MBA | 10.59 Lakh | 85 CAT | 7.00 LPA (median) |
| 51 | IIM Sirmaur | MBA Tourism Management | 21.00 Lakh | 85 CAT | 13.30 LPA (average) |
| 59 | FORESM New Delhi | PGDM | 23.47 Lakh | 85 CAT | 16.52 LPA (average) |
| 92 | UBS, Panjab University, Chandigarh | MBA | 31,675 (first year) | 85 CAT | Not published |
| 96 | BIM Tiruchirappalli | MBA | Not published | 85 CAT | 10.70 LPA (average) |
| 101-125 band | LBSIM New Delhi | PGDM | 16.50 Lakh | 85 CAT | 12.32 LPA (average) |
| Not ranked | JBIMS Mumbai | MHRD | 7.00 Lakh | 85 CAT | 18.00 LPA (average) |
| Not ranked | FIIB New Delhi | PGDM | 12.95 Lakh | 85 CAT | 9.50 LPA (median) |
| Not ranked | DSM DTU | MBA | 5.00 Lakh | 85 CAT | Not published |
| Not ranked | Department of Commerce DU | MBA-HRD and MBA-IB | 57,279 (first year) | 85 CAT | 13.94 LPA (average) |
| No NIRF record | Altera Institute, Gurgaon | PGP in Applied Marketing | 16.92 Lakh | 85 CAT | 16.70 LPA (average) |
MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT with Best ROI and Placements 2026
JBIMS Mumbai leads the article's return-on-fees comparison at 257.14%, followed by SPJIMR Mumbai at 136.97% and IIM Bangalore at 125.80%. The table compares course fees, average or median packages and calculated returns.
| Rank by ROI | College Name | Total Course Fees | Average/Median Package | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JBIMS Mumbai | 7.00 Lakh | 18.00 LPA (average) | 257.14% |
| 2 | SPJIMR Mumbai | 24.86 Lakh | 34.05 LPA (average) | 136.97% |
| 3 | IIM Bangalore | 28.10 Lakh | 35.35 LPA (average) | 125.80% |
| 4 | IIM Mumbai | 25.50 Lakh | 31.40 LPA (average) | 123.14% |
| 5 | IIM Calcutta | 27.20 Lakh | 30.00 LPA (median) | 110.29% |
| 6 | Altera Institute, Gurgaon | 16.92 Lakh | 16.70 LPA (average) | 98.70% |
| 7 | TAPMI Manipal | 18.00 Lakh | 13.99 LPA (average) | 77.72% |
| 8 | GLIM Chennai | 23.50 Lakh | 18.10 LPA (average) | 77.02% |
| 9 | LBSIM New Delhi | 16.50 Lakh | 12.32 LPA (average) | 74.67% |
| 10 | FIIB New Delhi | 12.95 Lakh | 9.50 LPA (median) | 73.36% |
| 11 | FORESM New Delhi | 23.47 Lakh | 16.52 LPA (average) | 70.39% |
| 12 | Amity University Noida | 10.59 Lakh | 7.00 LPA (median) | 66.10% |
| 13 | IIM Sirmaur | 21.00 Lakh | 13.30 LPA (average) | 63.33% |
MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT: Cutoff 2026
The article lists a CAT 2025 Round 1 General-category cutoff of 85 percentile for all 22 colleges. The table compares the programmes available at this level and the published sectional cutoff requirements.
| College Name | Programmes at This Cutoff | CAT 2025 Cutoff (General, Round 1) |
|---|---|---|
| IIM Bangalore | PG Programme in Business Analytics, PGP-PPM | 85 CAT |
| IIM Kozhikode | PGPM, PG Programme in Management Finance | 85 CAT |
| IIM Lucknow | PGP-ABM, MBA Sustainability Management | 85 CAT |
| IIM Mumbai | MBA, MBA Operations and Supply Chain Management | 85 CAT |
| IIM Calcutta | MBA | 85 CAT |
| DoMS IIT Madras | MBA | 85 CAT |
| SPJIMR Mumbai | PGDM, PGDM-BM, PGPM | 85 CAT |
| IIM Sambalpur | MBA Business Analytics | 85 CAT |
| GLIM Chennai | PGPM, PGDM, PGPM Flex | 85 CAT |
| TAPMI Manipal | MBA and all four specialisations | 85 CAT |
| IBS Hyderabad | MBA | 85 CAT |
| Amity University Noida | MBA | 85 CAT |
| IIM Sirmaur | MBA Tourism Management, MBA Tourism Travel and Hospitality | 85 CAT |
| FORESM New Delhi | PGDM, PGDM International Business, PGDM Big Data Analytics | 85 CAT |
| UBS, Panjab University Chandigarh | MBA, MBA Human Resource Management | 85 CAT |
| BIM Tiruchirappalli | MBA | 85 CAT |
| LBSIM New Delhi | PGDM | 85 CAT |
| JBIMS Mumbai | MHRD | 85 CAT |
| FIIB New Delhi | PGDM | 85 CAT |
| DSM DTU | MBA and all six specialisations | 85 CAT |
| Department of Commerce DU | MBA-HRD, MBA-IB | 85 CAT |
| Altera Institute Gurgaon | PGP in Applied Marketing | 85 CAT |
MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT: City Wise
The twenty-two colleges are spread across twelve cities. Delhi NCR holds eight of them, more than a third of the list, and Mumbai holds the three with the strongest salary outcomes relative to fees.
MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT in Delhi NCR
Delhi NCR has eight colleges in the CAT 85-percentile list, including FORE School of Management, LBSIM, FIIB and Delhi School of Management at DTU. The table compares their programmes, fees and placement packages.
| College Name | Programme at 85 Percentile | Total Course Fees | Average/Median Package |
|---|---|---|---|
| FORESM New Delhi | PGDM | 23.47 Lakh | 16.52 LPA (average) |
| LBSIM New Delhi | PGDM | 16.50 Lakh | 12.32 LPA (average) |
| IIM Sambalpur | MBA Business Analytics (Delhi Campus) | 16.75 Lakh | 15.65 LPA (average) |
| Altera Institute, Gurgaon | PGP in Applied Marketing | 16.92 Lakh | 16.70 LPA (average) |
| FIIB New Delhi | PGDM | 12.95 Lakh | 9.50 LPA (median) |
| Amity University Noida | MBA | 10.59 Lakh | 7.00 LPA (median) |
| DSM DTU | MBA | 5.00 Lakh | Not published |
| Department of Commerce DU | MBA-HRD and MBA-IB | 57,279 (first year) | 13.94 LPA (average) |
MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT in Mumbai
Mumbai has three institutes in the comparison: SPJIMR Mumbai, IIM Mumbai and JBIMS Mumbai. The table highlights differences in course fees, programmes and placement packages.
| College Name | Programme at 85 Percentile | Total Course Fees | Average/Median Package |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPJIMR Mumbai | PGDM-BM | 24.86 Lakh | 34.05 LPA (average) |
| IIM Mumbai | MBA | 25.50 Lakh | 31.40 LPA (average) |
| JBIMS Mumbai | MHRD | 7.00 Lakh | 18.00 LPA (average) |
MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT in Chennai
Great Lakes Institute of Management and DoMS IIT Madras are the two Chennai institutes in the list. Both report average packages of around INR 18 LPA, although their course fees differ.
| College Name | Programme at 85 Percentile | Total Course Fees | Average/Median Package |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLIM Chennai | PGPM | 23.50 Lakh | 18.10 LPA (average) |
| DoMS IIT Madras | MBA | 6.71 Lakh (first year) | 17.90 LPA (average) |
MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT in Other Cities
The remaining listed colleges are located in cities including Bangalore, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Manipal and Chandigarh. The table compares their management programmes, fees and available placement packages.
| College Name | City | Programme at 85 Percentile | Total Course Fees | Average/Median Package |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Bangalore | Bangalore | PG Programme in Business Analytics | 28.10 Lakh | 35.35 LPA (average) |
| IIM Kozhikode | Kozhikode | PGPM | 13.22 Lakh (first year) | 28.18 LPA (average) |
| IIM Lucknow | Lucknow | PGP-ABM | 10.95 Lakh (first year) | 33.20 LPA (average) |
| IIM Calcutta | Kolkata | MBA | 27.20 Lakh | 30.00 LPA (median) |
| IIM Sirmaur | Sirmaur | MBA Tourism Management | 21.00 Lakh | 13.30 LPA (average) |
| TAPMI Manipal | Manipal | MBA | 18.00 Lakh | 13.99 LPA (average) |
| IBS Hyderabad | Hyderabad | MBA | 17.01 Lakh | Not published |
| BIM Tiruchirappalli | Tiruchirappalli | MBA | Not published | 10.70 LPA (average) |
| UBS, Panjab University, Chandigarh | Chandigarh | MBA | 31,675 (first year) | Not published |
MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT: Specialisation
The colleges offer management programmes in Business Analytics, Finance, Marketing, Human Resources and other fields. The table shows how many institutes list each specialisation at the reported 85-percentile level.
| Specialisation | Colleges Offering It at 85 Percentile | Number of Colleges |
|---|---|---|
| Business Analytics and Big Data | IIM Bangalore, IIM Sambalpur, Delhi School of Management DTU, FORE School of Management | 4 |
| Human Resources | JBIMS Mumbai, UBS Panjab University, TAPMI Manipal, Department of Commerce University of Delhi, Delhi School of Management DTU | 5 |
| Marketing | TAPMI Manipal, Altera Institute Gurgaon, Delhi School of Management DTU | 3 |
| International Business | FORE School of Management, TAPMI Manipal, Department of Commerce University of Delhi | 3 |
| Finance | IIM Kozhikode, Delhi School of Management DTU, FORE School of Management | 3 |
| Operations and Supply Chain | IIM Mumbai, Delhi School of Management DTU | 2 |
| Agri-Business | IIM Lucknow | 1 |
| Sustainability | IIM Lucknow | 1 |
| Tourism and Hospitality | IIM Sirmaur | 1 |
| General MBA or PGDM | IIM Calcutta, IIM Mumbai, DoMS IIT Madras, SPJIMR Mumbai, Great Lakes Chennai, IBS Hyderabad, Amity University Noida, LBSIM New Delhi, FIIB New Delhi, BIM Tiruchirappalli | 10 |
Student Perception of MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT
Student ratings provide another way to compare the 22 management colleges. The table includes overall ratings, placement feedback, accommodation and social-life scores based on Collegedunia student reviews.
| College Name | Overall Rating (out of 5) | Number of Reviews | Placement | Accommodation | Social Life |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Bangalore | 4.6 | 81 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 |
| IIM Calcutta | 4.4 | 88 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
| IIM Sambalpur | 4.4 | 25 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 5.0 |
| IIM Mumbai | 4.3 | 72 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.3 |
| GLIM Chennai | 4.3 | 68 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| IIM Kozhikode | 4.2 | 40 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| IIM Lucknow | 4.2 | 93 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| JBIMS Mumbai | 4.2 | 39 | 4.7 | 3.3 | 4.2 |
| BIM Tiruchirappalli | 4.2 | 17 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| Department of Commerce DU | 4.2 | 34 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| SPJIMR Mumbai | 4.2 | 45 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| TAPMI Manipal | 4.2 | 130 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| DSM DTU | 4.2 | 13 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| DoMS IIT Madras | 4.1 | 4 | 3.8 | 5.0 | Not published |
| Amity University Noida | 4.1 | 3,077 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
| IBS Hyderabad | 4.1 | 210 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| IIM Sirmaur | 4.0 | 115 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| UBS, Panjab University, Chandigarh | 4.0 | 80 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.3 |
| FIIB New Delhi | 4.0 | 41 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.2 |
| LBSIM New Delhi | 3.9 | 125 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| FORESM New Delhi | 3.7 | 136 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
What students consistently praise. At the IIMs it is recruiter breadth, faculty quality and the peer group. IIM Mumbai and JBIMS both score 4.7 on placement, the highest on this page, and JBIMS students repeatedly single out its South Mumbai location and its cost relative to what it pays. At the University of Delhi and UBS Panjab University the recurring theme is value for money, with students pointing to low fees against reported averages in the low teens.
What students consistently criticise. Accommodation is the weakest category almost everywhere, and the pattern is clear: the city-centre institutes that are non-residential or barely residential sit at the bottom, with JBIMS at 3.3, FIIB at 3.4 and LBSIM at 3.5. Mess food draws complaints at nearly every residential campus. The remote campuses, IIM Kozhikode and IIM Sirmaur, draw criticism for connectivity and distance, and IIM Sirmaur's permanent campus is still being built. IIM Lucknow carries the sharpest cultural complaint in the set, with students describing intense internal competition. Amity students raise fees and uneven placement outcomes, and Amity Business School students specifically say they are left to find internships themselves.
Two categories a reader may expect are not shown because Collegedunia does not publish them as scores. There is no value-for-money rating and no campus-life rating; social life is the closest published equivalent and is the column used here.
MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT FAQs
Ques. Is a CAT 85 percentile enough for a good MBA college?
Ans. Yes. Twenty-two colleges publish a Round 1 General cutoff of exactly 85 percentile, and seven of them are IIMs. IIM Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow, IIM Mumbai, IIM Calcutta, SPJIMR Mumbai and DoMS IIT Madras all admit at this mark to at least one programme. At 85 percentile a candidate clears the shortlisting bar rather than clearing it comfortably, so the academic record, work experience and interview performance carry real weight in the final call.
Ques. Can a student get into an IIM with an 85 percentile in CAT?
Ans. Yes, at seven of them. IIM Bangalore admits at 85 percentile to its PG Programme in Business Analytics, IIM Kozhikode to its PGPM, IIM Lucknow to PGP-ABM and MBA Sustainability Management, IIM Mumbai to its MBA, IIM Calcutta to its MBA, IIM Sirmaur to its MBA in Tourism Management and IIM Sambalpur to its MBA in Business Analytics at the Delhi campus. Note that several of these are specialised programmes rather than the institute's two-year flagship MBA.
Ques. Which MBA colleges accepting 85 percentile in CAT offer the best return on investment?
Ans. JBIMS Mumbai leads at 257.14%, returning more than two and a half times its total fee of 7.00 Lakh in a single year on an average package of 18.00 LPA. SPJIMR Mumbai follows at 136.97% and IIM Bangalore at 125.80%. Five colleges on this page return more than their full course fee within one year of graduating.
Ques. What is the lowest fee MBA college accepting 85 percentile in CAT?
Ans. University Business School at Panjab University charges 31,675 for the first year, the lowest figure on this page. The Department of Commerce at the University of Delhi charges 57,279 for the first year, and Delhi School of Management at DTU charges 5.00 Lakh for the full two years. All three are state-funded, which is why they sit so far below the private schools on this list.
Ques. Does an 85 percentile in CAT guarantee admission?
Ans. No. At almost every college here the 85 reads as the percentile at which applications are accepted rather than the percentile at which the last seat was filled. The figure sits at 85 across every programme, every category and every year from 2022 to 2025 on most of these pages, which is not how an observed closing percentile behaves. Clearing 85 opens the written test, group discussion and personal interview; the offer is decided there.
Ques. Which MBA colleges accepting 85 percentile in CAT are in Delhi NCR?
Ans. Eight. FORE School of Management, LBSIM, FIIB, Delhi School of Management at DTU, the Department of Commerce at the University of Delhi, IIM Sambalpur's Delhi campus, Amity University Noida and Altera Institute in Gurgaon. They cover the widest fee range on this page, from 5.00 Lakh at DTU to 23.47 Lakh at FORE.
Ques. What is the highest package at an MBA college accepting 85 percentile in CAT?
Ans. IIM Lucknow reported a domestic high of 1 Crore in its 2024-26 placement report, with an international high of 65 LPA. IIM Kozhikode follows at 81 LPA and JBIMS Mumbai at 80 LPA. These are single offers rather than typical outcomes, and the average or median figures in the main table are a far better guide to what a candidate can expect.
Ques. Can a student get into an IIT with an 85 percentile in CAT?
Ans. Yes, at one. The Department of Management Studies at IIT Madras admits to its MBA at 85 percentile overall, with a sectional requirement of 75 percentile in each of the three sections. Its 2023-25 batch reported a median of 18.00 LPA and an average of 17.90 LPA against a first-year fee of roughly 6.71 Lakh, which makes it one of the strongest value propositions on this page.
Ques. Which specialisations are open at 85 percentile in CAT?
Ans. Business Analytics is the most widely available, offered at IIM Bangalore, IIM Sambalpur, Delhi School of Management and FORE School of Management. Human Resources is next, at JBIMS, UBS Panjab University, TAPMI, the University of Delhi and Delhi School of Management. Marketing, International Business and Finance each have three colleges, and IIM Lucknow is the only institute offering Agri-Business and Sustainability Management at this cutoff.
Ques. Do these colleges publish sectional cutoffs alongside the 85 percentile?
Ans. Only two do. DoMS IIT Madras and SPJIMR Mumbai both require 75 percentile in each of the three CAT sections in addition to the 85 overall. The remaining twenty publish no sectional requirement at all, which means a candidate with an uneven score across sections is not automatically ruled out at those colleges.
Ques. Which cutoffs have changed since CAT 2024?
Ans. Very few, which is itself worth noting. SPJIMR is the only college in this set with any year-on-year movement on record, having published 92 percentile in 2021 before settling at 85 from 2022 onwards. The more consequential change is at colleges that have left this band: IMT Nagpur published 85 percentile from 2021 to 2024 and dropped to 75 for CAT 2025, and IIM Shillong fell from 92 to 75 over the same period. Both now appear on the 75 percentile list instead.
Ques. Is 85 percentile meaningfully better than 75 percentile for MBA admission?
Ans. Yes, and the gap is larger than ten percentile points suggests. At 75 percentile thirteen colleges open up, led by IIM Shillong and IIT Mandi. At 85 that rises to twenty-two, and the composition changes completely: seven IIMs including Bangalore, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai and Calcutta, plus SPJIMR and DoMS IIT Madras. Average packages roughly double, from a band topping out near 27 LPA at 75 percentile to one topping 35 LPA at 85.
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