IIM Lucknow Admission Criteria 2026 Released: Cutoff, Selection Process, WAT-PI & MBA Fees

IIM Lucknow Admission Criteria 2026

IIM Lucknow considers the candidate’s cumulative performance in the CAT entrance exam, relevant work experience, and academic and gender diversity for the selection process of the IIM Lucknow PGP programme. The weightage and cutoffs allocated for the evaluation parameters for MBA admissions will vary from IIM to IIM. Read this article by Careers360 to know about IIM Lucknow's MBA admission criteria and the IIM Lucknow cutoff 2025.

IIM Lucknow Admission Dates 2028

Students are required to stay updated with all the events related to IIM Lucknow admission. Check out the table below for the latest updates.

IIM Lucknow Selection Process Dates

CAT Result 2025

IIM Kozhikode will announce the CAT 2025 result tentatively in the third week of December 2025, on its official website. Candidates who will take CAT 2025 can download their CAT scorecard after inputting their login credentials created during CAT registration. The CAT 2025 scorecard contains sectional and overall scores along with the CAT percentile.

After the declaration of the CAT result, IIMs, and other top B-schools released the required CAT cutoff for admission on their official website. Students who satisfy the CAT cutoff will be shortlisted and they will get a call for the MBA admission process of the respective institutes. Read more about IIM selection procedure.

IIM Lucknow Admission Criteria 2026 - Eligibility criteria

To participate in IIM Lucknow MBA admission, candidates need to meet the following criteria

• They must have a Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate or equivalent. Candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) are eligible for 5% relaxation.

• The percentage obtained in Bachelor’s degrees will be calculated as per the norms followed by the degree awarding institution and conversion of CGPA will be as per the institution's guidelines. In case of non availability of the same, equivalence will be calculated by dividing the student’s CGPA by the maximum CGPA and multiplying the result by 100.

• Candidates appearing for their final year degree examination can also apply, but have to produce the requisite documents in original before the admission deadlines.

IIM Lucknow Admission - Marksheet and Degree Certificates Required

Candidates must submit all requisite mark sheets in original for verification along with attested copies of the same at the time of Personal Interview (PI). At the time of joining the program, candidates will have to submit mark sheets (both semester and yearly wise) in original.

Reservation - Category Requirements

Candidates belonging to reserved categories (SC/ ST/ PwD) produce the required original class/ caste or disability certificate on getting shortlisted.

Candidates in the final year of qualifying degree

Final year graduating students must submit an original certificate from the Registrar/ Director of the University/ Principal/ institution verifying that the candidate has obtained 50% marks in aggregate as per latest available marks/grades. Such students will be granted admission on a provisional basis which stands cancelled in case of non submission of the documents.

IIM Lucknow Admission Criteria 2026

Students aspiring to take admission to IIM Lucknow's flagship PGP program must fulfill the criteria for the following stages that are mentioned below.

Stage 1- Shortlisting for Writing Ability Test (WAT) – Personal Interview (PI)

The initial IIM Lucknow shortlist is released based on their CAT 2025 scorecard, past academic performance, and other criteria. For MBA-SM, a minimum work experience of 24 months is an additional requirement. The CAT cutoff for IIM Lucknow is given below.

Stage 1a: Eligibility Criteria for WAT-PI

IIM Lucknow CAT cut off 2025

Check out the IIM Lucknow sectional and overall CAT cutoff percentile required for the MBA admission process:

VARC=Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension; DILR=Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning; QA=Quantitative Ability

Stage 1b: Calculation of the Composite Score for Shortlisting for WAT-PI stage

Only the candidates securing the above-mentioned minimum sectional and total percentiles for the respective category in CAT 2025 will be considered for Stage 1b. The composite scores in Stage 1b shall be computed based on the factors described in Table 2.

Table 2: Weights Assigned to Various Components for Generating the Shortlist for WAT-PI Stage

Academic Disciplines (AD) for MBA-ABM Program

Stage 1c: Scheduling for WAT-PI

The composite score of a candidate who is shortlisted for WAT/ PI on the basis of Stage 1b shall be made available on the official website of IIM Lucknow. Such candidates must thereafter fill and submit the WAT-PI online form within the stipulated time. Candidates who fail to submit their WAT-PI online form before the deadlines, will not be allowed for the WAT-PI process. Furthermore, no queries in this regard will be entertained by IIM L.

Stage 2: Criteria for Final Selection of Candidates for MBA/MBA-ABM/MBA-SM program

A candidate’s final score for selection in MBA/MBA-ABM/MBA-SM program for the batch 2026–28 will be calculated on the basis of the assigned weights as summarised in Table 4.

Note:

• The minimum requirement for getting a pass in PI is 12 out of 40 marks. Names of candidates who do not pass in PI will not be included in the final merit list
• Final discretion on the academic category will rest with the IIM Lucknow Admissions Committee.
• The reservation policy prescribed by the Government of India for admission to Central Educational Institutions (CEIs) will be followed for admissions.
• Any dispute concerning Admissions for the batch 2026-28 would be subject to the jurisdiction of the competent Courts within the territorial jurisdiction of the city of Lucknow only.

B-School Accepting CAT Scores - Location-wise

IIM Lucknow Fee Structure 2026

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow will release the IIM Lucknow fee structure for the academic batch of 2026-28 shortly. However, if one considers the previous year’s fee structure, the PGP fee for the program is expected to be Rs 19,25,000 for the whole program. Authorities will soon release the completed breakdown of the IIM Lucknow PGP fee structure.

Also See: IIM Lucknow Scholarship: Types, Eligibility, How to Apply