IIM Lucknow Admission 2026–28: Eligibility, CAT Cutoffs, Selection Process and Rankings
Reviewed by Kaushik Kapoor
Co-founder and Director of Erudite, a premium MBA entrance coaching institute headquartered in Kolkata. An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur and St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, with over 25 years of experience in student mentoring, MBA entrance preparation, test-prep strategy and academic training.
Last reviewed: August 2026
Admission cycle covered: MBA, MBA-ABM and MBA-SM batch 2026–28, based on CAT 2025
IIM Lucknow admission to its MBA, MBA in Agribusiness Management and MBA in Sustainable Management programmes follows a two-stage process. Applicants must first meet the programme- and category-specific CAT cutoffs. Shortlisted candidates are then evaluated through a Written Ability Test and Personal Interview.
For the 2026–28 batch, the General-category minimum for the MBA programme was 90 percentile overall and 85 percentile in each CAT section. The corresponding minimum for MBA-ABM and MBA-SM was 85 percentile overall and 80 percentile sectionally.
IIM Lucknow Admission 2026–28: Quick Overview
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Institute established | 1984 |
| Admission cycle covered | 2026–28 |
| Main entrance examination | CAT 2025 |
| Programmes covered by the common policy | MBA, MBA-ABM and MBA-SM |
| Selection stages | CAT-based shortlisting, WAT and PI |
| Minimum MBA cutoff for General category | 90 overall and 85 in each section |
| MBA-SM work-experience requirement | At least 24 months |
| PI weight in final selection | 40% |
| Minimum PI pass mark | 12 out of 40 |
| NIRF Management 2025 rank | 5 |
| FT Masters in Management 2025 rank | 57 |
The institute’s two-year flagship Post Graduate Programme is a full-time residential programme whose successful participants receive the Master of Business Administration degree.
Which IIM Lucknow Programmes Does This Admission Policy Cover?
The common 2026–28 admission policy applies to the following programmes:
| Programme | Format | Main Admission Route | Additional Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| MBA | Two-year, full-time residential | CAT 2025 | No mandatory work experience |
| MBA-ABM | Two-year, full-time residential | CAT 2025 | Special MBA-ABM form required |
| MBA-SM | Two-year, full-time residential at the Noida campus | CAT 2025 | At least 24 months of work experience and a special MBA-SM form |
MBA-ABM is intended for careers connected with agriculture, food, rural enterprises and related sectors. MBA-SM focuses on the economic, environmental and social dimensions of management.
IIM Lucknow also offers programmes such as IPMX, MBA for Working Executives, blended MBA and doctoral programmes. These have separate eligibility requirements, entrance-test rules and application processes.
For example, IPMX follows a separate GMAT- or GRE-based admission route and is not covered by the CAT 2025 policy discussed in this article.
IIM Lucknow Eligibility Criteria
Academic Qualification
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent recognised qualification with:
At least 50% marks or an equivalent CGPA for General, EWS and NC-OBC candidates
At least 45% marks or an equivalent CGPA for SC, ST and PwD candidates
Where a university provides grades instead of percentages, the university’s approved conversion method is used. If no conversion method exists, the CGPA is divided by the maximum possible CGPA and multiplied by 100.
Can Final-Year Students Apply?
Yes. Candidates appearing in the final year of their bachelor’s degree or awaiting results may apply.
For the 2026–28 batch, provisionally admitted candidates had to provide a certificate showing that all degree requirements had been completed by June 30, 2026. They also had to satisfy the prescribed minimum graduation percentage.
Entrance Examination Requirement
Applicants to the MBA, MBA-ABM and MBA-SM programmes covered by this policy must have taken CAT 2025 and must satisfy both the sectional and overall percentile requirements.
The official 2026–28 policy does not provide a GMAT route for these three programmes. Applicants should not confuse their admission process with IPMX, blended MBA or other executive programmes that may accept GMAT or GRE scores.
Work-Experience Requirement
MBA: Work experience is not mandatory.
MBA-ABM: Work experience is not mandatory and does not receive shortlisting marks.
MBA-SM: Applicants must have at least 24 months of professional experience.
IIM Lucknow CAT Cutoffs for the 2026–28 Batch
The following figures are the minimum qualifying CAT 2025 cutoffs for consideration at the WAT-PI shortlisting stage.
MBA Cutoff
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 85 | 85 | 85 | 90 |
| EWS | 77 | 77 | 77 | 82 |
| NC-OBC | 77 | 77 | 77 | 82 |
| SC | 55 | 55 | 55 | 65 |
| ST | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
| PwD | 50 | 50 | 50 | 60 |
MBA-ABM Cutoff
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 | 80 | 80 | 85 |
| EWS | 72 | 72 | 72 | 77 |
| NC-OBC | 72 | 72 | 72 | 77 |
| SC | 55 | 55 | 55 | 65 |
| ST | 50 | 50 | 50 | 55 |
| PwD | 50 | 50 | 50 | 55 |
MBA-SM Cutoff
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 80 | 80 | 80 | 85 |
| EWS | 72 | 72 | 72 | 77 |
| NC-OBC | 72 | 72 | 72 | 77 |
| SC | 55 | 55 | 55 | 60 |
| ST | 50 | 50 | 50 | 55 |
| PwD | 50 | 50 | 50 | 55 |
VARC stands for Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension, DILR for Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning, and QA for Quantitative Ability.
Does Clearing the Minimum Cutoff Guarantee an Interview?
No. These percentiles only make an applicant eligible for the next shortlisting calculation.
IIM Lucknow subsequently calculates a composite score using CAT performance, academic results, work experience and diversity factors.
The actual score needed for an interview call can therefore be considerably higher than the published minimum, depending on the applicant pool and the candidate’s academic profile.
IIM Lucknow Admission and Selection Process
The admission process can be understood in six steps.
Register for and take CAT: Candidates select the relevant IIM Lucknow programmes during the CAT application process.
Meet the sectional and overall cutoffs: Falling below even one sectional cutoff makes the candidate ineligible for the subsequent shortlisting calculation.
Complete the special programme form where required: Candidates seeking MBA-ABM or MBA-SM must submit the relevant special form by the stated deadline.
Composite-score shortlisting: Eligible candidates are ranked using CAT, academic performance, work experience and diversity factors.
Attend WAT and PI: Shortlisted applicants complete a Written Ability Test and Personal Interview.
Final merit-list calculation: Admission offers are based on CAT, academics, diversity, work experience where applicable, WAT and PI.
WAT-PI Shortlisting Weightages
| Component | MBA | MBA-ABM | MBA-SM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scaled CAT score | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| Class 12 performance | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Graduation performance | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Work experience | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Academic-discipline diversity | 5 | 20 | 5 |
| Gender diversity | 5 | 5* | 5 |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 |
*For MBA-ABM, the combined academic- and gender-diversity score cannot exceed 20.
For MBA and MBA-SM, applicants with a non-engineering bachelor’s degree can receive five academic-diversity marks.
MBA-ABM awards academic-diversity marks to candidates from specified agriculture, science, veterinary, dairy, food-technology, forestry, horticulture and rural-studies disciplines. Female applicants may receive five gender-diversity marks.
How Is Work Experience Scored?
For the 2026–28 cycle, work experience was counted as of July 31, 2025. Only full-time, post-graduation work experience was considered.
For MBA, scoring begins after six completed months. Candidates receive 0.5 marks for each qualifying month beyond six months, subject to a maximum of 10 marks.
For MBA-SM, scoring begins after 24 completed months. Candidates receive 0.5 marks for each month beyond 24 months, subject to a maximum of 10 marks.
MBA-ABM does not award work-experience marks at this stage.
Supporting documents may include:
Experience certificates
Appointment letters
Relieving letters
Pay slips
Bank statements
Final Selection Weightages
| Component | MBA and MBA-SM | MBA-ABM |
|---|---|---|
| CAT | 30 | 35 |
| Class 12 performance | 5 | 5 |
| Graduation performance | 5 | 5 |
| Diversity factor | 5 | 5 |
| Work experience | 5 | Not applicable |
| Written Ability Test | 10 | 10 |
| Personal Interview | 40 | 40 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
The Personal Interview has the largest individual weight.
Candidates must also score at least 12 out of 40 in the PI. Those who fail to meet this PI requirement are excluded from the final merit list, irrespective of their CAT or academic scores.
IIM Lucknow Rankings and Accreditations
Rankings should always be considered alongside the ranking year and category because different frameworks assess different programmes and outcomes.
| Ranking | IIM Lucknow Result |
|---|---|
| NIRF Management 2025 | Rank 5 |
| Financial Times Masters in Management 2025 | Rank 57 |
| FT Masters in Management 2025 career-progression rank | Rank 53 |
| FT Global MBA 2026 for IPMX | Rank 58, as announced by IIM Lucknow |
IIM Lucknow ranked fifth in the Management category of NIRF 2025, with a reported score of 77.97.
At the time of this review, NIRF’s official website was collecting and processing information for India Rankings 2026, while the latest released Management ranking was the 2025 edition.
The institute’s official Financial Times rankings page reports a rank of 57 in the 2025 Masters in Management ranking. IIM Lucknow also announced that IPMX secured the 58th position in the FT Global MBA Rankings 2026.
The official IPMX programme page describes that programme as holding accreditation from AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA. Accreditation claims should be made at the programme or institutional level stated by the official source rather than being generalised across every IIM Lucknow course.
IIM Lucknow Fees
The official fee structure for the 2026–28 PGP/MBA and PGP-ABM batch lists:
First-year total, including refundable deposit: ₹10.95 lakh
Second-year total, including alumni-membership fee: ₹9.80 lakh
Total across two years: ₹20.75 lakh
The total includes a ₹20,000 refundable deposit and a ₹5,000 alumni-membership fee. Mess charges are payable separately on an actual-cost basis.
Applicants should verify the latest programme-specific fee notice before accepting an offer, particularly for MBA-SM and programmes delivered at the Noida campus.
Expert Preparation Tips for IIM Lucknow Applicants
Do Not Use the Minimum Cutoff as Your Target
A 90 percentile MBA cutoff means that a General-category applicant below 90 cannot proceed to the next stage. It does not mean that 90 is a reliably competitive percentile for receiving an interview call.
Prepare Your Profile Evidence Early
Work-experience claims are verified. Ensure that job dates, employer names and salary records are consistent across:
CAT application details
Experience certificates
Appointment and relieving letters
Pay slips
Bank statements
Discrepancies can create avoidable problems during document verification.
Prepare for the PI as Seriously as CAT
The PI carries 40% of the final score and has a separate pass requirement.
Candidates should be prepared to discuss:
Graduation subjects
Work responsibilities
Career transitions
Current business and economic developments
Why they want to pursue an MBA
Why they have selected IIM Lucknow
Why they have selected MBA-ABM or MBA-SM, where applicable
Examples of leadership, setbacks and ethical decision-making
Build a Programme-Specific Explanation
MBA-ABM and MBA-SM applicants should not rely on a generic statement such as “I want to become a manager.”
They should be able to explain why the programme’s industry focus fits their education, experience and long-term goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Minimum CAT Cutoff for IIM Lucknow MBA?
For the 2026–28 batch, the General-category minimum was 90 percentile overall and 85 percentile in each CAT section. Other categories had lower prescribed minimums.
Does a 90 Percentile CAT Score Guarantee an IIM Lucknow Interview?
No. The 90 percentile figure is the minimum overall MBA cutoff for General-category candidates.
Interview shortlisting also considers sectional performance, Class 12 marks, graduation marks, work experience and diversity.
Can Final-Year Graduation Students Apply?
Yes. For the 2026–28 batch, provisionally selected candidates had to complete all degree requirements and provide the prescribed certificate by June 30, 2026.
Is Work Experience Compulsory for IIM Lucknow MBA?
No. Work experience is not mandatory for the regular MBA.
However, eligible experience can contribute up to 10 marks during shortlisting and five marks during final selection.
Is Work Experience Compulsory for MBA-SM?
Yes. MBA-SM applicants require at least 24 months of professional experience.
Does MBA-ABM Award Marks for Work Experience?
No. The 2026–28 shortlisting policy assigned zero work-experience marks to MBA-ABM, and work experience was not included in its final-selection score.
Does IIM Lucknow Accept GMAT for Its Regular MBA?
The 2026–28 admission policy for MBA, MBA-ABM and MBA-SM is based on CAT 2025 and does not list GMAT as an alternative.
Separate programmes such as IPMX may accept GMAT or GRE scores.
What Are the WAT and PI Weightages?
WAT carries 10% and PI carries 40% in the final selection for MBA, MBA-ABM and MBA-SM.
Candidates must score at least 12 out of 40 in PI.
Do MBA-ABM and MBA-SM Applicants Need to Submit Another Form?
Yes. Candidates seeking admission to MBA-ABM or MBA-SM must submit the respective special programme form by the notified deadline.
Failure to do so makes them ineligible for that programme’s WAT-PI process.
What Is IIM Lucknow’s Latest NIRF Rank?
IIM Lucknow ranked fifth in the Management category of NIRF 2025.
Final Takeaway
IIM Lucknow’s selection process rewards more than a high CAT percentile.
CAT contributes 60% at the WAT-PI shortlisting stage, but academics, relevant work experience and diversity can materially affect whether an eligible applicant receives an interview call. At the final stage, the Personal Interview becomes the single largest component at 40%.
Applicants should therefore prepare on three fronts:
Achieve a CAT percentile comfortably above the qualifying minimum.
Maintain accurate academic and professional documentation.
Develop a credible, programme-specific interview narrative.
Admission criteria can change from one cycle to the next. Candidates applying in a later year should verify every cutoff, deadline and weightage against the official admission policy published for their batch.