CAT 2026 eligibility — age limit, qualification, relaxation
This page collects who can apply for CAT (Common Admission Test (CAT)), conducted by Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs): the age limit for each group of posts, the educational qualification, nationality rules and the age relaxation for each category. It is built from the same verified data as the CAT guide, which also carries the 2026 cycle status and dates.
In one line: the basic educational requirement is Bachelor’s degree, 50% (45% for reserved categories); final-year students eligible, and the age limit is No age limit — you may attempt CAT in as many years as you wish. Use the calculator to see your own eligible date-of-birth window.
✓ Data verified 4 Oct 2026
Age limit
| Posts | Age limit |
|---|---|
| All candidates | No age limit — you may attempt CAT in as many years as you wish |
Educational qualification
| Posts / situation | Requirement |
|---|---|
| All MBA/PGP programs accepting CAT | Bachelor's degree (any discipline) of at least 3 years with a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% for SC, ST and PwD candidates). Professional degrees such as CA, CS and ICWA are accepted. |
| Final-year students | Eligible to apply provisionally — the degree (or completion certificate) must be produced by the deadline each institute sets, typically around June of the admission year; failure converts the provisional admission to cancellation |
| Percentage interpretation | Aggregate of all years/semesters as computed by the admitting institute — follow the method stated in each IIM's admission policy for rounding and CGPA conversion |
Nationality
Citizen of India, or a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, or a Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1 January 1962 with permanent settlement intent, or a person of Indian origin migrated from the countries listed in the official notification.
Important notes on eligibility
The 50%/45% degree bar is CAT's own eligibility floor; individual institutes may add stricter requirements (extra minimums, discipline-specific criteria for programs like IIM Lucknow's ABM or IIM Indore's PGP-HRM) in their admission policies. Reservation for SC, ST, NC-OBC, EWS and PwD categories applies at the IIMs per Government of India norms, with correspondingly lower qualifying percentiles. Always read the official notification and the target institute's admission policy — they override any summary, including this one.
How to read these eligibility rules
The cut-off date decides your age. Your age is not measured on the day you apply or the day of the exam. It is measured on one fixed date written in the notification.
Relaxation is added to the upper limit only. A category relaxation raises the maximum age, not the minimum. The calculator adds the number of years for the category you pick and shows the resulting birth-date window per post group.
Your date of birth is taken from your certificate. Age is checked against the date of birth on your Class 10 / matriculation certificate, so use that date rather than the one on any other document.
Education is checked separately. Meeting the age limit does not make you eligible on its own. Check the qualification table above for your post, including any row about final-year students or candidates who are still waiting for a result.
The notification always wins. Where the official notification differs from this page, follow the notification.
Documents that prove age and qualification
On exam day you need the admit card printout (colour recommended) plus one original photo ID — Aadhaar, PAN, passport, driving licence or voter ID — with the name and date of birth exactly matching your registration; e-copies on phones are not accepted. For the WAT/GD-PI and admission stage, keep ready: Class 10 and Class 12 certificates and marksheets, all graduation marksheets and the degree/provisional certificate, the category certificate (SC/ST/NC-OBC/EWS in the Government of India format, current validity), PwD certificate where applicable, work-experience letters, and passport photographs. Name or DOB mismatches across documents are the classic shortlist-stage headache — resolve them with a gazette notification or affidavit before interviews, not after an offer is questioned.
CAT eligibility — FAQs
What is the age limit for CAT?
All candidates: No age limit — you may attempt CAT in as many years as you wish. The official notification's own age table is final.
What educational qualification is required for CAT?
All MBA/PGP programs accepting CAT: Bachelor's degree (any discipline) of at least 3 years with a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent CGPA (45% for SC, ST and PwD candidates). Professional degrees such as CA, CS and ICWA are accepted.; Final-year students: Eligible to apply provisionally — the degree (or completion certificate) must be produced by the deadline each institute sets, typically around June of the admission year; failure converts the provisional admission to cancellation; Percentage interpretation: Aggregate of all years/semesters as computed by the admitting institute — follow the method stated in each IIM's admission policy for rounding and CGPA conversion.
Is there a limit on CAT attempts?
No. There is no attempt limit and no age limit — you can appear in as many years as you like, as long as you hold (or are completing) a bachelor's degree with the required 50% (45% for SC/ST/PwD).
Can final-year students apply?
Yes — provisionally. You must produce your degree or completion certificate by the deadline each admitting institute sets (typically around June of the admission year). If you can't, the admission lapses.