CAT Eligibility 2026: Graduation Marks, Final-Year Students and Categories

CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026

CAT 2026 requires a recognised bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA, or 45% for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Final-year students can apply provisionally and must later show proof of completion. No upper or lower age limit is reported. Meeting CAT eligibility only lets you sit the exam; IIMs and other colleges apply separate admission criteria.

Am I eligible for CAT? Do I need 50% in graduation? Can I apply in my final year? Is there an age limit? Do different categories have different requirements? These are the questions aspirants ask most often, and the CAT eligibility criteria 2026 answer most of them in a few lines: a recognised bachelor’s degree, minimum marks that depend on category, and provisional entry for final-year students. The confusion starts when three separate decisions get mixed together: who can sit CAT, who an IIM shortlists, and who a particular MBA or PGDM college admits. This guide explains each, with category-wise marks, CGPA conversion, documents and a checklist, so you know exactly what to verify before you apply.

What Are the CAT Eligibility Criteria for 2026?

The rule has three parts: a qualification, minimum marks and, for some candidates, documents. The official rules are published on the official CAT 2026 website and in the information bulletin, which is the controlling authority. A “recognised” degree means one from an institution recognised under Indian law; the University Grants Commission publishes lists of universities by type, and a list of fake universities, which students can check before relying on a qualification.

Criterion	CAT 2026 Requirement (as reported)
Qualification	Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognised institution
Minimum marks	50% or equivalent CGPA (General, EWS, NC-OBC); 45% (SC, ST, PwD)
Final-year or result awaited	Eligible to apply provisionally
Professional qualifications	CA, CS, ICWA (CMA) and FIAI reported as accepted
Age limit	No upper or lower age limit reported
Stream	Any stream; no minimum Class 10 or 12 marks reported for CAT eligibility

CAT 2026 Minimum Graduation Percentage: Category-Wise Requirements

The marks rule applies to your bachelor’s degree aggregate, not to Class 10 or 12. Only some categories receive a lower threshold, so do not assume every reserved category is treated the same.

Category	Minimum Marks / CGPA	Rule (as reported)	Important Notes
General	50%	Standard threshold	Round-offs are not assumed; use your actual percentage
EWS	50%	No relaxation reported	EWS certificate in the prescribed format
NC-OBC	50%	No relaxation reported	Non-creamy-layer certificate in the prescribed format
SC	45%	Relaxed threshold	Valid caste certificate
ST	45%	Relaxed threshold	Valid caste certificate
PwD / PwBD	45%	Relaxed threshold	Disability certificate as required

This table reflects consistent current reports; confirm the exact wording in the information bulletin before you rely on it.

Can Final-Year Graduation Students Apply for CAT 2026?

Yes. Students in the final year of a bachelor’s degree, and those awaiting results, are eligible to apply provisionally. They can register and take the exam, and they must meet the rest of the criteria by the stage the bulletin specifies.

• Declaration: you confirm your final-year status when you apply.
• Proof: if shortlisted or admitted, you must provide a certificate from your principal or registrar showing you have completed all degree requirements with the required marks.
• Risk: appearing for CAT does not depend on completing your degree, but admission does. If you do not complete the degree with the required marks by the date set for admission, you cannot join the programme.

Appearing for CAT and completing admission are separate steps. Eligibility to sit the exam is provisional, and the final check comes later.

Is There an Age Limit for CAT 2026?

Current reports say CAT 2026 has no minimum or maximum age limit, so candidates of any age can apply if they meet the academic requirements. Confirm this in the official bulletin. Work experience and study gaps are not described as affecting CAT eligibility, but individual institutes may weigh them differently in admissions, so check each college’s criteria.

CAT Eligibility for SC, ST, OBC, EWS and PwD Candidates

Keep four ideas apart:

• Minimum marks relaxation: reported for SC, ST and PwD candidates only (45%), while EWS and NC-OBC use 50%.
• Reservation policy: reports cite seat reservation of 15% SC, 7.5% ST, 27% NC-OBC, up to 10% EWS and 5% PwD in IIM programmes. These are seat quotas, not eligibility percentages, and each IIM applies them in its own process.
• Certificates: category certificates in the prescribed format are required, and validity rules can change each year, so check the bulletin.
• IIM admission process: reservation is applied when each institute makes its selection, not when you register.

Do not confuse the 50% and 45% eligibility figures with the reservation percentages.

Can Students from Arts, Commerce, Science or Non-Maths Backgrounds Take CAT?

Yes. Reports say any recognised bachelor’s degree qualifies, whatever the stream, and mathematics is not an eligibility condition. Being eligible, though, is different from being prepared for the Quantitative Aptitude section. For preparation advice, see CAT eligibility and preparation for non-maths students. For what the exam tests, see our CAT 2026 exam pattern and syllabus guide.

CAT Eligibility for Students with Backlogs, Study Gaps or Pending Results

The reported CAT rule focuses on holding, or being about to complete, a bachelor’s degree with the required aggregate marks. Candidates with pending results fall under the final-year rule above. The sources I found do not clearly describe how backlogs or study gaps are treated, so check the bulletin. Colleges may also have their own rules on backlogs, gaps and degree duration, so verify these institution by institution rather than assuming a blanket policy.

How to Convert CGPA into Percentage for CAT Eligibility

Do not apply a general multiplier. The reported approach is:

1. Use your university’s approved conversion or an equivalence certificate, if it issues one.
2. If it has no scheme, reports say the bulletin’s fallback is CGPA divided by the maximum CGPA, multiplied by 100.

Illustrative example: a CGPA of 6.4 on a 10-point scale with no university formula gives 6.4 ÷ 10 × 100 = 64%. A CGPA of 4.8 gives 48%, which would meet the 45% threshold but not the 50% one. Confirm the exact rule in the bulletin and keep any university conversion certificate ready.

CAT Eligibility vs IIM Selection Criteria: What’s the Difference?

Factor	CAT Exam Eligibility	IIM Selection	Other MBA/PGDM College Admission
Academic qualification	Recognised bachelor’s degree	Same, plus each IIM’s own criteria	Varies by programme
Minimum marks	50% or 45% by category	May consider past academic performance more broadly	Set by the college
Entrance test score	Not required to sit the exam	CAT score is central	Different exams may be accepted
Shortlisting	Not applicable	Based on each IIM’s process	Based on each college’s process
Additional stages	None to be eligible	Writing test and interview at some IIMs	Interviews or group discussions are common
Institution-specific criteria	None	Each IIM publishes its own	Each college publishes its own

For example, IIM Ahmedabad describes selection through the CAT score, past academic performance, a writing test and an interview. IIMs and other institutions may use additional requirements, so qualifying to sit CAT does not mean you qualify for an interview.

Does CAT Eligibility Guarantee MBA or PGDM Admission?

No. Meeting examination eligibility only allows you to take the exam. Institutions may evaluate academic records, entrance exam performance, accepted tests, selection rounds and programme-specific eligibility. Students should also check the regulatory status of any college. The All India Council for Technical Education runs an approval process for technical institutions, which includes many PGDM and management programmes, and university MBA programmes follow the awarding university’s rules. For routes beyond the IIMs, see MBA admission options beyond the IIMs.

MBA+ and PGDM+ Eligibility at Regional College of Management, Bhubaneswar

CAT eligibility and RCM eligibility are separate. A student who qualifies to sit CAT may explore the RCM MBA+ programme and the RCM PGDM+ programme, subject to each programme’s current admission requirements. RCM’s admissions page lists graduation as the qualification and CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT, ATMA and OJEE as accepted tests, and describes an admission process of enquiry, application, personal interview and seat booking. It also describes MBA+ as a BPUT-affiliated university degree and PGDM+ as AICTE-approved. For the differences, read MBA vs PGDM after CAT. [INTERNAL LINK — BLOG #18 | Anchor: MBA vs PGDM after CAT | Placement: MBA/PGDM comparison]

I could not confirm RCM’s minimum-marks requirement, deadlines or fees from the pages I read, and CAT eligibility does not make anyone automatically eligible for RCM. Check the RCM admission requirements and confirm with the admissions team.

CAT 2026 Eligibility Checklist Before Applying to MBA Colleges

• Graduation qualification: a recognised bachelor’s degree or accepted equivalent.
• Minimum marks: 50% or 45% by category, using your university’s CGPA conversion where relevant.
• Category documents: certificates in the prescribed format and with valid dates.
• Final-year status: a college certificate ready to show on request.
• Degree recognition: check your institution against UGC’s lists.
• Accepted entrance exams: confirm which tests each college takes.
• Programme eligibility: read each college’s criteria separately.
• Deadlines: note each application date.
• Fees and placements: compare published information such as RCM placement information.
• Learning environment: look at campus life, such as student life at RCM.

For city-level options, see MBA colleges in Bhubaneswar accepting CAT and other exams. [INTERNAL LINK — BLOG #19 | Anchor: MBA colleges in Bhubaneswar accepting CAT and other exams | Placement: College shortlisting checklist]

CAT Eligibility Is the First Step. Choosing the Right MBA or PGDM Programme Comes Next.

Once you know you are eligible to sit CAT, the next question is which programme suits your profile. Regional College of Management, Bhubaneswar offers the MBA+ and PGDM+ programmes, and you can compare their current eligibility requirements with your academic record. Review accepted entrance exams, curriculum and admission steps, then confirm details and deadlines with the admissions team before applying.

Explore RCM MBA+ | Explore RCM PGDM+ | Check Admission Requirements

Final Takeaways: Are You Eligible for CAT 2026?

• Qualification: a recognised bachelor’s degree or accepted equivalent.
• Marks: 50% or equivalent CGPA (General, EWS, NC-OBC); 45% (SC, ST, PwD), as reported.
• Final-year students: eligible provisionally, with proof of completion later.
• Age: no limit reported, to be confirmed in the bulletin.
• Next step: CAT eligibility is not an IIM or college admission, so check each programme’s own requirements before you apply.

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