Complete List of IIMs in India 2026 — Fees, Packages, Seats & How to Actually Apply to Each

Most CAT aspirants can name five or six IIMs off the top of their head. The full list of IIMs in India runs to 22 — and each one follows one of four completely different application journeys after your CAT score comes in. Get even one of those journeys wrong and a strong percentile won’t save you. Here’s the complete picture, from the Quantifiers team.

1. The Complete List of IIMs in India — Grouped by Generation

The full list of IIMs in India spans three broad generations, each with a distinct application journey attached to it.

Table 1 — All 22 IIMs in India, Grouped

2. Fees vs Average Package — Established IIMs

The oldest IIMs also carry the highest price tags — but a higher fee doesn’t automatically mean a better return, as the ROI ratio below shows.

Table 2 — Established IIMs: Fees, Packages & ROI

3. Fees vs Average Package — New & Baby IIMs

Fees vary nearly 3x across the newer IIMs, but that variation doesn’t track cleanly with placement outcomes — some of the lower-fee institutes actually post better ROI than pricier ones in the same tier.

Table 3 — New & Baby IIMs: Fees, Packages & ROI

4. The Application Trap — “CAT Form” Doesn’t Mean “All IIM Forms”

This is the single most consequential thing to understand about the full list of IIMs in India, and it’s the detail that trips up otherwise well-prepared candidates every single year: submitting your CAT registration does not automatically apply you to every IIM. Each institute falls into one of three buckets — always cross-check the current grouping on iimcat.ac.in and each IIM’s own site, since institutes occasionally shift between groups from one cycle to the next.

• Green — Automatic. Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore, and Kozhikode consider you directly from your CAT registration — no extra form required.
• Amber — One Common Form. Covered once you complete the JAP form (Raipur, Kashipur, Ranchi, Trichy) or the CAP form (Bodh Gaya, Sirmaur, Jammu) after results are out.
• Red — Don’t Miss This Form. Mumbai (free), Rohtak (₹3,095), Amritsar (₹1,000), Visakhapatnam (₹1,000), and Nagpur each require a separate, institute-specific form. IIM Udaipur and IIM Sambalpur have also exited the CAP process for the 2026–28 cycle and now run fully independent shortlisting, WAT, and PI — treat them as “red” institutes too, and verify their current process directly on their official sites.

5. JAP vs CAP 2026 — What’s the Actual Difference

JAP and CAP both simplify the process by covering multiple IIMs with a single form — but they’re run differently, and it’s worth knowing exactly how.

Table 4 — JAP 2026 vs CAP 2026

6. Historical Conversion Percentiles — Category-Wise Reference

Your CAT percentile is only half the application battle across this full list of IIMs in India — knowing the historical percentile at which candidates in your category actually converted gives a far more realistic picture than the overall cutoff alone.

Table 5 — Lowest Historical Conversion Percentile, Category-Wise

7. Seat Matrix — 2026–28 Batch

A bigger batch means more seats across every category at that institute — it doesn’t automatically mean an easier call, since a larger IIM also typically draws a proportionally larger applicant pool.

Table 6 — Flagship MBA/PGP Seats, 2026–28 Batch

8. The 7-Step Application Checklist

One missed form can cost more than a missed sectional cutoff. Here’s the full sequence, start to finish.

• 1. CAT Registration — August–September 2026. Covers your base eligibility across all IIMs.
• 2. Separate IIM Forms — Mumbai, Rohtak, Amritsar, Vizag, Nagpur, filed post-CAT but before each institute’s own deadline.
• 3. CAT Exam — Last Sunday of November 2026 (tentative).
• 4. JAP / CAP Forms — One form each for the JAP-4 and CAP-3 IIM groups, filed after results.
• 5. Shortlists Released — Institute-wise, based on CAT score, academics, and diversity factors.
• 6. PI / WAT / Other Stages — City-wise interview rounds; JAP and CAP each run one shared interview covering their respective institute groups.
• 7. Final Converts — Offer, waitlist movement, and acceptance-fee deadlines.

9. From This List of IIMs in India, Which Ones Should You Actually Apply To?

Your realistic application list should shift meaningfully based on where your CAT percentile is likely to land — here’s a working framework by band.

Table 7 — Strategic Application Guide by Percentile Band