Tentative IIM Waitlist Movement 2026: Official RTI Data for All 20 IIMs

Every waitlist figure in this blog is sourced from official RTI responses filed against IIMs. If you’re sitting on an IIM waitlist right now — General, EWS, NC-OBC, SC, or ST — this is the only data you should trust.

Every year, thousands of CAT aspirants sit on IIM waitlists making decisions based on WhatsApp forwards, coaching centre estimates, and “my senior said.” The result: some candidates give up waitlists that would have converted. Others hold onto positions with zero realistic chance, delaying better decisions by months.

The fix is simple: use official data. Under the Right to Information Act, IIMs are required to disclose admissions data when asked. This blog compiles RTI responses from 20 IIMs covering the 2025–27 batch — the total waitlist movement in each category, and the lowest CAT percentile at which a seat was actually converted. Read this once. Make your decision with clarity.

How IIM Waitlists Actually Work

Before the numbers, a quick primer — because most aspirants misunderstand how waitlist movement happens.

When IIMs release merit lists, they offer seats to candidates ranked by composite score within each category. Many of those candidates hold multiple IIM offers simultaneously. When they choose one institute and decline the others, those vacated seats open up — and the waitlist moves down one position per vacancy.

Movement happens in waves, not gradually:

• Wave 1 (April): IIM ABC acceptance deadlines trigger movement at IIM Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore, Mumbai and below
• Wave 2 (May): LKIM decisions cascade movement to IIM Shillong, Trichy, Raipur and newer IIMs
• Wave 3 (June): Final settlement round — newer IIMs see the bulk of their movement as candidates lock their final choice

Old IIMs — Tentative IIM Waitlist Movement 2026

The table below shows the total positions the waitlist moved across all categories at the older, established IIMs during the 2025–27 admissions cycle. Data sourced from official RTI responses.

Table 1 — Tentative Waitlist Movement: Old IIMs (2025–27 Batch)

Old IIMs — Minimum CAT Percentile at Which Seats Were Converted (2025–27)

This is the data most aspirants don’t know exists. The table shows the lowest CAT percentile at which a candidate actually received and accepted a seat at each IIM in the 2025–27 batch — not the published cutoff, but the real floor after all waitlist movement was complete.

Table 2 — Minimum CAT Percentile for Actual Seat Conversion: Old IIMs (2025–27 Batch)

New IIMs — Tentative IIM Waitlist Movement 2026

Newer IIMs often surprise candidates. IIM Sirmaur moved 2,919 general positions. IIM Kashipur moved 1,728. These figures reflect the reality of newer IIMs: a large proportion of candidates hold offers here as safety nets while waiting on older IIM decisions.

Table 3 — Tentative Waitlist Movement: New IIMs (2025–27 Batch)

New IIMs — Minimum CAT Percentile at Which Seats Were Converted (2025–27)

Some newer IIMs have surprisingly high general category floors — Rohtak at 97, Udaipur at 95.26, Kashipur at 95.09. These reflect growing brand equity. IIM Visakhapatnam (82.03) and IIM Sambalpur (85.01) remain accessible for candidates in the 80–90 percentile range.

Table 4 — Minimum CAT Percentile for Actual Seat Conversion: New IIMs (2025–27 Batch)

IIM-Wise Analysis: What the Numbers Mean for You

IIM Ahmedabad — The Tightest Waitlist in India

Only 33 general positions moved at IIM Ahmedabad — by far the most competitive waitlist. If you’re beyond rank 30–35 in general category, the realistic probability of conversion is very low. The minimum conversion percentile of 90.98 (not 99+) reflects IIMA’s composite scoring where strong PI performance can pull up lower-percentile candidates. But the pool competing for those 33 spots is exceptional. Have a Plan B in place.

IIM Bangalore — More Forgiving Than Its Reputation

At 61 general and 38 SC positions, IIMB’s waitlist is more active than most candidates expect. Its minimum conversion percentile of 95.45 general is notably lower than IIM Shillong (98.45) and IIM Mumbai (97.04), reflecting IIMB’s holistic evaluation where WAT-PI performance and diversity factors significantly influence final composite ranking.

IIM Calcutta — Large Movement, Silent on Percentiles

With 117 general positions of movement, IIM Calcutta’s waitlist is meaningfully active for an IIM of its stature. IIM Calcutta returned NA across all minimum percentile categories in their RTI response — a disclosure choice, not an absence of data. If you’re within 100 ranks on the general waitlist here, holding through May is a reasonable strategy.

IIM Lucknow — Best Waitlist-to-Conversion Ratio Among Old IIMs

137 general positions of movement with a minimum conversion percentile of 91.02 makes Lucknow one of the most accessible waitlists among established IIMs. The 83 NC-OBC and 31 SC movements confirm strong cross-category churn. If you’re within the top 100–130 on any category waitlist at Lucknow, hold.

IIM Indore — The Most Active Old-IIM Waitlist

IIM Indore’s waitlist moved a staggering 465 general positions — by far the most among established IIMs. Indore’s large batch size and its position as a frequent safety hold for IIM ABC aspirants creates massive churn through May. A minimum conversion percentile of 92.43 shows the floor is meaningful, but candidates well down the waitlist should hold through at least May before deciding.

IIM Shillong — The High-Percentile Paradox

Shillong shows the highest minimum general percentile in the entire dataset at 98.45, yet the waitlist moved 646 positions. This reflects a narrow candidate profile: very high scorers who overwhelmingly choose higher IIMs, creating rapid churn at the top. The ST movement of 0 is a notable outlier — suggesting very limited ST candidate interest in Shillong specifically.

IIM Sirmaur — The Most Active Waitlist in India

A general waitlist movement of 2,919 positions is extraordinary. Sirmaur functions as a safety hold for thousands of candidates targeting older IIMs. The cascading effect of decisions at IIM ABC and LKIM pushes massive movement here through June. If you’re on Sirmaur’s waitlist at any reasonable rank, patient waiting is almost always worthwhile.

Should You Wait, or Move On?

This is the question every waitlisted candidate faces. Here is the honest framework:

• Wait if your waitlist rank is within or close to the historical movement range for your category at that IIM
• Wait if you have no confirmed offer from an institute you’d genuinely prefer over the waitlisted IIM
• Move on if your rank significantly exceeds the movement range — e.g., rank 900 at IIM Ahmedabad general has no realistic path
• Move on if you have a strong confirmed offer and the emotional cost of waiting is affecting other decisions
• Either way, if conversion looks unlikely, start CAT 2026 preparation now — the minimum percentile data above shows exactly what score gets you in without the waitlist anxiety next year

FAQs — IIM Waitlist Movement 2026