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IIM Sambalpur Selection Criteria: Getting into IIM Sambalpur for your MBA can be a career defining move but knowing exactly how the institute selects candidates is crucial. For the 2026-28 MBA batch IIM Sambalpur has made some big changes making the institute’s admission process more inclusive at the CAT shortlisting stage. Here, we have in depth broken down the complete selection criteria of IIM Sambalpur.
IIM Sambalpur Selection Criteria 2026 PDF
IIM Sambalpur Admission Dates 2026
Event | Timeline |
CAT 2025 Result | 24 December 2025 |
PI Cut Offs Release | 17 February 2026 |
Personal Interviews | March 2026 |
Final Merit List Release | 11 May 2026 |
IIM Sambalpur Admission Criteria 2026
To apply for IIM Sambalpur's MBA program (2026-28 batch), candidates must meet the following eligibility conditions:
Criteria | Requirement |
Educational Qualification | Bachelor's degree in any discipline with minimum 50% marks or equivalent percentage |
CAT Exam | Must have appeared for CAT 2025 and selected IIM Sambalpur as a preference |
Sectional Requirement | Positive (>0) raw score in all CAT 2025 sections (VARC, DILR, QA) |
Batch Size | ~ 320 students |
Key Change for 2026-28
The biggest change in IIM Sambalpur Admission Criteria 2026 is the removal of fixed sectional percentile cut-offs. Previously, candidates needed to meet minimum percentiles in VARC, DILR, and QA separately. Now, only the overall CAT percentile matters for shortlisting, with just a basic requirement of positive raw scores in all sections.
IIM Sambalpur CAT Cutoff 2026
For Stage 1 shortlisting, IIM Sambalpur uses minimum overall CAT percentile cut-offs. These are eligibility thresholds, not guaranteed call benchmarks.
Category | Overall CAT Percentile |
General | 90 |
EWS | 80 |
NC-OBC | 75 |
SC | 55 |
ST | 40 |
DAP | 40 |
Special Relaxation: For general category male candidates with at least one year of relevant work experience and all female candidates, the cutoff reduces to 85 percentile.
Previous Year Cutoffs (2025-27)
Last year, candidates had to clear both sectional and overall cutoffs for shortlisting:
Category | QA | DILR | VARC | Overall |
General | 65 | 65 | 65 | 90 |
EWS | 60 | 60 | 60 | 80 |
NC-OBC | 55 | 55 | 55 | 75 |
SC | 40 | 40 | 40 | 55 |
ST | 35 | 35 | 35 | 40 |
DAP | 35 | 35 | 35 | 40 |
Note: This sectional cutoff requirement has been removed for 2026-28
Sectional Requirement Explained
While there's no minimum percentile required in individual sections, candidates must:
- Score positive raw marks in VARC, DILR, and QA
- Avoid zero or negative scores in any section
This ensures basic competence without penalizing uneven performance.
IIM Sambalpur Final Selection Process
IIM Sambalpur follows a three-stage selection process for MBA admissions:
Stage | Process | Purpose |
Stage 1 | CAT 2025-based Shortlisting | Filter candidates based on minimum overall percentile |
Stage 2 | Pre-PI Shortlisting | Calculate Pre-PI score and invite for Personal Interview |
Stage 3 | Personal Interview & Final Merit List | PI performance + composite score for final selection |
Stage 1: CAT Shortlisting
- Candidates must meet minimum overall percentile cut-offs
- Must have positive raw scores in all CAT sections
- Shortlisted candidates receive email in January 2026 with online application link
Stage 2: Pre-PI Shortlisting
- Pre-PI Score calculated out of 75 points
- Based on CAT score, academics, work experience, and gender diversity
- Top candidates invited for Personal Interview
Stage 3: Personal Interview & Final Selection
- PI score accounts for 25% of final merit score
- Minimum PI score required (decided by IIM Sambalpur)
- Final ranking based on composite score
Parameters Used for Final Selection at IIM Sambalpur
The final merit score is calculated out of 100 points with the following weightage:
Final Merit Score Components
Component | Weightage |
CAT Score | 40% |
Class X | 3% |
Class XII | 3% |
Graduation | 4% |
Work Experience | 20% |
Gender Diversity | 5% |
Personal Interview | 25% |
TOTAL | 100% |
Pre-PI Score Calculation (Out of 75)
Before the interview, the Pre-PI score is calculated as:
Component | Maximum Score |
CAT Score | 40 |
Class X | 3 |
Class XII | 3 |
Graduation | 4 |
Work Experience | 20 |
Gender Diversity | 5 |
TOTAL | 75 |
Academic Performance Marks (Class X, XII, Graduation)
Marks Range | Class X | Class XII | Graduation |
< 75% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
≥75% and <80% | 0.75 | 0.75 | 1 |
≥80% and <85% | 1.50 | 1.50 | 2 |
≥85% and <90% | 2.25 | 2.25 | 3 |
≥90% | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Work Experience Marks
Only relevant work experience after graduation (completed months as of Dec 31, 2025) is considered:
Months of Work Experience | Marks |
< 12 months | 0 |
12 months | 5 |
18 months | 10 |
24 months | 15 |
30 months | 20 |
36 months | 15 |
42 months | 10 |
48 months | 5 |
> 48 months | 0 |
Note: Maximum 20 points for ~30 months (2.5 years) of experience. Experience beyond 36 months gets reduced marks.
Gender Diversity Marks
Gender | Marks |
Female/Transgender | 5 |
Male | 0 |
IIM Sambalpur Recservation Policy
IIM Sambalpur follows Government of India reservation norms:
Category | Reservation |
Scheduled Castes (SC) | 15% |
Scheduled Tribes (ST) | 7.5% |
NC-OBC | 27% |
Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) | 10% |
Differently Abled Persons (DAP) | 5% |
Total Reserved | 64.5% |
Open Category | 35.5% |
Conclusion
The IIM Sambalpur Selection Criteria 2026 gets a more inclusive approach to MBA admissions by doing away with sectional cutoffs. While the overall CAT percentile of 90 (General) remains the baseline, the final selection still heavily considers academic consistency, work experience and interview skills.
Prepare holistically for CAT, of course, but also for PI readiness and profile building. With the right strategy, IIM Sambalpur can be an excellent ROI for your MBA journey!
