MBA Colleges in Tamil Nadu Accepting Low CAT Score (2026): Fees, Cutoffs & NIRF Ranks
15 MBA and PGDM colleges in Tamil Nadu admit students in the 40–92 CAT percentile range for the 2026-28 batch, 11 of them NIRF 2025 top-100 (best: IIM Tiruchirappalli at rank 16). Fees start at ₹1.4 L (DoMS Anna University, Chennai) and the highest reported average placement is 18 LPA at IIM Tiruchirappalli. The lowest CAT floor in the state is 40 percentile.
This is the full working list of MBA and PGDM colleges in Tamil Nadu that actually admit candidates below the IIM cutoff — 15 institutes, sorted by NIRF 2025 rank, with the CAT band each one admits in, its total two-year fee and its reported average placement. 9 of them take students at 60 percentile or below.
All 15 MBA colleges in Tamil Nadu
| NIRF 2025 | College | City | CAT band | Total fee | Avg CTC | Also accepts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | IIM TiruchirappalliIndian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli | Tiruchirappalli | 94–97 %ile | ₹20.5 L | 18 LPA | CAT only |
| 26 | Amrita CoimbatoreAmrita School of Business Coimbatore | Coimbatore | 50–65 %ile | ₹12.9 L | 8.4 LPA | XAT, CMAT, MAT, NMAT, GMAT, GRE |
| 37 | GLIM ChennaiGreat Lakes Institute of Management Chennai | Chennai | 80–90 %ile | ₹22.5 L | 15 LPA | XAT, CMAT, NMAT, GMAT |
| 55 | LIBALoyola Institute of Business Administration | Chennai | 80–88 %ile | ₹19.1 L | 11.2 LPA | XAT |
| 56 | SRM ChennaiSRM Institute of Science and Technology | Chennai | 55–70 %ile | ₹8 L | 6.5 LPA | MAT, CMAT, XAT, TANCET |
| 57 | DoMS NIT TrichyDepartment of Management Studies NIT Tiruchirappalli | Tiruchirappalli | 80–90 %ile | ₹2.9 L | 8.7 LPA | CAT only |
| 63 | Saveetha ChennaiSaveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences | Chennai | 50–65 %ile | ₹6 L | 5.5 LPA | MAT, CMAT, TANCET |
| 80 | TSM MaduraiThiagarajar School of Management | Madurai | 50–60 %ile | ₹14.5 L | 6.4 LPA | XAT, CMAT, MAT, GMAT, TANCET |
| 84 | PSGIMPSG Institute of Management | Coimbatore | 70–80 %ile | ₹11.5 L | 7.7 LPA | XAT, CMAT, MAT, TANCET, ATMA |
| 88 | DoMS Anna UniversityDepartment of Management Studies Anna University | Chennai | 40–55 %ile | ₹1.4 L | 6 LPA | TANCET, MAT |
| 96 | BIM TrichyBharathidasan Institute of Management | Tiruchirappalli | 85–92 %ile | ₹17.6 L | 10 LPA | XAT, MAT, GMAT |
| — | VIT VelloreVIT Business School Vellore | Vellore | 60–75 %ile | ₹7 L | 9.7 LPA | VITMEE, XAT, CMAT, MAT |
| — | XIME ChennaiXavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship Chennai | Chennai | 60–70 %ile | ₹9.9 L | 8.6 LPA | XAT, CMAT, MAT, TANCET, GMAT |
| — | SSN SOMSSN School of Management | Chennai | 60–70 %ile | ₹7 L | 6.8 LPA | XAT, CMAT, MAT, TANCET, ATMA |
| — | KCT CoimbatoreKCT Business School Kumaraguru College of Technology | Coimbatore | 50–60 %ile | ₹8 L | n/a | TANCET, MAT, CMAT, XAT |
Sorted by NIRF 2025 rank, unranked institutes last. CAT band is the percentile range in which the institute actually admits for 2026-28.
The Tamil Nadu entrance-exam route most candidates miss
TANCET, conducted by Anna University, is the main gateway to government and affiliated MBA seats in Tamil Nadu — and it is the cheapest door in the state by a wide margin. Anna University’s own DoMS charges about ₹1.4 lakh for a NIRF-88 ranked MBA; SSN and PSG also take TANCET alongside CAT.
The autonomous schools — Great Lakes, LIBA, BIM Trichy — are CAT/XAT-driven and sit at 80+ percentile. Between the two tiers, Thiagarajar (Madurai) and Amrita (Coimbatore) are the anomalies: both are NIRF top-100 with a published 50 percentile CAT floor, which makes them the highest-ranked genuinely low-CAT options in South India.
Across these 15 colleges the most widely accepted alternatives to CAT are XAT (11 colleges), MAT (11 colleges), CMAT (10 colleges), TANCET (8 colleges) and GMAT (5 colleges). Sitting one of them is usually cheaper than a CAT retake and the results land in time for the same admission rounds.
Fees vs placement: best ROI in Tamil Nadu
Divide the reported average placement by the total fee. In Tamil Nadu the spread runs from ₹1.4 L at DoMS Anna University to ₹22.5 L at the top of the market, so the ratio matters more here than the brand name does.
| College | City | Total fee | Avg CTC | CTC ÷ fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DoMS Anna University | Chennai | ₹1.4 L | 6 LPA | 4.29 |
| DoMS NIT Trichy | Tiruchirappalli | ₹2.9 L | 8.7 LPA | 3.00 |
| VIT Vellore | Vellore | ₹7 L | 9.7 LPA | 1.39 |
| SSN SOM | Chennai | ₹7 L | 6.8 LPA | 0.97 |
| Saveetha Chennai | Chennai | ₹6 L | 5.5 LPA | 0.92 |
| IIM Tiruchirappalli | Tiruchirappalli | ₹20.5 L | 18 LPA | 0.88 |
| XIME Chennai | Chennai | ₹9.9 L | 8.6 LPA | 0.87 |
| SRM Chennai | Chennai | ₹8 L | 6.5 LPA | 0.81 |
NIRF 2025 ranked colleges in Tamil Nadu
11 Tamil Nadu institutes appear in the NIRF 2025 Management top 100. These carry the most weight with recruiters and are worth an application even if you are at the bottom of their published band.
| NIRF 2025 | College | City | CAT band | Total fee | Avg CTC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | IIM TiruchirappalliIndian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli | Tiruchirappalli | 94–97 %ile | ₹20.5 L | 18 LPA |
| 26 | Amrita CoimbatoreAmrita School of Business Coimbatore | Coimbatore | 50–65 %ile | ₹12.9 L | 8.4 LPA |
| 37 | GLIM ChennaiGreat Lakes Institute of Management Chennai | Chennai | 80–90 %ile | ₹22.5 L | 15 LPA |
| 55 | LIBALoyola Institute of Business Administration | Chennai | 80–88 %ile | ₹19.1 L | 11.2 LPA |
| 56 | SRM ChennaiSRM Institute of Science and Technology | Chennai | 55–70 %ile | ₹8 L | 6.5 LPA |
| 57 | DoMS NIT TrichyDepartment of Management Studies NIT Tiruchirappalli | Tiruchirappalli | 80–90 %ile | ₹2.9 L | 8.7 LPA |
| 63 | Saveetha ChennaiSaveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences | Chennai | 50–65 %ile | ₹6 L | 5.5 LPA |
| 80 | TSM MaduraiThiagarajar School of Management | Madurai | 50–60 %ile | ₹14.5 L | 6.4 LPA |
| 84 | PSGIMPSG Institute of Management | Coimbatore | 70–80 %ile | ₹11.5 L | 7.7 LPA |
| 88 | DoMS Anna UniversityDepartment of Management Studies Anna University | Chennai | 40–55 %ile | ₹1.4 L | 6 LPA |
| 96 | BIM TrichyBharathidasan Institute of Management | Tiruchirappalli | 85–92 %ile | ₹17.6 L | 10 LPA |
MBA colleges in Tamil Nadu by city
Open a city for its full list, local recruiter mix and fee spread: Chennai (7), Tiruchirappalli (3), Coimbatore (3), Madurai (1) and Vellore (1).
Frequently asked questions
Which MBA colleges in Tamil Nadu accept a low CAT percentile?
9 of the 15 colleges on this page admit at 60 percentile or below, the lowest floor in the state being 40 percentile. DoMS Anna University, TSM Madurai, Amrita Coimbatore, KCT Coimbatore and Saveetha Chennai are the most accessible.
What is the cheapest MBA college in Tamil Nadu?
Department of Management Studies Anna University in Chennai at ₹1.4 L total for the two-year programme, reporting 6 LPA average placement. 8 colleges in the state charge under ₹10 lakh in total.
Which is the best MBA college in Tamil Nadu by NIRF ranking?
Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli at NIRF 2025 rank 16, admitting in the 94–97 percentile band with a ₹20.5 L fee and 18 LPA average placement.
Can I get an MBA in Tamil Nadu without CAT?
Yes. The autonomous schools — Great Lakes, LIBA, BIM Trichy — are CAT/XAT-driven and sit at 80+ percentile. Beyond that, most private institutes here accept XAT, MAT, CMAT and TANCET, so a CAT score is one route among several rather than a requirement.
More ways to compare. Rank this state’s colleges by cost with the lowest-fee MBA list, see which entrance exams are still open, and check that a college is AICTE-approved before you pay.
Before you pay anything: check that the college is AICTE-approved and know the refund rules.
9 of the 15 Tamil Nadu colleges in our table admit from 60 percentile or lower. The cheapest of those is DoMS Anna University at ₹1.4 L in total fees, then Saveetha Chennai (₹6 L). Registrations for CAT 2026 are reported lower than last year, but that does not mean lower cut-offs; here is what it does change. For the cheapest options in the 50 to 60 band across India, see the lowest-fee list.
Sources & methodology
Cutoffs are the published shortlisting percentile where the institute publishes one, and otherwise the band in which it actually admits, taken from institute disclosures and the portals below. Fees are total two-year programme fees excluding hostel unless stated; placement figures are the latest institute-reported averages. Cross-checked against NIRF 2025 on 4 September 2026. Always confirm against the institute’s current admission brochure before paying any fee.