MBA Colleges Accepting 70–80 Percentile in CAT 2026 (MBA 2027): IITs, IMI, BIMTECH & 18 More

Last updated: 12 October 2026 (cycle note added; college data verified 4 September 2026) · CAT 2025 scores → MBA/PGDM 2026-28 batch · Reviewed by the bestmbacollegeswithlowcatscore.com editorial team

Quick answer

At 70–80 percentile in CAT 2025 you can target 20+ colleges including two government options with fees under ₹6 lakh (IIT ISM Dhanbad, ABV-IIITM Gwalior) and eleven NIRF top-100 private B-schools — IMI Kolkata (42), Jaipuria Noida (41), LM Thapar (46), Nirma (53), LIBA (55), BIMTECH (61), KSOM (68), Welingkar (75), JIMS (90). Average placements run ₹9.5–13 LPA. IIMs stay closed in the General category but open for SC/ST/PwD and, at 81+, for OBC/EWS via CAP.

CAT 2026 cycle note (12 October 2026). The college data below comes from CAT 2025 scores and was last verified on 4 September 2026. CAT 2026 registrations are reported at about 2.84 lakh against 2.95 lakh last year, a small drop. For N between roughly 2.49 and 2.58 lakh, a 70–80 percentile is about rank 49,800 to 77,400 (an estimate: CAT publishes percentile, not rank; the real N is known only after the 29 November exam). A swing of one or two percentile points matters more here than the applicant count. If you are within two points of a cut-off, keep a second exam alive. More in will fewer CAT applicants lower MBA cut-offs and the rank to percentile calculator.

Seventy to eighty is the most under-served band in CAT counselling: too low for the IIM machine, too high to settle for a college that admits at 50. The colleges below are where 70–80 percentilers actually enrol for the 2026-28 batch — with verified fees, placements, NIRF ranks and the selection weightages that decide whether your 76 converts.

MBA colleges accepting 70–80 percentile in CAT: comparison table

College	City	CAT cutoff (approx.)	Total fee (2 yr)	Avg placement	NIRF 2025	Also accepts
IIT (ISM) Dhanbad – DMS (MBA)	Dhanbad	80 Gen / 70 OBC-EWS / 60 SC / 55 ST-PwD	≈₹3.9 L	₹10.5 LPA	NIRF 48	CAT only
ABV-IIITM Gwalior (MBA)	Gwalior	80	₹5.3 L	not published separately*	NIRF 93	CAT only
IIFM Bhopal (MBA-FM / Sustainability)	Bhopal	78–80	₹11.8 L (₹7.1 L SC/ST)	₹10.0 LPA	—	XAT
IMI Kolkata	Kolkata	75–80	₹14.98 L	₹12.75 LPA	NIRF 42	XAT, GMAT
Jaipuria Institute of Management	Noida	60–75	₹15.8 L	₹11.3 LPA (Noida campus)	NIRF 41	XAT, CMAT, MAT, GMAT
LM Thapar School of Management	Derabassi (Chandigarh)	70–75	₹15.0 L	₹9.8 LPA	NIRF 46 (Thapar)	XAT, GMAT, TMAT
IBS Hyderabad (ICFAI)	Hyderabad	70–75	₹17.0 L	₹9.8 LPA	NIRF 46 (ICFAI)	IBSAT, XAT, NMAT, GMAT
Institute of Management, Nirma University	Ahmedabad	70–75	₹13.3 L	₹11.1 LPA	NIRF 53	GMAT (NRI)
LIBA Chennai	Chennai	80 (XAT 75)	₹19.1 L	₹11.2 LPA	NIRF 55	XAT
BIMTECH – PGDM (core)	Greater Noida	75	₹14.0 L (+hostel)	₹11.0 LPA	NIRF 61	XAT, GMAT, CMAT 95, MAT
KIIT School of Management	Bhubaneswar	70–75	₹18.0 L (all-in)	₹9.5 LPA	NIRF 68	XAT, CMAT, MAT, GMAT, KIITEE
Welingkar (WeSchool)	Mumbai	80 (75/70 for some programmes)	₹14–16.2 L	₹11.7 LPA	NIRF 75	XAT, CMAT, ATMA, GMAT, MAH-CET
IFMR GSB, Krea University	Sri City (AP)	75	₹14.6 L (+hostel)	₹12.0–13.0 LPA	—	XAT, NMAT, GMAT, GRE
MDI Murshidabad	Murshidabad (WB)	80	₹16.5 L	₹12.75 LPA	—	XAT, GMAT
Amrita School of Business	Coimbatore	70–80	₹12.0 L	₹8.3 LPA	NIRF 26 (Amrita)	XAT, MAT, CMAT, NMAT, GMAT
Woxsen University	Hyderabad	75	₹14.4 L (+hostel)	₹9.9 LPA	—	XAT, CMAT, MAT, GMAT, NMAT
XIME Bangalore	Bangalore	70–75	₹12.9 L	₹11.3 LPA	—	XAT, CMAT, MAT, GMAT, ATMA
JIMS Rohini	Delhi	75	₹10.8 L	₹9.95 LPA	NIRF 90	XAT 75, CMAT 85, MAT, GMAT
Praxis Business School	Kolkata	70	₹11.3 L	₹9.1 LPA	—	XAT 70, CMAT 80, MAT 90, GMAT
SDMIMD Mysore	Mysore	70	₹12.7 L (incl. hostel)	₹10.0 LPA	—	XAT 70, CMAT/MAT/ATMA 80
Alliance School of Business	Bangalore	70	₹15.0 L	n/a (verify)	NIRF 71	CMAT, MAT, GMAT, NMAT, AUSAT

Cutoffs are published shortlisting percentiles for 2026-28 (General category unless stated). Fees exclude hostel unless stated. *ABV-IIITM does not publish an MBA-only placement average; the ₹28 lakh figure circulating online is institute-wide (B.Tech and integrated programmes included), so it is omitted here rather than repeated. Sources: institute pages via Careers360, MBAUniverse, Collegedunia.

Not realistic at 70–80 in General category despite appearing in some lists: IMT Hyderabad (90), Great Lakes Chennai PGDM (82–85+), IMT Ghaziabad (90–95), KJ Somaiya (85+), GIM Goa (85), FORE (85). See the 80–90 percentile list for those.

Government and institute-of-national-importance options

Three public institutes genuinely close in this band and offer the best return on investment of any MBA in India at this percentile. IIT (ISM) Dhanbad shortlists General candidates at 80, OBC/EWS at 70 and SC at 60 for a two-year fee of roughly ₹3.9 lakh, with a 2024 average of ₹10.5 LPA; its composite is 35% CAT, 40% interview, 10% academics and 10% work experience. ABV-IIITM Gwalior takes 80 for a ₹5.3 lakh MBA. IIFM Bhopal admits at 78–80 for ₹11.8 lakh (₹7.1 lakh for SC/ST) with a ₹10 LPA average and a niche in sustainability and forestry management. University of Hyderabad (50) and NIT Trichy DoMS also fall in or below this band.

How 70–80 percentile colleges weigh your application

Institute	Entrance score	PI / GD / WAT	Academics	Other
IIT (ISM) Dhanbad	35%	40% (PI)	10%	10% work experience
BIMTECH	35%	30% (extempore + PI)	9% (+8% engineering)	8% work-ex, 5% region, 5% gender
XIME	35%	35% (GD + PI)	20%	10% extracurricular / diversity
IIM Sirmaur (CAP, for reference)	30%	40–45% (PI)	15–20%	5–10%
Typical tier-2 PGDM	30–45%	30–40%	10–20%	5–15%

Fees vs placement: ROI ranking

College	Fee	Avg placement	Placement ÷ fee	Read
IIT (ISM) Dhanbad	≈₹3.9 L	₹10.5 LPA	2.7	Best ROI in India at this band
ABV-IIITM Gwalior	₹5.3 L	not published*	—	*widely quoted ₹28 L average is institute-wide, not MBA
Nirma University	₹13.3 L	₹11.1 LPA	0.83	Strong; NIRF 53; highest ₹70 L
IMI Kolkata	₹14.98 L	₹12.75 LPA	0.85	Best private ROI; NIRF 42
IFMR GSB Krea	₹14.6 L	₹12–13 LPA	0.82–0.89	Strong; hostel extra
XIME Bangalore	₹12.9 L	₹11.3 LPA	0.88	Strong; Bangalore recruiters
JIMS Rohini	₹10.8 L	₹9.95 LPA	0.92	Best value in NCR; NIRF 90
IIFM Bhopal	₹11.8 L	₹10.0 LPA	0.85	Niche but solid
Praxis Kolkata	₹11.3 L	₹9.1 LPA	0.81	Analytics-heavy placements
SDMIMD Mysore	₹12.7 L (incl. hostel)	₹10.0 LPA	0.79	Good all-in value
BIMTECH PGDM	₹14 L tuition / ₹19.8 L all-in	₹11.0 LPA	0.79 / 0.56	AACSB; check all-in cost
MDI Murshidabad	₹16.5 L	₹12.75 LPA	0.77	MDI brand, remote campus
Welingkar Mumbai	₹14–16.2 L	₹11.7 LPA	0.72–0.84	Mumbai advantage
Amrita Coimbatore	₹12.0 L	₹8.3 LPA	0.69	NIRF 26 (university-wide)
Jaipuria Noida	₹15.8 L	₹11.3 LPA	0.72	NIRF 41; AACSB; best of the four campuses
LM Thapar	₹15.0 L	₹9.8 LPA	0.65	AACSB; NIRF 46
Woxsen	₹14.4 L (+hostel)	₹9.9 LPA	0.69	Verify accreditation claims
LIBA Chennai	₹19.1 L	₹11.2 LPA	0.59	Brand strong, fee high
IBS Hyderabad	₹17.0 L	₹9.8 LPA	0.58	Large batch; check median
KSOM Bhubaneswar	₹18.0 L (all-in)	₹9.5 LPA	0.53	All-in fee, so compare fairly

Reserved-category candidates: IIMs are on the table

For CAT 2025, CAP 2026 shortlisted NC-OBC and EWS candidates at 81 percentile (79 for women), SC at 66 and ST/PwD at 42. If you are OBC/EWS at 78–80, apply to the non-CAP new IIMs (Jammu, Sambalpur and Visakhapatnam took OBC at 72–75 in the prior cycle) and to IIT ISM (70 for OBC/EWS). Every SC, ST and PwD candidate in the 70–80 band should register for CAP and the IITs before considering a private seat — the fee difference alone is ₹10–15 lakh.

Alternate exams and where they help

XAT: LIBA (75 vs CAT 80), IMI Kolkata, MDI Murshidabad, IFMR (80), LM Thapar (70), Praxis (70), BIMTECH, KSOM, Welingkar, Amrita.
NMAT: IFMR (222), IBS Hyderabad, Woxsen, Alliance, FLAME.
CMAT: only if you are in the top 5% — BIMTECH wants 95, JIMS 85, Praxis 80, SDMIMD 80.
GMAT: IMI Kolkata, MDI-M, IFMR (650), LM Thapar (560), Jaipuria Noida (560), JIMS (550).
MAH-CET: Welingkar Mumbai MMS seats.

City-wise shortlist at 70–80 percentile

Delhi-NCR: Jaipuria Noida, BIMTECH, JIMS Rohini — all Delhi-NCR options.
Mumbai: Welingkar — all Mumbai options. Bangalore: XIME, Alliance — all Bangalore options.
Kolkata: IMI-K, Praxis, MDI Murshidabad (WB). Hyderabad: IBS, Woxsen. Chennai: LIBA. Ahmedabad: Nirma. Chandigarh: LM Thapar. Bhubaneswar: KSOM.
Government: IIT ISM Dhanbad, ABV-IIITM Gwalior, IIFM Bhopal.

Key dates for the 2026-28 batch

CAT 2025 result 24 Dec 2025 → IIM/IIT shortlists from 8 Jan 2026; CAP interviews Feb–Mar; IIM final results 20 Apr–10 May 2026.
Deadlines seen in 2026: LM Thapar 21 Jan; BIMTECH 31 Jan (extended); IIT ISM ~31 Jan; IMI Kolkata Feb–Mar rounds; MDI Murshidabad 25 Jun; XIME late Jul.
CAT 2026: registration till 25 Sep 2026, exam 29 Nov 2026 — worth a retake only if 85+ is realistic.

Frequently asked questions

Is 75 percentile in CAT good?

It is above the median test-taker but below every IIM’s General cutoff (the most lenient new-IIM floors were 82–85, and CAP 2026 was 95). It is, however, good enough for solid tier-2 PGDMs with 11–13 LPA averages and NIRF ranks between 41 and 75 — IMI Kolkata, Jaipuria Noida, LM Thapar, Nirma, BIMTECH, JIMS Rohini, IFMR-Krea, XIME, Praxis and SDMIMD.

Can I get a new or baby IIM with 78 percentile?

General category: no — CAP 2026 shortlisted at 95, and even non-CAP IIMs like Visakhapatnam (82) and Mumbai (85) sit above 78. NC-OBC/EWS: borderline-no; CAP needed 81, though IIM Jammu (74), Sambalpur (75) and Visakhapatnam (72) had lower OBC floors in the previous cycle. SC/ST/PwD: yes, comfortably — SC floors are 50–70 and ST/PwD 32–65 across the new IIMs.

Which government colleges accept 70–80 percentile?

IIT (ISM) Dhanbad’s MBA (80 General, 70 OBC/EWS, fee ≈₹3.9 L, NIRF 48), ABV-IIITM Gwalior (80, ₹5.3 L, NIRF 93) and IIFM Bhopal (78–80, ₹11.8 L). Because IIT ISM weighs the interview at 40% against 35% for CAT, a 78–80 percentile with a good profile is workable.

IMI Kolkata vs BIMTECH vs Jaipuria Noida vs LM Thapar — which is best at ~78 percentile?

On placement ÷ fee: IMI Kolkata 12.75 LPA on ₹14.98 L (0.85, NIRF 42, AMBA-accredited, highest package ₹40 L); BIMTECH 11 LPA on ₹14 L tuition (0.79 — but ~₹19.8 L all-in with hostel, so 0.56); Jaipuria Noida 11.1 LPA on ₹16.5 L (0.67, NIRF 41, highest ₹36.6 L); LM Thapar 9.8 LPA on ₹15 L (0.65, AACSB, NIRF 46). IMI Kolkata leads on ROI; BIMTECH on NCR recruiter breadth; Thapar on accreditation.

Should I retake CAT or take XAT/NMAT/CMAT with a 74 percentile?

Add XAT (January): LIBA (XAT 75 vs CAT 80), IMI Kolkata, MDI Murshidabad, IFMR (XAT 80), LM Thapar and Praxis all accept it, and tier-2 XAT mapping is slightly friendlier. NMAT works for IFMR (222), IBS, Woxsen and FLAME. CMAT floors here are high (BIMTECH 95, JIMS 85), so it helps only with a top-5% score. A CAT retake pays off mainly if you can cross 85 — old-IIM and IIT territory.

At the top of this band? The 80–90 percentile list adds IMI Delhi, TAPMI, GIM, Great Lakes, FORE and the IITs. Just below 70? See the 60–70 percentile list.

Planning around a lower score or a tight budget? See the lowest-fee MBA colleges accepting CAT, the cheapest colleges you can enter without CAT and every MBA entrance exam still open after CAT 2026. Still waiting on your form? Check the CAT 2026 correction window and the admit card date.

Before you pay anything: check that the college is AICTE-approved and know the refund rules.

Sources & methodology

Cutoffs are published shortlisting percentiles or the band in which the institute actually admits students; fees are total 2-year programme fees (hostel excluded unless stated); placement figures are the latest institute-reported averages. Cross-checked against NIRF 2025 and the portals below on 4 September 2026. Always confirm with the institute’s current admission brochure before paying any fee.