MBA Colleges in Uttar Pradesh Accepting Low CAT Score (2026): Fees, Cutoffs & NIRF Ranks

Last updated: 4 September 2026 · CAT 2025 scores → MBA/PGDM 2026-28 batch · Reviewed by the bestmbacollegeswithlowcatscore.com editorial team

This is the full working list of MBA and PGDM colleges in Uttar Pradesh that actually admit candidates below the IIM cutoff — 21 institutes, sorted by NIRF 2025 rank, with the CAT band each one admits in, its total two-year fee and its reported average placement. 15 of them take students at 60 percentile or below.

All 21 MBA colleges in Uttar Pradesh

The Uttar Pradesh entrance-exam route most candidates miss

Uttar Pradesh splits cleanly in two. The NCR belt — Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad — is a private PGDM market where CAT, XAT and CMAT all work and the institute decides. The rest of the state (Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Meerut, Bareilly, Gorakhpur) runs largely on UPTAC counselling and CUET-PG for university MBAs, where CAT is not even accepted at several colleges.

That split matters for budgeting: a UPTAC/CUET-PG seat at CSJM Kanpur, CCS Meerut, MMMUT Gorakhpur or the University of Lucknow costs ₹1–4.4 lakh, while a Noida or Ghaziabad PGDM costs ₹7–23 lakh. If your CAT percentile is below 55 and you are open to a state university, the counselling route is by far the better financial decision.

Across these 21 colleges the most widely accepted alternatives to CAT are XAT (14 colleges), MAT (14 colleges), CMAT (11 colleges), GMAT (7 colleges) and CUET-PG (7 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 Uttar Pradesh

Divide the reported average placement by the total fee. In Uttar Pradesh the spread runs from ₹1 L at AMU Aligarh to ₹23 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
AMU Aligarh	Aligarh	₹1 L	6 LPA	6.00
BBAU Lucknow	Lucknow	₹1 L	5 LPA	5.00
IM BHU	Varanasi	₹2.1 L	10.1 LPA	4.81
University of Lucknow	Lucknow	₹1.2 L	5 LPA	4.17
MMMUT Gorakhpur	Gorakhpur	₹1.5 L	5.5 LPA	3.67
Invertis	Bareilly	₹3 L	7.3 LPA	2.43
Galgotias	Greater Noida	₹2.9 L	5.3 LPA	1.83
ITS Ghaziabad	Ghaziabad	₹6.9 L	8.3 LPA	1.20

NIRF 2025 ranked colleges in Uttar Pradesh

10 Uttar Pradesh 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.

MBA colleges in Uttar Pradesh by city

Open a city for its full list, local recruiter mix and fee spread: Noida (5), Lucknow (4), Ghaziabad (3), Greater Noida (3), Varanasi (1), Kanpur (1), Meerut (1), Bareilly (1), Aligarh (1) and Gorakhpur (1).

Frequently asked questions

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.

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

15 of the 21 Uttar Pradesh colleges in our table admit from 60 percentile or lower. The cheapest of those is AMU Aligarh at ₹1 L in total fees, then BBAU Lucknow (₹1 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.