IIM Kozhikode MBA Admissions 2026: IIM Kozhikode has released the Personal Interview (PI) shortlist for admission to its MBA programmes for the 2026-28 batch. Candidates who have received an official email inviting them for the Personal Interview must complete the online shortlist form to remain eligible for the subsequent stages of the selection process.
To apply, candidates should first visit the official IIM Kozhikode website and navigate to the PGP admissions section. On the MBA admissions page, select Stage 1 Registration and enter the mobile number used during the CAT 2025 application process. After entering the verification code, proceed with registration.
Once logged in, applicants must carefully fill in the PI shortlist form, provide all required information, and upload the necessary supporting documents. Submitting the completed form will conclude the application process.
IIM Kozhikode PI Shortlist 2026: Eligibility Requirements
Candidates must meet the prescribed eligibility norms to complete Stage 1 registration for the PI shortlist. These criteria are mandatory and must be fulfilled without exception.
Applicants should hold a three-year bachelor's degree following the 10+2 education system, with a minimum of 60% marks (or 55% for SC/ST/PwD categories). Candidates without a conventional bachelor's degree but possessing CA, CMA (ICWA), or CS qualifications must have scored at least 50% marks in the respective examinations.
Category-wise Minimum Eligibility Benchmarks
| Categories | CAT Overall Score Percentile | CAT Sectional Score Percentile | SSC/Class 10 Percentage | HSC/Class 12 Percentage |
| General | 85 | 75 | 60 | 60 |
| EWS | 75 | 65 | 60 | 60 |
| OBC | 75 | 65 | 60 | 60 |
| SC | 65 | 55 | 55 | 55 |
| ST | 55 | 45 | 55 | 55 |
IIM Kozhikode PI Shortlisting Framework 2026
Candidates shortlisted for the WAT and PI rounds are selected based on a composite score derived from multiple parameters, as outlined below:
| Selection Component | Weightage |
| CAT 2025 Index Score | 50 |
| Class 12 Performance | 20 |
| Class 10 Performance | 15 |
| Gender Diversity (Female/Transgender) | 10 |
| Academic Diversity (Non-Engineering) | 5 |
| Work Experience | 5 |
It is to be noted that candidates can receive either gender diversity or academic diversity points, not both.
Work Experience
Work Experience | Score |
| Below 6 months | 0 |
| 6-11 months | 1 |
| 11-17 months | 2 |
| 17-23 months | 3 |
| 23-29 months | 4 |
| 29-35/36 months | 5 |
| 37-41 months | 4 |
| 42-46 months | 3 |
| 47-51 months | 2 |
| 52-56 months | 1 |
| 57 months and above | 0 |
Selection Process
IIM Kozhikode follows a three-step admission framework. An outline of each stage is given below.
Stage 1
Applicants who selected IIM Kozhikode while filling out the CAT application and meet the prescribed eligibility requirements will be invited via email to complete an online admission registration. Only candidates who successfully submit this registration will be considered for the next stage of evaluation.
Stage 2
At this stage, candidates are shortlisted category-wise using an Aggregate Index Score (AIS). The AIS is calculated by taking into account several parameters, including CAT performance, academic records from Class 10 and Class 12, length of work experience, and factors related to gender and academic background diversity.
Stage 3
Candidates shortlisted in Stage 2 will be required to participate in a Written Ability Test (WAT) followed by a Personal Interview (PI). Once these assessments are completed, a merit list is drawn separately for each category, factoring in scores from CAT, WAT, PI, and the candidate's overall profile. Admission offers are then issued strictly in line with this merit ranking and applicable reservation norms.
Reservation Policy
IIM Kozhikode follows the Government of India reservation policy for admission to Central Educational Institutions (CEIs).
The weightage of each component in the AIS is as follows:
Candidates who make it to the shortlist will be required to participate in a Written Ability Test (WAT) and a subsequent Personal Interview (PI).
These assessment rounds will be organised by IIM Kozhikode across six cities, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai and New Delhi. The evaluation process will be completed within a single half-day session, scheduled either in the forenoon or afternoon.
As part of the WAT, applicants will be asked to draft an essay on a topic that will be disclosed on-site immediately before the test begins. This will be followed by the Personal Interview round. During the PI, candidates will be assessed on multiple parameters, including communication skills, attitude and overall personality, along with their general and business awareness, aptitude for liberal studies, managerial and leadership potential, and the quality and relevance of prior work experience, if any.
Once all WAT and PI rounds are completed, final composite scores will be calculated by combining performance across three components-AIS score, WAT score and PI score. Using these scores, both overall and category-specific merit lists will be drawn up. Admission offers will then be extended strictly on the basis of merit, in accordance with the Government of India's reservation policy.
Final Score Weightage Structure:
- AIS Score (Stage 2): 40%
- Written Ability Test (WAT): 20%
- Personal Interview (PI): 40%
