IIM Lucknow Admission 2026: Eligibility, Application Date & Process

IIM Lucknow admission 2026 will be offered for MBA and PGP courses based on CAT 2025. Registration for CAT 2025 began on August 1, 2025, and the last date to apply is on September 20, 2025. The CAT 2025 exam is scheduled for November 30, 2025, and the result will be announced in the first week of January 2026

The Master of Business Administration—Entrepreneurship and Innovation at IIM Lucknow is a 16-month program. The Lucknow IIM (IIM-L) MBA program encompasses mandatory coursework, summer internships, dissertations, comprehensive exams, thesis proposals, and thesis submissions. 

A candidate aspiring for admission into the MBA (Entrepreneurship & Innovation) programme must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any discipline as per the requirements of eligibility of the Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by IIMs. Candidates must have a valid CAT 2025 score or valid GMAT score. Once candidates are shortlisted, they are invited to participate in the selection process. 

Apart from MBA, IIM Lucknow also offers two-year, full-time, residential PGP programs across multiple specialisations like Agribusiness Management, Sustainable Management, and others. At its NOIDA campus, IIM Lucknow offers a two-year Post-Graduate Programme in Management for Working Executives (PGPWE).

More details on the IIM Lucknow admission procedure are covered below.

IIM Lucknow Admission: Important Dates

The admission date for various courses at IIM Lucknow varies. Below are the important events of the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow admission 2026.

IIM Lucknow Course Admission Details

IIM Lucknow course admission details for 2026 cover three flagship two-year MBAs: PGP in general management (450 seats), PGP-ABM for agri-business (60 seats), and PGP-SM for sustainability (60 seats), all residential at the Lucknow campus. Each demands CAT dominance but tailors profiles—MBA-ABM favors rural sector enthusiasts, while MBA-SM requires 24 months work experience minimum. Executive options like IPMX (one-year, Noida campus) open separate apps from September 2025.

• MBA (PGP): Core business skills; no sector pre-req.
• MBA-ABM: Agri-focus; allied degree or 2-year ex.
• MBA-SM: Sustainability emphasis; 24-month ex mandatory.

Explore full IIM Lucknow Course Admission Details on the official site to match your background to these specialized tracks.

IIM Lucknow MBA Admission 2026

IIM Lucknow offers a 2-year Master of Business Administration - Entrepreneurship and Innovation. IIM Lucknow MBA admission is granted to applicants holding a Bachelor's degree with a minimum aggregate of 50% marks. Moreover, a relevant score in the CAT exam, which is a Computer Based Test (CBT), is mandatory to be eligible for IIML admission.

The candidate's entrance exam scores, scholastic achievement, gender, and relevant work experience will be considered in the final IIM Lucknow selection process. Note that the PI round will be conducted in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Noida, and Lucknow. The fee for MBA - E&I is INR 14,30,000 for a duration of 2 years.

How to Apply for IIM Lucknow MBA Admission 2026

One can register for MBA(E&I) 2026 at the official IIM Lucknow website. Candidates will be charged Rs.1000 for the application. The registration steps are as follows:

• Register to generate a unique User ID and Password.
• Log in with the generated User ID and Password to fill in the Application form.
• Submit the Application form after entering details and making online payment to complete the registration and application process.
• The Application Form is categorized into the following six sections:
• Personal Detail
• CAT /GMAT Score
• Interview city preferences
• Academics
• Work experience
• Extra-curricular Activities
• After the final Submission candidates can download the application form.

IIM Lucknow MBA Eligibility Criteria

• A candidate aspiring for admission into the MBA (Entrepreneurship & Innovation) program must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any discipline as per the requirements of eligibility of the Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by IIMs.
• Candidates must have a valid CAT 2025 score or valid GMAT score.

IIM Lucknow MBA Selection Criteria

IIM Lucknow admission criteria for the MBA program involve appearing and meeting the cutoff for the CAT examination. Students who meet the cut-off have to appear for a personal interview round, post which a merit list of selected candidates is released. The complete admission process for an MBA at IIM-L is explained below:

Step 1: Register and appear for the CAT examination

Students seeking IIM Lucknow MBA Admissions have to register by filling out the application form from the official website of the university. Students who meet the CAT/GMAT cutoff can only apply for MBA admissions.

Step 2: Process of Shortlisting:

Initial shortlisting of candidates will be done based on the Minimum CAT/GMAT scores of the interested candidates. The expected CAT/GMAT Cut-off for 2026 is given below:

GMAT Scores:

Step 3: Shortlisting for the Personal Interview (PI) Process

The Personal Interview (PI) Process is conducted online for all the participating IIMs in the Common Admission Process (CAP). Only the candidates securing the above-mentioned minimum sectional and total percentiles for the respective category in CAT 2025 or GMAT Score will be considered for the PI round.

Candidates will be shortlisted for the personal interview on the basis of their performance in the CAT/GMAT, scholastic achievement, gender, and relevant work experience. The personal interview stage will comprise of a business plan presentation and interview. Personal interviews will be conducted at Bengaluru, Mumbai, Noida, and Lucknow.

Step 4: Merit List Preparation

Based on CAT scores along with PI scores and Profile scores, a merit list will be prepared for the final selection of candidates. The final merit list will be prepared according to the composite score calculated based on

• Business Plan (40%): Shortlisted candidates will be asked to make a short presentation of a maximum of five minutes duration on their business plan at the start of the interview.

• Interview (60%)

• The minimum requirement for getting a pass in an interview is 18 out of 60 marks. Names of candidates who do not pass in interview will not be included in the final merit list.
• Final discretion on the academic category, that an academic program will be classified into, rests with the Admissions Committee of IIM-Lucknow. •
• Reservation Policy: Indian Institute of Management Lucknow (IIM Lucknow) applies the Government of India reservation policy for admission to Central Educational Institutions (CEIs).
• Any dispute concerning Admissions for the batch 2026-28 would be subject to the jurisdiction of the competent Courts within the territorial jurisdiction of the city of Lucknow only.

Step 5: Final Admission Candidates who clear all the steps and follow the selection criteria, along with getting the desired marks, will be offered admission to the IIM Lucknow MBA program and will be handed over an offer letter.

IIM Lucknow PGP Admissions

The IIM Lucknow PGP program is a two-year, full-time, residential program. The students meeting the program requirements are awarded the degree of Master of Business Administration. Candidates seeking IIM Lucknow PGP Admissions must hold a Bachelor’s Degree, with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA. The PGP Program at IIM Lucknow is offered in a total of 3 specializations: General, Agribusiness Management and Sustainable Management.

IIM Lucknow PGP Selection Criteria

Candidates seeking admission must apply for admissions by filling out the online application form of the university and must have appeared for CAT. The following steps are given below:

• Candidates are shortlisted for the interview on the basis of their performance in the CAT, scholastic achievement and relevant work experience.
• Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) are then conducted at Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, New Delhi and Hyderabad in the end of February onward.
• Final selection is based on performance in CAT, scholastic achievement, work experience, and performance in the Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI).

Criteria for Shortlisting and Final Selection of PGP, PGP-ABM & PGP-SM Candidates

Step 1: Shortlisting for Writing Ability Test (WAT) – Personal Interview (PI) As mentioned below, candidates will be shortlisted based on CAT 2025 score, previous academic performance, and other criteria. For MBA-SM, a minimum work experience of 24 months is an additional eligibility criterion. The expected CAT sectional Cut-Off, along with the total Cut-Off, is given below:

Step 2: Scheduling for WAT-PI 

The composite score for the candidates who qualify in Step1, and the shortlist for the WAT-PI process shall be available on the official website of IIM Lucknow. Such candidates shall be required to fill in and submit the WAT-PI form online by the stipulated deadline. The candidates who fail to submit their WAT-PI form online by the prescribed time limit, shall not be allowed for the WAT-PI process.

Step 3: Final Selection of Candidates for PGP/PGP-ABM/PGP-SM Program 

A candidate's final score for selection in the MBA/MBA-ABM/MBA-SM program for the batch 2026–28 will be calculated based on the assigned weights as summarized below:

Step 4: Final Admission

Candidates who clear all the steps and follow the selection criteria, along with getting the desired marks will be offered admission to the IIM Lucknow PGP program and will be handed an offer letter.

IIM Lucknow PGP Fee Details

The Course and fee for various IIM Lucknow PGP courses are given in the table below:

Read the IIM Lucknow courses page for more details about the courses and fees offered at the IIM Lucknow.

IIM Lucknow Post-Graduate Programme in Management for Working Executives (PGPWE) Admissions

At its NOIDA campus, IIM Lucknow offers a two-year Post-Graduate Programme in Management for Working Executives (PGPWE), previously known as the Working Managers' Programme (WMP).

The fee for PGPWE is INR 11,00,000 + refundable caution money of INR 10,000 + Alumni membership fee of INR 5,000 + Taxes as per Government of India rules. The fee would include tuition fees, computing and network fees, library services, books and Instructional resources.

IIM Lucknow PGPWE Eligibility Criteria

The minimum eligibility criteria for applying to PGPWE are as follows:

• Executives with a Bachelor’s degree (10 + 2 + 3 or 4 years of formal education) in any discipline or an equivalent academic with a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent CGPA.
• In case of the candidate being awarded grades/CGPA instead of marks, the equivalence would be based on the conversion formula provided by the institution/university from where they have obtained the bachelor's/Master's degree.
• Score of any one of the following tests:
  • Valid GMAT/GMAT Focus Edition/GRE score, the score must be valid till the last date of application.
  • GATE Score PGPWE Entrance Exam to be conducted at IIML, Noida Campus.
• A minimum of 3 years full-time post-qualification (after graduation) work experience as on March 31, 2026.

IIM Lucknow PGPWE Selection Criteria

1. Candidate must fill and submit the online Application Form and upload scanned copies of the documents in support of the attainments mentioned in the Eligibility Criteria.
2. Completed Application Form must be submitted by November 20, 2025.
3. Based on the scores in the GMAT/ GMAT Focus Edition/GRE/CAT/GATE/ PGPWE Entrance Exam, candidates are shortlisted for the Writing Ability Test and Personal Interview;

After Writing Ability Test & Personal Interview are done, the final score is calculated using the following components:

IIM Lucknow PGPWE Exam Pattern

The IIM Lucknow PGPWE Exam Pattern for 2026 admission is given below:

IIM Lucknow IPMX Admissions

IIM Lucknow offers an International Programme in Management for Executives or IPMX (One-year MBA) at its Noida Campus. This is a one-year residential programme designed for mid/senior-level professionals to prepare them for top positions in industry roles.

The fee for IPMX is INR 26,00,000 + refundable caution money of INR 20,000 + Alumni Membership Fee of INR 5,000. The fee includes tuition fee, cost of course material, basic accommodation (Single Occupancy Room with a shared washroom) facility on campus, food charges, computing and networking, library services, career counselling, students’ activities and convocation

IIM Lucknow IPMX Eligibility Criteria

1. Executives with a bachelor’s degree (10 + 2 + 3 or 4 years of formal education) in any discipline or an equivalent academic pursuit, with a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent CGPA.
2. A valid GMAT or GRE score, the score must be valid till the last date of application; It is mandatory to submit the official Score card/Test Taker copy (if the official Score card is not yet received) along with the application.
3. A minimum of 5 years full-time (Regular) post-qualification (after graduation) work experience as of 31st March 2026.

IIM Lucknow IPMX Selection Criteria

1. Candidate must fill and submit the Application Form online Application Form andupload the scanned copies of the documents in support of the attainments mentioned in the eligibility Criteria.
2. Completed Application Form must be submitted by October 25, 2025, for the first phase and December 31, 2025, for the second phase;
3. Candidate provides the contact details with email IDs of the recommenders
4. The suggested recommenders will receive an email requesting them to submit the recommendation letters online directly to the admissions office.
5. Based on GMAT/GMAT Focus Edition/GRE scores, candidates are shortlisted for the Writing Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI).

A candidate’s final score for selection in IPMX will be calculated based on the assigned weights as per the following table:

IIM Lucknow FPM Admission

IIM Lucknow offers admission for a two-year FPM and a four-year EFPM program at the doctoral level. Both these courses help develop high-quality academicians, researchers, and management thinkers with a unique pedagogy and program structure.

The FPM program includes summer internships, research assignments, and compulsory dissertations. Relevant work experience and examination scores up to 55% to 60% are necessary. FPM is a full-time residential programme. Students are expected to complete the programme in four years and six months.

IIM Lucknow FPM Eligibility Criteria

1. A Master's degree or its equivalent in any discipline with a minimum 55% aggregate marks;
2. A Bachelor's Degree in Engineering / four-year graduate degree with 65% marks or equivalent grade point average; OR
3. Any professional qualifications such as CA, ICWA and CS with a minimum 55% aggregate marks and B.Com. as an undergraduate degree; OR
4. Applicants already holding a two/ three full-time classroom-based PGDM from any of the IIM with a minimum CGPA of 6 on 10 10-point scale or 60%. OR
5. PGP-WE (earlier WMP) of IIM Lucknow with a minimum CGPA of 6.
6. All applicants must have secured a minimum of 55% marks in all their public exams from 10th onwards.

IIM Lucknow FPM Selection Criteria

• Applicants will be shortlisted for the selection interview on the basis of a valid score of one of the following exams: Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by IIMs, GATE, GRE, GMAT or JRF/SRF (UGC/CSIR/ICAR).
• Scores of any of these examinations including CAT taken during the last two years only be considered valid.
• The entrance exam will be followed by a round of personal interview.
• Students should also have mandatory work experience.

IIM Lucknow EFPM Admissions

IIM Lucknow's Executive Fellow Programme in Management (EFPM) is uniquely designed to meet the learning aspirations of enthusiastic executives and teaching professionals. An EFPM student has to do first-year coursework with the Post Graduate Programme for Working Executives (PGPWE). All these courses are compulsory courses. The PGPWE classes are held on alternative weekends at the NOIDA Campus of IIM Lucknow.

IIM Lucknow EFPM Eligibility Criteria

The minimum eligibility criteria for applying to EFPM are as below:

Educational Qualification

1. For General/OBC category:

• Secondary (Class X) and Senior Secondary (Class XI) with minimum 55% marks;
• Graduation (non-engineering) with minimum 50% marks or equivalent CGPA and Post-graduation with minimum 55% marks or equivalent CGPA,
• OR Graduation (engineering) with minimum 65% marks or equivalent CGPA.

2. For SC/ST category:

• Secondary (Class X) and Senior Secondary (Class XII) with minimum 50% marks;
• Graduation (non-engineering) with minimum 45% marks or equivalent CGPA and Post-graduation with minimum 50% marks or equivalent CGPA,
• OR Graduation (engineering) with minimum 60% marks or equivalent CGPA.

(Note: MBA/PGDM with a duration of less than two academic years are not eligible unless they are graduates of 4-year degree programs or have another PG degree.)

Age and Work Experience

• Currently employed in a full-time job with a minimum of 7 years of work experience as on 31st March 2025;
• Must not be more than 55 years of age as on 31st March 2025.

IIM Lucknow EFPM Selection Criteria

• Candidate must submit a duly filled Application Form along with copies of documents in support of the attainments mentioned in the Eligibility Criteria
• The candidate needs to mention the area of specialization from the following academic areas.
  • Agribusiness Management
  • Business Environment (Economics)
  • Business Sustainability
  • Business Communication
  • Decision Sciences (Statistics, Operations Research)
  • Finance and Accounting
  • Human Resource Management
  • Information Technology and Systems
  • Marketing Management
  • Operations Management
  • Strategic Management
• A candidate can fill only one application in which the candidate may apply in two academic areas.
• Applications are shortlisted by separate area-level screening committees.
• Shortlisted candidates are called for personal interviews at any one of the IIM Lucknow Campuses (Lucknow/ NOIDA).
• Final selection is based on personal interviews and academic and professional profiles.

IIM Lucknow EFPM Fees

The total programme fee for the students who fulfil all the requirements of the programme in time, the total programme fee works out to be INR 7,50,000. For exempted candidates who join the EFPM directly in the second year and fulfil all the requirements of the programme in time, the total programme fee works out to be INR 5,00,000.

IIM Lucknow Application Process 2026

IIM Lucknow shortlists candidates based on their overall academic profile, entrance exam scores, and performance in the personal interview rounds. Relevant work experience and Written Ability Test scores (WAT) will also be analyzed to draw the overall score in the final selection round.

The seats allocated in the IIM Lucknow admission procedure are limited. Hence interested candidates must secure a competitive score in the entrance exams. CAT/ GATE/ GRE/ GMAT/ JRF/ SRF (UGC/CSIR/ICAR) are the accepted IIM Lucknow entrance exams.

Applicants can apply for the desired course by filling out the IIM Lucknow application form. Shortlisted candidates must deposit the course fee to confirm their seats in the IIM Lucknow admission process.

Steps to Apply for IIM Lucknow Admission 2026

Candidates aspiring for IIML admission can apply for the desired course by following the steps. Ensure to meet all the IIM Lucknow admission criteria 2026 to avoid application rejections

• Step 1: Visit the official website of IIM Lucknow.
• Step 2: Fill in all your details to generate an ID and password.
• Step 3: Log in to the applicant account using the credentials and fill out the IIM Lucknow application form.
• Step 4: Scan your passport-sized photograph and signature, then upload that.
• Step 5: Pay the IIM Lucknow application form fees using online modes like credit cards, debit cards, or net banking.
• Step 6: Choose the specialisation.
• Step 7: Submit your form.

Documents Required for IIM Lucknow Admission 2026

Below are the documents that students must submit to complete the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow admission process.

• Class 10 and 12 certificates (original and copies)
• Bachelor's degree transcripts (original and copies)
• Entrance exam scorecard
• GMAT/ GRE Scorecard (if applicable)
• Photo ID proof
• Proof of address
• Work experience certificate
• Recommendation letter (if any)
• Statement of Purpose (SOP)
• Transfer certificate
• Caste certificate (For reserved categories)
• Disability certificate (If applicable)

IIM Lucknow Entrance Exam

The table below provides the IIM Lucknow entrance exams accepted for various courses.

IIM Lucknow Admission Helpline

The following are the contact details of the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow admission department. Candidates can connect to these helplines for any IIML admission enquiries.