Selection Process 2026-2028

The selection of candidates for admission to the 2026-28 batch of MBA at Vinod Gupta School of Management (VGSoM), IIT Kharagpur, is a two step process:

1. Shortlisting for in-person Written Apptitude Test and Personal Interview (WAT-PI) based on the criteria mentioned in Section I
2. Final selection of the candidates for admission based on a combined score comprising application rating (AR), CAT 2025^2* performance, and written applitude test and personal interview (WAT-PI) performance.

^2*Common Admission Test conducted by Indian Institute of Management (IIMs)

I. Stage I - Short-listing for Written Apptitude Test and Personal Interview (WAT-PI)

Attending the WAT-PI is a mandatory part of the admission process. The applicants are short-listed for WAT-PI based on CAT 2025 scores, past academic performance, and other criteria, as mentioned below. The applicants must have the minimum CAT 2025 percentile, as mentioned in (ref. Table 1), to be eligible to be considered for shortlisting for WAT-PI.

Table 1: Minimum CAT-2025 Percentile for shortlisting

Category	Minimum Overall Percentile for Eligibility
General/EWS	90
OBC	81
SC	60
ST	60
PwD	60

For candidates satisfying the minimum CAT 2025 percentile eligibility criterion, the overall CAT 2025 scaled score out of 20 and Application Rating (AR) will be added to get the total score for shortlisting the applicants for the WAT-PI. Four marks will be added to the total scores of all female applicants for the Gender Diversity Factor (GDF). The Application rating considers the applicant’s academic performance (marks or grade points obtained) at various stages of academic progression, such as secondary (10th/matriculation), higher secondary (12th/intermediate), undergraduate (bachelor’s degree), and postgraduate (master’s degree, if any) levels, and professional qualification and work experience. The guidelines for Application Rating (AR) based on the candidate’s performance in percentage marks obtained in different academic degrees and for work experience and professional qualifications are provided in Tables 2.1 to 2.4.

Table 2.1: Application Rating (AR) scores for 10th and 12th Std. Examinations

Marks in 10th Std.	Rating Score A	Marks in 12th Std.	Rating Score B
>=85%	3	>=85%	4
75% to <85%	2	75% to <85%	3
65% to <75%	1	65% to <75%	2
		55% to <65%	1

Table 2.2: Application Rating (AR) scores for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees

Marks in 4 Year B.Tech or BE. or B.Pharma or 5 Year Dual degree (BTech-MTech or BTech-MS)	Rating Score C	Marks in BSc or B.Com or BA	Rating Score D	Marks in MA(Economics) or M.Sc or M.Com or MCA	Rating Score E
>=90%	7	>=80%	4	>=75%	3
80% to <90%	6	70% to <80%	2	65% to <75%	2
70% to <80%	5	60% to <70%	1	55% to <65%	1
60% to <70%	4

The applicants having two-year MTech/ME/MS/M.Pharma degree will get one additional mark. The applicants with professional qualifications will also get one additional mark. Further details are provided in Table 2.3.

Table 2.3: Application rating (AR) for postgraduate degrees and professional qualifications

Qualifications	Rating Score F(max 02 marks)
MTech/ME/MS/M.Pharma	1
Professional Qualifications*	1

Applicants with work experience will be rated (rating score G) based on the duration of their work experience as per the guidelines given in Table 2.4. Only the work experience gained after graduation will be considered for awarding scores for the work experience. Any work experience gained through training/projects/internship as part of curriculum requirements will not be considered.

Table 2.4: Application rating (AR) for work experiences

Experience in Days	Rating Score G
<180	0
180-730	3+(no. of days-180)×0.003636*
731-1827	5-(no. of days-730)×0.003646**
>1827	0

For applicants continuing in service, the experience will be counted up to February 5, 2026, irrespective of the date they filled out the application form.

Note: For the qualifying/bachelor’s degree of the applicant, the percentage of marks awarded by University/Institution/College, as applicable, will be treated as final. Candidates with CGPA in their grade sheets are not allowed to make conversion to percentages. The CGPA of the candidate shall be converted to the percentage of marks using the following conversion formula. This CGPA to percentage marks conversion formula shall be used even if the grade sheet of the candidate has a different conversion formula.

Cumulative grade point average (CGPA) performance will be converted into ‘marks percentage’ as shown below:

Marks Percentage = 60 + (40/3.5) x [(CGPA obtained / Total CGPA) x 10 – 6.5]

If the University/Institution/College does not award the percentage of marks or cumulative grade point average (CGPA), the percentage of marks will be calculated based on the marks obtained in all the subjects listed in the marksheets submitted by the applicant.

Note: While applying online, applicants should fill in the actual marks percentage/CGPA provided by their University/Institution/College, as applicable.

 

II. Stage II - Final Selection and Offer of Admission to MBA

In the second stage of the admission process, final selection will be based on the cumulative score of the application rating (AR), performance in CAT 2025, and the candidate’s performance in online WAT-PI process. Ten marks will be given to all female applicants for GDF. The weightage given to different components for arriving at the final score is given in Table 3.

Table 3: Criteria and weights for final selection to MBA

Criterion		Weight
Application Rating*		20
CAT 2025	VARC	20
	DILR	10
	QA	10
WAT-PI		40
Total		100
*Total of rating scores (A+B+C+F+G) or (A+B+D+E+F+G)

The final offer of admission will be made on merit in each category. Merely fulfilling the minimum qualifying criteria as mentioned above would not guarantee a candidate for admission to the MBA program of VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur.

IIT Kharagpur reserves the right to make changes in the shortlisting and Selection Criteria, if considered necessary at any stage of the process.

 

Procedure for applying for MBA Admission at VGSoM, IIT Kharagpur :

After taking the CAT 2025 examination, candidates seeking admission to the MBA program must complete the following procedure:

Step 1: Complete the online application form available at the ERP portal of IIT Kharagpur, accessible through: https://erp.iitkgp.ac.in/IITKGPApplications/index. The application form must be completed in all respects. Any incomplete form will automatically be rejected from further consideration.

Step 2: Pay the application fee (Rs. 1600 for GE/EWS/OBC candidates and Rs. 800 for SC/ST/PwD) while submitting the online application form. Female candidates will be charged the same application fee as the male candidates of the respective category. Applicants from the overseas category (non-domestic candidate) with valid GMAT scores must apply through International Relations, IIT Kharagpur. More details can be accessed at: International Relations, IIT Kharagpur ( https://international.iitkgp.ac.in/howtoapply/).

The last date for submission of the online application through ERP portal is February 5, 2026 (Wednesday), 11:59 PM.

Please note that WAT-PI for shortlisted candidates will be conducted offline as per the following schedule:

 

Table 4: Schedule for conducting offline WAT-PI

Schedule 1	Mumbai: 06-08 March 2026, (Fri-Sun) Bengaluru: 06-08 March 2026, (Fri-Sun)
Schedule 2	Delhi: 13-15 March 2026, (Fri-Sun)
Schedule 3	Hyderabad: 21-22 March 2026, (Sat-Sun) Kolkata: 21-22 March 2026, (Sat-Sun)

Candidates shortlisted for WAT-PI will be intimated through the email/ERP portal on or before 15 February 2026.

 

Declaration of Final Results and Issue of Offer Letters for First Round of Admissions:

The final merit list (considering different criteria mentioned in Stage- II) will be published on the ERP of the institute, and the final offer letters for the first round of admissions will be released from 1st May – 5th May 2026.

Any dispute concerning Admission to the MBA batch 2026-28 would be subject to jurisdiction of the competent courts within the territorial jurisdiction of the city of Kolkata only.