MBA · Sambalpur
Indian Institute of Management Sambalpur (IIM Sambalpur)
Last updated 8 September 2026 · Reviewed by Piyush Agarwal · Latest change: Initial sourced profile published from IIM Sambalpur's official MBA 2026-28 admission policy PDF and the signed MBA-BA 2026-28 fee structure (a scanned document read from the rendered page), both opened today — the no-sectional-cut-off shortlist, the 85 concession, the full weight tables, the 320 batch and the refund grid; the flagship MBA fee ships as a disclosed fallback because no readable official table exists
The short answer
As of 8 September 2026, IIM Sambalpur's MBA 2026-28 admission is CAT-only with no sectional cut-offs: a General bar of 90 overall (85 for all women and for men with a year of relevant experience), work experience weighted 20 of 75 pre-PI points, a batch of about 320, and a Rs 50,000 offer-acceptance amount adjusted into Term-1 fees.
Selection process
- Take CAT 2025 with IIM Sambalpur as a preference and clear the overall minimums — there are no sectional percentile cut-offs, only a positive scaled score in every section: General 90 overall; EWS 80; NC-OBC 75; SC 55; ST 40; DAP 40. The General bar drops to 85 for all female candidates and for male candidates with at least one year of relevant work experience.
- Stage-1 shortlisted candidates receive the institute's online application form by email in January 2026; only those who complete it with documents move to Stage 2.
- The pre-PI score (out of 75) weighs CAT 40 (computed as 0.31 x overall percentile plus 0.03 x each sectional percentile), Class 10 3, Class 12 3, graduation 4, work experience 20 — peaking at 30 months — and gender diversity 5 for female and transgender candidates.
- Attend the Personal Interview (online or hybrid). The final merit score (out of 100) is CAT 40, work experience 20, PI 25, Class 10 3, Class 12 3, graduation 4 and gender diversity 5; offers go strictly by category-wise rank.
- Accept an offer with Rs 50,000 on the admission portal, adjusted against Term-1 fees; the published refund grid deducts Rs 1,000 before the offer letter's stipulated date, runs first-come-first-served thereafter while the batch is over intake, and allows only the caution money back once Term-1 classes begin.
Fees, with sources
| Item | Figure | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two-year MBA programme fee | confirm on the official page ↗ | MBA 2026-28 | IIM Sambalpur official admissions page (policy documents and fee links) ↗ checked 8 Sept 2026 |
| MBA-BA two-year fee (published) | Rs 17,25,000 for MBA-BA 2026-28 — Rs 8,70,000 in year one (course fee Rs 8,00,000 + Rs 50,000 career-development, activity and alumni charges + Rs 20,000 refundable caution deposit) and Rs 8,55,000 in year two at the Delhi centre; the Rs 50,000 offer-acceptance fee adjusts into Term 1 | MBA-BA 2026-28, signed fee structure dated 7 May 2026 | IIM Sambalpur official MBA-BA 2026-28 fee structure (signed PDF) ↗ checked 8 Sept 2026 |
Is there a management quota here?
No. IIM Sambalpur is an Institute of National Importance and its 2026-28 admission policy is a fully mechanical, numbered document: CAT overall minimums with no sectional bars, a weighted pre-PI composite, a Personal Interview, and offers 'strictly on the basis of the final rank'. The policy and the signed MBA-BA fee structure, both opened on 8 September 2026, contain no institute-level, management or NRI channel — the only door is the printed one.
Indian Institute of Management Sambalpur prints the two things a borderline candidate most wants to read. First: no sectional cut-offs — the 2026-28 policy sets only overall CAT minimums (General 90, NC-OBC 75, SC 55, ST and DAP 40) plus a positive score in each section, so one bad CAT section is not an automatic exit. Second: a printed concession — all female candidates, and men with at least a year of relevant work experience, see the General bar drop to 85.
What should an applicant plan for?
A process that weights experience like no other IIM we have mapped. Work experience carries 20 of the 75 pre-PI points and 20 of the 100 final points, peaking at exactly 30 months — and the policy prints what fails to count: internships, articleship, unpaid work, even salary paid in cash or by UPI. CAT carries 40, the interview 25, and academics 10 split across Class 10, 12 and graduation. For a candidate with two to three years of documented experience and a modest percentile, this is one of the most forgiving formulas in the IIM system.
The batch is about 320, the offer-acceptance amount is Rs 50,000 (adjusted into Term-1 fees), and the refund grid is printed to the contingency — including the clause that later withdrawals are refunded first-come-first-served only while acceptances exceed the 320 intake. One honest gap: the flagship MBA fee table is not published on any reachable official page, so we do not print a number; the signed MBA-BA 2026-28 fee is Rs 17,25,000 (year two at the Delhi centre), and the flagship figure belongs on the official admission portal before any payment.
Compare the no-sectional stance with IIM Shillong’s sectional-only bar and the full weight tables with IIM Trichy, or read the Odisha quota picture for the state’s private-college contrast.
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Questions, answered
- Does IIM Sambalpur have sectional CAT cut-offs?
- No — and that is the headline. The 2026-28 policy sets only overall minimums (General 90, NC-OBC 75, SC 55, ST and DAP 40) plus a positive scaled score in every section. A candidate with one weak CAT section is not automatically out, unlike at most IIMs.
- Who gets the 85-percentile concession at IIM Sambalpur?
- The policy prints it in a footnote: all female candidates, and male candidates with at least one year of relevant work experience, see the General-category overall bar reduced from 90 to 85. It is one of the few published gender-and-experience concessions in the IIM system.
- What is the IIM Sambalpur MBA fee?
- The flagship MBA 2026-28 fee table is not published on any reachable official page as of 8 September 2026 — we say so rather than guess. The signed MBA-BA 2026-28 fee is printed at Rs 17,25,000 for two years (year two at the Delhi centre), and the flagship figure should be confirmed on the official admission portal before any payment.
- How much does work experience matter at IIM Sambalpur?
- More than at any IIM we have mapped: 20 of the 75 pre-PI points and 20 of the 100 final points ride on relevant experience, peaking at exactly 30 months. The policy even prints what does not count — internships, articleship, unpaid work, and salary paid in cash or by UPI.
- Is there a management quota at IIM Sambalpur?
- No. The policy is a numbered mechanical document — overall CAT minimums, weighted composites, and offers strictly by final rank within category. No institute-level, management or NRI channel appears anywhere in the admission policy or the signed fee documents.
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