Cycle update · 13 September 2026
What Changed in MBA Admissions: The Second Week of September 2026
By Piyush Agarwal, 10 years in direct admissions counselling · 13 September 2026
The short answer
In the week of 13 September 2026: CMAT 2026 score cards went live on the NTA portal, AIMA opened MAT September 2026 registration, SIESCOMS Mumbai's fee sheet printed a Management Seats fee at upto 3x the FRA-fixed rate, and Maharashtra's institute-level and vacant-seat rounds ran on published schedules. CAT registration closes 15 September at 5 pm.
What changed?
| Item | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| CMAT 2026 result | Answer keys challenged; score cards awaited | Score Card for CMAT-2026 is LIVE on cmat.nta.nic.in (portal re-opened to this host today); final answer keys published; result notice posted — the 2026 CMAT cycle is complete, and CMAT 2027 becomes the relevant attempt |
| MAT September 2026 session | July Special Drive was the last advertised session on AIMA's page | AIMA's testing page now links 'Register for MAT September 2026' — the session is open; MAT's four-session year means a re-attempt inside this admission cycle is still possible |
| Maharashtra vacant-seat rounds | Institute-level and Against-CAP rounds existed as a rule on paper | SIESCOMS published its full 2026 paperwork: ILS applications closed 7 Sep, ACAP applications 8 Sep, merit lists 9-10 Sep, counselling 11 Sep, spot rounds 13-14 September — the vacancy machine is running at Navi Mumbai colleges now |
| Quota fee premium, in print | Two Symbiosis campuses (Bengaluru, Hyderabad) printed Discretionary Quota fees at double | SIESCOMS's 2026-27 fee sheet prints a Management Seats fee at 'Upto 3* times' — Rs 7,05,000 against the FRA-fixed Rs 2,35,000 — the third printed premium and the first at 3x; new comparison page published |
| CAT 2026 registration | Open since July | Closes 15 September 2026 at 5 pm (two days from this digest); the IIM-Calcutta-hosted official advertisement carries the full printed timeline — admit cards 4 November, test 29 November, results first week of January 2027 |
What should you do now?
- If CMAT 2026 was your attempt: download the score card from cmat.nta.nic.in today, then match your percentile against the printed bars on our CMAT colleges page — WeSchool's 85/80/70 bands are the reference.
- If you have no valid score and want one this cycle: MAT September 2026 registration is open via mat.aima.in — four sessions a year means this is not your last door.
- If you are in Maharashtra without a CAP seat: check your target college's website this week for institute-level/vacancy notices — SIESCOMS ran spot rounds 13-14 September; other MMS colleges run similar schedules now.
- If you are quoted any quota premium: ask for the printed document that authorises the exact amount. Three institutes print theirs; almost nobody else does. Our new premiums-compared page shows what the lawful version looks like.
- If CAT 2026 is your plan: registration closes 15 September 5 pm on iimcat.ac.in. After that, the next entrances are NMAT (registration to 10 October) and XAT (closes 6 December, exam 3 January 2027).
Nine days from CAT registration closing, this was the week the alternatives all moved at once. The digest, verified source by source:
CMAT 2026 is done. The NTA portal — which had refused this host for a week — reopened today showing the score card live and final answer keys published. For everyone holding a CMAT 2026 score, the application season is now; for everyone else, the relevant attempt is CMAT 2027. Our CMAT route page carries the verified college bars.
MAT September 2026 is open. AIMA’s own testing page links registration for the September session. MAT’s four-sessions-a-year cadence makes it the only major exam you can still enter, write, and re-attempt inside this admission cycle. We published a session-status page with what is verified and what must be confirmed on the portal.
Maharashtra’s vacancy machine is running. SIESCOMS Navi Mumbai published its complete 2026 institute-level and Against-CAP paperwork — applications closed 7-8 September, merit lists displayed 9-10 September, counselling on the 11th, spot rounds 13-14 September. This is what the “institute-level quota” actually looks like when a college documents it: displayed merit lists, in-person slots, same-day full-fee confirmation. Full profile here.
A third institute printed its quota premium — at 3x. SIESCOMS’s fee sheet carries a Management Seats line at “Upto 3* times” the regular fee: Rs 7,05,000 against the FRA-fixed Rs 2,35,000, asterisk unexplained. After SIBM Bengaluru’s and Hyderabad’s double-fee Discretionary Quota, this is the first 3x premium and the first inside a state CAP system. Our new premiums-compared page puts all three side by side — and explains why the unexplained asterisk is exactly the thing to question in writing.
And the clock everyone knows: CAT 2026 registration closes 15 September at 5 pm. The full verified timeline — admit cards 4 November, test 29 November, results first week of January 2027 — lives on our CAT page. If it closes on you, it is not the end: MAT is open now, NMAT registration runs to 10 October, and XAT closes 6 December.