Cycle update · 29 September 2026
What Changed in MBA Admissions: 29 September 2026
By Piyush Agarwal, 10 years in direct admissions counselling · 29 September 2026
The short answer
On 29 September 2026, Masters' Union Round 2 is live: applications close 27 November at the unchanged Rs 38,56,692 fee, and the old programme URL now returns 410. AIMA's MAT page rolled back to printing only a stale September 2025 schedule one day before its score window ends. Four new comparisons went live — SIBM Pune vs NMIMS, MDI vs IIFT, SPJIMR vs MDI, GIM vs XIMB.
What changed?
| Item | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Masters' Union — Round 1 closed; Round 2 LIVE with a 27 November close; the fee holds at Rs 38,56,692 | Round 1 closed Saturday 27 September 2026 at 11:59 PM; the early-bird benefit was 10% by 18 November | The old programme URL now returns 410 'page not found' and the programme lives at a new address with a dedicated admissions-and-fees page, rendered today: ROUND 2 — application closes 27 November 2026, 11:59 PM; MU-BAAT window 28 November-6 December only when required; personal interviews 10-24 December and decisions 8-9 January indicative; optional campus experience 16-17 January; admission fee Rs 90,000 due 19 January 2027; early-bird benefit now a further 7.5% on post-scholarship tuition with a 10 February deadline (changed from 10% by 18 November); final tuition deadline 25 April 2027. The total programme fee is UNCHANGED at Rs 38,56,692 (admission Rs 90,000 + tuition Rs 37,66,692), application Rs 500. The page also introduces the 24-month Young Leaders Cohort beside the 16-month PGP TBM, both commencing June 2027 |
| MAT September scores — twelfth check: AIMA's page has ROLLED BACK to the 2025 schedule; the score line is gone; window ends tomorrow | AIMA's MAT page printed the September 2026 block with scores 'by last week of September 2026' alongside a stale 2025 block, checked daily since 15 September | AIMA's MAT content page re-read today now prints ONLY the September 2025 block — 'Information to Candidates for MAT September 2025', PBT test 21 September 2025, CBT 28 September 2025, scores 'by 2nd week of October 2025', fees Rs 2,200/3,800. The September 2026 schedule and the score promise have disappeared from the governing URL a day before the promised window ends (Tuesday 30 September). The score portal mat.aima.in returns 403 Forbidden even to a real browser from our host today. Scores, when they post, will appear on the applicant dashboard — check mat.aima.in directly; December 2026 still has no candidate schedule anywhere, so mat-december-2026 stays unbuilt |
| SPJIMR 2027-29 window printed to the day — closes 27 November 2026 | SPJIMR applications 'open mid-September to end-November' with six printed interview phases | SPJIMR's admissions page re-opened today prints the exact window: application opens 15 September 2026, closes 27 November 2026, processing fee Rs 2,500, CAT and GMAT accepted, 50% bar, freshers to five years of work experience, and the verbatim merit-only disclaimer (no quota, management or otherwise; no intermediaries, ever). Fees page re-read: Rs 24,86,000 Indian participants including basic hostel, indicative |
| Four comparison pages published, every fee from official pages opened today | findurcollege's MBA layer remains static since its 11-September sweep — day 18 with every later touch still medical, B.Tech or homepage | SIBM Pune vs NMIMS Mumbai (Rs 13,10,000 vs Rs 13,50,000 a year — SNAP best-of-three against NMAT first-attempt-only; NMIMS's verbatim no-quota warning against SIBM Pune's printed silence), MDI vs IIFT (two CAT-only NCR doors — Rs 26,55,310 against the published Rs 21.82 lakh Delhi total, both residential), SPJIMR vs MDI (Rs 24,86,000 vs Rs 26,55,310; SPJIMR's window live to 27 November, averages Rs 32.10L vs Rs 29.5L), and GIM vs XIMB (one XAT registration, two merit doors — Rs 21,45,000 against about Rs 25.8 lakh; GIM's score-blind Achiever's Round against XIM's own XGMT) |
| Watches — KMAT result day 9 with KPPGCA DNS-dead day 10; SIMC dates day 6; Welingkar edge responds again; IIM Jammu day 18; NMAT closes in 11 days | KPPGCA DNS-dead day 9; SIMC dates unreachable day 5; welingkar.org fully dark day 3; IIM Jammu NXDOMAIN day 17 | Nine days after the 20 September KMAT test, kmatindia.com renders but still prints no result date; kppgca.karnataka.gov.in is DNS-unresolved for the tenth consecutive day. SIMC's important-dates page 404s, day 6 (the prospectus PDF governs). welingkar.org's edge responds with 403 again after days fully unreachable — a partial recovery, not yet a readable page; the pgdm2026-28 cutoff PDF subdomain still serves live. iimjammu.ac.in does not resolve for an eighteenth consecutive day (the cap2026 portal still serves). NMAT registration closes 10 October — 11 days |
What should you do now?
- If Masters' Union is on your list: Round 2 is open NOW and closes 27 November 2026, 11:59 PM — the fee is unchanged at Rs 38,56,692, but the early-bird terms changed (7.5% on post-scholarship tuition, deadline 10 February). A valid CAT 2023/2024/2025 or GMAT 2024/2025/2026 score waives MU-BAAT; without one, the free assessment window is 28 November-6 December. Note the new URL — the old programme page is gone (410).
- If you sat MAT September: AIMA's own window closes TOMORROW, Tuesday 30 September — and its content page has confusingly rolled back to a 2025 schedule. Ignore the page; check your applicant dashboard at mat.aima.in for the score. Do not pay anyone claiming early access, and ignore any 'December MAT dates' quote until AIMA prints a real candidate schedule — twelve consecutive checks have found none.
- If SPJIMR is a target: the 2027-29 application is live and closes 27 November 2026 (Rs 2,500, CAT or GMAT). Its shortlist reads profiles in two groups — strong academics and achievements genuinely matter alongside the score. Apply early; interview phases run in waves.
- If an agent quotes a quota seat at SIBM Pune, NMIMS, SPJIMR, MDI, IIFT, GIM or XIM: every one of those institutions' own pages was opened today and not one prints such a route. NMIMS and SPJIMR say so in so many words. Ask the agent which printed document they are reading — then read it yourself.
- If NMAT is your NMIMS door: registration closes 10 October 2026 — 11 days — and the separate Rs 3,000 NMIMS application must be completed before your exam day. NMIMS counts only your FIRST attempt, so sit it when prepared, not as practice.
The first weekday after Masters’ Union’s Round 1 close — and the school has already re-platformed its programme pages with Round 2 live. One day before AIMA’s MAT score window ends, the governing page has rolled back to a stale 2025 schedule. Every item above was verified on official pages or official PDFs opened today, 29 September 2026.