The IIM Kozhikode Stage 2 shortlist for 2026 used a composite score cutoff of 63.14 for General category candidates, and the admission criteria for the 2026 to 2028 batch confirm that Class XII marks still outweigh work experience and academic diversity combined. The Writing Ability Test carries 20 percent of the final composite, the highest WAT weight any IIM publishes. If you cleared the CAT 2025 cutoff for IIM Kozhikode and are preparing for the WAT-PI round, or if you are planning for the next cycle, this post walks you through the actual math at each stage, the composite score cutoffs that decided who got a PI call, and what the 2026 placement numbers say about the return on clearing these hurdles.
Stage 1: Registration is the silent disqualifier
The first stage is administrative, and that is exactly why people fail it. After the official PGP Admissions Policy 2026 to 2028 is released, only candidates who clear the category-wise CAT 2025 cutoff and complete the online registration on IIM Kozhikode's portal move forward. The minimum CAT percentiles for the 2026 batch remain: 85 for General (with 75 sectional), 75 for EWS and OBC-NCL, 65 for SC, and 55 for ST and PwD.
Two eligibility details that trip applicants up. First, IIM Kozhikode requires a minimum of 60 percent in the bachelor's degree for General, OBC-NCL, and EWS candidates (55 percent for SC, ST, PwD), which is stricter than some peer IIMs. Second, only candidates with a positive (greater than zero) scaled score in every CAT section are considered. A strong overall percentile with a zero in one section is an automatic disqualification.
Stage 2: The Aggregate Index Score decides the shortlist
This is where the IIM Kozhikode Stage 2 shortlist is built, and it is the stage that separates IIMK from most peer IIMs. The PI shortlist is not based on raw CAT percentile. It is computed from an Aggregate Index Score (AIS) with the following weightage, drawn from the official admissions policy and confirmed by Careers360's reporting:
- CAT 2025 score: 50 points
- Class X marks: 15 points
- Class XII marks: 20 points
- Gender diversity (female and transgender candidates): 10 points
- Academic diversity (non-engineering bachelor's): 5 points
- Work experience (capped at 36 months): 5 points
Two structural details an Indian applicant should internalise. First, gender and academic diversity are mutually exclusive, not additive. A female non-engineer gets 10 points for gender, not 15. Second, Class XII at 20 points outweighs both work experience and academic diversity combined. A 78 percent in Class XII is not a footnote in your application; it is a number that compounds through every IIM admission process. For a deeper look at how these IIM Kozhikode shortlist criteria map to real profiles, see our cluster breakdown.
2026 Stage 2 composite score cutoffs: the numbers that decided PI calls
The IIM Kozhikode Stage 2 shortlist for the 2026 to 2028 batch was released on 1 January 2026, and the composite score cutoffs by category were as follows, per Careers360:
| Category | Stage 2 Shortlist Composite Score Cutoff |
|---|---|
| General | 63.14 |
| EWS | 53.29 |
| OBC-NCL | 51.87 |
| SC | 48.53 |
| ST | 38.42 |
| PwD | 35.16 |
These numbers tell you something the raw CAT percentile does not. A General male engineer with a 92 CAT percentile but a 75 percent in Class XII and 70 percent in Class X would score well below 63.14 in most simulations we run at Pegasus Global Consultants. The composite rewards balanced profiles, not CAT-heavy ones. If you are unsure where you stand, a structured profile evaluation before the next cycle is more useful than another mock CAT.
Stage 3: WAT, PI, and the resume score
Candidates who clear Stage 2 receive a PI call. Final selection uses a fresh composite, separate from the AIS that got you into the room. As Shiksha's shortlist guide lays out, the final composite is:
- CAT 2025 score: 35 percent
- Personal Interview: 35 percent
- Writing Ability Test: 20 percent
- Resume score: 10 percent
Notice what just happened. CAT, which carried 50 of 100 points at the shortlist stage, drops to 35 percent at the final stage. The PI and the WAT together make up 55 percent of your fate at IIM Kozhikode. The institute's 20 percent WAT weight is the highest among IIMs we track, and it is the line item Indian applicants underprepare for the most.
The WAT runs 20 to 25 minutes on a prompt revealed at the venue. The PI is a 15 to 25 minute panel with two or three interviewers, conducted across six cities (Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai, and New Delhi). Final results for the 2026 batch were released on 29 April 2026, per Career Launcher.
The 2026 numbers: placements, fees, and ROI
IIM Kozhikode's Class of 2025 placement report (the most recent completed cycle) recorded an average CTC of Rs 28.18 LPA (median Rs 27.5 LPA) and a highest CTC of Rs 81 LPA, a 12.5 percent jump over 2024. A total of 561 students participated, with 169 recruiters visiting campus, including 57 first-time recruiters and 13 international offers. Consulting led at 32 percent of placements, followed by finance at 19.2 percent. Goldman Sachs, Bain and Company, BCG, Deloitte, EY, and KPMG were among the top hiring firms. For a detailed salary breakdown, see the IIM Kozhikode average package analysis.
The IIM Kozhikode fee structure for 2026 comes to approximately Rs 23 to 25 lakh for the full two-year programme including hostel. Against a Rs 28 LPA average placement, the ROI math is among the strongest in the IIM system outside the top three.
How IIM Kozhikode Stage 2 shortlist compares with peer IIMs
If you are weighing which IIMs to target for your WAT-PI prep budget, the table below compares the Stage 2 shortlist and final selection criteria across four peer IIMs. Understanding how each IIM weights academics, diversity, and CAT differently helps you decide where your profile is most competitive.
| Parameter | IIM Kozhikode | IIM Lucknow | IIM Indore | IIM Calcutta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAT cutoff (General) | 85 percentile | 90 percentile | 90 percentile | 90 percentile |
| CAT weight in shortlist AIS | 50% | 60% | 55% | 55% |
| Class XII weight in AIS | 20% | 10% | 15% | 15% |
| Gender diversity weight | 10% | 5% | 5% | 2% |
| WAT weight in final composite | 20% | 10% | 15% | 15% |
| PI weight in final composite | 35% | 30% | 30% | 32% |
| Bachelor's degree minimum (General) | 60% | 50% | 55% | 60% |
| Average CTC (2025 placements) | Rs 28.18 LPA | Rs 28.6 LPA | Rs 25.01 LPA | Rs 35.07 LPA |
| Highest CTC (2025 placements) | Rs 81 LPA | Rs 62.4 LPA | Rs 55 LPA | Rs 1.15 Cr |
Two things stand out. First, IIM Kozhikode's 85 percentile General cutoff is the lowest among these four, making the Stage 2 shortlist accessible to a wider band of CAT scorers. Second, the 20 percent WAT weight is the highest in this peer set, which means strong writers have a structural advantage at IIMK that they do not carry to Lucknow, Indore, or Calcutta. For the full breakdown of each peer's criteria, see our guides on IIM Indore selection criteria 2026, IIM Calcutta admission criteria 2026, and IIM Bangalore selection criteria 2026.
If you are a male engineer from a tier-2 college
This is the modal IIMK applicant. The hard numbers say a 92 percentile is enough to clear the General cutoff, but the AIS math is brutal. You forfeit 10 gender diversity points and 5 academic diversity points. Your engineering CGPA does not earn back academic diversity. The only levers you control now are Class X and Class XII, which together carry 35 points.
Two practical implications. First, your Class XII percentage is doing more work than your CAT percentile from 92 to 95. Aarav with a 94 in Class XII and a 92 CAT percentile often beats Vikram with a 78 in Class XII and a 95 CAT percentile in the AIS. Second, if work experience is your only diversity hook, make sure it shows in the resume score at the final stage, since work experience contributes just 5 points at shortlist time but feeds the 10 percent resume score later.
If your profile fits this segment, an honest read of where you stand using our profile evaluation service before WAT-PI prep starts is more useful than another mock CAT. A structured 90-day MBA profile building plan can help you close gaps before the next cycle, and our profile evaluation guide for CAT aspirants breaks down how to audit your AIS before the shortlist drops.
If you are a female non-engineer
You enter Stage 2 with a 10 point gender advantage that you cannot trade up. You already qualify for academic diversity, but the rules forbid stacking, so the marginal value of your non-engineering degree is zero on the AIS. The leverage is elsewhere.
Priya, a literature graduate working in marketing, often clears the IIM Kozhikode Stage 2 shortlist at 88 to 90 percentile when her Class XII is above 85. The IIMK final composite then asks her to defend why an MBA when her undergraduate is in humanities. Panels in Kozhikode lean toward genuine intellectual curiosity, not rehearsed answers. The WAT prompts often reach into ethics, governance, or current affairs, where a non-engineering background is an asset if you have read widely in 2025 and 2026.
If you are a reapplicant or working professional with two-plus years
Work experience is worth 5 AIS points, capped at 36 months. The institute does not differentiate sharply between 24 months and 36 months at the shortlist stage. Where extra years pay off is the resume score (10 percent of the final composite) and the PI, where domain depth is testable. A reapplicant who improved a CAT percentile from 89 to 93 between attempts but did not change Class XII (impossible) or Class X is moving one lever out of several, so the gains may be smaller than expected.
If you are reapplying after a ding cycle, compare the IIMK admit pattern with the IIM Bangalore selection criteria for 2026 and the IIM Calcutta admission criteria for 2026 before you decide where to spend your interview prep budget. Bangalore weights the 10th and 12th differently. Calcutta is heavier on academics overall. Kozhikode's distinctive bet is the WAT. Applicants considering the one-year MBA route may also want to look at the ISB PGP admissions guide for a structurally different process.
Common questions Indian applicants are asking
What is the safe CAT percentile for an IIM Kozhikode call as a General male engineer?
The published cutoff is 85, but the empirical safe band for a male engineer with average academics (around 80 percent in Class X and XII) sits closer to 92 to 95 percentile in CAT 2025, based on the past three cycles' converted candidate data we track at Pegasus Global Consultants. The 2026 Stage 2 shortlist composite cutoff of 63.14 for General means clearing 85 is necessary but not sufficient. The exact safe number is profile-dependent, which is why the AIS exists.
Can I get an IIM Kozhikode shortlist with a low Class X or Class XII?
Yes, but it requires compensating elsewhere. A Class XII below 75 percent costs you measurable AIS points (since Class XII weights 20 out of 100). A non-engineering bachelor's, female or transgender status, or a CAT percentile above the 96 mark can offset some of the loss. There is no published formula for how much offset is enough, so the honest answer is that low-academics applicants need to over-index on the CAT percentile, ideally above 94 for General.
How does IIM Kozhikode's WAT differ from other IIMs?
The format is similar (a single prompt, 20 to 25 minutes), but the weight is the distinguishing factor. Kozhikode places 20 percent of the final composite on WAT, compared with 10 to 15 percent at most peer IIMs (see the comparison table above). The prompts in recent cycles have leaned analytical and current-affairs heavy. Reading Mint, Indian Express edit pages, and one international source weekly through the cycle is a tested prep routine.
Does work experience help at IIM Kozhikode?
Only marginally at the Stage 2 shortlist (5 of 100 AIS points, capped at 36 months). At the final stage it contributes more, both through the resume score (10 percent) and through PI signal (since panels can probe project depth). A two-year work experience candidate from a recognised firm is well-positioned. Beyond 36 months, the marginal AIS gain is zero, though PI value can rise.
When were the 2026 to 2028 results announced?
The Stage 2 PI shortlist for the 2026 batch was released on 1 January 2026. WAT-PI rounds ran from late January through March 2026, with final admission offers released on 29 April 2026. Exact dates are confirmed on the IIMK admissions portal each cycle.
What this means for Indian applicants
The IIM Kozhikode admission criteria for the 2026 to 2028 batch reward a profile most CAT aspirants do not optimise for: strong Class XII marks, a non-engineering bachelor's, and a serious WAT preparation routine. The Stage 2 shortlist is built on the Aggregate Index Score, and the composite cutoff of 63.14 for General means balanced profiles beat CAT-heavy ones. The final composite then gives 55 percent of the decision to PI and WAT combined. With an average placement of Rs 28.18 LPA and a programme fee under Rs 25 lakh, the ROI argument is strong, but only if you clear the three stages.
The candidates who convert IIMK consistently are not the ones with the highest CAT percentiles. They are the ones who read the AIS sheet on the day the policy drops, audit which levers they control, and spend the next eight weeks closing the WAT and PI gap. If you want a third party to map your AIS and PI gap honestly before the next cycle, our MBA and MIM admissions service runs that audit for Indian applicants every cycle.
Related reading
- IIM Kozhikode Shortlist Criteria 2026: How the Numbers Break Down
- IIM Kozhikode CAT Percentile Cutoff: What It Actually Takes
- IIM Kozhikode Average Package 2026: The Real Salary Numbers
- IIM Kozhikode MBA Fees 2026: Full Cost Breakdown
- IIM Indore Selection Criteria 2026
- IIM Calcutta Admission Criteria: What 2026 Selection Actually Weighed
- IIM Bangalore Selection Criteria 2026
- MBA Profile Evaluation for CAT Aspirants 2026
- IIM CAP 2026 Results: What to Do If You Have an Offer, a Waitlist, or a Ding
- How to Get Into ISB Hyderabad: The Admissions Playbook for Indian Applicants
- ISB PGP Admissions Guide
- Service: Profile Evaluation at WePegasus
- Service: MBA & MIM Consulting at WePegasus