CAT 2025: IIMs see more women, fewer engineers as MBA programmes diversify intake

CAT 2025: India’s top management institutes are undergoing a quiet but measurable transformation, with women’s representation rising sharply and the overwhelming dominance of engineering graduates beginning to ease in flagship Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes across Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) campuses nationwide.

Between 2021 and 2025, batch composition data from IIMs reveals three prominent trends. First, several campuses are reporting steady year-on-year increases in female enrolment. Second, while engineers continue to form the majority, there is a modest rise in students from commerce, arts, and other disciplines in MBA programmes. Third, there is an observable shift toward valuing prior work experience, particularly at institutes that now factor professional exposure into their selection processes.

These shifts have been enabled by institutional admission policies, such as profile-based shortlisting, point-based diversity incentives, and broader alignment with equity principles of the National Education Policy 2020.

Admission to IIMs is through the Common Admission Test (CAT). CAT 2025 registration began on August 1 and the CAT exam is scheduled to be held on November 30, in three sessions.

Female enrolment: IIM Bangalore, Calcutta, Mumbai

Between 2021 and 2025, female student representation has improved steadily across nearly all IIMs. At IIM Bangalore, the share of women rose from 28% in 2021 to 37% in 2025. IIM Calcutta followed a similar path, increasing from 24% to 34% over five years. IIM Indore moved from 35% to 42% during the same period.

Institutes that historically had low gender diversity, like IIM Mumbai (formerly NITIE), also made progress. The female representation there rose from 10% to 22%.

Among the newer IIMs, the progress is more pronounced. IIM Sambalpur recorded 45% female participation in its 2024-26 batch. IIM Amritsar reported 39%, while IIM Nagpur reached 35% for their respective batches.

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The increase in female participation can be directly linked to policy mechanisms. IIM Bangalore, for example, awards up to five additional marks to female and non-engineering candidates during the shortlisting process. Similarly, IIM Indore applies a 10-point advantage in its composite score to promote academic and gender diversity.

IIM female enrolment between 2021-2025

These systems are transparently documented on the institutes’ official admissions pages.

MBA Admission 2025: Engineering graduates declining at IIMs

The overwhelming presence of engineering graduates in IIMs has been a longstanding pattern. However, between 2021 and 2025, this dominance has declined slightly in most campuses. At IIM Calcutta, engineers made up 89% of the batch in 2021; by 2025, their share had fallen to 79%. IIM Bangalore saw a decline from 78% to 71%. IIM Indore reduced from 80% to 73%.

Even IIM Mumbai, where the engineering share was as high as 98% in 2021, saw a drop to 90%. The downward trend suggests that recent admissions frameworks are encouraging broader academic backgrounds, especially in commerce, arts, and pure sciences.

MBA Admissions: Engineering graduates at IIMs

This shift is supported by point-based diversity incentives. For instance, IIM Lucknow’s admission policy allocates up to five points for non-engineering backgrounds, while IIM Kozhikode uses a matrix that favors diversity in both gender and discipline.

CAT Admission: IIMs valuing work experience

While fresh graduates continue to make up a significant share of incoming batches, several IIMs are clearly moving toward valuing prior work experience. At IIM Calcutta, the proportion of students with work experience increased from 31% in 2021 to 38% in 2025. IIM Lucknow reported a shift from 35% to 40%. IIM Amritsar recorded nearly 50% of its cohort with experience in 2024.

IIM Bangalore’s average experience duration dropped slightly from 23 months in 2021 to 19 months in 2025, reflecting a younger intake, though still with a stable experience component. IIM Indore saw a minor dip in average student age from approximately 22 to 21.3 years, indicating a preference for freshers or younger candidates.

IIMCAT 2025: Number of students with work experience

For IIM Bangalore, the average work experience declined from 23 months in 2021 to 19 months in 2025. At IIM Indore, the average student age decreased from 22 years to approximately 21 years and three months over the same period.

Institutes like IIM Kozhikode and IIM Udaipur use composite scoring models where work experience is a formal evaluation component. These are typically awarded up to five points, depending on the duration and relevance of the work.

CAT exam, NEP 2020: IIMs and shifting policies

The evolving batch profile composition is underpinned by both institutional reforms and broader educational policy shifts. The NEP 2020 advocates for holistic, inclusive, and multidisciplinary education. In response, IIMs have implemented various mechanisms to diversify their classrooms.

Diversity points are now a formal part of admission scoring at several IIMs. For example, IIM Bangalore offers five additional points for female and non-engineering candidates. IIM Indore awards 10 points for the same. These policies are detailed in public admission documents and form part of each institute’s declared commitment to improving diversity.

The CAT exam itself has also changed over time, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. The reduction in exam duration and number of questions has potentially narrowed the gap between freshers and working professionals, changing the composition of those qualifying for interview shortlists.

Moreover, the use of profile-based admissions — now practiced at IIMs like Kozhikode, Udaipur, and Nagpur — has made room for students with non-linear backgrounds, including those from non-engineering disciplines or with entrepreneurial or social sector experience.

From 2021 to 2025, the IIMs have demonstrated a clear shift toward more inclusive, balanced, and policy-aligned student cohorts. Gender representation is gradually improving, particularly in second-generation IIMs like Sambalpur and Amritsar. The dominance of engineers, while still substantial, is beginning to wane. And across the board, prior work experience is gaining prominence in both admissions and classroom learning environments.

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They reflect a series of conscious policy choices, incentivized selection matrices, and a national push toward equitable and broad-based higher education.