IIM Sambalpur RTI Data Analysis: Minimum CAT Percentile, Category Cutoffs & Admission Trends

IIM Sambalpur RTI Data Reveals Minimum CAT Percentile Required for Admission (2020–2026): Category-Wise & Year-Wise Analysis

Introduction: Why RTI Data Is the Only Reliable Source for IIM Sambalpur Aspirants

Every year, thousands of MBA aspirants ask the same question: "What CAT percentile do I genuinely need to get into IIM Sambalpur?" Coaching institutes guess. Forums speculate. Official websites publish only the qualifying threshold — not the actual floor at which candidates were admitted. Only the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 provides legally certified, factual answers.

Under the RTI Act, any Indian citizen can file an application with a public authority — which includes all IIMs as government-funded bodies — and receive official data within 30 days. The institution is legally bound to respond with accurate information. False or misleading responses carry penalties under Section 20 of the Act. This is why RTI-based data is the gold standard for IIM admission planning.

There is a critical distinction that every aspirant must understand: the qualifying cutoff (published on the official website) is the minimum percentile to receive a PI shortlist call, while the actual admission percentile (disclosed via RTI) is the minimum CAT percentile of a candidate who received a final offer of admission. These two numbers are always different — and in most cases, significantly so. This article bridges both, using multi-year RTI data from 2020–2026 for IIM Sambalpur, with comparative benchmarks from peer IIMs.

IIM Sambalpur was established in 2015 and is located in Sambalpur, Odisha. It is classified as a "Baby IIM" — among the second generation of IIMs set up by the Government of India under IIM Ahmedabad's mentorship. Despite being young, IIM Sambalpur has achieved remarkable milestones: 100% placements with an average CTC of Rs. 16.64 LPA (2023 batch), a permanent campus under development, and rising recognition in NIRF rankings.

About IIM Sambalpur: Quick Facts

Section 1: How RTI Data Is Collected and Why It Is Credible

The RTI (Right to Information) Act, 2005 empowers every Indian citizen to request specific information from public authorities. IIMs, being centrally funded institutions under the Ministry of Education, are required to respond within 30 days. The Public Information Officer (PIO) at each IIM is legally designated to respond. Non-compliance invites a penalty of Rs. 250 per day, up to Rs. 25,000, under Section 20 of the Act.

RTI applicants for IIM admissions typically request: category-wise minimum CAT percentile for PI shortlisting, composite score (CS) cutoffs for final admission offers, number of candidates shortlisted and offered admission, waitlist movement data by category, and batch composition by category and gender. Unlike official brochures or coaching institute estimates, RTI responses are institution-certified data — the exact numbers that were used in real admissions decisions.

Table 1A: RTI vs Other Data Sources — Credibility Comparison

Table 1B: Limitations of RTI Data for IIM Sambalpur

Section 2: IIM Sambalpur Selection Criteria — Complete Framework

IIM Sambalpur uses a three-stage admission process. Understanding this framework is essential to correctly interpret RTI cutoff data.

Stage 1: CAT Qualifying Cutoff — Candidates who have appeared for CAT and listed IIM Sambalpur as a preference are screened based on minimum CAT percentile (overall and sectional). Those meeting the cutoffs proceed to Stage 2.

Stage 2: Pre-PI Score Calculation — A Pre-PI Score is calculated out of 80 marks, based on scaled CAT score, academic marks, work experience, gender diversity, and academic stream diversity. Top candidates from this pool are invited for Personal Interview.

Stage 3: Final Merit Score — The final merit score combines the adjusted Pre-PI score (75%) and the PI performance (25%). Admission offers are made in order of merit within each category.

Table 2A: IIM Sambalpur Pre-PI Score Components (2026–28 Batch)

Table 2B: Final Merit Score Composition (2026–28 Batch)

Table 2C: IIM Sambalpur CAT 2025 Qualifying Cutoffs (for 2026–28 Batch)

Note: For 2026–28, IIM Sambalpur has scrapped sectional cutoffs entirely. Only overall CAT percentile is the qualifying gate. This is a significant change from earlier years when sectional minimums of 65 percentile each were required.

Table 2D: Academic Score Calculation

Table 2E: Work Experience Points Allocation

Section 3: Year-Wise Minimum CAT Percentile — RTI Core Data (2020–2026)

Table 3A: Year-Wise Minimum CAT Qualifying Percentile — General Category (Official Admission Policy + RTI)

Table 3B: Year-Wise Minimum CAT Percentile at Final Admission Stage — General Category (RTI, Actual Admitted Batch)

Note: For the 2023–25 batch, the minimum CAT percentile of the final admitted General category candidate was 80.08 and the minimum composite score was 49.24 — both confirmed via RTI.

Section 4: Category-Wise Cutoff Tables — RTI-Based (2020–2026)

Table 4A: Category-Wise Minimum CAT Qualifying Percentile for PI Shortlisting (Year-Wise, RTI-Based)

Table 4B: Category-Wise Minimum CAT Percentile — Final Admission (Actual RTI Data, Not Qualifying Cutoff)

Note: RTI confirmed data for 2023–25. "NA" for PWD means no PWD candidate accepted the final offer of admission in that batch.

Table 4C: Sectional CAT Percentile Cutoffs — Category-Wise (2024–26 Batch, When Sectionals Were Applicable)

Note: For 2026–28, IIM Sambalpur removed all sectional cutoff requirements. Only the overall minimum CAT percentile applies.

Section 5: Composite Score Cutoffs — RTI Data (Category-Wise)

The composite score (CS) at IIM Sambalpur is the final ranking metric combining Pre-PI score and PI performance. RTI responses have disclosed CS cutoffs for the 2022–24 and 2023–25 batches with precision.

Table 5A: Minimum Composite Score for Final Admission Offer — Category-Wise (RTI Confirmed Data)

Note: 2023–25 figures are RTI-confirmed exact values. 2024–26 figures are estimated from trend data. Composite scores are out of approximately 100.

Table 5B: Highest Composite Score — Category-Wise (RTI Confirmed, 2023–25 Batch)

Table 5C: Class Composition by Category — 2023–25 Batch (RTI-Based)

Section 6: Shortlisting and Admission Offer Statistics — RTI Data

Table 6A: Category-Wise CAT Applicants and PI Shortlist — 2023–25 Batch (RTI-Based)

Note: For the 2023–25 batch, CAP was conducted by IIM Udaipur. Total CAP PI offers: 23,475. CS-based cutoffs were not used for shortlisting — only CAT percentile cutoffs were applied.

Table 6B: PI to Final Admission Offer Conversion — 2023–25 Batch (RTI-Based)

Note: These are total CAP-pool admission offers, not IIM Sambalpur-specific. Each candidate in the CAP pool could receive offers from multiple participating IIMs. IIM Sambalpur's individual batch intake is significantly smaller (~130–150 students).

Table 6C: Shortlisting and Offer Trend View (2021–2026)

Section 7: IIM Sambalpur Weightage Breakup — Year-Wise Changes

Table 7: IIM Sambalpur Composite Score Weightage — Year-Wise Comparison

Note: The 2026–28 formula marks a significant shift — PI weightage rises sharply to 25%, making interview performance the second most important factor after CAT. CAT score drops from 55% to 50% but remains the largest single component. Academics and work experience both rise to 25 marks each.

The increase in PI weightage from 5% (2025–27) to 25% (2026–28) is the most transformative change in IIM Sambalpur's recent admission history. This means a candidate with a borderline CAT score can now meaningfully compensate through an exceptional PI performance. Conversely, a high CAT scorer who performs poorly in PI faces a much higher risk of rejection than in previous batches.

Section 8: Trend Analysis and Key Insights (2020–2026)

Table 8A: Trend Summary — General Category Minimum CAT Qualifying Percentile

Table 8B: Gap Between General and Reserved Categories — 2023–25 (RTI-Confirmed)

Table 8C: Rising Competition — IIM Sambalpur vs Peer Baby IIMs (General Category, 2024–26)

Key Trend Insights:

• The General qualifying cutoff rose by 15 points in 3 years (2021–23: 75 to 2023–25: 92), the most aggressive tightening seen in any Baby IIM peer group during that period.
• IIM Sambalpur's 2023–25 cutoff of 92 briefly exceeded many New IIMs such as IIM Ranchi and IIM Trichy, signalling a major step-change in its competitive positioning.
• The subsequent correction to 90 for 2024–26 and stable hold at 90 for 2025–27 suggests the institute has found its equilibrium point for the current phase of growth.
• The ST category has remained remarkably stable at 40 for PI qualifying throughout 2020–2026, while EWS jumped from 65 to 80 over the same period — a 15-point increase reflecting surging EWS competition nationally.
• SC qualifying cutoff rose from 50 to 55 over 6 years — a modest but steady increase indicating improving SC candidate pool quality and institutional confidence.
• The removal of sectional cutoffs for 2026–28 is a major structural change that benefits candidates with uneven section-wise performance, particularly those weak in one section but strong overall.
• The rise in PI weightage to 25% for 2026–28 creates a more holistic selection process and opens doors for candidates with borderline CAT scores but strong communication and analytical capabilities.

Section 9: Comparative Master Table — IIM Sambalpur vs Peer IIMs

Table 9A: IIM Sambalpur vs All IIM Tiers — Minimum CAT Percentile Comparison (2024–26, RTI-Based)

Note: IIM Sambalpur's qualifying cutoff of 90 is relatively high for a Baby IIM, but the actual minimum final admission percentile (~82) is more accessible, making it a strong target for candidates in the 83–90 percentile range who have strong academics and work experience.

Section 10: RTI Process — How to File and Access IIM Sambalpur Admission Data

Table 10A: Step-by-Step RTI Filing Guide for IIM Sambalpur Data

Sample RTI Questions for IIM Sambalpur:

• Please provide category-wise (General, EWS, NC-OBC, SC, ST, PWD) minimum CAT percentile of candidates shortlisted for PI and of candidates who received final admission offers for the PGP batch of [year].
• Please provide category-wise minimum, maximum, and average composite score of candidates who received final admission offers for the PGP batch of [year].
• Please provide total number of candidates shortlisted for PI and total number of final offers made, category-wise, for PGP batch of [year].
• Please provide the class composition by category and gender for the current PGP batch.
• Please provide category-wise waitlist movement (number of lists released and highest waitlist number converted) for PGP batch of [year].

Table 10B: Why RTI Data Is Legally Binding

Section 11: FAQs — IIM Sambalpur Admissions (RTI-Based Answers)

Q1. What is the minimum CAT percentile for IIM Sambalpur in 2026? As per the official admission policy for the 2026–28 batch, the minimum qualifying CAT percentile is 90 for General male candidates, 85 for General female candidates and those with 1+ year of work experience, 80 for EWS, 75 for NC-OBC, 55 for SC, and 40 for ST and DAP. Note that meeting this cutoff only makes you eligible for Stage 2 — actual admission requires a significantly higher overall profile.

Q2. What is the actual minimum CAT percentile of candidates finally admitted to IIM Sambalpur? As per RTI data for the 2023–25 batch, the minimum CAT percentile of the final admitted General candidate was 80.08. This is the RTI-verified floor below which no General candidate received an offer letter. For EWS it was 70.05, NC-OBC was 74.12, SC was 54.35, and ST was 43.49.

Q3. Can I get into IIM Sambalpur with 85 percentile? For a General male fresher, 85 percentile falls below the qualifying cutoff of 90. However, a General female candidate or a male candidate with 1+ year of work experience can qualify at 85 percentile and proceed to Stage 2. EWS/NC-OBC candidates with 85 percentile comfortably clear the qualifying cutoff and have strong shortlist chances with good academics and work experience.

Q4. Has IIM Sambalpur removed sectional cutoffs for 2026? Yes. For the 2026–28 batch, IIM Sambalpur has removed all sectional CAT cutoff requirements. Only the overall CAT percentile is the qualifying gate. This is a significant change from earlier years when VARC, DILR, and QA each required 65 percentile minimums.

Q5. What is the composite score required for IIM Sambalpur admission? As per RTI data for the 2023–25 batch, the minimum composite score for General category was 49.24 (out of ~100) and the maximum was 69.93. For NC-OBC, the minimum was 36.54 and for SC it was 29.89. These figures are RTI-confirmed and represent the actual admission floor.

Q6. Does work experience help significantly in IIM Sambalpur admissions? Yes. Work experience carries up to 20 marks in the Pre-PI score (for candidates with 37+ months of experience) and additionally entitles General candidates to the lower qualifying cutoff of 85 instead of 90. For the 2026–28 batch, work experience rises to 25 marks — making it even more impactful. Freshers receive 0 work experience points.

Q7. What is the gender diversity advantage at IIM Sambalpur? Female and transgender candidates receive 10 bonus marks in the Pre-PI score and are entitled to the relaxed qualifying cutoff of 85 percentile (instead of 90 for General males). This dual advantage makes IIM Sambalpur one of the most female-friendly Baby IIMs in terms of admission incentives.

Q8. What was the qualifying cutoff for IIM Sambalpur in 2023–25 and why was it so high? For the 2023–25 batch, the qualifying cutoff was 92 — unusually high for a Baby IIM. This batch participated in the Common Admission Process (CAP) coordinated by IIM Udaipur in 2023, and the cutoff appears to reflect the pooled CAP criteria rather than IIM Sambalpur's standalone criteria. The subsequent correction to 90 for later batches supports this interpretation.

Q9. Is IIM Sambalpur part of CAP 2026? For the 2023–25 batch, IIM Sambalpur was part of CAP conducted by IIM Udaipur. For subsequent batches (2024–26 onward), IIM Sambalpur has been conducting its own independent admission process. Always verify from the official website iimsambalpur.ac.in before applying.

Q10. What is the batch size at IIM Sambalpur? The batch size for 2025–27 is approximately 130–150 students. Category-wise seat distribution follows government reservation policy: SC 15%, ST 7.5%, NC-OBC 27%, EWS 10%, DAP 5%, with the remainder for the General category.

Q11. How important is the Personal Interview at IIM Sambalpur for 2026–28? For the 2026–28 batch, PI carries 25% weight in the final merit score — the highest in recent years (it was only 5% in 2025–27). This makes PI performance the second most decisive factor after the Pre-PI score. Candidates must prepare rigorously for the interview round, including awareness of current affairs, their own resume, and business concepts.

Q12. Which IIM is easier to get into — IIM Sambalpur or IIM Trichy? Based on qualifying cutoffs, IIM Sambalpur (90) is slightly more accessible than IIM Trichy (which follows New IIM standards of ~82–88 depending on the year). However, IIM Trichy is NIRF-ranked higher (#20) than IIM Sambalpur, meaning IIM Trichy has stronger placement credentials. For SC/ST candidates, IIM Sambalpur's lower category cutoffs may provide an advantage.

Q13. How many seats remain vacant at IIM Sambalpur? RTI data for the 2023–25 batch showed that seats in the ST category had some vacancies after final admission closure, a common occurrence at Baby IIMs due to limited ST candidate pool exceeding qualifying thresholds with sufficient profile strength. General, EWS, OBC, and SC category seats are typically fully utilized.

Q14. Is the minimum percentile published on the IIM Sambalpur website the same as what RTI reveals? No. The official website publishes the qualifying/eligibility cutoff — the minimum to proceed to Stage 2. RTI reveals the actual minimum percentile of the candidate who received a final offer letter. For General candidates in 2023–25, the qualifying cutoff was 92 but the actual minimum admitted percentile was 80.08 — a notable gap of ~12 points.

Q15. What are the placement outcomes at IIM Sambalpur that justify targeting it? IIM Sambalpur achieved 100% placements for the 2023 batch with average CTC of Rs. 16.64 LPA, highest CTC of Rs. 64.61 LPA, and highest international CTC of Rs. 64.15 LPA. Major recruiters include Microsoft, and other leading firms across consulting, finance, operations, and marketing. These metrics are strong for a Baby IIM and continue to improve annually.

Section 12: IIM Sambalpur Placement Context (2020–2025)

Section 13: Strategic Profile Guide for IIM Sambalpur Aspirants (RTI-Informed)

Section 14: 100+ SEO Keywords — IIM Sambalpur RTI Data Blog

Primary Keywords

Secondary Keywords

Long-Tail Keywords

Additional 55 Keywords (Quick Reference)