IIM CAP 2025 vs 2026 Cutoff Trends: Bodhgaya, Jammu and Sirmaur Closing Percentiles

IIM CAP 2026 closing percentile for General category rose by 1 point at IIM Bodhgaya and IIM Sirmaur compared to 2025, while IIM Jammu cutoffs remained stable at 90 percentile overall.

The IIM Common Admission Process (CAP) consolidates shortlisting for several new-generation IIMs into one WAT-PI cycle. For students aiming at IIM Bodhgaya, IIM Jammu, or IIM Sirmaur, understanding how closing percentiles shifted year-on-year sets a realistic CAT target with the right safety buffer. This article places 2025 and 2026 figures side by side so you can see exactly where the bar moved and why.

• IIM Bodhgaya General closing percentile rose from 90 in CAP 2025 to 91 in CAP 2026.
• IIM Jammu General cutoff held steady at 90 percentile in both 2025 and 2026.
• IIM Sirmaur General cutoff moved up from 85 in 2025 to 86 in 2026.
• SC and ST category cutoffs saw marginal increases of 2–3 percentile points across all three campuses.
• Section-wise minimum cutoffs in VARC, DILR, and QA remained unchanged from 2025 to 2026 at all three IIMs.

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IIM CAP Cutoff Overview: 2025 vs 2026

IIM CAP shortlists students on CAT percentile — both section-wise and overall — before the Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds. Three new-generation IIMs that use CAP — Bodhgaya, Jammu, and Sirmaur — set their own shortlisting thresholds each year. The table below gives a snapshot of General category overall cutoffs across both cycles.

Two of the three campuses registered a 1-point rise in 2026. IIM Jammu maintained its 2025 figure. Section-wise minimums for VARC, DILR, and QA remained the same at all three IIMs across both years.

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IIM Bodhgaya Closing Percentile 2025 vs 2026

IIM Bodhgaya raised its General category cutoff by 1 percentile point to 91 in 2026. The SC category saw a 3-point increase and the ST category rose by 3 points as well, reflecting growing competition among reserved-category applicants at this campus.

Section-wise, IIM Bodhgaya required a minimum of 80 percentile each in VARC, DILR, and QA for General category students in both 2025 and 2026. The section floor for NC-OBC and EWS stood at 72 percentile per section in both years.

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IIM Jammu Closing Percentile 2025 vs 2026

IIM Jammu held its overall cutoff at 90 percentile for General category students in 2026, matching the 2025 figure exactly. Category-wise cutoffs were equally stable across all brackets, suggesting IIM Jammu received a comparable applicant pool in both cycles.

IIM Jammu’s section-wise floor of 80 percentile in VARC, DILR, and QA (General category) also stayed unchanged. Students targeting IIM Jammu can treat 90 overall as a reliable minimum benchmark and plan their preparation accordingly.

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IIM Sirmaur Closing Percentile 2025 vs 2026

IIM Sirmaur’s General category cutoff moved from 85 to 86 percentile in 2026. Sirmaur carries the lowest threshold among the three campuses in this comparison, but its consistent upward trend signals growing applicant interest in the campus over successive cycles.

IIM Sirmaur sets its section-wise floor at 70 percentile per section for General category students. These section minimums did not change between 2025 and 2026, keeping the entry threshold consistent even as the overall bar inched upward.

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Why Cutoffs Changed: Key Factors

Several variables determine whether a CAP cutoff rises, falls, or stays flat from one year to the next. Knowing these helps you calibrate how much margin to build above the published threshold.

• CAT difficulty level: An easier paper inflates the high-percentile pool. CAT 2025 was widely assessed as slightly easier in the Quantitative Aptitude section, which pushed more students above the 85 percentile mark and raised the competition bar at campuses like Bodhgaya and Sirmaur.
• Applicant volume: As new-gen IIMs build placement track records and receive AACSB or NBA accreditation, more students apply through CAP each year. A larger pool at the same number of seats mechanically compresses who gets shortlisted.
• Batch size and seat intake: An increase in MBA seats raises the number of WAT-PI calls per category and can ease the closing cutoff. A freeze or reduction in intake has the opposite effect.
• CAP consortium size: When additional IIMs join the consortium, high-scorers who previously skipped CAP may now apply for a broader choice set, raising the competitive density at every participating campus.

IIM Jammu’s flat cutoff across both cycles points to stable seat intake and steady application volumes. IIM Bodhgaya and IIM Sirmaur, where cutoffs nudged up by 1 point each, reflect the combined effect of a slightly easier CAT 2025 paper and a growing applicant base at both campuses.