IIM Lucknow College Profile 2026

Indian Institute of Management Lucknow (IIML) is one of India’s premier management institutions and one of the highly sought-after “old IIMs” among CAT aspirants. Established in 1984, IIM Lucknow was the fourth Indian Institute of Management established in India and is an Institution of National Importance.

Its flagship Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) is a two-year, full-time residential programme leading to the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. IIM Lucknow also offers specialised programmes in Agribusiness Management, Sustainable Management and executive management.

In the NIRF Management Ranking 2025, IIM Lucknow secured:

Rank #5 in India

a significant improvement from Rank #7 in 2024.

For the 2024–26 final placement cycle, the combined PGP and PGP-ABM cohort received 580+ offers for 559 students, with an average CTC of ₹33.20 LPA, median CTC of ₹32.90 LPA, highest domestic CTC of ₹1 crore and highest international CTC of ₹65 LPA.

IIM Lucknow Highlights 2026

Particular	Details
College Name	Indian Institute of Management Lucknow
Short Name	IIM Lucknow / IIML
Location	Prabandh Nagar, IIM Road, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh – 226013
College Type	Public Autonomous Management Institute; Institution of National Importance
Established Year	1984
Approval / Status	Institution of National Importance under IIM framework
International Accreditation	AACSB, AMBA & EQUIS
NIRF Management Ranking 2025	#5 in India
Flagship Programme	MBA – Post Graduate Programme in Management
Duration	2 Years, Full-Time Residential
MBA Fee 2026–28	Approx. ₹20.75 lakh, based on the current official fee structure
Primary Entrance Exam	CAT
General CAT Minimum Cut-off	90 overall and 85 percentile in each section
Expected Competitive CAT Target	98–99+ percentile for General-category candidates, depending on profile
Average Package 2026	₹33.20 LPA
Median Package 2026	₹32.90 LPA
Highest Domestic Package 2026	₹1 crore per annum
Highest International Package 2026	₹65 LPA
Total Offers 2026	580+
Students in Placement Process	559
Recruiters	200+
Top Recruiters	Accenture, Amazon, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Google, JPMorgan, McKinsey, Microsoft, P&G, TAS and others
Specialisations / Areas	Finance, Marketing, Strategy, Operations, HR, Analytics, IT, Consulting, General Management
Scholarships	IIM Lucknow Need-Based Scholarship + government/external scholarships
Hostel	Yes – flagship MBA is fully residential
Official Website	https://www.iiml.ac.in/

About IIM Lucknow

Indian Institute of Management Lucknow was established in:

1984

as the fourth member of India’s IIM family. The institute is located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and today operates both:

Lucknow Campus
Noida Campus

The main campus address is:

Indian Institute of Management Lucknow
Prabandh Nagar
IIM Road
Lucknow – 226013
Uttar Pradesh, India

The institute’s official website identifies this as its primary Lucknow address.

IIM Lucknow’s flagship PGP aims to develop professional managers with strong conceptual understanding, analytical ability, global business awareness, ethical values and an entrepreneurial mindset.

IIM Lucknow College Type

Public Autonomous Management Institute

IIM Lucknow is a public autonomous Indian Institute of Management and an Institution of National Importance.

It should therefore not be categorised as:

Private B-school
Deemed university
Standalone PGDM institute

For your MBA4U college finder, the most appropriate classification is:

Public / Government – Institution of National Importance

IIM Lucknow Accreditation

IIM Lucknow has a strong international accreditation profile.

Historically, the institute held:

AACSB

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

AMBA

Association of MBAs

The institute’s 2024–25 annual report described IIM Lucknow as a double-crown accredited institution through AACSB and AMBA, while noting that the EQUIS accreditation process was underway.

IIM Lucknow subsequently announced that it had:

Achieved EQUIS Accreditation

and its current official website prominently displays EQUIS alongside its accreditation information.

This gives IIM Lucknow an especially strong international quality-assurance profile.

IIM Lucknow NIRF Ranking 2025

According to the official NIRF Management Ranking 2025:

IIM Lucknow Rank: #5 in India

The institute moved up from:

Rank #7 in 2024

to:

Rank #5 in 2025.

The top management institutes in NIRF 2025 included:

IIM Ahmedabad
IIM Bangalore
IIM Kozhikode
IIT Delhi
IIM Lucknow

For MBA aspirants, this places IIM Lucknow firmly in India’s top management-school group.

IIM Lucknow Programmes

IIM Lucknow offers programmes for fresh graduates, specialised management aspirants, experienced professionals, working executives and researchers.

Programme	Duration / Format	Suitable For
MBA – PGP in Management	2 Years, Full-Time Residential	Graduates / CAT aspirants
MBA – Agribusiness Management (MBA-ABM)	2 Years, Full-Time Residential	Agribusiness and allied-sector aspirants
MBA – Sustainable Management (MBA-SM)	2 Years, Full-Time Residential	Sustainability / ESG aspirants
IPMX – One-Year MBA	1 Year, Full-Time Residential	Experienced managers
PGPWE – MBA for Working Executives	2 Years	Working professionals
Blended MBA (bMBA)	2 Years	Working professionals / entrepreneurs
Doctoral Programme / PhD	Full-Time	Academic and research careers
PhD for Working Executives	Executive Doctoral	Experienced professionals
BS in AI & Business Analytics	Undergraduate	Students interested in AI + management

The institute’s current programme portfolio lists MBA, MBA-ABM, MBA-SM, bMBA, PGPWE, IPMX, doctoral programmes and its newer undergraduate programme in AI and Business Analytics.

IIM Lucknow MBA – Flagship PGP

The flagship programme is officially called:

Post Graduate Programme in Management

Students successfully completing the programme receive the degree of:

Master of Business Administration – MBA

It is:

Two years
Full-time
Residential
Six-term based
General management oriented

IIM Lucknow confirms that its flagship PGP is a two-year, full-time residential programme leading to the MBA degree.

IIM Lucknow MBA Curriculum

The programme combines:

Core management courses
Electives
Case studies
Presentations
Projects
Simulations
Role plays
Management games
Seminars
Summer internship
International exchange opportunities

IIM Lucknow follows a strongly case-based teaching methodology, complemented by lectures, exercises, assignments, project work and technology-enabled learning.

First-Year Curriculum

The first year consists of:

22 compulsory foundation/core courses

spread across three terms.

Students develop a foundation in areas such as:

Finance & Accounting
Marketing
Human Resource Management
Organisational Behaviour
Decision Sciences
Economics
Operations
Strategy
Information Technology
Communication
Business Environment

Summer Internship

After the first year, students undertake approximately:

Two months of compulsory summer training

with business and industrial organisations.

The internship:

Provides real-world managerial exposure
Helps students explore career domains
Builds industry connections
Can result in Pre-Placement Offers

Second-Year Curriculum

The second year comprises:

2 compulsory integrative courses

plus approximately:

15 elective courses

allowing students to build deeper expertise in their chosen areas.

Students may also undertake:

Courses of Independent Study
Dissertation/project work

This is why IIM Lucknow’s flagship MBA should not simply be described as separate “MBA Finance”, “MBA Marketing” and “MBA HR” degrees.

IIM Lucknow Specialisations

The flagship MBA is primarily a general-management programme with elective-based concentration.

Students can build expertise in areas such as:

Finance
Marketing
Strategy
Operations
Human Resource Management
Organisational Behaviour
Decision Sciences
Business Analytics
Information Technology
Economics
General Management
Consulting
Supply Chain Management
Entrepreneurship

IIM Lucknow’s official curriculum includes extensive coursework across Finance, HR, Decision Sciences, Business Environment, Marketing and other areas.

IIM Lucknow MBA Fees 2026–28

IIM Lucknow has uploaded the official:

Fee Structure – PGP & PGP-ABM, Batch 2026–28

on its programme page.

The current fee structure is approximately:

₹20.75 lakh for two years

including applicable programme charges, refundable deposit and alumni-related charges under the current structure.

A representative term-wise structure is:

Component	Amount
Term I	Approx. ₹4.45 lakh
Term II	Approx. ₹3.25 lakh
Term III	Approx. ₹3.25 lakh
First-Year Total	Approx. ₹10.95 lakh
Term IV	Approx. ₹3.30 lakh
Term V	Approx. ₹3.25 lakh
Term VI	Approx. ₹3.25 lakh
Second-Year Total	Approx. ₹9.80 lakh
Approx. Total	₹20.75 lakh

The fee components include tuition and infrastructure-related costs, while certain personal and mess expenses may be payable separately.

MBA4U Recommendation

MBA Fee: Approx. ₹20.75 lakh for 2026–28; mess/personal expenses extra where applicable.

Since IIMs may revise fee components, students should verify the official fee PDF before making payment.

Entrance Exams Accepted by IIM Lucknow

Entrance requirements vary by programme.

Programme	Entrance Exam
MBA – PGP	CAT
MBA-ABM	CAT
MBA-SM	CAT
IPMX	GMAT / GRE under applicable policy
PGPWE	GMAT / GRE / CAT / GATE / PGPWE Entrance Exam
Doctoral Programmes	Programme-specific tests
bMBA	Programme-specific admission process

For a typical Indian graduate targeting the flagship MBA:

CAT is the required entrance exam.

IIM Lucknow CAT Cut-off 2026

For admission to the MBA 2026–28 batch through CAT 2025, IIM Lucknow specified category-wise minimum percentile requirements.

MBA – Minimum CAT Cut-off

Category	VARC	DILR	QA	Overall
General	85	85	85	90
EWS	77	77	77	82
NC-OBC	77	77	77	82
SC	55	55	55	65
ST	50	50	50	60
PwD	50	50	50	60

These are the officially published minimum thresholds for the WAT-PI eligibility stage.

Important: 90 Percentile Does Not Guarantee an IIM Lucknow Call

For a General-category candidate:

Minimum overall CAT threshold = 90 percentile

Minimum sectional threshold = 85 percentile

But these are only:

Stage-I qualifying thresholds

They are not the final interview-call cut-offs.

IIM Lucknow subsequently calculates a composite score based on CAT, academics and other factors.

How Competitive Is IIM Lucknow Admission?

For the MBA 2026–28 cycle:

General-category candidates expressing interest in the MBA:

152,584

Candidates meeting applicable Stage-I criteria were then further evaluated.

Eventually:

General MBA candidates shortlisted for WAT-PI:

1,268

according to IIM Lucknow’s official shortlist statistics.

This shows why simply crossing 90 percentile should not be treated as sufficient.

Expected CAT Cut-off for IIM Lucknow

For General-category applicants, MBA4U recommends thinking in two different numbers:

Official minimum:

90 percentile

Practical competitive target:

98–99+ percentile

The latter is not an official cut-off.

A candidate with excellent academics, profile diversity and relevant work experience may remain competitive at a somewhat lower CAT percentile, whereas a candidate with weaker profile components may need an exceptionally high CAT score.

IIM Lucknow MBA Eligibility

For the flagship PGP, candidates generally require:

General / EWS / NC-OBC

A recognised bachelor’s degree with at least:

50% marks or equivalent CGPA

SC / ST / PwD

At least:

45% marks or equivalent CGPA

Final-year bachelor’s students may also apply subject to satisfying the documentation and degree-completion requirements prescribed by IIM Lucknow.

The institute’s 2026–28 admission rules require final-year applicants to establish the required qualifying performance within the specified deadline.

Can Freshers Apply to IIM Lucknow?

Yes.

Work experience is not mandatory for the flagship MBA.

Fresh graduates and final-year students can apply through CAT.

This is different from IIM Lucknow’s MBA-SM programme, where the 2026–28 admission policy specifies:

Minimum 24 months of work experience

as an additional eligibility criterion.

IIM Lucknow Admission Process

The flagship MBA admission process broadly consists of:

Stage 1 – CAT

Stage 2 – Eligibility Screening

Stage 3 – Composite Score for WAT-PI Shortlist

Stage 4 – Writing Ability Test

Stage 5 – Personal Interview

Stage 6 – Final Composite Score

Stage 7 – Admission Offer / Waitlist

Stage 1 – CAT

Candidates must appear for CAT and satisfy:

Overall percentile requirement
Sectional percentile requirements
Graduation eligibility

For the General category:

Overall: 90

VARC: 85

DILR: 85

QA: 85

Stage 2 – WAT-PI Shortlisting

For the flagship MBA 2026–28, the shortlist composite score assigns:

60% weight to CAT

The remaining points are distributed among profile factors.

Officially published components include:

Component	Weight
CAT Score	60
Class 12	10
Graduation	10
Work Experience	Applicable weight
Diversity Factors	Applicable weight

The policy confirms that CAT, previous academic performance and additional criteria are used for shortlisting.

Why Graduation Marks Matter

IIM Lucknow normalises graduation performance according to academic discipline.

The admission policy groups applicants into academic disciplines such as:

Engineering
Science
Commerce
Arts
Other backgrounds

and scores graduation performance relative to applicants from the relevant discipline.

This helps reduce the distortion that can occur when comparing marks across very different undergraduate disciplines.

Writing Ability Test – WAT

Candidates shortlisted for the next stage undergo a:

Writing Ability Test

The WAT assesses:

Written communication
Logical thinking
Argument structure
Awareness
Analytical ability

Topics may relate to:

Business
Economy
Society
Technology
Public policy
Current affairs

Personal Interview – PI

Shortlisted applicants also undergo a:

Personal Interview

Interview areas may include:

Graduation academics
CAT concepts
Work experience
Current affairs
Economics
Business
Career goals
Hobbies
General awareness
Why MBA?
Why IIM Lucknow?

Final Selection

The final merit list is based on a combination of:

CAT
WAT
Personal Interview
Academic record
Work experience where applicable
Diversity factors

For the 2026–28 process, the CAT component falls from 60% at shortlisting to around 30% in final selection, increasing the importance of interview-stage performance.

This means:

CAT can earn you the interview, but it cannot convert IIM Lucknow for you on its own.

IIM Lucknow MBA-ABM

IIM Lucknow also offers the specialised:

MBA in Agribusiness Management

It is a:

Two-year
Full-time
Residential programme

focused on management in agriculture and allied sectors.

The programme develops capabilities in:

Agribusiness
Food businesses
Agricultural supply chains
Rural markets
Agri-finance
Commodity businesses
Agricultural policy
Food processing

IIM Lucknow’s official site identifies MBA-ABM as one of its principal postgraduate programmes.

MBA-ABM CAT Cut-off 2026

For General-category candidates:

Section	Minimum Percentile
VARC	80
DILR	80
QA	80
Overall	85

The MBA-ABM threshold is therefore lower than the flagship MBA’s 90 overall requirement, though actual interview competition remains considerably higher than merely clearing the minimum.

IIM Lucknow MBA-SM

The institute also offers:

MBA in Sustainable Management

from its Noida campus.

The two-year programme focuses on:

Sustainability
ESG
Corporate responsibility
Climate strategy
Sustainable finance
Energy
Environmental management
Sustainable supply chains
General management

The programme is full-time and residential at the Noida campus.

MBA-SM Work Experience

For the 2026–28 batch, candidates require:

Minimum 24 months of work experience

in addition to other admission requirements.

IIM Lucknow Placements 2026

IIM Lucknow concluded final placements for the combined:

40th PGP batch

and

21st PGP-ABM batch

for the Class of 2026.

The institute’s official placement-reports page lists the Final Placement Report 2024–26, uploaded in July 2026.

IIM Lucknow Placement Highlights 2026

Placement Metric	2026
Students	559
Offers	580+
Recruiters	200+
Average CTC	₹33.20 LPA
Median CTC	₹32.90 LPA
Highest Domestic CTC	₹1 crore
Highest International CTC	₹65 LPA

IIM Lucknow Average Package 2026

For the PGP and PGP-ABM Class of 2026:

Average CTC: ₹33.20 lakh per annum

This represents an increase from the previous year’s official average of approximately:

₹32.30 LPA for the Class of 2025.

IIM Lucknow Median Package 2026

Median CTC: ₹32.90 lakh per annum

The fact that the median is close to the average suggests that the overall salary distribution was not being driven only by a handful of unusually high offers.

IIM Lucknow Highest Package 2026

Highest Domestic CTC

₹1 crore per annum

Highest International CTC

₹65 lakh per annum

Students should remember that highest-package figures represent exceptional offers and should not be treated as an expected salary for every graduate.

Top Salary Segments

Published analysis of the official 2026 report gives the following approximate averages:

Segment	Average CTC
Top 5%	₹59.7 LPA
Top 10%	₹52.6 LPA
Top 20%	₹48.7 LPA
Top 50%	₹42.2 LPA

These figures are useful because they show the broader strength of the upper half of the batch rather than focusing only on one ₹1 crore offer.

IIM Lucknow Top Recruiters

The 2026 placement process attracted more than 200 domestic and international recruiters.

Major recruiters included companies such as:

Consulting

Accenture
Bain & Company
Boston Consulting Group
McKinsey & Company
Deloitte
Kearney
EY-Parthenon
PwC

Finance

Goldman Sachs
JPMorgan Chase
Citi
Barclays
Deutsche Bank
Financial-services and investment firms

Technology & Product

Amazon
Google
Microsoft
Adobe
Product and analytics companies

FMCG & Marketing

Procter & Gamble
Hindustan Unilever
Consumer businesses
Retail and e-commerce firms

General Management

Tata Administrative Services
Aditya Birla Group
Other conglomerates and corporate groups

Accenture, Amazon, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Google, McKinsey, Microsoft, P&G and TAS were among the prominent companies associated with recent IIM Lucknow recruitment.

Placement Domains

Students were placed across:

Consulting
Finance
General Management
Product Management
Sales & Marketing
Operations
Retail
E-commerce
Technology
Analytics

Is IIM Lucknow Good for Consulting?

Yes.

Consulting remains one of the strongest placement sectors at IIM Lucknow.

Major consulting recruiters across recent cycles include:

Bain & Company
BCG
McKinsey
Accenture
Deloitte
Kearney
EY-Parthenon
PwC

IIM Lucknow should therefore be a serious target for candidates interested in:

Management Consulting
Strategy Consulting
Operations Consulting
Transformation
Corporate Strategy

Is IIM Lucknow Good for Finance?

Yes.

The institute regularly attracts leading:

Investment banks
Commercial banks
Financial-services companies
FinTech organisations
Investment firms

Major recruiters across recent placement processes include Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and other major financial organisations.

Is IIM Lucknow Good for Marketing?

Yes.

IIM Lucknow has strong opportunities across:

FMCG
Consumer products
Brand management
Sales
Digital marketing
E-commerce
Category management

P&G and other major consumer businesses regularly participate in the recruitment ecosystem.

IIM Lucknow Scholarships and Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance Available: Yes

IIM Lucknow explicitly states that the objective of its financial-assistance schemes is to ensure that:

financial constraints do not prevent deserving students from pursuing the programme.

IIM Lucknow Need-Based Scholarship

The institute operates:

Need-Based IIML Scholarships

Eligibility is based primarily on:

Total annual gross family income

including income of:

Student
Parents
Spouse, where applicable

IIM Lucknow states that students can apply irrespective of caste, creed, gender or religion if their income falls within the applicable eligibility criteria.

Scholarship Duration

The need-based scholarship is generally awarded for:

One academic year

and:

does not automatically renew.

Disbursement takes place term-wise and is subject to fulfilment of academic requirements.

Can Students Receive More Than One Scholarship?

IIM Lucknow states:

No student can avail more than one scholarship simultaneously

under the applicable institute framework.

Other Scholarships

Students may also be eligible for scholarships offered by:

Central Government
State Governments
Corporate bodies
External organisations
Scholarship foundations

IIM Lucknow explicitly mentions external Central Government, State Government and other scholarship schemes.

IIM Lucknow Hostel

Hostel Available: Yes

The flagship PGP is explicitly described by IIM Lucknow as:

Full-Time Residential

Therefore, students live within the campus residential environment during the MBA.

IIM Lucknow Campus

The Lucknow campus offers facilities supporting:

Academic activities
Residential life
Library
Computing
Sports
Student clubs
Cultural activities
Corporate events
Entrepreneurship
International exchange

The fully residential model provides substantial scope for:

Peer learning
Group projects
Club participation
Networking
Campus events
Case competitions

outside formal classroom hours.

IIM Lucknow International Exchange

IIM Lucknow operates an International Exchange Programme through which students can spend part of their academic programme at partner business schools abroad.

At the same time, international students and faculty come to IIM Lucknow under exchange arrangements.

This adds an important global-exposure component to the flagship MBA.

Why Choose IIM Lucknow?

1. Old IIM Legacy

Established in 1984, IIM Lucknow is the fourth IIM and has more than four decades of management-education history.

2. NIRF Rank #5

IIM Lucknow is ranked:

#5 in NIRF Management 2025

3. Strong Placements

For the Class of 2026:

Average CTC – ₹33.20 LPA
Median CTC – ₹32.90 LPA
Highest domestic CTC – ₹1 crore
580+ offers

4. Top Consulting Recruitment

IIM Lucknow attracts many of the world’s major consulting organisations.

5. Strong Finance Opportunities

Leading investment banks and financial institutions participate in placements.

6. Full Residential Experience

The flagship MBA is a full-time residential programme.

7. International Exchange

Students can access international partner-school exchange opportunities.

8. Need-Based Scholarship

Financial assistance is available regardless of caste or gender for students meeting the institute’s income criteria.

9. Specialised MBA Options

Besides the flagship MBA, students can consider:

MBA-ABM
MBA-SM

depending on their career interest.

Who Should Target IIM Lucknow?

IIM Lucknow should be high on your preference list if you:

Are targeting 98–99+ CAT percentile
Want a top old IIM
Want Management Consulting
Want Finance or Investment Banking
Want Marketing
Want Product Management
Want General Management
Prefer a residential MBA
Want international exchange exposure
Want access to a large corporate recruiter base

Is IIM Lucknow Good for Freshers?

Yes.

The flagship MBA does not require compulsory work experience.

Fresh graduates can secure admission based on:

CAT
Academic profile
Diversity/profile parameters
WAT
PI

Work experience can strengthen certain applications, but it is not mandatory for the flagship MBA.

IIM Lucknow vs IIM Indore

Parameter	IIM Lucknow	IIM Indore
Established	1984	1996
NIRF Management 2025	#5	#8
Flagship Programme	MBA	MBA
Entrance Exam	CAT	CAT
General Minimum CAT	90 overall; 85 sectional	90 overall; 80 sectional
Approx. MBA Fee	₹20.75 lakh	₹24 lakh course fee
Average Package	₹33.20 LPA – 2026	₹29.57 LPA – latest official flagship report
Median Package	₹32.90 LPA	₹27 LPA
Highest Domestic	₹1 crore	₹70 LPA in latest official report
Hostel	Yes	Yes
International Accreditation	AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS	AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS

Both are excellent institutions, but IIM Lucknow currently enjoys a higher NIRF ranking and stronger latest flagship placement averages.

IIM Lucknow vs FMS Delhi

Parameter	IIM Lucknow	FMS Delhi
Type	IIM / Public Autonomous	DU Faculty
Exam	CAT	CAT
Fee	Approx. ₹20.75 lakh	Approx. ₹2.43 lakh
Residential	Yes	Not compulsory residential
Average CTC	₹33.20 LPA	₹32.27 LPA
Campus Experience	Full IIM residential ecosystem	Delhi University / city ecosystem
Major Strength	Consulting, Finance, General Management	ROI, Consulting, Marketing
International Exchange	Strong	Different model

FMS wins decisively on tuition ROI, while IIM Lucknow offers the broader residential IIM experience and stronger campus infrastructure.

IIM Lucknow vs IIM Ahmedabad

Parameter	IIM Lucknow	IIM Ahmedabad
Established	1984	1961
NIRF 2025	#5	#1
Entrance	CAT	CAT
Flagship Degree	MBA	MBA
Duration	2 Years	2 Years
General Minimum CAT	90	Higher current threshold
Approx. Fee	₹20.75 lakh	Around ₹27.5 lakh for recent batch
Average Placement	₹33.20 LPA – 2026	Mid-₹30 lakh range in recent audited report
Residential	Yes	Yes
Major Strengths	Consulting, Finance, Marketing, Gen Man	Consulting, Finance, Strategy, Gen Man

IIM Ahmedabad remains more competitive overall, but IIM Lucknow is firmly one of India’s premier MBA destinations.

IIM Lucknow: MBA4U Admission Perspective

One of the most common mistakes CAT aspirants make is to read:

IIM Lucknow General CAT cut-off = 90 percentile

and assume:

“A 90–92 percentile score can get me IIM Lucknow.”

For most General-category candidates, this is misleading.

The official 90 percentile figure is only the:

minimum eligibility threshold

for Stage-I consideration.

The Actual Competition Is Much Higher

For MBA 2026–28:

More than 1.52 lakh General-category candidates expressed interest in the flagship MBA.

But only:

1,268 General candidates were shortlisted for WAT-PI

according to IIM Lucknow’s official admission data.

That tells you much more about the actual competition than the 90-percentile qualifying threshold.

What CAT Percentile Should You Target?

For a General-category applicant:

98–99+ percentile should be the serious target.

Candidates with weaker academic profiles should preferably aim toward the upper end of that range.

However:

99 percentile is still not a guaranteed IIM Lucknow call.

Shortlisting also depends on:

Class 12
Graduation
Work experience where applicable
Diversity
Category
Relative applicant pool

CAT Is More Important Before the Interview Than After It

At the WAT-PI shortlisting stage:

CAT carries 60% weight.

But at the final-selection stage, CAT’s weight falls substantially, while:

PI
WAT
Profile components

become more important.

Therefore:

A high CAT percentile may secure your interview call, but the final conversion depends heavily on how well you perform after CAT.

IIM Lucknow Quick Facts

Parameter	IIM Lucknow
Full Name	Indian Institute of Management Lucknow
Short Name	IIML
Established	1984
Location	Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Institute Type	Public Autonomous Management Institute
Status	Institution of National Importance
Accreditation	AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS
NIRF Management 2025	#5
Flagship Course	MBA – PGP
Duration	2 Years
Mode	Full-Time Residential
Entrance Exam	CAT
MBA Fee 2026–28	Approx. ₹20.75 lakh
General CAT Overall Minimum	90
General Sectional Minimum	85 each
Recommended General CAT Target	98–99+ percentile
Average Package 2026	₹33.20 LPA
Median Package 2026	₹32.90 LPA
Highest Domestic Package	₹1 crore
Highest International Package	₹65 LPA
Offers	580+
Students	559
Recruiters	200+
Scholarships	Yes
Hostel	Yes
Official Website	https://www.iiml.ac.in/

IIM Lucknow FAQs

What is IIM Lucknow famous for?

IIM Lucknow is known for its strong Consulting, Finance, Marketing, Strategy and General Management placements, old-IIM reputation, international exchange opportunities and residential MBA experience.

What is the CAT cut-off for IIM Lucknow?

For MBA 2026–28, General-category candidates require a minimum:

Overall CAT percentile: 90
VARC: 85
DILR: 85
QA: 85

These are minimum thresholds, not guaranteed interview-call cut-offs.

Is 95 percentile enough for IIM Lucknow?

For a General-category candidate, 95 percentile does not guarantee an interview call.

The actual shortlist depends on CAT, academics, work experience/diversity and the applicant pool.

Is 99 percentile enough for IIM Lucknow?

99 percentile creates a strong CAT component, but still does not guarantee admission.

Applicants must clear IIM Lucknow’s composite shortlisting process and subsequently perform well in WAT and PI.

What is the MBA fee at IIM Lucknow?

For the PGP 2026–28 batch, IIM Lucknow has published a current official fee structure. The approximate two-year amount is around:

₹20.75 lakh

with mess and certain personal expenses potentially payable separately.

What is the average package at IIM Lucknow?

For the Class of 2026:

₹33.20 LPA

What is the median package at IIM Lucknow?

For final placements 2026:

₹32.90 LPA

What is the highest package at IIM Lucknow?

For 2026:

Highest Domestic CTC: ₹1 crore

Highest International CTC: ₹65 LPA

How many companies recruit from IIM Lucknow?

More than 200 recruiters participated in the 2026 final-placement process, with more than 580 offers for 559 students.

Which companies recruit from IIM Lucknow?

Major recruiters include firms such as Accenture, Amazon, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Google, JPMorgan, McKinsey, Microsoft, P&G and Tata Administrative Services, among many others.

Does IIM Lucknow offer hostel accommodation?

Yes. The flagship MBA is a full-time residential programme, so student accommodation forms part of the campus experience.

Does IIM Lucknow offer scholarships?

Yes. IIM Lucknow offers need-based financial assistance, and students may also access Central Government, State Government and other external scholarships.

Is work experience compulsory for IIM Lucknow MBA?

No. Work experience is not mandatory for the flagship MBA.

However, the specialised MBA-SM requires at least 24 months of work experience under the 2026–28 admission policy.

Is IIM Lucknow government or private?

IIM Lucknow is a public autonomous management institution and an Institution of National Importance.

What is IIM Lucknow’s NIRF ranking?

IIM Lucknow is:

Rank #5 in NIRF Management 2025

Does IIM Lucknow offer Agribusiness Management?

Yes. IIM Lucknow offers a dedicated MBA in Agribusiness Management (MBA-ABM), a two-year full-time residential programme.

Does IIM Lucknow offer Sustainable Management?

Yes. Its MBA in Sustainable Management is a two-year full-time residential programme offered from the Noida campus.

Official Website

Indian Institute of Management Lucknow

https://www.iiml.ac.in/

Address

Indian Institute of Management Lucknow
Prabandh Nagar
IIM Road
Lucknow – 226013
Uttar Pradesh, India

MBA4U Final Take

IIM Lucknow belongs firmly among India’s top-tier old IIMs.

Its current profile combines:

NIRF Management 2025 Rank #5
AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS accreditation
Two-year residential MBA
Approx. ₹20.75 lakh programme cost
₹33.20 LPA average package in 2026
₹32.90 LPA median package
₹1 crore highest domestic offer
580+ placement offers
200+ recruiters
Strong Consulting and Finance opportunities
International student exchange
Need-based scholarships
Dedicated MBA-ABM and MBA-SM programmes.

For MBA aspirants, however, the 90 percentile General-category CAT cut-off should not be mistaken for the actual competitive percentile.

The scale of competition illustrates this clearly: more than 1.52 lakh General-category candidates expressed interest in IIM Lucknow’s flagship MBA for the 2026–28 cycle, while only 1,268 General candidates were shortlisted for WAT-PI.

For a General-category aspirant, MBA4U therefore recommends:

Target 98–99+ CAT percentile

while maintaining strong sectional scores and building a balanced profile.

The preparation strategy should also change immediately after receiving an interview call. CAT carries major importance during shortlisting, but WAT, PI and the candidate’s overall profile become critical during final selection.

In simple terms:

Do not target IIM Lucknow’s minimum CAT cut-off. Target a score that makes you competitive against other IIM Lucknow applicants.

For students aiming at careers in Consulting, Finance, Marketing, Product Management, Strategy or General Management, IIM Lucknow should remain one of the highest-priority choices in an MBA admission shortlist.

Profile updated: August 21, 2026.