One Entrance Test For Multiple IIMs? How Admissions Could Change, What It Could Mean For Students | Education and Career News
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IIMs are considering a common entrance test for UG and IPM courses. Here’s how admissions currently work and what could change for students.
One Entrance Test For Multiple IIMs? What It Could Mean For Students (Photo: PTI)
Students seeking admission to undergraduate programmes at the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) currently have to navigate different entrance examinations and admission processes, depending on the institute and programme they are targeting. That system could change if the IIMs move towards a common entrance test for undergraduate and Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) courses.
The possibility of a common test was discussed at a meeting of the Coordination Forum of IIMs held in Ahmedabad on May 14, 2026, according to minutes obtained by Hindustan Times through an RTI application.
The forum discussed the “advantages and disadvantages” of having more than 10 entrance examinations for UG and IPM courses and whether these could be merged to reduce students’ stress.
At that event, the then Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said multiple UG entrance tests should be “avoided”, according to the report.
The IIMs were divided on whether admissions should be brought under one examination or retain multiple routes suited to individual programmes.
The minutes also recorded a view from higher education secretary Vineet Joshi that such a significant decision could not be finalised in a single meeting and would require analysis of students’ test-taking patterns and socio-economic backgrounds.
How Many IIMs Have Undergraduate Programmes?
According to the report, 13 of the 22 IIMs currently offer undergraduate programmes. These include five-year IPMs as well as newer four-year undergraduate degrees.
Seven IIMs, Indore, Rohtak, Ranchi, Jammu, Bodh Gaya, Amritsar and Shillong, offer five-year IPM programmes. Other IIMs have introduced undergraduate degrees with different academic structures and specialisations, including programmes in areas such as economics, data science, business analytics and digital science.
IIM Bangalore, for example, offers four-year BSc (Hons) programmes in Economics and Data Science. Its 2026 admissions required candidates to qualify for the IIMB Undergraduate Admissions Test followed by a personal interview.
How Many Entrance Routes Are There?
There is currently no single entrance examination used by all IIMs for undergraduate admissions.
For the seven IIMs offering five-year IPMs, the report mentioned three admission mechanisms: IPMAT, JIPMAT and IIM Rohtak’s own aptitude test.
IIM Indore conducts IPMAT, while IIM Rohtak conducts its own IPM Aptitude Test. JIPMAT is conducted by the National Testing Agency for IIM Jammu and IIM Bodh Gaya.
There are further variations among newer undergraduate programmes.
IIM Lucknow’s BS programme uses JEE Advanced, while IIM Mumbai’s BS in Digital Science and Business Management uses JEE Main, according to the report.
IIM Kozhikode conducts its own BMS Aptitude Test, IIM Bangalore has its own Undergraduate Admissions Test, and IIM Udaipur admits students to its BBA without an entrance examination, the report mentioned.
IIM Ranchi, meanwhile, uses the IPMAT conducted by IIM Indore for shortlisting candidates for its IPM, followed by a personal interview and assessment of academic performance.
IIM Shillong also uses the IIM Indore IPM Aptitude Test for shortlisting domestic candidates for its IPM.
This means a student interested in several IIM undergraduate programmes may have to deal with different examinations, application forms, eligibility requirements and selection processes rather than a single common route.
Would One Common Test Reduce Costs?
The IIMs themselves identified the financial burden of multiple admission processes as one consideration.
IIM Indore, which launched the first IPM in 2011, told the Coordination Forum that multiple tests provide students with “multiple opportunities” and allow different programmes to cater to their individual requirements.
At the same time, it acknowledged the financial burden created by multiple application and admission processes, according to the minutes reported by HT.
A common examination could therefore mean fewer separate test registrations for a student seeking multiple IIM options. However, the actual saving cannot yet be quantified because there is no approved common-test structure, fee or application mechanism.
Would Competition Increase?
A single examination could potentially create a common pool of candidates for participating IIMs, but the effect on competition would depend on which institutes participate, how scores are used and how seats are allocated. The Coordination Forum has not finalised these details.
IIM Indore has argued that multiple examinations also give students “multiple opportunities”, while IIM Kozhikode has favoured flexibility for individual IIMs.
IIM Udaipur suggested using existing examinations such as JEE, CUET and CLAT instead of creating another test.
IIM Jammu and IIM Bodh Gaya, meanwhile, supported a common entrance examination conducted by the NTA.
What Could Admissions Look Like After A Common Test?
There is no confirmed admission mechanism yet for a proposed common UG examination.
The current admission processes show why the post-exam stage would be important. For instance, IIM Amritsar uses IPMAT scores along with other eligibility criteria before shortlisting candidates for personal interviews.
IIM Rohtak’s final merit list combines its aptitude-test score, personal interview and Class 10 and Class 12 academic performance.
IIM Ranchi similarly considers the admission-test score, interview and academic profile.
Therefore, even if multiple IIMs eventually use a common examination, the test itself would not necessarily mean identical admission criteria.
Individual institutes could still potentially use interviews, academic records or programme-specific requirements, subject to whatever framework the IIMs ultimately approve.
For now, the common-test proposal remains under consideration.
The Coordination Forum is an advisory body under the IIM Act, 2017, whose functions include facilitating coordination and deliberating on matters of common interest among the institutes.
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Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has more than 10 years of experience in national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
September 22, 2026, 14:21 IST
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