MBA Colleges Accepting 60 Percentile in CAT: Full List, Fees & Placements
Lakhs of students appear for CAT every year but only a small percentage score over 90+ percentile required for the top IIMs. If you're around 60 percentile, you may feel a bit disappointed, but the good part is, it's not the end of your MBA. There are a number of AICTE approved and UGC recognized B-schools in the country that accept these students and provide great placements, industry exposure and genuinely rewarding MBA experience.
This article explains what a 60 percentile is in CAT, a list of colleges that accept a 60 percentile, their fees, their placement trends and how to choose wisely.
What Does a 60 Percentile in CAT Really Mean?
CAT percentile indicates who you have outscored, and not your actual score. Almost 3 lakh candidates appear for the exam every year and 60 percentile indicates that you have outperformed around 1.7-1.8 lakh candidates. That is not even close to IIM cutoffs (usually 85+ for newer and 95+ for older IIM), but that still means that a large number of good private and autonomous B-schools are still in reach.
Most institutes in this range will not accept CAT score as a deciding factor; they will consider the entire package – academics, work experience, group discussion performance and personal interview. It's not only about the percentile, as a strong overall profile can work in your favour.
Top MBA/PGDM Colleges Accepting 60 Percentile in CAT
Here are some of the well known institutes that accept candidates with a percentile of 60 or above in recent times:
• Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow/Noida/Ghaziabad/Indore – With over two decades of history, Jaipuria has built a consistent brand across this percentile bracket. It has an industry-interface programme that brings regular guest lectures and real life projects from Marketing, Finance, HR and Business Analytics, and the placement figures are relatively consistent across all four campuses.
• FLAME University, Pune – FLAME integrates a liberal-education approach with a structured MBA programme, providing elective courses that are not standard, such as Media & Entertainment and Sustainability Management. A lower CAT score is mitigated by its large Pune campus and strong ties with industry.
• Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute of Management, Bangalore – Backed by a Mumbai-origin brand with decades of credibility, Welingkar's Bangalore campus offers PGDM tracks in Business Design, Retail, and Healthcare Management. The alumni network, which is well established throughout the business and financial services and food and beverage and alternative industries, continues to support current students at placement.
• Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE), Hyderabad – AICTE-approved and NAAC-accredited, IPE has long-standing ties to public-sector organisations and private corporations. The PGDMs offered by the institute are specialized in HR, Banking and Insurance and along with moderate fees are a good value pick on fee to placement basis.
• Christ University, Bengaluru – Christ University is a reputed deemed university which considers and practices a holistic approach with a value-based admission process that goes beyond just the marks. Its MBA focus is on communication and ethics in addition to core subjects and has a recruiter base from IT, Consulting and BFSI.
• JIMS Rohini, New Delhi – JIMS Rohini has a rich history of placements in Delhi NCR and offers specializations in Marketing, Finance, IT, and Retail Management. The location of central Delhi helps the students to have easy access to the offices of the various companies for their internships and placements.
• New Delhi Institute of Management (NDIM), New Delhi – One of the more established names in this range, NDIM combines general management fundamentals with dual specialisation options. A separate placement cell actively cooperates with recruiters in the fields of retail, banking and consulting.
• BIMTECH, Greater Noida – BIMTECH offers some specialised PGDMs in Retail Management, International Business and Insurance, rather than a generic MBA. If you can afford the higher fees it's a great choice for corporate partnerships and the higher average package.
• XIME Bangalore – XIME is located at Bangalore, Kochi and Chennai, and provides general management along with specialized courses in Banking and Financial Services. Its campus in several cities has fostered a strong network of alumni and recruiters, and achieved reasonably uniform placement results.
• ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad – ICFAI is a part of a large network of institutions across the country, and the standard of the curriculum is good and there are newer courses emerging such as Analytics and Digital Marketing. It has a large number of students and alumni in its network which is helpful during placement time.
• SOIL Institute of Management, Gurugram – SOIL offers an experiential, industry-integrated education with industry mentorship integrated into the learning programme. The city of Gurugram makes it an ideal place to be a student, as it is surrounded by a rich corporate and startup environment.
• Doon Business School, Dehradun – This AICTE-approved institute has steadily grown its reputation across North India, offering PGDMs in Marketing, Finance, and International Business. The scenic campus and reasonable tuition make it a good value for cost and outcomes.
There are several state university MBA departments, autonomous B-schools and deemed universities that accept candidates in this range, which also take into account state level entrance exams besides CAT.
Read More : MBA Colleges Accepting 50 Percentile in CAT
Fees You Can Expect
The fee of MBA/PGDM depends on the institute's reputation, the city in which the institute is located, and the specialisation:
• Budget friendly options (State run or Subsidised institutes): Approx. ₹1-3 lakh for the entire course
• Mid range private B-schools: about ₹4-9 lakhs
• Premium Private institutes having high brand recall – FLAME, Welingkar, BIMTECH, IPE – ₹9-14 lakh.
Even before shortlisting just based on fees, look for scholarships and education loan tie-ups and merit-based fee waivers, which many private B-schools offer.
Placement Trends for 60 Percentile Colleges
These institutes may not offer packages as high as those from the IIMs, but if you put in a proactive effort to create your profile, there is value in the outcomes:
• For average students, the average packages range from ₹4-8 LPA, while in few colleges such as FLAME, IPE and BIMTECH, the top performers can sometimes get packages of ₹10-12 LPA.
• Recruiters commonly include BFSI companies, FMCG firms, e-commerce players, consulting boutiques, and IT services companies.
• Colleges that have strong industry linkages like IPE Hyderabad or Jaipuria campuses consistently attract recruiters.
• Regardless of the college you attend, internships, live projects, certifications (business analytics, digital marketing, financial modelling) and networking can have a significant impact on outcomes.
Should You Join Now or Retake CAT?
There is no one universal answer to this. If you think you can make a significant improvement in your score if you put in a high level of effort over a concentrated period of 6-12 months, you are specifically targeting the IIMs or Top 15 B-Schools, or you can afford to lose a year without it affecting your plans, then you should consider retaking CAT.
If you'd like to begin developing work experience right away, the specialisation matches your career goals, or you feel like you can make up for the lack of brand name through internships, certifications, and networking, consider signing up today. Though many successful professionals may not have begun their careers at IIMs, it is important that you start consistently developing skills and growing through your MBA and beyond.
Read More : CAT Syllabus 2026
Alternatives to Consider Alongside CAT
• Other entrance exams: XAT, CMAT, MAT, ATMA, SNAP – each opens up a different B-school that may have a different view of you.
• State Level exams: MAH-CET, TANCET and others are suitable for students who are willing to consider institutes located in the region where the exam is conducted.
• Admissions under direct/management quota: Several private colleges admit limited students on the basis of academic merit and performance in the interview.
Read More : MBA Colleges Accepting XAT Exam Score
How to Choose the Right College
1. AICTE/UGC recognition – non-negotiable for degree validity and future eligibility.
2. Placement consistency – look at the 3-year trend, not the highest advertised package.
3. Specialisation strength – some colleges have a real strength in a particular area, choose one that interests you.
4. Faculty exposure and live-project tie-ups are very useful.
Location & alumni network – Internships are easier to find in business hubs such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi NCR & Hyderabad.
6. Fees to outcomes ratio – a lower-cost college with good placement can outperform a higher-cost college with mediocre outcomes.
Final Thoughts
The 60 percentile in CAT is not a failure but is going to re-direct your path to a different viable and equivalent set of opportunities. Other colleges such as Jaipuria, FLAME, Welingkar Bangalore and IPE Hyderabad provide excellent academic base, industry exposure and decent placement assistance. The key factor that will really separate you from the pack during your MBA is the skills you proactively develop, the internships you pursue and the network you cultivate during the two years of business school. Know what you want, be dedicated, and your MBA will still open the doors you want.
Published: 08 Sep, 2026
Written By:
At MyCampusReview (MCR), we are a team of passionate education consultants, writers, and student mentors committed to guiding students on their journey.
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