GIM Admissions 2027-29: Deadlines, Fees and Scholarships

Goa Institute of Management has opened applications for its 2027-29 batch. There are four PGDM programmes and five application rounds, the first closing on 22 October 2026 and the last on 4 January 2027. GIM accepts CAT 2026, XAT 2027 and GMAT. The application fee rises with every round you wait.

Two things make this worth acting on now rather than in December. The fee difference between the first round and the last is real money for a single programme. The Achiever’s Round that closes on 3 December is also a profile-based route into GIM that needs no CAT score at all. The PGDM 2024-26 batch closed placements at an average of 16.27 lakh, a median of 15 lakh and a high of 35 lakh across more than 200 recruiters, so this is not a backup you apply to and forget.

GIM 2027-29 admissions at a glance

Source: admissions.gim.ac.in, read on 4 September 2026.

The five rounds and what each one costs

GIM runs rolling rounds. The application is the same, the fee is not.

All figures exclude 18 percent GST. Applying in the First Mover round instead of waiting until January saves Rs 750 on a single programme.

Notice where the rounds sit relative to your exam calendar. The first two close before CAT results are out, so applying then is a decision made without knowing your percentile. The round labelled CAT Deadline on 23 December sits near the results. Earlier is cheaper. 

Which exam scores GIM accepts

Any one of CAT 2026, XAT 2027 or a GMAT score. You do not need all three.

The GMAT window is unusually wide. GIM accepts a GMAT taken any time between 1 January 2025 and 15 January 2027, which means a score you already have from last year may still be live. Two conditions come with it. You have to ask GMAC to send the score by 31 January 2027, using the GIM code 6VN-62-51. Only in-person GMAT sittings at authorised test centres are accepted. An online GMAT does not count.

One programme has an extra test. Applicants to PGDM Big Data Analytics also sit the GIM Analytics Aptitude Test, GAAT, on 31 January 2027.

The four programmes

• PGDM, the flagship two-year general management programme.
• PGDM in Healthcare Management, built for the hospital, pharma and health services sector.
• PGDM in Big Data Analytics, the one with the extra GAAT requirement.
• PGDM in Banking, Insurance and Financial Services.

You can apply to more than one on a single form, which is what the two and three course columns in the fee table mean. Adding a second programme costs Rs 250 to Rs 500 more, so if two of these truly fit your plan, apply to both.

Eligibility, plus the rule for final year students

A bachelor’s degree with a minimum 50 percent aggregate, or 45 percent for SC and ST candidates.

Final year students can apply. GIM asks that you complete all degree requirements by June 2027 and that your latest examination result already shows the 50 percent, or 45 percent, from a university recognised by the Association of Indian Universities or AICTE.

How GIM really decides

This is the part worth reading twice, because the weightage is very different from an IIM.

Every shortlisted candidate also writes an online Written Aptitude Test.

Compare that with the IIMs, where CAT alone carries 55 to 65 percent of the shortlisting score. At GIM the exam is 40 percent and the interview is 30. A candidate with a moderate percentile but a strong profile and a good interview is properly competitive here, in a way they are not at an IIM. That cuts the other way too. A high percentile does not carry you through a weak interview.

The Achiever’s Round, the route that skips the exam

GIM shortlists a set of candidates on profile alone, before any CAT, XAT or GMAT score enters the picture. That round closes on 3 December 2026.

Two kinds of achievement qualify. The first is programme specific: graduates of selected institutes, MBBS, Biotechnology, BPharm and BDS holders, CA, CS, CMA, CFA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA and FRM holders, B.Com and BA Economics honours graduates from selected institutions, plus engineers with 24 months or more of work experience at specified companies. The second is broader: national level sports performance, top university ranks, school toppers and star performers at work.

Achiever interviews are held in Delhi, Goa and Kolkata. Selected candidates get spot offers, which stay eligible for the ACCESS scholarship.

If you fit one of those descriptions, this is the single most efficient application you will make this season. It costs one form and one interview. It can be settled before you have even seen your CAT result.

Scholarships

GIM funds 80 scholarships of Rs 5 lakh each for this batch, split across the four programmes.

What the placements look like

For the PGDM 2024-26 batch GIM reported an average of 16.27 lakh, a median of 15 lakh and a highest package of 35 lakh, with more than 200 recruiters on campus and over 50 pre-placement offers in the batch. The highest internship stipend was 3 lakh.

Read the median rather than the highest. A 35 lakh outlier tells you almost nothing about the offer you would get. A 15 lakh median across a batch of that size tells you a lot.

Should you apply?

If GIM is on your list at all, apply in an early round. The application form is the same and the fee is lower. An application submitted in October costs you one evening, in a month when you still have evenings.

What it should not become is a distraction. Filling four B-school forms in October feels productive. It is not the same thing as a percentile. Block one evening, finish the applications for the schools you would really join, then go back to the paper. The plan for the weeks between now and 29 November is available here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the last date to apply to GIM for 2027-29?

4 January 2027. Before that there are four earlier rounds, closing on 22 October 2026, 19 November 2026, 3 December 2026 and 23 December 2026. The fee is lowest in the first round.

Which entrance exams does GIM accept?

CAT 2026, XAT 2027 or GMAT. The GMAT must have been taken between 1 January 2025 and 15 January 2027, at an authorised test centre in person, with the score sent by GMAC before 31 January 2027 to the GIM code 6VN-62-51.

What is the GIM Achiever’s Round?

A profile-based shortlist that does not need a CAT, XAT or GMAT score to begin with. It is open to candidates with specific qualifications such as MBBS, CA, CS, CFA and similar, graduates of selected institutes, engineers with two years of work experience at specified companies, national level sportspeople and academic toppers. It closes on 3 December 2026 and can end in a spot offer.

Do I have to take GAAT to apply to GIM?

Only if you are applying to PGDM in Big Data Analytics. That test is scheduled for 31 January 2027. The other three programmes run on your CAT, XAT or GMAT score.

What CAT percentile does GIM require?

GIM has not published a percentile cut-off for the 2027-29 cycle. What it has published is the weightage, where the exam score is 40 percent of the selection composite and the face-to-face evaluation is 30 percent. A moderate percentile with a strong interview is a live application here.

Can final year students apply to GIM?

Yes, provided you complete every requirement for your degree by June 2027 and your latest examination result shows at least 50 percent aggregate, or 45 percent for SC and ST candidates.