CAT 2026 registration ends today, i.e on 22nd September 2026 at iimcat.ac.in.. The candidates who have not yet applied for the CAT exam must do so online by today. The CAT 2026 registration form was released on 3 August 2026. As per the CAT notification, the application fee has been increased this year for all the category of candidates.
MBA aspirants who are not willing to lose a year must apply online for the CAT 2026 exam by completing the registration process, uploading documents and fee payment. Those who will the CAT application form successfully will be eligible to take the exam on 29th November 2026. We have shared the detailed information on CAT 2026 registration, last date, how to apply online and more.
Join iQuanta’s diversified student community for free and prepare with other 4.1L+ peers. Get access to 24*7 doubt-solving, mentorship, free webinars, etc., all at one single platform.
CAT 2026 Registration Last Date & Time
Candidates who are fulfil the eligibility criteria must fill out the CAT 2026 application form online by today, 5 PM. Beyond this date, candidates will not be allowed to fill out the online form. The last date to apply for CAT 2026 exam was already extended once, hence, it is not mandatory that it will be extended further as well. The table below has the important dates and events related to the exam. in the table below for reference.
| CAT 2026 Events | Important Dates |
| CAT 2026 Notification Date | July 25, 2026 |
| CAT Registration Start Date | August 03, 2026 |
| Registration 2026 Last Date | September 22, 2026 (Revised) |
| CAT Admit Card Release Date | November 04, 2026 |
| CAT 2026 Exam Date | November 29, 2026 |
Who can Apply for CAT 2026 Exam: Eligibility Criteria
CAT exam aspirants must fulfill the eligibility criteria in order to apply for the exam. The CAT eligibility includes fulfillment of the following parameters:
- At least 50% in Graduation from a recognised university. .
- Those in the final year of graduation can also apply.
- There is no age limit to apply for the CAT Exam.
- Work experience is not mandatory to pursue and MBA.
- Candidates from any nationality can apply for the CAT exam.
CAT 2026 Reservation Criteria
The following seats are reserved in each IIM for the candidates who belong to the reserved categories.
| CAT 2026 Exam Candidates Categories | CAT 2026 Reservation Criteria |
| GEN Candidates | – |
| OBC Candidates | 27% |
| EWS Candidates | 10% |
| SC Candidates | 15% |
| ST Candidates | 7.5% |
| PWD Candidates | 5% |
CAT 2026 Application Fees (Updated)
All the candidates who fill the CAT online form must ensure that they have paid the application fee. In case they do not pay the fee, then their candidature will be cancelled. As the CAT exam fee has been revised this year, therefore, the updated CAT exam fee is given in the table for each category of candidates.
| Category | CAT 2026 Application fees | CAT 2026 Registration fee hike |
| General Category Candidates | Rs 2,700 | Rs. 100 |
| SC/ ST/ PwD | Rs 1,350 | Rs. 50 |
How to apply online for CAT 2026 Exam: Key Steps
CAT application form 2026 has to be filled online on the IIM website. The steps to apply are as follow:
Step 1: Register on the official website
Interested candidates should first register online by entering their names, date of birth, email ID and phone number. An OTP will be generated and sent the candidate’s email ID and mobile number. This will be used to complete the CAT online form.
Step 2: Log in to the CAT website using the Credentials
Candidates are then supposed to login to the CAT website using their credentials.
Step 3: Completing the CAT Application Form 2026
In this step candidates should complete the form by filling their personal details, academic qualification, work experience, programmes that they will be opting for, and lastly the test city.
Step 4: Payment For CAT Registration
Upon completion of these steps, candidates should pay the application fee. The fee should be paid as per the category of the candidate. After making the payment, the page will display a “Payment Successful” message.
Step 5: Confirmation
After successfully applying for the CAT 2026 exam, candidates will receive a confirmation email within the next few minutes.
What Documents to Upload in CAT 2026 Registration Form?
All the candidates who apply online for the CAT 2026 exam need to upload certain documents. The list of documents with their dimensions have been given below in the table.
| Image/ Document | Dimensions | Format/ Size |
| Colour Passport Photograph | 30 mm (width) x 45 mm (height) | JPEG/JPG at 150 px/inch (min) Maximum 80 KB |
| Signature (Black/ Blue) | 80 mm (width) x 35 mm (height) | |
| PwD Certificate to be uploaded during CAT Registration | If applicable | |
| SC/ ST/ EWS/ NC-OBC Certificate to be uploaded during CAT registration | If applicable | |
Conclusion
CAT 2026 registration window remains open until today, 5 PM. This allows the MBA aspirants to apply online to study at the top B schools of the country by taking admission to the IIMs and other participating management institutes. Candidates should read all instructions carefully before applying for the CAT exam 2026. They must also review their application forms before final submission as only certain details are allowed to be changed. Completing the CAT registration before the last date and time gives the students enough time to resolve upload, certificate or payment issues.
