The Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) is one of India’s most respected national-level MBA entrance exams, conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur on behalf of the Xavier Association of Management Institutes (XAMI). Every year, more than one lakh candidates appear for XAT to secure admission into top MBA colleges across India.
XAT scores are accepted by 150+ management institutes, including some of the most prestigious private and autonomous B-schools. However, due to high cutoffs, limited seats, and intense competition, many deserving students are unable to convert calls from top XAT colleges. Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota
As a result, aspirants often search for “Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota” to understand whether admission is possible through alternative or institute-level routes. This article provides a transparent, realistic, and detailed explanation of XAT colleges, direct admission possibilities, management quota seats, fees, placements, and eligibility. Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota
Understanding XAT Exam & Its Importance
What Is XAT?
XAT (Xavier Aptitude Test) is a national-level management entrance exam conducted annually. It evaluates candidates on:
- Verbal & Logical Ability
- Decision Making
- Quantitative Ability & Data Interpretation
- General Knowledge
- Essay Writing (in some years)
XAT is known for its Decision-Making section, which differentiates it from other MBA exams. Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota
Why XAT Is Highly Valued
- Conducted by XLRI, one of India’s oldest B-schools
- Accepted by top private and autonomous institutes
- Emphasizes ethical and managerial thinking
- Preferred by institutes focusing on leadership & HR
XAT 2025 conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur for admission to their Business Management and Human Resource Management programmes, was conducted today on Jan 2025 XAT score is also used by many reputed institutes such as SP Jain, IMT Ghaziabad, XIM Bhubaneswar, GIM Goa, etc. as a part of their admission process. (Apply to Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota.)
Keeping with the times, XAT 2025 was also conducted in the computer-based format for the first time. While the test was issue free for many students, the experience of a good number of test takers was not smooth. This was attributed to the technical glitches because of which the test did not even start at a couple of centers.
At some centers, the students had to face problems due to the exam application shutting down because of which they had to change their systems multiple times. Many faced multiple restarts of their test systems due to which some had to type their essay all over again. Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota
Read:
| Select Top MBA Colleges Direct Admission under XAT | Top MBA Colleges Direct Admission under XAT |
|---|
What Is Management Quota in XAT Colleges?
Definition
Management quota refers to a limited number of seats that private or autonomous colleges are allowed to fill at the institute level, as per AICTE/UGC norms. Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota
These seats:
- May accept lower XAT percentiles
- Involve profile-based selection
- Often have higher fees
- Still require minimum eligibility
Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota
Is Direct MBA Admission Through XAT Legal?
Yes — direct admission is legal in:
- Private autonomous B-schools
- Deemed universities
- AICTE-approved private institutes
As long as:
- The institute is approved
- Admission follows documented procedures
- Fees are officially receipted
Categories of XAT Colleges
| Category | Admission Policy | Key Features | Examples of XAT Colleges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier-1 XAT Colleges | Strictly Merit-Based | No management quota, no direct admission, very high XAT cutoffs | XLRI Jamshedpur, XLRI Delhi NCR, XIM Bhubaneswar (very limited flexibility) |
| Tier-2 XAT Colleges | Limited Direct Admission | Institute-level seats, profile-based selection, slightly lower XAT cutoffs | IMT Ghaziabad, XIME Bangalore, Great Lakes Chennai (PGDM) |
| Tier-3 XAT Colleges | Direct Admission Possible | Management quota seats, flexible cutoffs, direct admission options | Various private & autonomous XAT-accepting B-schools |
Top XAT Colleges Accepting Direct MBA Admission (List – Part 1)
🔹 IMT Ghaziabad
- Type: Autonomous Private Institute
- Programs: PGDM, PGDM Marketing, PGDM Finance
- XAT Cutoff: 85–90%ile (regular)
- Direct Admission: Limited institute-level seats
- Fees: ₹19–21 Lakhs
- Avg Package: ₹10–12 LPA
🔹 XIMB – Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar
- Type: Autonomous
- Programs: MBA, MBA-HR
- XAT Cutoff: 90%ile+
- Direct Admission: Very limited / profile-based
- Fees: ₹18–20 Lakhs
- Avg Package: ₹12–14 LPA
🔹 XIME Bangalore / Kochi / Chennai
- Type: Autonomous
- Programs: PGDM
- XAT Cutoff: 70–75%ile
- Direct Admission: Available
- Fees: ₹11–13 Lakhs
- Avg Package: ₹6–7 LPA
🔹 Great Lakes Institute of Management (Chennai / Gurgaon)
- Type: Autonomous
- Programs: PGDM
- XAT Cutoff: 80–85%ile
- Direct Admission: Profile-based cases
- Fees: ₹17–19 Lakhs
- Avg Package: ₹10–11 LPA
🔹 FORE School of Management, Delhi
- Type: Autonomous
- Programs: PGDM, PGDM-IB
- XAT Cutoff: 80–85%ile
- Direct Admission: Institute-level seats
- Fees: ₹16–18 Lakhs
- Avg Package: ₹7–9 LPA
🔹 TAPMI Manipal
- Type: Autonomous
- Programs: PGDM
- XAT Cutoff: 80–85%ile
- Direct Admission: Limited seats
- Fees: ₹17–18 Lakhs
- Avg Package: ₹10–11 LPA
Eligibility for Direct Admission in XAT Colleges
Most colleges require:
- Bachelor’s degree (any discipline)
- Minimum 50% aggregate marks
- XAT score (even if low) preferred
- Interview & profile evaluation
Work experience is an added advantage. Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota
MBA Fees Under XAT Management Quota – Full Details
🔹 Tier-1 XAT Colleges (Very Limited / Profile-Based Cases)
| College Name | Program | Approx. Fees (2 Years) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| XLRI Jamshedpur | PGDM / PGDM-HR | ₹25 – 30 Lakhs | No management quota; only merit-based |
| XLRI Delhi NCR | PGDM / PGDM-HR | ₹25 – 30 Lakhs | No direct admission |
| XIM Bhubaneswar | MBA / MBA-HR | ₹18 – 22 Lakhs | Very limited flexibility |
Note: Tier-1 XAT colleges do not officially offer management quota. Fees listed are standard program fees. Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota
Tier-2 XAT Colleges (Limited Direct / Institute-Level Admission)
College Name Program Fees – Regular Seats Fees – Management / Institute Level IMT Ghaziabad PGDM ₹19 – 21 Lakhs ₹21 – 24 Lakhs Great Lakes Chennai PGDM ₹17 – 19 Lakhs ₹19 – 22 Lakhs TAPMI Manipal PGDM ₹17 – 18 Lakhs ₹19 – 21 Lakhs FORE School of Management, Delhi PGDM ₹16 – 18 Lakhs ₹18 – 20 Lakhs GIM Goa PGDM ₹18 – 20 Lakhs ₹20 – 22 Lakhs IRMA Anand PGDM-RM ₹17 – 18 Lakhs ₹19 – 21 Lakhs 🔹 Tier-3 XAT Colleges (Direct Admission / Management Quota Available)
College Name Program Approx. Fees (2 Years) XIME Bangalore / Kochi / Chennai PGDM ₹11 – 13 Lakhs LIBA Chennai PGDM ₹14 – 16 Lakhs BIMTECH Greater Noida PGDM ₹12 – 14 Lakhs Jaipuria Institute of Management PGDM ₹10 – 13 Lakhs SDMIMD Mysuru PGDM ₹12 – 14 Lakhs MICA Ahmedabad PGDM-C ₹22 – 24 Lakhs (Profile-based cases) IFMR GSB Krea University MBA ₹12 – 15 Lakhs MBA Fees Summary Under XAT Management Quota
College Tier Fees Range (2 Years) Tier-1 XAT Colleges ₹22 – 30 Lakhs Tier-2 XAT Colleges ₹18 – 24 Lakhs Tier-3 XAT Colleges ₹10 – 15 Lakhs
Structure of the Exam
XAT 2025, in terms of the pattern, was exactly similar to the last year’s paper. The total number of questions this year was 74 as against 72 last year. The paper had two parts viz., Part-A and Part-B. Part-A comprised three sections Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota
- Verbal and Logical Ability
- Decision Making
- Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation, and Part-B comprised
- General Knowledge, and
The overall duration of the test was 170 minutes for the first part and 40 minutes for the second. (Apply to Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota.)
All questions carried equal marks with negative marking (one-fourth of a mark for a wrong answer). There was a negative marking of 0.05 for un-attempted questions, for such questions over and above 8. Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota
The section on General Knowledge did not have any negative marking. General Awareness and Essay writing will be used for evaluation only after the initial screening, i.e., these will not be used for the shortlisting of candidates for the GDPI round. (Apply to Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota.)
Read: Apply for Direct Admission with Low XAT 2025 Score
The following is a snapshot of the question distribution: Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota
| Section | No of Questions |
| Part-A | |
| Section-1: Verbal and Logical Ability | 26 |
| Section-2: Decision Making Ability | 21 |
| Section-3: Data Interpretation and Quantitative Ability | 27 |
| Part-B | |
| General Knowledge | 25 |
Expected XAT Cutoff 2024
- XAT Cut off varies for different programs for different institutes.
- Candidates must clear the sectional as well as overall cut off to be considered pass.
- The below table describes the percentile required for different programs of XLRI:
| Institute Name | XAT Percentile |
| Xavier Labor and Relations Institute(XLRI), Jamshedpur | PGDBM- 92.2+ |
| PGDM HR -88+ | |
| Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar | 95+ |
| Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad | 90+ |
| Great lakes Institute of Management, Chennai | 90+ |
| Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA), Chennai | 90+ |
| Goa Institute of Management (GIM), Goa | |
| KJ Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai | 85+ |
| Amity Business School, Noida | 85+ |
| Institute for financial Management and research, Chennai | 85+ |
| SP Jain Institute of Management and research, Mumbai | 85+ |
| Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai | 85+ |
| KIIT School Institute of Management | 85+ |
| Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship, Bangalore | 80+ |
| Birla Institute of Management technology, greater Noida | 75+ |
| IFIM Business school, Bangalore | 70+ |
| Alliance school of business, Bangalore | 70+ |
| Jaipura Institute of Management, Lucknow | 60+ |
| Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management studies, Harihar and Pune | 60+ (profile based ) |
| Jaipura Institute of Management, Noida | 60+ |
| SRM Institute of Management and technology, Delhi NCR campus | 60+ |
XAT Sectional Cutoff 2025
| Program Offered | VA and LR | DM | QA and DI | Overall |
| Business Management | 79.46 | 76.84 | 88.7 | 96 |
| Human Resource Management | 79.67 | 71.628 | 70.07 | 92.55 |
| Global Management Programme | 5 and above | 5 and above | 6 and above | 22 and above |
(Apply to Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota.) Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota
XAT Cutoff 2025 by Experts
- Before the official XAT Cut off was released this year, some of the leading coaching centers released an expected cut off marks list.
- It gets easier for a candidate to analyze the expected cut off through these unofficial cutoffs.
- They can further work upon which courses they can possibly choose.
Here is the XAT Cut off 2025 by some of the top coaching centers: Top XAT Colleges Direct MBA Admission in Management Quota
| Name of the Coaching Institute | Overall XAT 2025 Cutoff | ||
| Courses | BM | HRM | Global MBA |
| TIME | 32-34 | 30-32 | – |
| Career Launcher | 32-34 | 30-32 | – |
| EDMYT | 35 (96 percentile) | 33 (94.5 percentile) | – |
| IMS | 34-36 | 32-34 | – |
| VistaMind | 32 (94 percentile) | 29 (90 percentile) | 29 (90 percentile) |
| Bulls Eye | 34 (96 percentile) | 32 (94 percentile) | 28 (90 percentile) |
Read: Top MBA Colleges in Delhi NCR Accepting CAT Low Score 2026 Direct Admission
Other Business Schools Accepting XAT Scores
- ABS Asian Business School
- Accurate Institute of Management and Technology
- Acharya Bangalore B-School
- Acharya Institute of Management & Sciences
- Acharya School of Management
- Adarsh Institute of Management & Information Technology (AIMIT)
- Alliance University, Alliance School of Business
- Amrita School of Business
- APG Shimla University
- Aryans Business School
- Asia Pacific Institute of Management
- Asian School of Business Management
- Balaji Institute of Modern Management (BIMM)
- Bengal Institute of Business Studies
- Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Usha & Lakshmi Mittal Institute of Management (BULMIM)
- Bhavan’s Centre for Communication and Management
- Birla Institute of Management Technology
- Birla Institute of Management Technology
- BLS Institute of Management
- BML Munjal University
- BNM Institute of Technology
- Centurion University of Technology and Management
- Chandragupt Institute of Management Patna
- CMS B-School Jain University
- Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Institute of Management and Higher Studies
- Delhi School of Professional Studies and Research
- Desh Bhagat Institute of Management & Computer Sciences
- Development Management Institute
- Disha Institute of Management and Technology
- Doon Business School Global
- Driems Business School
- EMPI Business School
- Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDlI)
- First India Group of Institutions
- Flame School of Business
- FORE School of Management, New Delhi
- Fortune Institute of International Business
- GIBS Business School
- Gitam Institute of Management
- Gitam School of International Business
- Globsyn Business School
- GNIMS Business School
- Woxsen School Of Business
- WLC College India
- HDF School of Management
- Hyderabad Business School, Gitam University
- IBMR – Business Schools
- ICBM – School of Business Excellence
- IFIM Business School
- IILM College of Management Studies
- IILM Graduate School of Management
- IILM Institute for Business and Management
- IIMT School of Management (ISM)
- IMS-Noida
- Indian Institute of cost and management studies & research
- Indian Institute of Finance
- Indian Institute of Forest Management
- Indus Business Academy
- Indus World School of Business
- Institute for Financial Management and Research
- Institute for Future Education, Entrepreneurship& Leadership
- ITM Group of Institutions
- Institute of Business Studies and Research
- Institute of Health Management Research
- Institute of Management & Information Science (IMIS)
- Institute of Management Technology (Dubai)
- Institute of Management Technology (Hyderabad)
- Institute of Management Technology (Nagpur)
- Institute of Rural Management Anand
- Institute of Science & Management
- International Academy of Management & Entrepreneurship (IAME)
- International Institute of Business studies
- International School of Business & Media
- International School of Management Excellence
- Invertis Institute of Management Studies
- ISBR Business School
- Jagan Institute of Management Studies
- Jagran Institute of Communication and Management
- Jaipuria Institute of Management
- Jaipuria Institute of Management
- Jaipuria Institute of Management
- Jaipuria Institute of Management
- JK Lakshmipat University
- JRE Group of Institutions
- Kohinoor Business School, Khandala
- Krupajal Business School
- M S Ramaiah Institute of Management
- Management Education & Research Institute
- Mangalvedhekar Institute of Management (MIM)
- Marian Institute of Health Care Management
- Master School of Management
- MATS Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship
- MISB Bocconi
- MIT WPU’s, MIT School of Telecom Management
- MIT World Peace University
- Calcutta Business School
- Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA)
- MVRR Institute of Business Management
- Myra School of Business
- National Institute of Securities Markets
- National School of Business
- New Delhi Institute of Management
- NIIT University
- OP Jindal Global University
- Praxis Business School
- Pune Institute of Business Management
- Ravenshaw Management Centre
- Regional College of Management Autonomous
- RICS School of Built Environment, Amity University
- Regional College of Management Bangalore
- School of Management
- School of Management Sciences
- KIIT School of Management, KIIT University
- School of Petroleum Management, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University
- SCMS Cochin School of Business
- Shanti Business School
- Sharda University
- Shiva Institute of Management Studies
- SDM Institute for Management Development
- SIET Institute of Management
- Siva Sivani Institute of Management
- Sri Shrada Institute of Indian Management Research
- Sri Sri University
- Suryadatta Group of Institutes
- Taxila Business School
- The National Management School
- United World School of Business
- Vanguard Business School
- Vignana Jyothi Institute of Management
- Institute for Future Education, Entrepreneurship& Leadership
- Vivekananda Global University
Who Should Consider Direct MBA Admission Through XAT?
- Students with low or average XAT percentile
- Candidates missing cutoff by small margin
- Working professionals
- Students targeting private B-schools
- Career switchers
Disclaimer: This advertisement is regarding guidance for Management Quota Admission in Private MBA College. The listed college is not subjected to any authorization with us and also in no way concerned with this advertisement. People may seek out information from this advertisement that they find agreeable, either from the viewpoint of informative and easy to make use of or from the viewpoint of having content that matches individual’s need. It is the decision of viewer contacting us.
***It is our request to the concerned authority of the listed colleges and any third party that if you find any defamatory language, lying, exaggerating, copyrighted materials, and other such practices, kindly let us notify soon as immediate reforms shall be made.***
Read:
- Top MBA College in Pune for Direct Admission
- MBA Direct Admission in Bangalore MBA Colleges | 2025
- MBA in Bangalore without Entrance Exam: Direct Admission
- MBA Direct Admission in Mumbai MBA Colleges
- Top MBA Colleges in Mumbai for Direct Admission
- MDI Gurgaon Direct Admission – mba-guru.com
- MDI Gurgaon Management Quota
- Direct Admission in IMT Ghaziabad Management Quota Seats
- IMT Ghaziabad Direct Admission PGDM by Management …
- IMT Ghaziabad MBA Direct Admission 2025
- Narsee Monjee MBA Direct Admission
- Management Quota Admission in NMIMS MBA
- Management Quota Admission in Welingkar for MBA 2025-2027
- Confirmed SIBM Pune MBA Direct Admission
- Direct Admission in Symbiosis University Bangalore 2026
- SIBM Bangalore Direct MBA Admission under Management …
- Direct MBA Admission Goa Institute of Management
- GIM GOA Management Quota For Direct Admission in MBA
- XIME Bangalore Direct PGDM Admission
- Direct Admission in XIME Bangalore Through Management …
- XIME MBA Direct Admission
- Management Quota Admission in Tapmi Manipal
- Direct Admission TAPMI Management Quota