The Indian Institute of Management Calcutta has officially released the notification for the Ph.D. (Doctoral Programme) Admission 2026. If you are interested, you may apply through their official website, https://iimcal.ac.in/.
Here, we have discussed everything you need to know about the IIM Calcutta Phd Admission 2026. Read this article to check what are the important dates, who can apply for this admission, what the required fee to apply, and much more.
IIM Calcutta PhD Admission 2026 Overview
The IIM Calcutta is offering admission for various doctoral programmes, which includes economics, marketing, finance and control, HRM, MIS, OB, public policy, strategic management, and operations. An overview of this admission is available inside the table below.
| Institute Name | Indian Institute of Management Calcutta |
| Programme Name | PhD (Doctoral Programme) |
| Admission Year | 2026 |
| Academic Session | 2026–27 |
| Mode of Application | Online |
| Offered Specializations | Economics, Finance, Marketing, HRM, MIS, OB, PPM, SM, OM |
| Accepted Entrance Tests | CAT 2025 / GMAT / GRE / GATE / UGC-NET / UGC-JRF |
| Maximum Specializations Allowed | 2 |
| Application Fee | ₹3000 (General), ₹1500 (Reserved) |
| Official Website | https://iimcal.ac.in/ |
To obtain admission, two online recommendations are mandatory. Referees must submit their recommendations through the online portal. Hard copies of recommendations will not be accepted under any circumstances.
Important Dates
The IIM Calcutta has disclosed the important dates for the PhD admission for the academic year 2026-27. Refer to the table below for the complete schedule.
| Event | Date |
| Last Date to Submit Application | 30 January 2026 |
| Last Date for Referee Recommendation Submission | 30 January 2026 |
| Validity of CAT 2025 / Other Test Scores | Valid on 30 January 2026 |
| Completion of Final Degree (for provisional candidates) | 30 June 2026 |
| Last Date to Submit Final Mark Sheets | 31 December 2026 |
Eligibility Criteria
To apply for the IIM Calcutta Admission 2026, it is mandatory that you have any of the following educational qualifications.
Master’s or Postgraduate Qualification
You have pursued a first class Master’s degree in any subject or stream from a government recognised university; or first class 2-year postgraduate diploma and 3-year bachelor degree in any subject with aggregate of 50% score.
Professional Qualification
You have passed the chartered accountant (CA) final examination with at least 50% score; or have passed the Company Secretary (CS) or Cost and Management Accountant (CSA) exam with a 55% score and pursued Bachelor’s of Commerce.
4-Year Bachelor’s Degree
You have pursued four-year bachelors of Engineering autotechnology from AICTE-recognised institution with minimum 6.5 CGPA, which is equivalently valence to 65% score as aggregate
Equivalent Education
If you are a non-engineering candidate, you must have completed your education with a 10+2+5 pattern.
Notes:
- In addition, it is essential that you have scored at least 50% aggregate marks in your Intermediate or Higher Secondary examination.
- If you are in the final year/semester of your qualifying examination, you can apply provisionally for this admission, but you must fulfill all the requirements related to your degree by June 30, 2026, and submit your marksheet before December 31, 2026, to retain your admission.
To apply for IIM Calcutta PhD Admission 2026, it is also mandatory that you have appeared in CAT 2025, or in any other relevant test in which you have obtained a valid score.
It is essential that the score obtained in that examination remains valid until at least January 30, 2026. You can view the list of tests for various areas of specialization in the table given below.
| Specialization | Accepted Tests (Instead of CAT) |
| Economics | GMAT / GRE / GATE (Economics) / UGC-NET (Economics) |
| Finance & Control | GMAT / GRE |
| Human Resource Management | GMAT / GRE / UGC-JRF |
| Management Information Systems | GMAT / GRE / GATE / UGC-JRF |
| Marketing | GMAT / GRE / GATE / UGC-JRF |
| Operations Management | GMAT / GRE / GATE / UGC-JRF |
| Organizational Behaviour | GMAT / GRE / GATE / UGC-JRF |
| Public Policy & Management | GRE / GATE / UGC-NET |
| Strategic Management | GMAT / GRE / GATE |
Application Fee
The application fee is mandatory to apply for IIM Calcutta PhD admissions 2026. The application fee is ₹3,000 for General category candidates, while it is only ₹1500 for reserved category candidates such as SC, ST, OBC, EWS, and PWD.
An individual can apply for a maximum of two specializations, but the application fee will be according to the category mentioned above. They do not need to pay any additional fee for the second specialization.
How to Apply?
The complete step-by-step instructions to apply for the IIM Calcutta PhD Admission 2026 are as follows:
- Visit the application portal at https://application.iimcal.ac.in/fp-admission-form-register/.
- Register and create login credentials.
- Log in and fill in personal details.
- Enter academic and qualification details.
- Select up to two specializations.
- Provide CAT 2025 or alternative test details.
- Enter details of two referees.
- Upload required documents in allowed formats
- Pay the application fee.
- Review all the details and submit your application.