What is IIM-Ahmedabad New Caste-Based Reservation Policy in PhD Admissions Introduced This Year?

New Delhi: IIM Ahmedabad, the only one among the 20 IIMs, which had never offered caste-based reservations in its doctoral programme since its establishment in 1971, has announced that it will implement a reservation policy in its PhD admissions from this year, as per government guidelines. The registrations for IIM-A PhD admissions are open till January 20, 2025. The admission interviews are expected to occur in March-April 2025.

“Govt of India guidelines for reservation are followed during admissions,” IIM-A announced. The latest admission brochure by IIM-A for PhD programmes specifies that “candidates will be shortlisted based on their performance in the CAT or a standard test in lieu of the CAT, academic background, experience, etc. IIMA may conduct online or face-to-face interviews, depending on health advisories at that time," the notification reads. 

Why IIM-A Decided To Implement Reservation Policy?

The decision follows the petition of Global IIM Alumni Network member Anil Wagde in the Gujarat High Court in the year 2021, seeking reservation in the PhD programme of IIM-A. He argued that the absence of reservation violated constitutional provisions and national regulations, including the Central Education Institutions (reservation in admission) Act and the University Grants Commission's norms. He said that 15 IIMs offer reservations. 

The institute submitted an affidavit to the court on October 23 confirming that it will implement the reservation policy for the 2025 admissions session. 

What is the IIM-Ahmedabad Reservation Policy?

With the implementation of the reservation policy, candidates of reserved categories will be required to score only 50% marks in master's degree or PG diploma courses and 60% in bachelor's degree to be eligible for PhD admissions to IIM-A. However, the unreserved category candidates will have to score 55% and 65%, respectively, in PG and UG programmes. 

“If a candidate belongs to the following reserved categories – Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Persons with Disabilities (PwD)/Non-creamy Other Backward Classes (NC-OBC)/Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), the minimum degree marks requirement for eligibility as part of the basic eligibility criteria given above will be relaxed by 5 percentage points,” says the IIM-A in the notification.

Registration Fees: Apart from relaxation in the eligibility criteria, the reserved category candidates will also get a concession of 50% in registration fees. The unreserved category candidates will have to pay Rs 500 as a registration fee, while the reserved category candidates will pay Rs 250. 

Reservation Policy As Per Government Norms

The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006 is a law that reserves seats in certain Central Educational Institutions (CEIs) for students from Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs): 

• The act reserves 15% of seats for SCs, 7.5% for STs, and 27% for OBCs. 
• The act applies to CEIs that are established, maintained, or aided by the Central Government. 
• The act has exceptions and special provisions for certain regions. 
• Every notification made under the act must be laid before both houses of Parliament for 30 days.