IIM waitlist movement is crucial for students who are looking forward to getting final admission. Not everyone who is selected first accepts the offer, which is why colleges offer those seats to waitlisted students.
How far the waitlist moves is governed by how many people apply, how many choose to accept their offers, and how many seats are available. The trend for IIMs, and various categories of students, is different.
Updates on the Waitlist Movement for IIMs 2025
Here are some need-to-know facts about the 2025 waitlist process:
- The waitlist results are offered in multiple rounds from May to July 2025.
- Most students accept offers from top IIMs, and so the waitlist hardly moves.
- Higher waitlist movements in lower-placed IIMs as students opt for better options.
- The waitlist movement is category-specific, with a main list, separate OBC, SC/ST, etc.
- Waitlist movement is higher in the SC/ST and OBC categories.
Factors Influencing Waitlist Movement for IIMs 2025
- Acceptance Rate: The waitlist moves slowly if many top candidates take their seats at the IIMs. The waitlist moves quickly if a lot of students reject the offer.
- Number of Seats: More seats available typically means more waitlist movement at colleges. So, IIM Indore and IIM Lucknow have more seats than IIM Ahmedabad.
- Other College Admissions: Quite a few students also receive calls from ISB, MS, XLRI, SR, JIMR, or even foreign business schools. If they select those, subsequently, more seats become available in the IIMs.
- Reservation Quotas: For each category (General, EWS, OBC, SC, ST, PwD), the waitlist movement is different.
This leads to more churn in the reserved categories since many fewer candidates will qualify to accept offers straight away.
Expected IIM Waitlist Conversion Rates 2025
Here are the expected IIM Waitlist Conversion Rates for 2025, many of the waitlisted candidates can possibly get admitted:
Trends in Waitlist Movement (2019–2024)
Candidates can check trends in Waitlist Movement (2019-24), for a better idea.
IIM Ahmedabad
IIM Bangalore
IIM Calcutta
IIM Lucknow
IIM Kozhikode
IIM Indore
IIM Kashipur
IIM Trichy
IIM Rohtak
IIM Udaipur
IIM Nagpur
IIM Raipur
IIM Sambalpur
IIM Amritsar
IIM Jammu
IIM Visakhapatnam
IIM Sirmaur
IIM Bodh Gaya
Conclusion
The top IIMs, for example, Ahmedabad and Bangalore, experience hardly any waitlist movement because the majority of the selected students accept the offer, but the newer IIMs have higher waitlist movement. If you are from a reserved category, you might have better chances as these lists are more fluid. Keep a tab on waitlist movements of your preferred IIMs and do not lose hope, a lot of candidates make it through the waitlist!
