Which IIM does Not Consider Work Experience?

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Pritish Samantaray

Content Writer | Updated on - Sep 11, 2025

The answer to which IIM does not consider work experience? is: No, IIM basically considers work experience for admissions into their MBA programs. But some IIMS like Calcutta, Lucknow and Kozhikode focus more on CAT score than Work experience. No, IIM does not make work experience compulsory. You can get into any IIM with zero or less work experience.

All 21 IIMs accept freshers or candidates with no work experience. Batch profiles reveal that 20-70% of the students in IIMs, from Top-tier to Baby IIMs, are freshers with no work experience. For the question, which IIM does not consider work experience? A simple answer is all 21 IIMs.

  • IIM Sirmaur:78% of students are Freshers
  • IIM Mumbai: 57% of students are Freshers
  • IIM Ranchi: 60% of students are Freshers
  • IIM Bangalore:14% of students are Freshers
  • IIM Ahmedabad: 29% of students are Freshers
  • Newer IIMs have a larger number of students with no work experience or less work experience.
  • Older IIMs do have students with no work experience, ranging from 70-260.
  • If your CAT score and academic scores are good, IIMs do not consider work experience for your admission.

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Which IIM does Not Consider Work Experience

Key Summary

  • Work experience is not mandatory for admission to any IIM.
  • Some IIMs do not even award separate marks for work experience.
  • IIM Indore and IIM Kozhikode give % weightage to work experience; they only get counted in the profile.
  • At IIM Ahmedabad, the work experience score is a maximum of 5.
  • CAP IIMs put work experience with profile, assigning 5-8% weightage.
  • IIM Bangalore gives the highest weightage of 10% for 36 or more months of work experience.
  • 30-50% MBA students across IIMs are freshers.
  • Work experience is helpful but not compulsory.

IIMs with Students with no or less Work experience

If you are still hovering with the question, which IIM does not consider work experience? Here is the list of IIMs with the percentage of students with no or less work experience.

Rank IIM Freshers %
1 IIM Sirmaur 78%
2 IIM Kozhikode 23% (but the absolute number of 123 freshers is large)
3 IIM Mumbai 57%
4 IIM Indore 58%
5 IIM Ranchi 60%
6 IIM Raipur 54%
7 IIM Lucknow 41%
8 IIM Jammu 58%
9 IIM Bodh Gaya 59%
10 IIM Amritsar 56%
Which IIM does Not Consider Work Experience

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Executive MBA from IIMs

What Kind of Work Experience is required for IIM

  • There is no specific kind of work experience required for IIMs
  • Work experience from various backgrounds is considered for admission into MBA programs at IIMs.
  • 5-10% weightage is given to work experience of any kind.
  • What counts is how much experience a candidate has, not in what particular field.
  • However, experience in Administration, Management, Finance, HR, startup environment, and Business development favourably affect during PI rounds.
  • No, IIM has not specifically prescribed experience in a particular kind.

Work Experience Scores Ranks given by IIMs

Rank IIM Max WE Score
1 IIM Bangalore 10
2 IIM Lucknow 10
3 IIM Calcutta 8
4 IIM Udaipur 7.5
5 IIM Ranchi 7.5
6 IIM Trichy 7.5
7 IIM Kashipur 7.5
8 IIM Raipur 6
9 IIM Rohtak 6
10 IIM Nagpur 6
11 IIM Amritsar 6
12 IIM Sambalpur 6
13 IIM Sirmaur 6
14 IIM Bodh Gaya 6
15 IIM Visakhapatnam 6
16 IIM Jammu 6
17 IIM Mumbai 5–7
18 IIM Ahmedabad 5
19 IIM Shillong 3–5
20 IIM Kozhikode 0
21 IIM Indore 0

Is work experience necessary for an MBA at IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta?

  • No, work experience is not necessary for an MBA at IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta.
  • In fact, work experience is not necessary for an MBA at any IIM.
  • Work experience is not a compulsory criterion for an MBA.
  • Yes, work experience does add a score of 5-10% in the selection process.
  • If your CAT score is 99+ percentile and your academic scores are above 85-90 percent or 8-9+ CGPA, you can get into IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta without work experience.
  • Work experience counts for 5-10 % only if one has more than 36 months of experience.
  • But it contributes less to the overall selection score.
  • 20-29% of MBA students in IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta are freshers with no work experience.

Work Experience Students vs Freshers in IIMs

Rank IIM Batch Size With Work Exp. Freshers
1 IIM Bangalore 535 462 (86%) 73
2 IIM Calcutta 480 410 (85%) 70
3 IIM Kozhikode 537 414 (77%) 123
4 IIM Ahmedabad 450 320 (71%) 130
5 IIM Lucknow 576 342 (59%) 234
6 IIM Indore 450 189 (42%) 261
7 IIM Udaipur 310 205 (66%) 105
8 IIM Shillong 280 176 (63%) 104
9 IIM Raipur 260 120 (46%) 140
10 IIM Ranchi 330 133 (40%) 197
11 IIM Trichy 250 133 (53%) 117
12 IIM Kashipur 260 161 (62%) 99
13 IIM Nagpur 240 151 (63%) 89
14 IIM Vizag 240 175 (73%) 65
15 IIM Rohtak 260 145 (56%) 115
16 IIM Sirmaur 260 57 (22%) 203
17 IIM Jammu 240 100 (42%) 140
18 IIM Bodh Gaya 260 107 (41%) 153
19 IIM Amritsar 260 115 (44%) 145
20 IIM Sambalpur 270 127 (47%) 143
21 IIM Mumbai 480 206 (43%) 274

Work Experience for IIM Bangalore

  • Work experience for IIM Bangalore is not mandatory.
  • Freshers with 0 work experience can apply and get admission.
  • Work experience adds score in your selection process by 5-10%.
  • Candidates with more than 36 months of experience get the highest score.
  • The maximum score from work experience is 10.
  • Only relevant experience had with full-time professional work is considered for scoring.
  • 20-25% of MBA students in IIM Bangalore are freshers.
  • The table below shows the Maximum score allotted for work experience across IIMs
IIM Max WE Score
IIM Bangalore 10
IIM Lucknow 10
IIM Calcutta 8
IIM Udaipur 7.5
IIM Ranchi 7.5
IIM Trichy 7.5
IIM Kashipur 7.5
IIM Raipur 6
IIM Rohtak 6
IIM Nagpur 6
IIM Amritsar 6
IIM Sambalpur 6
IIM Sirmaur 6
IIM Bodh Gaya 6
IIM Visakhapatnam 6
IIM Jammu 6
IIM Mumbai 5–7 for WE
IIM Ahmedabad 5
IIM Shillong 3–5
IIM Kozhikode 0
IIM Indore 0

Average Work Experience of Students of IIMs

Rank IIM Avg. Work Exp (Months)
1 IIM Bangalore 27
2 IIM Sambalpur 26
3 IIM Calcutta 25
4 IIM Udaipur 25
5 IIM Ahmedabad 24
6 IIM Indore 22
7 IIM Rohtak 22
8 IIM Bodh Gaya 23
9 IIM Vizag 19
10 IIM Lucknow 20
11 IIM Trichy 18
12 IIM Kashipur 18
13 IIM Shillong 16
14 IIM Raipur 17
15 IIM Sirmaur 17
16 IIM Nagpur 14
17 IIM Ranchi 13
18 IIM Jammu 12
19 IIM Amritsar 11
20 IIM Mumbai 10
21 IIM Kozhikode 10 (many freshers)
Which IIM does Not Consider Work Experience

Is 6 months of work experience enough for IIM

  • 6 months of work experience is insignificant for IIMs.
  • 6 months of experience contribute to a 0 score in selection.
  • Work experience, anyway, is not mandatory for admission into IIMs.
  • It helps with adding 5-10% to your selection score.
  • Many IIMs award 0 marks to 6 months of work experience.
  • Work experience of 2-3 years or more can give you 5-10 score in the selection process.But it is not a mandatory criterion.
  • Candidates often ask Which IIM does not consider work experience? Or is 3/6 months of experience enough? Be at ease, Work experience is not mandatory.
  • IIMs prioritise CAT, PI, and Academic scores more than work experience.

Which IIM does not consider Work Experience FAQs

Ques: Which IIM does not consider academics?

Ans: All IIMs consider academics.

  • Academics are the top three factors to get admission into IIMs.
  • IIMs prioritize CAT+Academic+PI scores for admissions.
  • Minimum qualifying marks are 45% for SC/ST and 50% for other categories.
  • The weightage on academic scores ranges from 1-10 depending on your scores.
  • No minimum qualifying score set for Class 10th and 12th.

Ques: Which MBA college does not need work experience?

Ans: Almost all MBA colleges do not require work experience.

  • Even in IIMs, work experience is not mandatory.
  • For a regular MBA, there is no need for work experience.

Ques: Does an MBA from IIM require work experience?

Ans: No, an MBA from an IIM does not require work experience.

  • Work experience is not mandatory to get into IIMs for an MBA.
  • Work experience only adds a maximum of 10 score in the selection.
  • Your CAT score, UG scores, and PI performance matter the most.

Ques: Can I do MBA with no work experience?

Ans: Absolutely, you can do an MBA with no work experience.

  • Work experience is not a mandatory criterion for admission.
  • It will just add some marks during your selection process.
  • It is not a qualifier for MBA admissions.

Ques: Which IIM gives more weightage to work experience?

Ans: IIM Bangalore gives more weightage to work experience for over 3 years of work experience.

  • IIM Bangalore also has more students with work experience.
  • IIM Lucknow awards up to 10%.
  • IIM Calcutta has 5-8% weightage based on the months of experience.
  • IIM Udaipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Trichy, and IIM Kashipur assign 7-5% maximum

Ques: How does IIM verify work experience?

Ans: IIMs verify work experience with documents and cross verification.

  • Candidates must furnish an experience letter, an appointment letter, offer letter during selection.
  • IIMs verify the documents provided and the experience claimed.
  • IIMs also cross-verify with employers if the need arises.

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