CAT Exam Fees for Registration

• As mentioned above, the CAT application fee for 2025 has been increased to Rs 2600 for General/EWS/NC-OBC candidates and Rs 1300 for SC/ST/PWD candidates.

• On July 27, 2025, IIM Kozhikode released the official CAT 2025 notification in the form of a newspaper advertisement, confirming the CAT exam date as November 30, 2025, with CAT registration starting from August 1, 2025.

How much have CAT exam fees increased over the years?

Here we have compiled CAT exam fee data from the past few years that shows a steady upward trajectory in CAT application fees.

CAT Exam Fee Increased Over Five years- Category-wise

Here we have listed a comparison of the CAT exam fee of past five years category wise.

• General/ Unreserved category- CAT exam fee increased from Rs 2000 to Rs 2600, which is a total raise of Rs 600 or 30%.

• Reserved category (SC/ST/PWD)- CAT registration fee increased from Rs 1000 to Rs 1300 which is a total raise of Rs 300 or 30%.

CAT Exam Fee Increase- Insights

• Affordability Concerns- In social media groups, several CAT aspirants have expressed frustration over raising CAT exam fee costs, highlighting the strain caused when applying to multiple MBA entrance exams or colleges.

• Transaction Charges- On top of the CAT application fee, candidates have to pay additional charges depending on the payment mode.

  1. Credit cards: 1.2% (2.85% for AmEx)

  2. Debit cards: 0.75–0.90%

  3. Net banking: Rs 20 fixed

  4. UPI: generally no fees 

• Non-Refundable Nature- The CAT exam fee is non-refundable, even in case of CAT application form corrections. Online minor details can be edited such as photo, signature, CAT exam centre are allowed without full repayment.

The CAT exam fee has steadily increased, moving from Rs 2000/ Rs 1000 in 2020 to Rs 2600/1300 in 2025. That is a consistent annual hike of Rs 4 to 10%, resulting in a 30% rise over five years. That usually places additional financial pressure on CAT aspirants.