IIM Ahmedabad to implement reservation policy in PhD admissions
The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad has announced plans to introduce a government-mandated reservation policy for its PhD admissions from 2025. This marks a significant shift for the institution, which has not previously reserved seats for underrepresented communities in its Fellow Programme in Management since its inception in 1971. The decision follows sustained advocacy from SC/ST activists and a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Global IIM Alumni Network in the Gujarat High Court in 2021.
IIM Ahmedabad's response to PIL and future plans
In response to the PIL, IIM Ahmedabad submitted an affidavit in October 2023, confirming its intention to implement the reservation policy for the 2025 intake. Until now, the elite B-school had resisted applying reservations for SCs, STs, OBCs, and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in its research program. The latest advertisement for IIM Ahmedabad's PhD admissions 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."
Reservation quotas
As per the Central Educational Institution (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006, central government institutions must reserve 15% of seats for SCs, 7.5% for STs, and 27% for OBCs. The government has also instituted a 10% quota for EWS in admissions and jobs in central educational institutions through separate legislation. The online announcement also informed that candidates from the reserved categories will be allowed a relaxation of five percentage points to the minimum degree marks requirement for eligibility.
