IIM Ahmedabad's doctoral programme, which commenced in 1971, did not allow admission through quotas for reserved categories so far. Read details below.

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.

While no details have so far been shared by IIM Ahmedabad on how the quota system will be implemented, the online announcement informed that “Govt of India guidelines for reservation are followed during admissions.

There was no further elaboration from the premier business school on how the quota system will be implemented.

After yearslong criticism by activists and intellectuals, the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has introduced reservation in PhD programme. So far, IIM-A did not have reservation for scheduled castes (SCs), scheduled tribes (STs), other backward classes (OBCs), or persons with physical disabilities.

This landmark decision comes after 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.

"Government of India guidelines for reservation are followed during admission," IIMA stated in its online applications for doctoral programmes.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad has announced a new reservation policy for its PhD admissions, effective for the 2025 academic year. As outlined in the PhD Admission 2025 information brochure,