IRMA to accept CAT scores for admissions to PG course

The Institute of Rural Management,Anand (IRMA) will conduct admissions to the two-year post- graduate programme in rural management for the academic year 2014-16 on the basis of the Common Admission Test (CAT) scores. The institute awaits a Supreme Court verdict on conducting its own entrance test for admissions to its flagship course for the 2014 batch. The verdict is likely to be out in three weeks. The institute hopes the SC will allow it to conduct its own test,in which case it will come out with a merit list combining the two entrance tests.

The change in the admission pattern follows a directive from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) issued last year,asking affiliated institutes to choose from one of the five entrance tests for admissions — CAT,CMAT,Xavier Admission Test (XAT),ATMA and GMAT. The IRMA had challenged it on the ground that being a rural management institute,it required to judge candidates on a different set of parametre that other management entrance tests did not necessarily meet.

“We have already registered our institute with CAT to use its scores for admissions to our flagship programme,but we hope that the apex court will allow us to retain our own test. If the verdict comes in our favour,we will combine the two tests for final admissions,” IRMA director Jeemol Unni said. The SC,in its November 2012 order,had asked the AICTE to consider having a separate test for institutes offering rural management courses.

The institute has put up a notification on its website: “IRMA will use CAT 2013 scores for admission to 2014-16 PRM and FPRM courses.” CAT is conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in October-November every year. In November last year,the SC had granted the institute interim relief to conduct its own test as admission dates were announced before the AICTE directive.