XAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Age Limit, Course-Wise Eligibility

XAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 states that applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a recognised university in any discipline. The eligibility criteria also suggest that candidates must have completed their graduation within a 3-year duration; those with a shorter duration may not be qualified for the admission process. There is no age limit, no minimum percentage requirement, and no mandatory work experience is prescribed to apply for the XAT 2026 Exam. However, those who want to apply to the General Management (GM) program at XLRI must have a minimum of 5 years of full-time work experience in a managerial or supervisory role. Additionally, NRI or foreign candidates must have GMAT/ GRE Scores to proceed with the XAT registration process.

XAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Educational Qualification

XAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 specifies that candidates must have graduated from recognised universities in India with a 3-year duration. Those in their final year of graduation are still eligible to appear for the XAT 2026 Exam. The requirements for educational qualifications for XAT 2026 are listed below:

• Candidates with a bachelor's degree in any discipline from recognised universities are eligible to apply.
• The minimum duration of graduation should be three years.
• There is no minimum graduation percentage requirement to apply for XAT 2026 Exam.
• Final-year graduation students are eligible to apply; however, if they fail in any subjects, their admission may be cancelled.
• NRI/ Foreign candidates can only apply through GMAT/ GRE scores.

XAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Age Limit

XLRI does not prescribe a strict age limit for appearing in the XAT 2026 Exam. Candidates of any age can apply for the exam. However, they must apply after completing graduation or during the final year of graduation. Final year candidates must note that their graduation should be completed by June 2026. Otherwise, their admission will be cancelled.

XAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Work Experience

No work experience is required for XAT candidates applying to Business Management and Human Resource Management programs. However, for GM programs, candidates must have at least 5 years of working experience in a managerial or supervisory role. Candidates must have work experience in the private sector, the public sector, or a non-governmental organisation. Applicants for GM programs must note that only work experience gained after completing their graduation is considered.

XAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: NRI Candidates

NRI candidates must complete XAT Application Process 2026 using their GMAT/GRE scores. They should have completed a 3-year graduation program from a recognised university with no minimum percentage requirement. There is no upper age limit for foreign candidates as well.

XAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: XLRI Courses

XLRI offers three course opportunities for XAT candidates: Business Management (BM), Human Resource Management (HRM), and General Management (GM). For BM and HRM, XLRI requires candidates to hold a bachelor's degree in any discipline, with no minimum percentage requirement. The detailed eligibility criteria for each XLRI program, along with course fees are as follows:

Who Is Not Eligible For XAT 2026?

Candidates who completed a 2-year bachelor's degree and graduated during the 1980s are not eligible to appear for XAT 2026 Exam. Final year students are eligible to apply for XAT, but their graduation should be completed by June 2026. Those whose graduation examination extends beyond June 2026 are not eligible to appear for the exam. Candidates' universities must be recognised by the University Grants Commission in India. Otherwise, candidates' applications can not be accepted.

XAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Reservation Policies

XLRI does not have any preference for reserved categories. So, candidates across different categories can apply for XAT 2026 and have to pay INR 2200 (INR 200 extra for each XLRI course) as a registration fee. However, other participating universities may follow reservation criteria for SC/ST and PwD candidates during the admission process. However, no relaxation is provided to reserved categories at the time of registration.

XAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 FAQs