Aspiring managers who clear Common Admission Test (CAT) and second round of admission at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad are increasingly opting to defer their admission for work experience.

The deferred admission system was introduced in 2015 for students wishing to take admission at the premier B-School but seek work experience before joining the institute. Students who are eligible for admission as per CAT score and clear admission round are allowed to postpone their admission for work purpose up to a maximum of two years. Around 10 per cent of seats have been kept for those putting off their admission, which comes to around 40 seats for a batch size of 400 students. As per the institute, 24 students chose to defer admission in 2015, which grew to 31 each in 2016 and 2017, while 25 deferred their admissions in 2018.

"We offer deferment up to maximum 10 per cent of the total seats, i.e. 39 candidates can get deferment in a given year. This scheme is meant for candidates with less than two years of work experience to gain/ enrich their work experience before joining the PGP. Deferment requests on grounds of medical, financial, family emergencies or to pursue higher studies are not entertained. Period of deferment is maximum of two years," said Chairperson (admissions) Prof Vishal Gupta.