One concern that keeps coming up among CAT aspirants is the additional application fees charged by IIMs even after paying for the CAT exam.

Colleges like IIM Rohtak (~₹3,095), IIM Amritsar, IIM Visakhapatnam, IIM Raipur (~₹1,000 each), and others require separate form submissions and fees, which quickly adds up when you apply to multiple institutes.

From a student’s perspective, the concern is valid:

• CAT itself is already expensive
• Add travel, coaching, and other prep costs
• Then multiple application fees on top of that

At the same time, there’s another side to it. Many IIMs especially newer ones  handle their own admission processes, interviews, and administration, which these fees help support. They don’t all operate under a fully centralized system.

The Real Question:
Should there be a more centralized or bundled application process after CAT to reduce this financial burden?

Because right now, it feels like a trade-off between institutional independence vs student convenience.