IMU CET 2027 exam guide: dates, eligibility and pattern

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IMU CET 2027 exam guide: dates, eligibility and pattern at a glance

IMU CET is the entrance test the Indian Maritime University (IMU) holds for B.Tech Marine Engineering, B.Sc Nautical Science, other technical undergraduate programmes and the Diploma in Nautical Science (DNS). A CET rank is also compulsory for DG Shipping approved courses at other institutes. The IMU CET 2027 dates, notification and fee are not yet announced as of 31 October 2026. For the 2024-25 session, IMU's programme pages asked for 10+2 with at least 60% in PCM and 50% in English.

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IMU CET 2027 dates and fee

No IMU CET 2027 notification is published as of 31 October 2026. The newest admissions page on imu.edu.in is Admissions 2026-2027, which carries IMU CET 2026 and its prospectus. Each year IMU puts the notification, prospectus and registration link on that year's admissions page, so the 2027 information will appear there first.

Past cycles give a rough rhythm, though not a schedule. The 2023 row below comes from the 2023-24 brochure. The 2024 and 2025 rows are the dates on which IMU posted those notices on its notifications page.

In the 2023-24 brochure, the registration fee was Rs 1,000 for General and OBC (NCL) candidates and Rs 700 for SC and ST candidates, and it was non-refundable. The 2027 fee is not yet announced.

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Programmes admitted through IMU CET

The 2023-24 brochure lists the programmes below for the technical undergraduate CET. IMU's own campuses fill seats through online counselling after the rank list. Affiliated institutes use their own admission process after you hold a rank.

IMU also lists B.Tech Naval Architecture and Ship Building at Visakhapatnam, with the same PCM and English marks on its programme page. Confirm its admission route in the current prospectus. BBA programmes do not use the CET: IMU runs a separate BBA portal and lists "BBA Admissions - First Come First Served" apart from "UG (except BBA)" on its 2026-27 page.

The brochure also states that, under DG Shipping Training Circular 12 of 2020, a CET rank is mandatory for DNS, B.Sc (Nautical Science) and B.Tech (Marine Engineering) at any DG Shipping approved institute. That covers government and private institutes.

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Eligibility

The figures below come from IMU's programme pages, which give 1 August 2024 as the age reference date. They describe the 2024-25 session. The 2027 notice may change them.

The reference date for age is the start of the academic session. For 2027 entry, IMU has not published that date.

Medical and vision standards

Both programme pages ask for a medical fitness certificate from a doctor approved by the Directorate General of Shipping, produced at the time of admission. DG Shipping's Maritime Health Branch page links to the approved examiner list and the medical examination rules.

The eyesight figures differ by programme. For B.Tech Marine Engineering, the page gives unaided distance vision of 0.5 (6/12) in each eye, or 0.67 (6/9) in the better eye and 0.33 (6/18) in the other. For B.Sc Nautical Science, it gives 1.0 (6/6) in the better eye and 0.67 (6/9) in the other. Both require normal colour vision on the Ishihara chart, good binocular vision and full visual fields.

The IMU pages mark these figures with an asterisk. Read the footnote in the prospectus, and check your eyesight before you invest in coaching.

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Exam pattern

The pattern below is from the IMU 2023-24 brochure, the most recent full description of the paper found on IMU's site. IMU reserves the right to change the distribution, question types and difficulty, so check the 2027 notice.

The brochure text does not give the question count per subject or the marks per correct answer. IMU lists two sets of model question papers (Set-I and Set-II) on its admissions pages, and they are the best guide to the layout. Hyderabad was among the cities listed for the 2023 test.

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Sponsorship and sea-time caution

An IMU CET rank gets you into the admission process. It does not place you on a ship. Some routes also depend on a sponsor, and the sponsor's terms matter as much as the rank.

The 2023-24 brochure says admission to the DNS programme at affiliated institutes is open only to candidates sponsored by ship-owning or managing companies who also qualify in the CET. If a sponsor is part of your route, ask for the terms in writing before paying any fee. Ask who the sponsoring company is, whether it commits to employing the cadet after training, what service period applies, and what happens to your fees if sponsorship is withdrawn. Then compare those terms with the official IMU notice and DG Shipping circulars.

Treat promises of assured placement, a fixed salary or a seat outside CET and counselling as unverified. DG Shipping's circular list includes a notice titled "Ban on using Agents for enticing candidates to the Maritime Training Institute", and its home page carries an advisory asking seafarers and their families to be vigilant against deceitful schemes. IMU's own route is the CET rank and its counselling portal.

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How to prepare

The paper tests Class 12 level Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, with English and General Aptitude alongside. Board marks come first, because the PCM and English cut-offs apply before the CET rank matters.

Students in Hyderabad can find approved maths tutors, physics tutors and chemistry tutors for the technical sections, and English tutors for the English section and the 50% English requirement. Practise on a computer, because the test is computer-based, and time yourself on the model papers.

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Common mistakes

• Treating the 2023 pattern as the 2027 pattern.
• Leaving the eye test until admission, when the standard can rule out a programme.
• Reading the 60% rule as 60% in each subject. The pages state an aggregate across the three subjects, and English is checked separately.
• Paying an agent for a promised seat instead of using the IMU portal.
• Assuming a rank certificate carries over. The 2023-24 brochure says it is valid for that session only.
• Applying through the CET portal for BBA. BBA has its own portal and its own fee.

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What to do next

Check the Admissions page on imu.edu.in each week until the 2027 notification appears, and read the prospectus before paying anything. Keep your Class 10 marksheet, which IMU asked for as proof of date of birth in 2023, and your Class 12 marks ready. Book an eye and medical check with a DG Shipping approved examiner once the standard for 2027 is published.

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Next steps

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Official sources

• IMU Admissions 2026-2027: IMU CET 2026 entry, prospectus and BBA admissions
• IMU Admissions 2025-2026: IMU CET 2025 entry and model question papers
• IMU notifications page: dated notices for 2024 and 2025
• IMU academic brochure 2023-24: programmes, CET pattern, fee and schedule for 2023
• B.Tech Marine Engineering page: eligibility and medical standard
• B.Sc Nautical Science page: eligibility and medical standard
• B.Tech Naval Architecture and Ship Building page: eligibility
• DG Shipping training circulars: circular list, including Training Circular 12 of 2020
• DG Shipping Maritime Health Branch: approved medical examiners and medical rules
• DG Shipping home page: advisory to seafarers and families