ISB Application Status Explained: What VIP, Verified and SIP Actually Mean
You submitted your Round 1 application for the ISB PGP Class of 2028 before the 20 September 2026 deadline. Since then the portal status has either not moved in days, or it has changed to something you can't read clearly. ISB's published Round 1 interview window runs from the second week of October to the second week of December 2026, so right now most applicants are sitting on Verification in Progress, Verified or Shortlisting in Progress, and refreshing the page far too often.
Updated for the ISB PGP Class of 2028 admissions cycle, October 2026.
This guide explains every status on the ISB application portal, what each one meant for applicants in the 2026 intake (the previous cycle), and what to do at each stage. The official dates come from ISB's PGP application deadlines page. The timing patterns come from what applicants reported last cycle and from applicants we worked with. They are patterns, not promises. ISB can change its portal and process, so confirm anything date-sensitive on isb.edu.
For this cycle, ISB lists Round 1 decisions for end-December 2026. Round 2 closes on 6 December 2026 with decisions in mid-February 2027. Round 3 closes on 17 January 2027 with decisions in mid-March 2027. Applications submitted after a round's deadline roll into the next round automatically. If you are still deciding which round to target, our piece on why spreading applications across rounds matters covers the trade-offs.
The full status ladder
Almost every applicant moves through the same sequence. Not everyone reaches every step, and the portal explains none of them. The table below puts the meaning, the usual timing and the right response side by side.
Portal status | What it meant in practice | Timing reported (2026 intake) | What you should do |
Incomplete | Something is missing or flagged: a pending recommendation, an official test score, a salary proof, or a wrong institute name. | Returns to Verification in Progress once your fix is accepted. ISB typically allows 72 hours to respond to document requests. | Open every section marked red or orange and fix it the same day. |
Verification in Progress (VIP) | ISB is checking your documents and details. | About 3 to 4 weeks in Round 2. A salary clarification added around a week for some applicants. | Keep your documents ready and reply to any email within the window. |
Verified | Your documents are in order. Every complete application reaches this stage. It says nothing about a shortlist. | Varies by round. ISB sometimes sends an email confirming it. | Do not read anything into it. Start interview prep now. |
Shortlisting in Progress (SIP) | Usually means an interview invite is coming. No email is sent for this change. It only shows on the portal. | Most invites arrived 24 to 48 working hours later. Some waited 18 to 20 days. One applicant waited over a month and still got an invite. | Check email and spam daily. Be careful if SIP appears on results day (see below). |
Shortlisted for Interview | Invite sent with date, time and venue. | Invites came 3 to 11 days before the interview, usually 5 to 6 days. | Confirm logistics, arrange leave, practise a timed WAT. |
Interview Completed | Interview done, waiting for the decision. | Decisions were released together at the end of each round. | Plan your notice period and backups while you wait. |
Offered, Waitlisted for Offer or Not Offered | Final decision. | Emails went out in order: admits, then waitlists, then rejections. | Read the email in full. Act on deadlines in it. |
Incomplete
Incomplete means ISB has found something missing or flagged. It does not mean you are rejected. Sections that need action show in red or orange on the portal, so open each one instead of guessing.
The causes applicants reported most often last cycle:
A recommender had not yet submitted the recommendation.
The official GMAT or GRE score had not reached ISB.
Salary or income proof did not match what was entered.
The university was entered as the undergraduate institute instead of the college.
Transcripts were missing (in one case ISB asked for every semester of a master's degree).
If you tested close to the deadline, applicants entered the unofficial score, uploaded a "score pending" screenshot, and then sent the official score from mba.com or ETS. The portal later showed "Official score received". If a recommendation was submitted but the status stayed Incomplete, applicants raised a service request on the portal and reported faster replies there than by email.
When ISB asks for extra documents by email, it reopens the relevant upload section. Upload there. Files sent through the general queries section were reportedly not considered. You normally get about 72 hours to respond, so treat any such email as same-day work.
Verification in Progress
This is the long wait. In Round 2 of the 2026 intake, applicants reported about three to four weeks in this status. It moves faster if your documents are clean and slower if ISB has a query.
The most common delay was salary clarification, which added about a week for some applicants. Those applicants were still shortlisted and admitted, so a salary query is a delay, not a verdict. If you want the detail on how salary is checked, our ISB salary discrepancy guide covers what to enter and what to upload. Do not apply to two programmes (for example PGP and PGPMAX) in the same cycle just to keep options open. Applicants who did were called by ISB and asked why.
Verified
Verified means your documents are in order. Every complete application reaches Verified, so it tells you nothing about your chances of an interview.
Applicants who were never interviewed stayed on Verified until results day. That is the reason this status worries people. If your city's interview weekends are running and you are still Verified, it is a worry, but it is not final. ISB ran several weekends per city plus virtual interviews, and some applicants whose preferred city had finished were called by the admissions team and offered a slot in Hyderabad or a virtual interview on a later weekend.
Shortlisting in Progress
SIP usually means an interview invite is coming. ISB sends no email when your status changes to SIP. It only shows on the portal, so check the portal and your inbox.
Last cycle, most applicants received the invite email 24 to 48 working hours after SIP appeared. Some waited 18 to 20 days. One applicant waited more than a month. All of them eventually got invites.
Some applicants, mostly those who chose virtual interviews, saw SIP flip back to Verified for a day or two and then still received an invite. It looked like a portal glitch. If it happens to you, wait a few days before you panic.
The results-day SIP trap
This is the part that causes the most heartbreak, so read it twice. On results day last cycle, applicants who were not shortlisted were also moved to SIP briefly. Their status then changed to "Not shortlisted for interview" and the rejection email arrived. This was reported in Round 1, Round 2 and Round 3. Several applicants celebrated the change and received a rejection within an hour.
Rule of thumb: SIP weeks before your city's interview dates is a strong signal. SIP on the day results are being released usually is not.
If your round's results are due and you see SIP, do not announce it to anyone yet. Wait for the email. For this cycle, Round 1 decisions are listed for end-December 2026, so any SIP you see in October or November sits on the early, encouraging side of that rule.
Shortlisted for Interview
Invites last cycle arrived between 3 and 11 days before the interview, usually 5 to 6 days. That is a short window, so prepare before the email arrives, not after.
The interview day has two parts. First comes an on-the-spot written exercise on your own laptop, then a personal interview with a panel. Our ISB WAT preparation guide covers the writing round, and what is asked in ISB interviews covers the panel. Last cycle, panels focused on career progression, goals, work experience and the essays, and applicants reported they were not grilled on test scores. That is reported, not official. Keep your ISB essays open on the day before, because questions often come straight from them.
Use the invite window to arrange leave, check the venue or the virtual link, test your laptop, and do one full timed practice run.
Interview Completed and final decisions
After the interview your status shows Interview Completed. Decisions are released together at the end of the round, not one by one. ISB's current page lists end-December 2026 for Round 1.
Last cycle, emails went out in sequence: admits first, then waitlists, then rejections. In one round the admit emails came in batches over a few hours late at night, and the waitlist and rejection emails followed by the next morning. If you have not received anything by the next morning, that does not tell you your outcome. The email is the only result that counts. Some applicants check a hidden field in the page source and see the outcome earlier, but that is unofficial, sometimes changed after a refresh, and not worth your stress.
If you land on the waitlist, you will be told your quartile. That is a topic of its own, which we cover in our ISB waitlist guide.
Things that mean nothing
Applicants spent a lot of energy on signals that turned out to be noise.
Red text on the round or location line. It appeared for almost everyone: admits, people still waiting, past rejects, even Round 3 applicants who had just submitted.
Application numbers. People compared them for days. No pattern emerged.
Verification dates. Earlier verification did not predict an earlier or better outcome.
Your city's interviews finishing. Not always the end, as described above.
No status email. SIP changes come with no email, so silence proves nothing.
FAQ
Does SIP mean I will get an interview at ISB?
Usually yes if it appears weeks before interviews in your round. Not if it appears on results day, when non-shortlisted applicants were also moved to SIP briefly.
How long does ISB verification take?
About three to four weeks in Round 2 of the 2026 intake. It varies by round and by whether ISB has a query on your documents.
Do I get an email when my status changes to SIP?
No. ISB did not send one last cycle. The invite email follows, usually within a couple of working days, but some applicants waited longer.
My status is still Verified after my city's interviews. Is it over?
Not necessarily. ISB ran multiple weekends per city and virtual interviews, and some applicants were called and offered a different slot. Contact the admissions team through the portal if your round is nearly done.
What does red text on the ISB application portal mean?
Nothing, in most cases. It appeared for admits, waiting applicants and rejects alike.
What to do now
Start interview prep today. Do not wait for SIP. Invites can leave you five or six days.
Keep documents ready. Payslips, offer and relieving letters, transcripts and your recommender's contact, in one folder.
Open your portal sections. Check that nothing is red or orange, and that your recommendation and official score show as received.
Talk about notice period early. If your notice is two to three months, start the conversation with your manager once you have an interview call, not after the admit.
Keep a backup plan. One portal status is not a decision. Know your next round or next school.
If you want timed practice while you wait, Launchpad has a free WAT practice test with ISB's format and 144 topics, and no sign-in is needed: launchpad.careersimplified.co.in/wat.
These patterns come from the 2026 intake and applicant reports. ISB can change its portal, process and dates, so confirm everything on isb.edu.
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