Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta is the oldest of all the IIMs which offered business management programs in the country. With the first run in 1961, IIM Calcutta had been classified as national institute for Post-Graduate studies and Research .The B-School was formed by Government of India in association with The Ford Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan School of Management (MIT), Indian Industry and the Government of West Bengal. It is a deemed institute and has a collective repute of offering high-quality PGDM programs across various management disciplines. Apart from the flagship PGDM programme , it is also renowned for its executive training programmes, PG and Doctoral Level programmes, consulting and research activities.
IIM Calcutta is situated amidst beautiful bridges and backwaters. The campus is surrounded with 7 lakes. One of the bridges is fashioned after the Howrah bridge itself. One of the lakes is also used for ferrying across, making it one of the rarest campuses in the country.
April 27, 2020: Coronavirus outbreak has impacted IIM Admissions 2020-2022 in multiple ways. To know the status of WAT-GD-PI at all IIMs, click here
Indian Institute Management Calcutta has been an epitome of stellar business education and one of the 86 global business schools to have triple accreditation. The school is accredited by Association of MBAs (AMBA), Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). IIM Calcutta was ranked 3 in NIRF 2019 rankings for top 100 B-Schools in India.
The institute offers a variety of management courses such as Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM), PGPEX (Post Graduate Programme for Executives), PGPEX-VLM - Visionary Leadership in Manufacturing, Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics (PGDBA), Executive Training Programmes, master's in business administration (MBA) and Doctoral Programmes.
IIM-C has been playing a pioneering role in professionalizing Indian management through its Postgraduate & Doctoral level programs and Executive Training Programs. The programs offered at IIM-C are tabulated below
Programs Offered |
Description of the Program |
Time Duration |
Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) |
Flagship residential program for graduates |
2 years (full time) |
Post Graduate Programme for Executives (PGPEX) |
Residential Program for executives & mid-career professionals |
1 year (full time) |
Post Graduate Programme for Executives for Visionary Leadership in Manufacturing (PGPEX-VLM) |
program with focus on techno-management, jointly conducted by three premier institutes-IIM-C, IIT Kanpur & IIT Madras |
1 year (full time) |
Fellow Programme in Management (FPM |
Doctoral Program |
3 years (full time) |
Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics (PGDBA) |
Diploma program aimed at creating business analytics professionals who are inclined towards mathematics, have an analytical mindset and can apply analytical concepts for solving business problems. The program is jointly hosted by the Indian Institute of Management - Calcutta, Indian Institute of Technology - Kharagpur and the Indian Statistical Institute - Kolkata. |
2 years (full time) |
CEMS master's in international management degree |
MIM program that can be taken up simultaneously with 2-year flagship PGP program of IIMC. |
1 year |
IIMC has joined CEMS, an elite club of 30 premier business schools from across the world, as an Academic partner. The CEMS MIM program is a one-year program which can be taken up simultaneously with the 2-year flagship PGP program of IIMC. The key distinguishing feature of CEMS MIM is that it brings forth all the stakeholders (schools, companies, students and alumni) together in a collaborative course which is the MIM. Qualifying students must spend one term (Term V of IIMC 2nd year PGP / Term 1 of CEMS MIM) in any of the CEMS member schools abroad before returning to IIMC for the final term.
Course |
Qualifying Examination |
PGDM |
|
PGDBA |
Separate Written Test |
PGPEX |
GMAT |
PGPEX - VLM |
Separate Aptitude Test |
For FPM, an applicant can apply to at most two areas of specialization. (S)he needs to have taken the Common Admission Test (CAT) for that year OR, depending on the chosen specialization(s), alternative test(s), in lieu of the CAT as specified in the following table:
Area of specialisation | Tests in lieu of CAT |
Economics | GMAT/GRE/UGC-NET in Business Economics/ Development Economics/ Economics |
Finance and Control | GMAT/ GRE/ UGC-JRF in Commerce/ Economics/ Management |
Human Resource Management | GMAT/ GRE/ GATE/ UGC-JRF in any discipline |
Management Information Systems | GMAT/ GRE/ GATE/ UGC-JRF in any discipline |
Marketing | GMAT/ GRE/ GATE/ UGC-JRF in any discipline |
Operations Management | GMAT/ GRE/ GATE/ UGC-JRF in Mathematical Sciences |
Organizational Behaviour | GMAT/ GRE/ GATE/ UGC-JRF in any discipline |
Public Policy and Management | GRE/ UGC-JRF in Anthropology/ Economics/ Environmental Science/ Geography/ History/ International and Area Studies/ Law/ Management/ Political Science/ Psychology/ Public Administration/ Social Work/ Sociology |
Regional Development | GRE/ UGC-JRF in Anthropology/ Economics/ Geography/ Population Studies/ Public Administration/ Sociology |
Sociology | UGC-JRF in Anthropology/ Economics/ Political Science/ Sociology |
Strategic Management | GMAT/ GRE/ GATE/ UGC-JRF in Anthropology/ Commerce/ Defence and Strategic Studies/ Economics/ Environmental Science/ Geography/ History/ Law/ Management/ Political Science/ Psychology/ Public Administration/ Sociology |
Eligibility for PGDM
Eligibility for PGDBA
A candidate must hold a graduate/post graduate degree with any of the following:
For SC/ ST and Differently Abled (DA) category candidates, the qualifying marks for eligibility shall be 55%, and/or CGPA 6.0 on a 10-point scale, and/or equivalent.
Candidates, who are in the final year, are also eligible to apply provided they appear in the final examination and complete other academic requirements as specified above by May 31, 2017.
Eligibility for PGPEX
Eligibility for PGPEX-VLM
Eligibility for FPM
The institute grants admission considering the CAT percentile, WAT scores and GD/PI Scores. Furthermore, weightage is given to the consolidated graduation percentile, 12th and 10th grade percentile along with the number of years of work experience. The selection is based on the merits of each category. The pre-requisite is to have 50% aggregate in bachelors. Students studying in the final year are also eligible to apply. The reservation policy for admission of the Central Educational Institutions (CEIs) is followed by the institution.
Let us understand the selection process with respect to different post-graduation programmes
For Post Graduate Programme in Management
There are 2 stages that a candidate goes through before getting selected for IIM-Calcutta PGDM Programme.
The first stage is appearing for the CAT (Common Admission Test) conducted by the IIMs (GMAT for the international candidates). For international candidates, percentile scored in GMAT will be equated to the CAT score for the same percentile.
On clearing the required cut-offs and the composite score, a candidate is called for the Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI).
For Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics
The candidate will be shortlisted based on the written test score.
In the PI the candidate may be tested on his/her analytical ability through mathematical problem solving. Shortlisted candidates will be called for a personal interview. The final offer would be made based on performance in the written test, personal interview, work experience and academic standing.
For PGPEX Programme
The candidates must apply online with a valid GMAT score. The shortlisted candidates will go through a round of personal interview. Final selection of a candidate is based on his professional experience, academic record, GMAT score and the personal interview.
The candidates are also required to submit a statement of purpose (SOP) and two recommendation letters from people holding senior managerial positions.
For PGPEX-VLM Programme
Candidates will be shortlisted based on their application form and the GMAT/GRE score will be an add-on and is not mandatory.
Shortlisted candidates are required to appear for an Aptitude test and the candidates shortlisted further based on the test, must appear for a round of Personal Interview.
DOCTORAL (FPM)
Candidates will be shortlisted based on their application and any competitive exam score which is a part of the application. The shortlisted candidates are called for the personal interview.
Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by the faculty members of the area(s) of specialization
IIM C offers substantial opportunities to students to gain international exposure while studying management literature. Students get to spend a semester in an international B – school which has tied up with IIM C in the same interest. These institutes include
Louvain School of Management
Rotterdam School of Management
Erasmus University
the London School of Economics
Political Science and WU (Vienna University of Economics & Business).
Along with studies, selected students get a chance to interact with people from different cultures and divinities.
IIM-C shortlists candidates based on the CAT score, past academic performance, and other criteria mentioned below:
The given statistics had been observed during last year's admission procedure
Shortlisting Component |
Weightage |
CAT 2019 |
56% |
Academics |
40% |
Gender Diversity |
4% |
Minimum Sectional Percentile
Shortlisting Component |
Weightage |
Quantitative Ability (QA) |
75% |
Verbal and Reading Comprehension' (VARC) |
80% |
Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning' |
80% |
Overall Percentile |
85% |
If the candidate does not score minimum prescribed percentile in CAT 2019, he/she will not be considered for shortlisting for final selection stage.
Minimum CAT percentile cutoffs to be considered for PI and WAT process
CAT 2019 comprised of 3 sections, I.e Verbal Ability (VA), Quantitative Aptitude (QA) and Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR). The sectional cutoffs that are needed on a primitive basis are mentioned below:
Social Category |
Section - I |
Section - II |
Section - III |
Overall |
Open |
≥ 75 |
≥80 |
≥ 80 |
≥85 |
NC-OBC |
≥ 65 |
≥ 65 |
≥ 70 |
≥ 75 |
EWS |
≥ 65 |
≥ 65 |
≥ 70 |
≥ 75 |
SC |
≥ 60 |
≥ 60 |
≥ 65 |
≥ 70 |
ST |
≥ 55 |
≥ 55 |
≥ 55 |
≥ 65 |
PWD |
≥ 55 |
≥ 55 |
≥ 55 |
≥ 65 |
Note: Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Non-creamy Other Backward Castes (NC-OBC), Person with Disability (PWD)
The interview calls made to the candidates are based on the overall composite score. The Composite Score also reflects the components of the CAT score, Class X and Class XII aggregate percentages, and gender diversity factor.
For computing the percentage of marks obtained in Class X and Class XII, the aggregate marks of all subjects that appear in the mark sheet/grade sheet would be considered irrespective of whether the Board considers them for calculation of percentage. Marks allotted for the 10th and 12th percentages are based on the following Table:
Class X %age |
Marks |
Class XII %age |
Marks |
≥ 80 |
10 |
≥ 80 |
10 |
≥ 75 and < 80 |
8 |
≥ 75 and < 80 |
8 |
≥ 70 and <75 |
6 |
≥ 70 and <75 |
6 |
≥ 65 and < 70 |
4 |
≥ 65 and < 70 |
4 |
≥ 60 and <65 |
2 |
≥ 60 and <65 |
2 |
< 60 |
0 |
< 60 |
0 |
The composite score of a candidate is calculated based on the table below. All the components have a weightage:
IIM Calcutta Admission Shortlisting Criteria 2020 Weightage Parameters are shared below:
Components |
Points awarded out of 100 |
Method of calculation |
CAT 2019 overall score |
56 |
A/B* 56 |
Class X marks |
10 |
On Scoring 80%+ marks |
Class XII marks |
15 |
On Scoring 80%+ marks |
Bachelor’s Degree |
15 |
On Scoring 60%+ marks |
Gender Diversity factor (Women candidates) |
4 |
Available only for Women candidate |
A = Candidate's Total CAT 2019 score
B = Maximum CAT 2019 Score
The composite cut-off score is used for short-listing the candidates for the Personal Interview stage in each category. The number of candidates short-listed for the PI stage would be the discretion of the institute and would depend on the batch size of 2020-22
Remark: The most interesting thing about the IIM-C shortlisting process is that it doesn't consider the graduation percentage at all. A student with a decent (81% +) score in class 10th and 12th gets full marks for academics.
The candidate's final selection for a seat at IIM-C is based on the final score, which includes components such as PI, WAT, CAT score, Diversity (Gender + Academic) and work experience. The following table describes the weights attached to each of these components
Criterion |
Weights |
CAT 2019 Score |
30 |
Personal Interview (PI) |
48 |
Writing Ability Test (WAT) |
10 |
Points awarded for Academic Diversity at bachelor's degree level (Academic Diversity Factor for bachelor's degree (ADFB)): |
4 |
Work Experience* |
8 |
Total |
100 |
*Work Experience
For work experience, a maximum of four points will be awarded based on the length of service as on January 31, 2018. (Please refer Table below). However, only managerial work experience after graduation will be considered. Training/Project work/work done as an integral part of curricular requirement will not be considered.
Months |
Points |
0 to 12 |
0 |
12 to 18 |
2 |
19 to 24 |
4 |
25 to 30 |
6 |
31 to 36 |
8 |
37 to 42 |
6 |
43 to 48 |
4 |
>48 |
2 |
The final selection list will be based on merit in each category; minimum qualification on the above-mentioned criteria would not automatically qualify the candidate for admission into IIM Calcutta.
Reservation Policy:
IIM Calcutta will follow Government of India reservation policy for IIM admission to Central Educational Institutions (CEIs).
Note: Any dispute concerning Admissions for the MBA Batch 2020-22 would be subject to the jurisdiction of the competent courts within the territorial jurisdiction of the city of Kolkata Only.
IIM Calcutta offers 2-year MBA program across various streams like Finance, Human Resource Management, Economics, Management Information Systems, Marketing, Operations Management, Organizational Behavior, Public Policy and management, Strategic Management among others. While the first year focuses on general management subjects, the second year offers a range of domain specific electives. Students can also opt for dual degree proggrammes at IIM Calcutta.
The most recently revised fees of IIM-C have been tabulated below:
Course |
Total fees/year |
MBA |
₹27 Lakhs |
PG Diploma |
10.05 Lakhs |
PGP |
₹22.2 Lakhs |
Executive |
₹27 Lakhs |
The placement process is conducted in two stages. The first is the laterals process where the firms interview the students with work experience and offer them mid-level managerial positions. The second stage is the final placement process where the firms are grouped into cohorts based on the profile offered.
Students either have a Pre-Placement Offer (PPO) or a lateral placement offer before the placement season began. The table compares the last two batches.
Consulting had turned out to be the highest recruiting sector with 31% of the total offers. A detailed pictorial representation is shown below:
Contrary to the final placement and the PPOs, finance sector witnessed a lead during the summer placements 2020, with 26% offers. Next in line was the operations and general management with 25% offers. Find the sector wise information tabulated below.
This year, the average salary offered was Rs 28 lakh which is an increase of Rs 2.64 lakh from last year.
Candidates in a batch |
Salary Package offered |
Top 10% |
Rs 54.5 LPA |
Top 25% |
Rs 41.8 LPA |
Mean salary |
Rs 28 LPA |
Key Features |
Details |
Students in PGP Batch |
441 |
Students placed in 2019 Placements |
441 |
Jobs granted |
501 |
Top Sectors |
Consulting, Finance, E-commerce, Operations, and Product Management |
Top Recruiters |
Amazon, Uber, Udaan, Media.Net, Flipkart and Microsoft |
The average package offered in 2019 was Rs. 25.36 lakh which was Rs. 1.16 lakh more than last year's average package.
IIM Calcutta placements 2019 had recorded 50% increase in job offers from E-Commerce, Operations and Product Management. Consulting and Finance claimed 50% of total students placed. While Consulting saw an increase of 7% in job offers made, finance sector witnessed a drop of 7% as compared to last year. This year’s placement drive of this IIM witnessed the median salary to reach Rs 25.5 lakh.
A few more highlights for the year 2020 are mentioned in the below table with a comparison to 2019 highlights:
Components |
Statistics (2020) |
Statistics (2019) |
No of students appeared for interviews |
444 |
442 |
Number of recruiters |
148 |
125 |
Total jobs offered |
495 (till day 1A of final placement week) |
501 |
Mean salary package |
Rs 27.9 LPA |
Rs 25.40 LPA |
Highest salary package |
Rs 80 LPA |
Rs 72 LPA |
2020 placements saw an increase of 10% in the mean salary package from the previous placement drive, the institute repeated its history of excellent placements for PGDM. A comparative graph for the salaries offered in 2019 and 2020 is shown below:
McKinsey & Co
Bain & Co
Kearney
A.T. Kearney
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Boston Consulting Group
Accenture
Barclays
Goldman Sachs
JP Morgan Chase
Bank of America
Merrill Lynch
Gaja Capital
Credit Suisse
Oliver Wyma
Monitor Deloitte
Amazon
Uber
Udaan
Net
Flipkart
Microsoft
Goldman Sachs
Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML)
Deutsche Bank
Flipkart
IIM Calcutta offers several scholarships. Some of them are mentioned below:
BP Poddar Scholarship
India Carbon Scholarship
T. Thomas Scholarship sponsored by HUL,
Ratan Tata Trust
Aditya Birla Group
OP Jindal Engineering & Management
Along with this NTPC Awards and Scholarships are also offered to deserving SC/ST candidates having disabilities based on their academic performance.
Academics
Gita Johar
Senior Vice Dean and Professor
Columbia Business School, Columbia University
Paul Shrivastava
David O'Brien Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Enterprise
Concordia University
Krishna Palepu
Professor at Harvard Business School
Senior Adviser to the President for Global Strategy
Harvard University
Dan Gode
Professor at New York University
Business
Indra Nooyi
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo
Gopal Vittal
CEO of Bharti Airtel (India)
Ajit Balakrishnan
Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rediff.com
Ashish Chauhan, Managing Director and CEO
(Bombay Stock Exchange)
Nishi Vasudeva
Chairperson & Managing Director (CMD)
(Hindustan Petroleum)
Sunil Alagh
(Former MD and CEO
Britannia Industries)
Shantanu Khosla
(MD of Procter & Gamble India)
Public Sector/Service Sector
Literature