Top MBA Colleges in India

It is important to find the right MBA Colleges for you as an aspirant. The MBA College you choose has to offer an excellent track record, high-quality education, and opportunities to join some of the best corporations. To simplify your MBA college selection process we have categorized India's top MBA colleges into six clusters. The rundown of MBA colleges in India can go on forever, be that as it may, we have attempted to constrain the categorization to the better and progressively known MBA colleges. As you proceed in the list from top to bottom, the level of differentiation between both the colleges and the clusters significantly diminishes.

When reviewing MBA colleges within a cluster, the preference generally diminishes as you read further from top to bottom. For example, in Cluster 1, while we cannot differentiate between IIM A, B, and C. IIMA tops the list based on its brand value and reputation and C comes in second place since its fees are the lowest among the three. Before taking final admission into any of these MBA colleges, please ensure that you speak to some students of the current batch and a few of their alumni, and visit the official website of the respective institutes for detailed information.

Before taking final admission into any of these B-schools, please ensure that you speak to some students of the current batch and a few of their alumni, and visit the official website of the respective institutes for detailed information.

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Ranking Methodology of MBA institutes

The parameters basis which MBA Colleges are evaluated and listed below:

  • Placement records of the last three years
  • Infrastructure & Faculty
  • Return on Investment
  • Geographical location: proximity of B-schools to business hubs
  • Entrance exams applicable
  • Interaction with alumni
  • Interaction with Career Launcher students now studying at these B-schools
  • Career Launcher also visits these campuses as a recruiter, and the input from our HR team helps us evaluate these institutes better.

Top MBA Colleges in India

India is sprawling with quality MBA colleges, but some are better than others in a few aspects. While choosing an MBA college, there are a few parameters that you should keep in mind, which include, its reputation, the alumni network, the faculty, and of course the corporate connection it has. We have categorized India's top MBA Colleges into six clusters based on the above-mentioned parameters which will help you select the ideal B-school that you want to target as your MBA destination. As we all know, there is no dearth of MBA Colleges in India, but for this list, we have chosen only the most progressive and most reputed colleges in the country.

Disclaimer: While this list, designed on the predictions made by CL experts, serves as a guide for selecting a top-level MBA college, do not constrain your research to this list only. We advise you to talk to some of the alumni members, go through the official website of the college and visit the campus if you can before taking admission to any of the below-mentioned institutes.

Top MBA Colleges: Cluster-1

Undoubtedly, like every year IIM Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Calcutta acquire the top three positions in the best MBA Colleges’ preference list. With an excellent placement record, great reputation, and endless opportunities these institutes stand as crème de la crème institutes. FMS Delhi, IIM Lucknow, and XLRI are all equally good and one can choose any of these based on one’s specific requirements.

If you are a candidate with over 3 years of work experience then you should be looking at ISB Hyderabad which offers a one-year course and accepts a GMAT score for admission. FMS DU, TISS, and JBIMS stand out in terms of excellent “value for money” institutes due to their very low fee and excellent placements however the 85% reservation for Maharashtra pushes JBIMS lower in the order of preference.

TISS is a little lower on the list but that’s mostly because it is a specialized program. A general management program is generally preferred (over specialized programs) as it allows you to choose your area of specialization after studying all subjects in the first year. However, if you are interested in a particular stream (in this case HR) then it would rank higher for you. For e.g., if you are looking for a specialization in HR then XLRI and TISS would be your preferences.

No.

Sub-Cluster

Institute

City

Program

Average Package (LPA)

1

1A

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-A)

Ahmedabad

PGP

33.83

2

1A

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-B)

Bengaluru

PGP

33.82

3

1A

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-C)

Kolkata

 PGDM

34.20

4

1B

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-L)

Lucknow

PGPM

31.03

5

1B

Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) – DU

New Delhi

MBA

32.40

6

1B

Indian School of Business (ISB)

Hyderabad

PGP

34.08

7

1B

Xavier Labour Research Institute (XLRI)

Jamshedpur

HRM

-

8

1B

Xavier Labour Research Institute (XLRI)

Jamshedpur

BM

30.73

9

1B

Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)

Mumbai

MA HRM LR

25.40

10

1B

Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS)

Mumbai

MMS

27.63

11

1C

SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR)

Mumbai

PGDM

32.05

12

1C

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-K)

Kozhikode

PGP

29.5

13

1C

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-I)

Indore

PGPM

25.10

14

1C

Management Development Institute (MDI)

Gurgaon

PGPM

26.65

15

1C

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)

New Delhi

MBA

25.16

16

1C

Xavier Labour Research Institute (XLRI)

NCR

MBA

27.58

Top MBA Colleges: CLUSTER – 2

This cluster shows that some non-IIMs make their mark as better MBA colleges than most of the IIM colleges in terms of growth, learning, and placements. IIFT Kolkata is listed in cluster 2A above many other older and more established institutes because it has a common placement process with IIFT Delhi and hence there is no disparity among the two institutes.

Similarly, IIML ABM is preferred over IIMA FABM because while IIML does not differentiate between ABM and PGP in terms of placement opportunities, IIMA has a separate placement process for PGP and FABM. Three well-known technical institutes (IIT Bombay/Delhi and NITIE) make their presence felt in this cluster, all three are well-known MBA in Operations/Systems/Analytics. The IB programs of MDI Gurgaon are in this cluster and not in Cluster 1 due to cost considerations. Several of the new IIMs like IIM Ranchi, Udaipur, etc. are also appearing on this list.Many other IIMs and non-IIM colleges are part of cluster 2.

No.

Sub-Cluster

Institute

City

Program

Average Package (LPA)

1

2A

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-L)

Lucknow

PGP ABM

-

2

2A

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT)

Kolkata

MBA

-

3

2A

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay- SJSOM

Mumbai

M. Management

28.88

4

2A

National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE)

Mumbai

PGDIM

25.4

5

2A

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-S)

Shillong

PGPM

23.1

6

2B

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-A)

Ahmedabad

PGP FABM

-

7

2B

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi- DMS

New Delhi

MBA

21.59

8

2B

Management Development Institute (MDI)

Gurgaon

PGDM HRM

23.8

9

2B

Management Development Institute (MDI)

Gurgaon

PGPM IM

-

10

2C

National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE)

Mumbai

PGDISEM

 -

11

2C

Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM)

Pune

MBA

23.06

12

2C

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-Ranchi)

Ranchi

PGDM

16.17

13

2C

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-Trichy)

Tiruchirapalli

PGPM

17.01

14

2C

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-U)

Udaipur

PGP

17.81

15

2C

Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS)

Mumbai

Core

23.07

Top MBA Colleges: CLUSTER – 3

B-schools such as MICA and IRMA that offer specialized programs find their spot in this cluster. It must be understood that in their specialization, these two MBA colleges are amongst the best in the country. For example, MICA is regarded as one of the topmost MBA colleges in the country for its Marketing and Advertising program. Two old-established good institutes in this cluster are XIMB and IMT Ghaziabad, both provide excellent placement opportunities. For candidates with over 2 years of work experience, the Great Lakes Chennai 1 year program (PGPM) can be considered over others despite a lack of AICTE recognition as it has excellent placements due to industry recognition. In this cluster, the IITs can be preferred over the others due to their low fee and good placements especially if you are interested in specializing in operations/systems/analytics.

No.

Sub-Cluster

Institute

City

Program

Average Package (LPA)

1

3A

Symbiosis Centre for Management and HRD (SCMHRD)

Pune

MBA

20.4

2

3A

Indian Institute of Management (IIM Raipur)

Raipur

PGP

17.73

3

3A

Indian Institute of Management (IIM Kashipur)

Kashipur

PGP

15.21

4

3A

Indian Institute of Management (IIM Rohtak)

Rohtak

PGP

16.06

5

3B

Institute of Technology Kharagpur – VGSOM

Kharagpur

MBA

19.36

6

3B

Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA)

Ahmedabad

PGDM-C

20.9

7

3B

Xavier Institute of Management (XIMB)

Bhubaneswar

MBA BM

17.54

8

3B

Xavier Labour Research Institute (XLRI)

Jamshedpur

Global MBA

 -

9

3C

Indian Institute of Management (IIM Ranchi)

Ranchi

PGDHRM

16.17

10

3C

Institute of Management Technology (IMT)

Ghaziabad

PGDM

15.28

11

3C

International Management Institute (IMI)

New Delhi

PGDM

15.28

12

3C

Institute of Rural Management (IRMA)

Anand

PGPRM

14.33

13

3C

Sydenham Institute of Management Studies (SIMSREE)

Mumbai

PGDBM

13.33

14

3C

Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM)

Chennai

PGPM - 1 year

12.5

15

3C

Indian Institute of Technology Madras – DMS

Chennai

MBA

16.66

Top MBA Colleges: CLUSTER – 4

Highlights of this cluster are the old established institutes (TAPMI, GIM, KJ Somaiya, BIM Trichy, etc) which are well known regionally, and the latest IIMs like Vizag, Nagpur, and others.

This cluster also has specialized programs of some of the top MBA institutes (PGDISEM of NITIE, MSc Finance of JBIMS, HR programs of NMIMS and XIMB, etc.) and the value for money MBA programs of Delhi University (MFC, MHROD, MBE).

No.

Sub- Cluster

Institute

City

Program

Avg. Package (LPA)

1

4A

T A Pai Management Institute (TAPMI)

Manipal

PGDM

12.5

2

4A

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-V)

Visakhapatnam

PGP

15.06

3

4A

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-N)

Nagpur

PGP

15.21

4

4A

Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies

Mumbai

MSc Finance

27.63

5

4A

National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE)

Mumbai

PGDISEM

-

6

4A

Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

Bengaluru

M.Mmgt (Tech Mgmt& Biz)

-

7

4A

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-Amritsar)

Amritsar

PGP

14.63

8

4A

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur – DMS

Kanpur

MBA

16.61

9

4A

Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS)

Mumbai

MBA HR

19.4

10

4A

Master of Finance & Control (MFC), DU

Delhi

MBA Fin

-

11

4B

Master of HR and Organisational Development, DSE, Delhi Univ.

Delhi

MHROD

13.94

12

4B

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-Bodh Gaya)

Bodh Gaya

PGP

12.36

13

4B

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-J)

Jammu

PGP

13.53

14

4B

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee – DMS

Roorkee

MBA

16.80

15

4B

Goa Institute of Management (GIM)

Goa

PGDM

12.14

16

4B

Symbiosis Institute of International Business (SIIB)

Pune

MBA IB

11.32

17

4B

K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research (SIMSR)

Mumbai

PGDM, IB, FM, Retail

12.28

18

4B

Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM)

Tiruchirapally

MBA

10.46

19

4B

BITS Pilani, Department of Management

Pilani

MBA

11.68

20

4B

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-S)

Sirmaur

PGP

12.74

21

4C

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-L)

Lucknow (Noida)

SM

-

22

4C

Indian Institute of Management (IIM-Sambalpur)

Sambalpur

PGP

12.64

23

4C

Department of Business Economics, Delhi University

Delhi

MBE

11.97

24

4C

Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA)

Chennai

PGDM

11

25

4C

FORE School of Management

New Delhi

PGDM IB

14.5

Top MBA Colleges: Cluster - 5 & 6

If you have not made it to any college up to Cluster 4 and CAT/XAT retake is not an option or you think that in a retake you will not be able to improve your score significantly then it is Cluster 5 and 6 institutes that you are looking at. The colleges included in these two clusters provide good education and decent career opportunities. However, the roles, profiles, and salary levels will be lower than what would be available in a higher cluster institute. For these colleges location is an important criterion – an institute in a metro city is likely to have better industry interaction and better placement opportunities.

Also at this level, the majority of the placements are in the same geographical region, e.g. if you are studying in NCR you are unlikely to be placed outside North India. Also given that the salary levels will not be very high, look at keeping the total expense of doing an MBA (fee + boarding & lodging) under control. Servicing a 20-lakh loan will be challenging with an 8 lakh salary.

No.

Sub-Cluster

Institute

City

Program

Avg. Package (LPA)

1

5A

Delhi School of Management – Delhi Technological University (DTU)

New Delhi

MBA

-

2

5A

Nirma University – Institute of Management (IMNU)

Ahmedabad

MBA

10.5

3

5A

Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS)

Bengaluru

PGDM

11.8

4

5B

Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management (LBSIM)

New Delhi

PGDM

12.42

5

5B

Institute of Financial Management & Research (IFMR)

Chennai

PGDM, PGDM-WE

10(2021)

6

5B

University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES)

Dehradun

MBA

8.12

7

5B

Lovely Professional University

Jalandhar

MBA

8.5

8

5B

Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM)

Bengaluru

MBA

11.27

9

5B

Symbiosis Institute of Operations Management (SIOM)

Nasik

MBA Ops

12.38

10

5B

International Management Institute (IMI)

New Delhi

PGDHRM

-

11

5B

Symbiosis Institute of Digital & Telecom Management (SIDTM)

Pune

MBA

11.63

12

5B

Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (SIMS)

Pune

MBA

10.6

13

5B

Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication (SIMC)

Pune

MBA CM

-

14

5C

Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM)

Chennai

PGDM

12.5

15

5C

TAPMI School of Business, Manipal University

Jaipur

MBA

12.10

16

5C

Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM)

Gurgaon

PGPM 1 year

10.53

17

5C

Flame University

Pune

MBA

9.15 LPA

18

5C

Jagan Institute of Management Studies

New Delhi

PGDM

8.1 LPA

19

5C

International Management Institute (IMI)

Kolkata

PGDM

9.12

20

5C

Institute of Management Technology (IMT)

Ghaziabad

DCP

-

21

5C

International Management Institute (IMI)

Delhi

PGDM B&I

-

22

5C

National Institute of Bank Management

Pune

PGDM B & FS

11.41

23

5C

Welingkar Institute of Management

Mumbai

MMS, PGDM

9.94

24

5C

Management Development Institute (MDI)

Murshidabad

PGP

11.32

25

5C

Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC GBO), Delhi Univ.

Delhi

GBO

10.61

No.

Sub-Cluster

Institute

City

Program

Avg. Package (LPA)

1

6A

Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship (XIME)

Bengaluru

PGDM

9.20

2

6A

Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS)

Hyderabad

PGDM

9.59

3

6A

Symbiosis Institute of International Business (SIIB)

Pune

MBA AB, MBA E&E

-

4

6A

Symbiosis Centre for Management and HRD (SCMHRD)

Pune

MBA-IM

-

5

6A

Symbiosis Center for Information Technology

Pune

MBA-ITBM

-

6

6A

Institute of Management Technology (IMT)

Hyderabad

PGDM

9.4

7

6A

Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM)

Gurgaon

PGPME

-

8

6B

Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM)

Bhopal

PGDFM

8.6

9

6B

Faculty of Management Studies, BHU (FMS BHU)

Varanasi

MBA MBA IB

9.7

10

6B

SDM Institute for Management Development (SDMIMD)

Mysore

PGDM

8.9

11

6B

Institute of Management and Technology IMT – Nagpur

Nagpur

PGDM

9.9

12

6B

ICFAI Business School

Hyderabad

MBA/PGPM

10.42

13

6B

Xavier Institute of Social Service (XISS)

Ranchi

PM

7.19

14

6B

NL Dalmia Institute of Management Studies and Research

Mumbai

PGDM

8.51

15

6B

Jaipuria Institute of Management

Noida

PGDM

12.34*

16

6B

Amrita School of Business

Amritanagar

MBA

8.25

17

6B

New Delhi Institute of Management (NDIM)

New Delhi

PGDM

8.25

18

6C

University Business School (UBS)

Chandigarh

MBA

-

19

6C

Symbiosis Institute of Business Management- Hyderabad

Hyderabad

MBA

8.2

20

6C

Birla Institute of Technology & Management (BIMTECH)

Greater Noida

PGDM

9.32

21

6C

Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research (SICSR)

Pune

MBA-IT

7.42

22

6C

Institute of Management Studies

Ghaziabad

PGDM

8.25

23

6C

Xavier Institute of Management (XIMB)

Bhubaneswar

MBA – Rural Management

6.36

24

6C

Xavier Institute of Social Service (XISS)

Ranchi

Marketing & Finance

-

25

6C

Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies

Harihar and Pune

PGDM

8

26

6C

Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship (XIME)

Kochi

PGDM

8.63

27

6C

FOSTIIMA Business School

New Delhi

PGDM

9.8

28

6C

Symbiosis Institute of Health Services (SIHS)

Pune

MBA

6.5

29

6C

Symbiosis Institute of Banking and Finance (SSBF)

Pune

MBA BF, PGDBF

10.56

30

6C

Shiv Nadar University

NCR

MBA

7.51

31

6C

Institute of Technology and Management

Mumbai

PGDM

8.65

32

6C

Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE)

Hyderabad

PGDM

6.4

33

6C

Fortune Institute of International Business (FIIB)

New Delhi

PGDM

10.4

34

6C

GNIOT Group Of Institutions

Greater Noida

PGDM

6.46

35

6C

Alliance University

Anekal, Karnataka

MBA

8.0

36

6C

IES's Management College and Research Centre

Mumbai, Maharashtra

PGDM

6.5

FAQs

No, the reputation of a UG college does not make any difference during the interview rounds in top B-schools such as IIMs and FMS. The graduation marks are the only criterion based on which the candidate’s performance is measured.

Extracurricular activities play a role in making a stronger profile for selection to top B-schools as it gives you an edge over peers with similar profiles.

For an MBA aspirant, it is essential to identify the best business institutes and the eligibility criteria to get admission to any one of them. So here are some of the top B-schools in India:

  • Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
  • Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
  • Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta
  • Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow
  • Faculty of Management Studies, New Delhi
  • Indian School of Business, Hyderabad
  • Xavier Labour Research Institute, Jamshedpur
  • Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
  • All the top B-schools require candidates to clear one of the entrance exams such as CAT, XAT, SNAP, NMAT, etc. So candidates can identify their institutes of choice and prepare for the entrance exams accordingly.

Based on placements, the top B-schools include

  • FMS Delhi
  • ISB Hyderabad
  • IIM Ahmedabad
  • IIM Bangalore
  • IIM Calcutta

Every year, over 2 lakh students appear for CAT. On the other hand, the overall number of seats in all the IIMs is approximately 5500 as of 2022. So even though many candidates crack CAT and get admission to some of the top B-schools in India, out of the 2 lakh students applying for CAT, only a few thousand get admission into one of the IIMs.

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