The word MBA stands for master’s in business administration. MBA can also be useful for those seeking a leadership career in the public sector, government, private business, and other fields. The MBA is currently the most popular professional degree program in the world. Today, more than 3,000 MBA programs are offered worldwide; most are offered in English. A number of MBA specializations in demand include fields like Marketing, Communication, Human Resource Management, International Business, Information Technology and several others.
IIM Kozhikode will retain its three-stage admission process for the MBA (PGP) 2026–28 batch, with CAT 2025 scores carrying a final weightage of 35 percent. The minimum overall CAT cut-off for general category candidates remains at 85 percentile, with sectional qualifying scores required in VARC, DILR, and QA. Shortlisting of candidates will be based on CAT performance, academic record, and personal interview rounds.
This Story also Contains
Admission to the MBA is achieved in almost every country in India by selecting candidates on the basis of an entrance examination of their capabilities, followed by group discussions and face-to-face interviews. Let's review the different stages of the MBA admission process:
The very first step is to fill the application form for various entrance tests from their respective websites. After paying the registration fees, dates will be allotted to you with your admit cards.
After the declaration of results the students have to attend various counselling processes, public discussions, group meeting interviews etc.
To get the best college students have to attend all the rounds of counselling and through this colleges are being allotted to the students.
Students who do not get seats through the counselling can take admission in the private universities or the students can also apply for admission through management quota, institutional quota etc.
Many universities offer CAT, XAT, SNAP, CMAT, NMAT, IIFT, MAT, and other MBA entrance examinations, and thousands of students take them each year. The following are the most popular MBA entry examinations that students are required to take:
Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad)
IIM Ahmedabad is India's finest business school, having been ranked #1 in the NIRF Top Management Colleges in India for the past three years. The PGP (equal to MBA) programme at IIM Ahmedabad is the most popular, followed by the one-year MBA programme, also known as MBA PGPX. The MBA 2022 selection criteria have been announced by IIM Ahmedabad, and CAT 2021 registration is now closed, with the CAT Entrance Exam slated for November 28, 2021. Admission to the PGP programme is done by the CAT, and to the MBA PGPX programme is done using the GMAT, and it takes into account job experience, grades in 10th, 12th, and graduation. The average fee is between 2 lakhs - 3 lakhs.
Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore)
NIRF 2021 has placed Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore as the second-best management college in India. According to the QS World MBA Ranking 2021, the IIM Bangalore MBA programme is the 35th best in the world. The IIMB's renowned Executive MBA programme is also ranked #33 in the world by QS World EMBA Rankings 2022. The IIMB, which is recognised for its flagship MBA and EMBA programmes, has 412 places available in both programmes. The threshold for admission to IIMB is just 85 percentile on the CAT. Candidates with a 100 percent cut-off, on the other hand, should expect an admission call. The total fees to pursue MBA is 23lakh.
Indian Institute of Management (Calcutta)
IIM Calcutta was the first institute to be founded as part of the IIM heritage. IIM Calcutta is one of the finest B-schools in the country for Management education, having been ranked third in the Management category by NIRF 2020. Students can enrol in PG, PhD, and executive programmes at the institute, with the MBA (or PGPM) being the most popular. The Institute, also known as IIMC, has continuously produced many recruiters and students who have worked for reputable companies all around the world.
Indian Institute of Management (Kozhikode)
IIM Kozhikode, ranked 4th amongst the Top Management Colleges in India by the NIRF Rankings, is one of the premier management schools established by the Government of India. Founded in 1996, as the 5th IIM of the country, the growth story of IIM Kozhikode is not just about the numbers, but also about some remarkably innovative initiatives that have set the benchmark for other institutions in the country.
Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi)
IIT Delhi was founded in 1961 as the College of Engineering in Delhi and was subsequently renamed the 'Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi' after it was designated as a 'Institution of National Importance'. It was thereafter designated as a Deemed University, with the authority to set its own academic policies, administer examinations, and confer degrees. It is a public technical and research institution in India that is one of the country's oldest IITs. In 2020, NIRF ranked IITD 2 for Engineering and 8 for MBA/PGDM. The average fees to pursue MBA program is between 8.8 lakhs – 10lakhs.
Given below are the list of 20 top MBA colleges offering admission in MBA courses with their further details like location, estimated fees, Ratings and the exam score accepted by the respective colleges -
Colleges name | Estimated fees (total fees) |
15 Lakhs | |
4.70 Lakhs | |
10.45 Lakhs | |
Rs 25.80 lakhs | |
Rs 41.98-47.35 lakhs | |
Rs 17.50lakh | |
Rs 9.80-21.10 lakhs | |
Rs 19.05 lakhs | |
Rs 1 lakh | |
Rs 18.24 lakhs | |
4.99 Lakhs | |
Rs 20.84 lakhs | |
Rs 18.51 lakhs | |
PUMBA Pune - Department of Management Sciences Savitribai Phule Pune University | Rs 1.29- 1.32 lakhs |
Rs 10.32 lakhs | |
Rs.18.3lakh | |
1.79 Lakhs | |
Rs 6.30-19.20 lakhs | |
Rs 11.80 lakhs | |
Rs 8.42-18.14 lakhs |
MBA programmes are available all over India. A managerial job in India provides up a world of opportunities. The cities listed below are home to some of India's premier business schools:
Students may apply to a range of business schools and are likely to find work after graduation. We've listed all of India's management schools, along with their placement statistics, in the table below.
Colleges name | Average salary |
10.98 Lakhs | |
3.50 Lakhs | |
8.5 Lakhs | |
Rs 23 lakhs | |
Rs 24 lakhs | |
Rs 25 lakhs | |
Rs 22 lakhs | |
Rs 23-24 lakhs | |
Rs 31.8 lakhs | |
Rs 18.2 lakhs | |
3.97 Lakhs | |
22 Lakhs | |
PUMBA Pune - Department of Management Sciences Savitribai Phule Pune University | - |
20 lakhs | |
Rs 12 lakhs | |
| |
Rs 18.5 lakhs | |
Rs 14.96 lakhs | |
Rs 12.7 lakhs |
MBA students can specialise in marketing management, international business, finance, fashion technology, and other areas. Other specialisations are shown in the table below.
For students who wish to advance their professions, MBA programmes are the most popular alternative. If you didn't perform well on the admissions examinations, it's not a big concern; many colleges will accept you regardless of your score. The table below lists some of India's low-ranking top MBA colleges.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Business school classifications and specific course classifications are updated annually by accredited institutions and specialized trade publications. Ranking systems vary, but the most important criteria are the average GMAT results of accepted candidates, their years of experience, and the profile of the international class. The teacher-student ratio is a good indicator of the degree of interaction of the class during seminars or conferences. The MBA teaching style generally goes beyond the academic standard: Faculty members become true business mentors to their apprentices, helping them find practical business solutions. If your role model in business is part of a business school, choosing a program at that institution can bring you closer to your mentor.
A student pursuing an MBA can have 4,444 careers as a human resources manager, IT manager, operations manager, financial advisor, finance manager, business consultant, and director of marketing. She can establish contacts in the market in 2 years.
Yes, the students can take direct admission in MBA colleges through Management quota, reserved seats or through NRI seats. The only criteria is that Students must have secured at least 60 % in their UG level Graduation exams. Some private universities have different eligibility criteria for different courses. Students can take admission by making a strong profile.
This curriculum is divided into two parts. Core courses in MBA comes under the following -
Accounting
Business Communication
Business Ethics
Business Strategy
Data Analytics
Economics
Finance
Leadership
Marketing
Operations
MBA elective courses give you the right opportunity to choose the programs which suit best for our future. Typically, you study the core MBA curriculum before choosing electives in the second half of the program. There are a variety of electives ranging from human resource management, non-profit organization management, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and CSR to current topics such as artificial intelligence and blockchain. Most MBA courses are taught using the case study method made famous by Harvard Business School, in which students analyse cases of business success or failure before discussing them in class.
Here are some of the basic eligibility requirements while taking admission in the top MBA programs in India -
Students should have a certificate of their three-year graduation degree or should be in their last year of graduation.
Students can also get admitted on the basis of merit without giving any entrance exam.
If you have a working Experience of 1-2years you will be given preference.
Extracurricular activities have their own preferences. Especially if you are good at sports, this adds value for your eligibility.
On Question asked by student community
HELLO,
With an overall 98.54 percentile ( QA/DILR 97.55, VARC 94.89) and strong academics 9/9/0, you have a good profile. As a B.Tech candidate you can expect calls from :-
Hope this will help you !
Hello aspirant,
Your kid has a good profile even in the general category with a BTech from IIT Delhi, three years of excellent job experience in a leading industry, and a 96 percentile in the CAT. He has a strong chance at reputable MBA schools like IIM Shillong, IIM Udaipur, IIM Trichy, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and others, depending on interview performance and profile match, even though the top IIMs often require higher percentiles.
Thank you
Hope it helps you
With an overall CAT percentile of 82.71 in CAT 2025 as a general category candidate, along with section-wise percentiles of 80.56 in VARC, 75.81 in DILR and 84.56 in QA, your chances at top IIMs are limited, as most older IIMs usually shortlist general category candidates at much higher percentiles. However, this percentile still keeps you eligible for admission calls from several Tier-2 and Tier-3 MBA colleges across India, especially those that consider overall performance, academic background and work experience along with CAT scores. You can expect calls from institutes such as IMT Nagpur, IMI Bhubaneswar, FORE School of Management (some programs), TAPMI Manipal (borderline), Great Lakes Institute of Management (Chennai or Gurgaon for PGPM/PGDM variants), K J Somaiya (depending on cut-offs), GIM Goa (through CAT or other exams), and state-level universities that accept CAT scores. Additionally, many good private universities and autonomous B-schools consider candidates in the 80–85 percentile range and conduct their own GD-PI rounds. To improve your chances, you should apply widely, prepare well for interviews, and highlight your academics, work experience, certifications and extracurricular achievements, as final selection is not based on CAT score alone.
All the best.
With an overall CAT 2025 percentile of 82.71, you are unlikely to get calls from the IIMs (including new or baby IIMs), as most of them generally shortlist candidates at 90+ percentile, even after considering category and profile factors. However, this percentile is still quite decent and opens doors to many good Tier-2 and Tier-3 MBA colleges in India that offer solid academics, reasonable placements, and good industry exposure.
At around 80–85 percentile, you have a strong chance of getting shortlisted by institutes such as IMI Bhubaneswar, IMT Nagpur, IMT Hyderabad, XIME Bangalore/Chennai, TAPMI Manipal (borderline, profile-dependent), IFMR GSB Krea University, FORE School of Management (certain programs), GIM Goa (specialised programs), LIBA Chennai (borderline), K J Somaiya Institute of Management (profile-based), Great Lakes Chennai/Gurgaon (PGDM – profile matters a lot), and Welingkar Mumbai (especially through profile + GDPI). Many reputed state universities and private institutes like PUMBA Pune, Delhi School of Management (DTU – if accepting CAT that year), BIMTECH (some programs), NDIM Delhi, ITM Navi Mumbai, and Jaipuria Institute of Management campuses are also realistic options.
Your sectional percentiles (VARC 80.56, DILR 75.81, QA 84.56) are fairly balanced, which works in your favor, as several colleges apply sectional cut-offs around 60–70 percentile. Final selection will depend not only on CAT score but also on academic background, graduation marks, work experience, diversity factors, and GD-PI performance. If you have work experience, it significantly improves your chances at colleges like Great Lakes, FORE, IFMR, and Welingkar.
In summary, while top IIMs are not achievable at 82.71 percentile, you can still secure admission into reputed mid-tier MBA colleges that provide good ROI and career growth if you perform well in the GD-PI process. It is advisable to apply broadly, focus on profile-based institutes, and prepare seriously for interviews to convert the best possible calls.
With 84.91 percentile in CAT (General, male, no work experience), top colleges like IIMs, IITs, FMS, MDI, etc. are not possible. You may get calls from private institutes such as IMT Nagpur/Hyderabad, IMI Bhubaneswar, XIME, SDMIMD, Welingkar (some programs) and similar colleges. Universities like Amity or LPU are also options.
It’s better to choose carefully, as placements and ROI may be average. Reattempting CAT or trying XAT/CMAT could improve options.
Ranked among top 10 B-Schools in India by multiple publications | Top Recruiters-Google, MicKinsey, Amazon, BCG & many more.
Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
Highest Package 27.25 LPA | Top 100 Average package 16.65 LPA | AACSB Accredited | Ranked 52 by QS International
Phase 02 Applications Window Closing on 23rd January 2026 | 100% Placement Record | Average CTC 12.75 LPA | Highest CTC 40.31 LPA | Median CTC 12.49 LPA
Ranked #36 amongst institutions in Management by NIRF | 100% Placement
Application Deadline 15th Jan’26 | UGC Approved Programs | Near 100% Placement Record | Up to 100% Scholarships | Highest CTC 21.32 LPA