Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026
Application Deadline: 10th March | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
Best IIM in India: Getting admission to the MBA/PGDM programmes in one of the best IIMs in India is the dream of every MBA aspirant. The highest domestic and international salary packages offered during the placements and the quality of education are the factors that make the candidates aim for the best IIM college in India. As per the NIRF MBA ranking, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode are the top 3 IIMs in India. They are also among the best IIMs in India based on the courses offered and best MBA ROI in India. Read this article to know why IIM Ahmedabad is considered the top IIM in India or Why IIM B and IIM Kozhikode are the best IIMs in India.
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MBA aspirants can go through the below highlights and understand why IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Kozhikode are said to be the best 3 IIMs in India for MBA.

The image shows the top 3 IIMs in India as per NIRF ranking report

Candidates who wish to study at IIM must fulfil the eligibility criteria as per the IIM admission procedure. The IIM MBA course fees range from Rs. 10 lakhs to Rs. 25 lakhs. The Best MBA courses offered by the top IIMs in India are mentioned below.
Particulars | IIM Ahmedabad | IIM Bangalore | IIM Kozhikode |
Courses | MBA, PGD, Executive MBA | MBA, PGP | PGP, MBA |
Fees | Rs 25 lakh | Rs 24.5 lakh | Rs 22.50 lakh |
CAT cutoff | 99.68 | 99.89 | 97 to 98 |
To apply for the best IIM courses, the candidates must meet the following MBA eligibility criteria.
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Application Deadline: 10th March | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
Ranked among top 10 B-Schools in India by multiple publications | Top Recruiters-Google, MicKinsey, Amazon, BCG & many more.
Candidates can apply for the IIM MBA courses by visiting the respective official websites. MBA aspirants can fill out the IIM MBA application form and pay the registration fees to complete the registration. IIM MBA admission is a 2-step selection process, the first one is the release of the IIM shortlist based on the CAT/GMAT/GRE/GATE scores and the second step is the shortlisted candidates must attend the written test and IIM PI round.
The final IIM MBA shortlist is released based on the performance of the candidates in the MBA entrance test, WAT-PI rounds, and previous academic performance.
IIMs conduct final and summer placements every year. The graduates passed out from top IIM institutes in India, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and IIM K ensured to get the highest MBA salary packages in India. The latest placement statistical reports of all 3 best IIMs in India are listed here.
Best IIMs In India | IIM Ahmedabad | IIM Bangalore | IIM Kozhikode |
Median Salary | Rs 31 LPA | Rs 33 LPA | Rs 27 LPA |
New recruiters from various sectors are part of the placement season at best IIMs in India. The list of some of the top recruiters from inside and outside India who attended the IIM A, B and K placements are mentioned in the table below.
McKinsey & Company | HSBC | Oliver Wyman | Praxis Global Alliance |
ARGA Investment | Goldman Sachs | Aditya Birla Group | Adani Group |
Microsoft | Elevation Capital | Diageo | Cisco |
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The top IIM institutes in India as per the NIRF ranking are mentioned in the table below.
Here we have listed the names of the top 20 MBA colleges in India NIRF ranking
NIRF ranking MBA colleges | NIRF Ranking for MBA | NIRF Score |
1 | 83.32 | |
2 | 81.16 | |
3 | 77.90 | |
5 | 75.07 | |
| IIM Mumbai | 6 | 74.73 |
7 | 74.43 | |
8 | 73.53 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Sme of the top private MBA institutes in India for 2026 admissions include SJIMR Mumbai, XLRI Jamshedpur, MDI Gurgaon, SCMHRD Pune and NMIMS Mumbai. These institutes stand out for their specialised programs, strong placements and close ties with industries across various sectors.
Sme of the top private MBA institutes in India for 2026 admissions include SJIMR Mumbai, XLRI Jamshedpur, MDI Gurgaon, SCMHRD Pune and NMIMS Mumbai. These institutes stand out for their specialised programs, strong placements and close ties with industries across various sectors.
Sme of the top private MBA institutes in India for 2026 admissions include SJIMR Mumbai, XLRI Jamshedpur, MDI Gurgaon, SCMHRD Pune and NMIMS Mumbai. These institutes stand out for their specialised programs, strong placements and close ties with industries across various sectors.
As per previous year NIRF ranking report, the top 6 IIMs in India are IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Calcutta, IIM Mumbai and IIM Lucknow,
The top 5 IIMs in India are IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Calcutta and IIM Mumbai. The top 5 IIMs in India are chosen based on their NIRF ranking, quality of education and highest salary packages offered during placements.
As per the latest report, IIM Bangalore has the highest median salary package of Rs 33 lakhs p.a.
The IIM Ahmedabad is considered to be the best IIM among the 21 IIMs in India.
On Question asked by student community
Hello
If you are looking to take admission in the MBA programme with a CAT score of 73, check out the list of MBA Colleges accepting 70-80 percentile .
All the best!
Hi Minakshi,
You can find the details related to IIM Kashipur admission criteria by clicking on the link below:
Dear Saloni,
May i know which college you are looking to apply for? Because the MBA fee varies from one college to another. Please check MBA fees colleges wise here:
MBA Fees in India 2025: Top Colleges, Fee Structure, Courses, Cost of MBA
Check your devices and email; you may still have the soft copy of the Admit card. If not, don't panic, the CAT 2025 admit card may not be a huge requirement after the exam; the CAT scorecard is usually asked for the admission formalities.
Hello,
Here are some top colleges accepting XAT and CAT exams :
Top colleges accepting CAT:
IIMs (All Indian Institutes of Management)
FMS Delhi
SPJIMR Mumbai
MDI Gurgaon
IIT Bombay (SJMSOM)
IIT Delhi (DMS)
IIFT
IMT Ghaziabad
JBIMS Mumbai
Top colleges accepting XAT:
XLRI Jamshedpur
XIMB Bhubaneswar
IMT Ghaziabad
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Ranked among top 10 B-Schools in India by multiple publications | Top Recruiters-Google, MicKinsey, Amazon, BCG & many more.
Application Deadline: 10th March | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
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MBA Admissions Deadline 28th Feb'26 | UGC Approved Programs | Near 100% Placement Record | Up to 100% Scholarships | Highest CTC 21.32 LPA