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    Not Everyone Cracks the IIM Cutoff - CAT 2026 Private MBA Colleges With Strong Placements

    Not Everyone Cracks the IIM Cutoff - CAT 2026 Private MBA Colleges With Strong Placements

    Team Careers360Updated on 29 Jul 2026, 12:24 PM IST

    The CAT exam is considered as the major gateway for pursuing MBA in India. Every year, around 3 lakh candidates appear for CAT to secure a good IIM as it provides hefty placement packages and enhanced career prospects along with the brand value. However, only the top 1% high scoring candidates secure a seat in these top IIMs due to tough competition and the stringent selection process followed by these IIMs. Well, the candidates who are not able to convert to an IIM must not lose hope as there are also many non-IIM private colleges such as ISB, SPJIMR, MDI Gurgaon etc that rank top among the best tier-1 private MBA colleges in India. The MBA placement provided by these colleges is considerably high and the MBA fees charged is more or less similar to that of IIMs.

    Not Everyone Cracks the IIM Cutoff - CAT 2026 Private MBA Colleges With Strong Placements
    Not Everyone Cracks the IIM Cutoff - CAT 2026 Private MBA Colleges With Strong Placements

    CAT 2026 Private MBA Colleges: List of Top Non-IIMs With Fees and Salary

    But to follow a better approach, candidates should start looking beyond the IIM and tier-1 tag as a lot of other top private MBA colleges are also able to get students placed at high MBA salaries. Candidates should also focus on the long term benefits of doing an MBA that can help them achieve their career goals in the long run. A college which provides an average package above 25-30 LPA+ doesn’t necessarily mean that it’ll completely align with a student’s career goals. Hence, candidates can consider other colleges as options, including tier-2 or tier 3 MBA colleges as they can provide considerable career opportunities too along with a decent placement package. Such MBA colleges in India are IMI Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad, FORE Delhi, GLIM Chennai etc.These MBA colleges charge considerably less amount as MBA fees and with the MBA placement packages also being less, the learnings and growth opportunities remain almost the same. In this article, we’ve compiled a list of CAT 2026 private MBA colleges in India along with their course, fees and placement details to help the candidates choose the best MBA college based on their requirements.

    Private CAT 2026 MBA Colleges List With Fees And Salary

    Candidates who wish to take the CAT exam 2026 can shortlist their desired MBA colleges based on their predicted CAT percentile. Check out this list of top private MBA colleges in India with their MBA courses, MBA fees and the average package offered by them. Kindly note that the fee amount is derived from the latest fee structure available on the college website and is subject to change as per the respective college guidelines.

    Amity University-Noida MBA Admissions 2026

    Ranked among top 10 B-Schools in India by multiple publications | Top Recruiters-Google, MicKinsey, Amazon, BCG & many more.

    UPES MBA Admissions 2026

    Last Date to Apply: 31st July | Ranked #36 amongst institutions in Management by NIRF | 100% Placement

    S No.

    CAT Colleges

    Courses Offered

    MBA Fees (In Rs.)

    Average MBA Salary (In Rs.)

    1

    ISB, Hyderabad

    PGP YL

    29.69 Lakh (27-29)

    -

    2

    SPJIMR, Mumbai

    PGPM

    22.66 Lakh (26-28)

    33.7 LPA (2024-26)

    3

    MDI, Gurgaon

    PGDM

    26.55 Lakh (26-28)

    29.5 LPA (2024-26)

    4

    Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai

    PGDM

    18.89 Lakh (2024-26)


    5

    BIM Trichy

    MBA

    17.68 Lakh (2025-27)

    11.80 LPA (2022-24)

    6

    MICA, Ahmedabad

    PGDM

    28 Lakh (2025-27)

    19.22 LPA (2024-25)

    7

    IMT Hyderabad

    PGDM

    16 Lakh (2026-28)

    12.2 LPA (2023-25)

    8

    XIM University, Bhubaneshwar

    MBA

    25.40 Lakh (2024-26)

    18.25 LPA (2023-25)

    9

    KJ Somaiya Mumbai

    MBA

    23.87 Lakh (2026-28)

    13.05 LPA (2022-24)

    10

    TAPMI Manipal

    MBA

    20.40 Lakh (2026-28)

    13.99 LPA

    11

    IMT Ghaziabad

    PGDM

    23 Lakh (2026-28)

    16.25 LPA (2023-25)

    12

    IMI Delhi

    PGDM

    23.54 Lakh (2026-28)

    16.71 LPA (2022-24)

    13

    GIM, Goa

    PGDM

    21.45 Lakh (2026-28)

    15.13 LPA (2023-25)

    14

    Wellingker Institute of Management, Mumbai

    PGDM/PGPM

    15 Lakh (26-28) (Tuition)

    12.88 Lakh (2022-24)

    15

    IMI Bhubaneshwar

    PGDM

    12.08 Lakh (26-28)

    14.34 LPA (2022-24)

    16

    GLIM Chennai

    PGDM/PGPM

    22.50 Lakh (2026-28)

    15 LPA (2023-25)

    17

    FORE School of Management, Delhi

    PGDM

    23.24 Lakh (2026-28 total fees)

    16.4 LPA (2023-25)

    18

    LBSIM Delhi

    PGDM

    17.25 Lakh (2026-28)

    12.32 LPA (2024-26)

    19

    Christ University, Bengaluru

    MBA

    11.68 Lakh

    10 LPA (2023-25)

    20

    IILM University

    MBA

    12.90 Lakh (2026-28)

    7.46 LPA

    21

    MDI Murshidabad

    PGDM

    16.45 Lakh (2026-28)

    10.93 LPA (2024-26)

    22

    SOIL, School of Business Design

    PGDM

    17.2 Lakh (2026-28)

    11.17 LPA (2023-25)

    23

    UPES Dehradun

    MBA

    18.37 Lakh (tuition + acad)(2026-27)


    24

    Aditya School of Business Management

    PGDM

    7.80 Lakh (2023-25)

    7.75 LPA (2023-25)

    25

    Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida

    PGDM

    16.50 Lakh (2026-28)

    9.50 LPA (2024-26)

    26

    NIBM Pune

    PGDM

    17.84 Lakh (2026-28)

    14.10 LPA (2023-25)

    27

    Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

    MBA

    12 Lakh (2024-26)

    8.33 LPA (2023-25)

    28

    BML Munjal University Gurgaon

    MBA

    15.10 Lakh (2026-28)

    12.10 LPA (Top 25% 2023-25)

    29

    SIES School of Business Studies, Navi Mumbai

    PGDM

    10 Lakh (2025-27)

    9.26 LPA (2023-25)

    30

    BIMTECH Noida

    PGDM

    14 Lakh (2026-28 total fees)

    10.74 LPA (2023-25)

    31

    Chandigarh University

    MBA

    -

    -

    32

    Lovely Professional University

    MBA

    8.80 Lakh (2026-28)

    13.60 LPA (top 10% 2023-25)

    33

    IBS Hyderabad

    MBA

    17.01 Lakh (2026-28)

    -

    34

    Thapar University

    MBA

    15 Lakh (2026-28)

    12.64 LPA (top 10% 2024-25)

    35

    Amity University, Noida

    MBA

    16.56 Lakh (2026-28)

    7.35 LPA (2022-24)

    36

    Graphic Era University

    MBA

    7.36 Lakh (2026-28)

    -

    37

    Nirma University

    MBA

    13.30 Lakh (non hostel) (2025-27)

    11.10 LPA (2024-25)

    38

    Institute of Rural Management Anand

    MBA

    -

    14.14 LPA (2022-24)

    39

    Chitkara Business School

    MBA

    9 Lakh (2026-28)

    10.8 LPA (2026)

    40

    Manipal University, Jaipur

    MBA

    10.45 Lakh (2026-28)

    -

    With the CAT 2026 exam approaching close, candidates after checking the best CAT accepting colleges can now shortlist their targeted colleges and prepare well for the CAT exam 2026. Students are advised to take frequent mocks and analyse them properly before attempting another CAT mock test. After the CAT exam registration begins, candidates must register themselves before the registration window closes and keep tracking the official CAT website for time to time updates related to the CAT exam 2026.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: Is ISB Hyderabad better than BLACKI IIMs?
    A:

    There is no specific parameter that makes ISB or BLACKI IIMs any better than the other. Both the categories include premier tier-1 MBA colleges in India which rank among the best MBA colleges in India. 

    Q: When will the CAT 2026 exam be held?
    A:

    The CAT 2026 exam will be held on the last Sunday of November i.e November 29, 2026. 

    Q: What is the CAT exam 2026 registration fees?
    A:

    The registration fees for CAT 2026 exam is expected to be Rs.2700 for GEN/Ews/OBC category and Rs.1300 for SC/ST/Pwd category students. 

    Q: What is the eligibility criteria to register for CAT exam 2026?
    A:

    To be eligible for CAT exam 2026 registration, a candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree from a certified university with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks and 45% aggregate marks for SC/ST/PwD candidates. 

    Q: What is the MBA salary offered by GIM Goa?
    A:

    GIM Goa in its latest placement report of 2023-25 has recorded an average MBA placement of Rs.15.13 LPA with the highest package soaring to Rs.32.20 LPA

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