Great Lakes - PGPM & PGDM 2025
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.3 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2024 | Application Deadline: 1st Dec 2024
IIM vs XLRI or IIM or XLRI is a dilemma MBA aspirants face. IIM and XLRI are top MBA colleges in India offering PGDM programmes. Both colleges have state-of-the-art infrastructure, quality education, excellent placement records, and a learning environment leading to the development of managerial skills. So IIM or XLRI is a choice one can make depending on career goals, course preferences, location, and other factors. Check out various aspects of IIM vs XLRI in this article to pick the right B-school.
IIMs offer a variety of MBA courses and have an admission process involving the Common Admission Test (CAT). Whereas, XLRI is known for its Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) programmes and conducts the XAT for admissions. In short, IIM offers multiple business administration programmes with different specialisations. However, the XLRI mainly focuses on Human Resource Management. So, MBA aspirants who wish to choose the HRM field can opt for XLRI.
IIM or XLRI, is a tough choice for MBA aspirants. The basic difference between IIM and XLRI is the MBA entrance exam they accept.
Candidates looking for IIM or XLRI admission must know the total number of seats available in those institutes. As per the latest update, IIM offers MBA/PGDM admission in around 5000+ seats across 21 IIMs. In contrast, the XLRI total seat capacity is almost 700+.
As for the entrance exams, the total number of candidates applying for the CAT exam is around 3 lakh every year, while the XAT registrations are about 1.5 lakh. These statistical data outline the demand for securing a seat in these IIM or XLRI institutions.
IIMs are the top institutes of national importance that offer a variety of management programmes. However, not all IIMs are equal in terms of reputation, quality, and placement. The old IIMs, such as IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore, and Kozhikode, are considered the best with high rankings, faculty, infrastructure, and alumni network. On the other hand, the new and baby IIMs, such as IIM Shillong, Rohtak, Ranchi, Raipur, etc., are relatively newer and less established, with lower cut-offs, placements, and recognition.
Therefore, many MBA aspirants prefer XLRI over these new IIMs, as XLRI has a strong brand value in the field of human resource management. However, XLRI is not better than the old IIMs, as they have an edge over XLRI in terms of diversity in courses, exposure, and opportunities.
As per the latest NIRF 2024 ranking, XLRI Jamshedpur is ranked 9th among all the management institutes in India. Moreover, MBA aspirants can check the various IIM NIRF ranking 2024 from the table below.
List of IIMs | NIRF 2024 Ranking |
Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad | 1 |
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore | 2 |
Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode | 3 |
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta | 5 |
Indian Institute of Management, Mumbai | 6 |
Indian Institute of Management Lucknow | 7 |
Indian Institute of Management Indore | 8 |
Indian Institute of Management Rohtak | 12 |
Indian Institute of Management Raipur | 14 |
Indian Institute of Management Ranchi | 17 |
Indian Institute of Management Udaipur | 22 |
Indian Institute of Management Kashipur | 23 |
Indian Institute of Management Shillong | 24 |
Indian Institute of Management Visakhapatnam | 26 |
Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli | 27 |
Indian Institute of Management Nagpur | 31 |
Indian Institute of Management Bodh Gaya | 33 |
Indian Institute of Management Jammu | 42 |
Indian Institute of Management Amritsar | 47 |
Indian Institute of Management Sambalpur | 50 |
Indian Institute of Management Sirmaur | 57 |
The details regarding the various IIM vs XLRI courses, along with the selection criteria, are mentioned in the table below.
Particulars | IIM Courses | XLRI Courses |
Courses |
| |
Duration | 1 to 2 years | 6 months to 5 years, depending on the XLRI courses. |
Accepted entrance exam | CAT, GMAT, GRE | XAT, GMAT, and GRE |
Fee structure | Rs. 20 Lakhs to Rs. 35 lakhs | Rs. 20 Lakhs to Rs. 25 lakhs |
XLRI PGDM course fee ranges from Rs. 14 lakhs to Rs. 25 lakhs. However, the IIM course fee starts at Rs. 20 lakhs to Rs. 30 lakhs. The MBA course fees vary from one institute to another.
Read more:
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.3 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2024 | Application Deadline: 1st Dec 2024
180+ Companies | Highest CTC 15 LPA | Average CTC 7.5 LPA | Ranked as Platinum Institute by AICTE for 6 years in a row | Awarded Best Business School of the Year
Candidates must fulfil the minimum eligibility requirements for applying to the MBA / PGDM / PGP courses. Check out the below table to know who can apply for the IIM vs XLRI management courses offered by the top B-schools in India.
The IIMs and XLRI grade the work experience at the time of the selection process. Check the eligibility criteria for admission at IIM and XLRI below.
Particulars | IIM | XLRI |
IIM vs XLRI Eligibility Criteria | Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum aggregate of 50% marks in a relevant field from an approved university. | Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field from an approved university. |
Age Limit | No age restriction | No age limit |
Work Experience | Work experience is also considered an IIM eligibility criteria | Work experience is an XLRI eligibility criteria taken for PGDM programmes. |
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Candidates who wish to apply for the MBA/PGDM/PGP programmes must know the admission criteria followed by the top B-schools in India. IIM accepts the CAT score as a selection criteria, and for XLRI Jamshedpur, the XAT result is considered. Apart from this, GMAT or GRE results are also considered based on the B-schools chosen by the candidates. Candidates can read the details on IIM vs XLRI admission process 2025 from the below table.
Candidates who meet the eligibility criteria and cutoff can participate in the selection process conducted by the institutes.
Particulars | IIM | XLRI |
IIM vs XLRI cutoff | For general category: 90 For reserved category: 85 | For general category: 95 For reserved category: 70 |
Selection Process | 3 step selection process. Step 1: shortlisting of candidates based on CAT score. Step 2: Attend the WAT test or PI round. Step 3: Release of IIM final result based on the calculation of composite score | 3 step selection process. Step 1: Candidates are shortlisted as per the XAT score. Step 2: Shortlisted candidates must attend the GD and interview session. Step 3: Declaration of XLRI result. |
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MBA graduates from IIM and XLRI usually have a favorable return on investment (ROI) by considering the quality of education, placement opportunities, and salary packages. The course fees for IIM MBA specialization's vary between Rs. 20 lakhs to Rs. 30 lakhs. All the IIMs had a 100% placement record with an average annual package of Rs. 31 LPA. The IIM highest package offered is Rs. 1.15 crore.
XLRI provides admission in PGDM programmes with a course fee ranging from Rs. 20 lakhs to Rs. 25 lakhs. The final year graduates get placed in reputed firms with XLRI's highest salary package of around Rs. 78 lakhs. Therefore, both IIMs and XLRI offer good ROI for the students.
All IIMs and XLRI have made a 100% placement record by offering the final year students to get placed in various reputed organisations. Candidates can go through the below table to know the IIM vs XLRI salary packages as per the latest data available on the official websites.
Particulars | IIM Lucknow | XLRI |
Total number of offers made | 570 | 463 |
Number of Recruiters | 185+ | 120 |
Highest package | Rs. 58 LPA | Rs. 78.2 LPA |
Average package | Rs. 31 LPA | Rs. 32.7 LPA |
The IIM placement statistics, such as the highest and average package, can vary from one to another.
The below table shows the list of IIM vs XLRI recruiters who attended the final and summer placements.
Accenture | Amazon | |
HCL | Adobe | Citi |
L &T | Myntra | KPMG |
Amazon | Axis Bank | HDFC |
Reliance | Infosys | Deloitte |
IBM | PwC |
Also Read: XLRI Placements
IIM offers many full-time and part-time postgraduate and doctoral programmes in the field of management studies in around 21 institutes. Candidates who obtained a valid CAT score can join any of the IIMs based on their cutoff marks. As per the latest placement reports, students get an average package of Rs. 30 to Rs. 40 LPA in various IIM campus placements.
XLRI Delhi and Jamshedpur provide admission in PGDM programmes based on the XAT score. The XLRI also offers a similar placement salary package to graduates as compared to IIMs. The XLRI
An MBA / PGDM programme from premier institutions like IIM or XLRI offers countless opportunities for graduates to get hired by top multinational companies. Management programmes are designed to equip MBA aspirants with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in the corporate world. The IIM placement salary package offered varies from new IIM to old IIM for different job roles. Similarly, the salary package is different for various job roles. The various job roles offered for the IIM vs XLRI graduates are mentioned below.
IIM Job roles | XLRI Job roles |
Marketing Manager | Human Resource Manager |
Management Consultant | Talent Management Specialist |
Marketing Manager | Business Analyst |
Investment Banker | Operations and Supply Chain Management |
Product Manager | SCM Consultant |
Finance Specialist | Digital Marketing/Strategy |
According to the latest final and summer placements published by various IIMs. The highest salary package offered starts at an amount of 1.15 crore to Rs. 30 lakhs. The IIM graduates also get placement offers from inside and outside India.
The IIM offers online, full-time and part-time programmes such as MBA, PGP, Ph.D, FPM, Executive MBA, PGD. Candidates can choose any of the management programmes based on their interest and eligibility.
According to the latest final and summer placements published by various IIMs. The highest salary package offered starts at an amount of 1.15 crore to Rs. 30 lakhs. The IIM graduates also get placement offers from inside and outside India.
XLRI Jamshedpur and XLRI Delhi offer full-time and part-time MBA/PGDM programmes. XLRI course fee ranges from Rs. 20 Lakhs to Rs. 25 lakhs.
The IIM offers online, full-time and part-time programmes such as MBA, PGP, Ph.D, FPM, Executive MBA, PGD. Candidates can choose any of the management programmes based on their interest and eligibility.
Candidates who passed any bachelor’s degree from an approved university with a minimum aggregate of 50% can apply for the entrance exam. Moreover, There is no age limit for attending the exams.
XLRI Jamshedpur and XLRI Delhi offer full-time and part-time MBA/PGDM programmes. XLRI course fee ranges from Rs. 20 Lakhs to Rs. 25 lakhs.
Candidates who passed any bachelor’s degree from an approved university with a minimum aggregate of 50% can apply for the entrance exam. Moreover, There is no age limit for attending the exams.
Hello,
Yes, you can also join IIMs two years after graduation, depending upon the justification in interviews and your performance in entrance exams. If you are not sure about CAT, try those other management exams less hard:
Common Management Admission Test: Easier than CAT; 4-5 months of continuous preparation will suffice.
MAT : Much easier and takes place thrice a year.
SNAP (Symbiosis National Aptitude Test): A bit easier than CAT, apt for Symbiosis Institutes.
Xavier Aptitude Test or XAT : Hence, easier than CAT but the unique decision-making section.
Use exams like CMAT and MAT as a challenge to be competitively prepared. This can be given about 4-5 months, along with a few rounds of mock tests and smart studying.
XAT scores are valid for 2 years hence you can easily download it again Visit the official website of XAT 2025 i.e xatonline.in. and then Click on 'scorecard' tab.login with your credentials XAT ID and password type the security text shown on screen. Click on candidate scorecard and download a PDF copy of the same hope it helps.
Hello
Here is the list of colleges you can get with 68%ile
JIMS Rohini Delhi
IMT Hyderabad
SOIL Institute of Management
Jaipuria Institute of Management Jaipur
Jaypee Business School
Dayananda Sagar Business School Bangalore
NSB Academy Bangalore
NDIM New Delhi
Hello Aspirant
Seeing your marks, it is evident you are good in academics. Thus, you can get into a good MBA college but mind you, it won't be easy because there are thousands of students who are as good as you, if not better. MBA colleges do not choose candidates solely based on academic performance, although it has a big weightage in their selection process. They test your presence of mind, intellect, and communication skills through Group Discussions and Interviews.
The safest way to get into a good MBA college is to score 96-97+ percentile and do really well in GD and PI. Top MBA colleges in India are IIMs, XISS (Ranchi), TISS, Delhi School of Business, and Symbiosis.
Hope this helps
Hello Aspirant
Congratulations on your score, There are many good B schools at 80-85%ile in CAT and XAT
1)Great Lakes, Chennai
2)IRMA
3) Goa Institute of Management
4) NIBM
5) TAPMI
Do your research about these colleges as to what is their average package, the roles offered.
Colleges like NIBM specialize in Finance, and IRMA has a lot of sales marketing Roles. So ultimately the choice is yours which specialization you want to pursue.
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Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.3 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2024 | Application Deadline: 1st Dec 2024
Highest CTC: INR 28.25 LPA | Average for Top 100 offers: INR 17.34 LPA | Ranked #63 in India under Management category by NIRF | 148 Recruiters
180+ Companies | Highest CTC 15 LPA | Average CTC 7.5 LPA | Ranked as Platinum Institute by AICTE for 6 years in a row | Awarded Best Business School of the Year
Ranked No. 1 Business School in India and no.35 in world by Financial Times MiM 2024 Ranking | Highest CTC: INR 81 LPA
Highest CTC 70 LPA | Avg CTC 11.22 LPA | Ranked #55 by NIRF
9 IBS Campuses | Scholarships Worth Rs 10 CR