Integrated Programme In Management: Your Direct Path To IIMs After Class 12

It's indisputable that the Indian Institute Of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta are the pioneers of management education. But now a few other IIMs from the oldest to the newest have become the front runners in giving the undergraduate students an opportunity to become a part of the prestigious management institutions across India.

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Students who have completed their Class 12 or equivalent level of examination and are not more than 20 years of age are eligible for the Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) exams.

For now, there are five IIMs in India accepting Class 12 pass students for an IPM course. Take a closer look at the list of IIMs in which the IPM course is available

*Including all public and private management colleges in India

So, what is the IPM course all about? IPM is a unique management programme specifically designed for students who have successfully completed their class 12 or equivalent level of examination. IPM is a five year degree course whereby the first three years involve an in-depth study of basic subjects like micro-macroeconomics, statistics, basic accounting, mathematics, etc.

After successful completion of the first three years, the IPM students are awarded an undergraduate degree in management. In the fourth year of their IPM course, students can then move forward with the two years regular MBA programme. The IPM students are not required to take any further entrance exams (these candidates don’t have to take the CAT, they get direct entry to the MBA class ) to learn with aspiring managers who have cleared CAT for a two-year Postgraduate Programme in Management (PGP).

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How To Qualify For The IPMAT Examination?

To qualify for the IPM Programme interested candidates have to complete the following steps:

1. Fill out an application form to put across the student profile highlighting their scholastic and non-scholastic achievements for a better understanding of the B-School

2. Applicants have to pass the IPM entrance exams, which are multiple choice question-based entrance exams that will test them on their Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning, and English Aptitude.

3. Qualified candidates must take a Written Ability Test(WAT) followed by an interview. The Personal Interview (PI) will evaluate the candidate's basic knowledge, speaking skills, and overall personality.

After the candidate clears the interview process, they are now ready to pursue their undergraduate studies at IIM.

When you prepare for the IPM course you can also take competitive entrance exams such as Common University Entrance Test, CUET. It has a similar syllabus as IPMAT, which include Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, General Mental Ability, Numerical Ability, Quantitative Reasoning, among others.

Now let us look at the various IIMs that offer IPM course

IIM Indore

• About: As of 2023, IIM Indore has a batch size of 150 students for its IPM course.

• What Makes IPM at IIM Indore different

a) A social internship after the end of the second year and a business internship may be in the fourth or fifth year of the program to give the IPM students with no prior job experience similar exposure as students with work experience in PGP.

b) Seamless exit option for the students after the third year with a degree in Foundations of Management who no longer want to continue with management studies.

c) Various rural or Himalayan outbound programmes

• Placement: As per the Placement Report of IIM Indore for 2021-23, out of the batch of 606 students placed, 98 students were from the IPM course. The average package of the batch was 30.21 LPA with major recruiters being Adani Group, Amway, Apollo Tyres, AstraZeneca, Axtria etc

IIM Ranchi

• About: As of 2023, IIM Ranchi has an intake of 120 students in its IPM course.IIM Ranchi accepts the score of SAT exam/ or IPMAT exam (IIM Indore) to qualify for the entrance test of the IPM course.

• What Makes IPM at IIM Ranchi Different?

1. IIM Ranchi also accepts the scores of SAT exam for the selection process other than IPMAT(conducted by IIM Indore). For applicants who appear in both, the better performance is considered as the entrance score.

2. Offers life-skill-focused subjects or activities for the overall development of the student.

• Placement: The first batch of the IPM course at IIM Ranchi has not yet sat for placements. As per the placement report of 2023, the two-year MBA batch of 399 students was placed across 124 companies. The average salary package of the batch was 17.90 Lakh per annum with prominent recruiters being TATA Steel, Maruti Suzuki Ltd, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase & Co. etc

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IIM Rohtak

• About: As of 2023, IIM Rohtak has 180 total seats for its IPM batch.

• What Makes IPM at IIM Rohtak Special?

1. Students who are not interested to be part of two year PGP program can willingly drop off from the IPM course after completion of their undergraduate program with a degree in BBA.

2. IPM students have the opportunity to undertake internships with big companies at the end of each academic year. This helps them to acquire practical experience in the corporate world similar to their fellow batchmates of PGP who have prior work experience.

• Placement: The first batch of the IPM course at IIM Rohtak has not yet appeared for placements. As per the placement report of 2023, IIM Rohtak was successful in placing its entire PGP batch of 237 students with an average package of 18.73 LPA. IIM Rohtak emerged as the ideal campus for the BFSI and Finance sectors, with recruiters like Barclays, RBL Bank, SBI Capital Markets, and Wells Fargo.

IIM Bodh Gaya

• About: As of 2023, IIM Bodh Gaya had an intake of 72 students for its IPM batch.IIM Bodh Gaya accepts the Joint Integrated Programme in Management Admission Test (JIMPAT) score conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) for its IPM course.

• What Makes IPM At IIM Bodh Gaya Special?

1. The IPM batch of Bodh Gaya has the advantage of taking up a rural and social immersion project, a research-based project, or a business internship to get an insight into the corporate world similar to those with prior experience in regular 2 years MBA course

2. IIM Bodh Gaya gives an opportunity to students to discontinue the IPM program, after the completion of the third year with a degree in Bachelor of Business Management.

• Placement: The first batch of the IPM course at IIM Bodh Gaya is not yet qualified for placement. As per the placement report of 2023, IIM Bodh Gaya successfully placed 204 PGP students out of the batch of 207 predominantly in BFSI, consulting, and manufacturing industries with an average package of 14.96 LPA.

IIM Jammu

• About: As of 2023, IIM Jammu enrolled around 240 students, for its IPM batch. IIM Bodh Gaya too accepts the JIMPAT score held by NTA.

• What Makes IPM at IIM Jammu Special:

1. IIM Jammu gives a choice to its IPM batch to quit the program after three years with a BBA degree.

2. It offers students to complete an internship in a social sector organisation of their choice, such as NGOs or Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.

3. The institute lets students undertake a business internship with a business enterprise of their choice and experience a unique Boot Camp program in Ladakh during their first year, for exposure to the local culture and historical dimensions.

• Placement: The first batch of IIM Jammu has not appeared for placement yet. As per the placement report of 2023, the PGP batch of 239 students of IIM Jammu received offers from prominent companies like Amazon, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, and Adani Group. The average salary of IIM hiked up to 15.25 Lakh per annum which was 19.7 percent more than last year.

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Why Is IPMAT On Par With Regular MBA Programmes?

If you have any doubts on this course, consider the following reasons to be sure on how it will benefit you.

• IPM gives students exposure to the corporate world in the formative years of their life. They are just not introduced to the basic curriculum of management studies but are also provided with an environment for 360 degrees of development as future managers.

• Students of the IPM batch get a chance to grow, learn and interact with aspiring managers of the PGP or research program who guide them through the journey as their mentors.

• Unlike students pursuing the PGP course, IPM students have the advantage of a five-year tenure at the business school. This allows them to prioritise their holistic development by actively engaging in clubs, committees, and other activities rather than focusing on placement opportunities.

• Participation in college fests and events, such as the renowned flagship event ‘Atharva’ organised by the IPMAT batch of IIM Indore, provides an excellent platform to cultivate essential personality traits like delegation, time management, emotional intelligence, and teamwork.

IPM gives young undergraduate students a glimpse of what life in or after a B-school is like. If you appreciate it you can move on with it through the PGP course. And even if you don’t, you always have a chance to look at a suitable industry you plan your future in with the tag of completing your undergraduate studies from one of India’s most renowned institutes.