Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
CAT Admit Card Date:05 Nov' 25 - 30 Nov' 25
ISB vs IIM is a dilemma that usually occurs in the minds of candidates who like to do MBA programmes. While thinking about ISB Hyderabad vs IIM, the students are worried about the placement opportunities and skills they can get from these institutes. In this competitive world, it’s not easy to get admission to ISB or IIM institutes. IIM vs ISB colleges have state-of-the-art infrastructure, quality education, excellent placement records, and a learning environment leading to the development of managerial skills. ISB Hyderabad or IIM is a choice for MBA applicants who focus on career goals, course preferences, location, ISB vs IIM executive MBA and IIM vs ISB fees comparison. This article offers knowledge and insights for MBA aspirants to make a final decision on choosing ISB vs IIM management courses. Read the article to know ISB vs IIM Which is better?
This Story also Contains
Indian School of Business offers full-time PGP and advanced management programmes to working professionals only based on the performance of candidates in the GMAT/ GRE examinations. For the IIM admission, work experience is not an important factor for applying to various MBA courses. However, the CAT score is considered for the IIM MBA selection process, followed by a written test, GD and personal interview.
ISB and IIM are premium business schools in India. Many MBA specialised programmes and electives are available through these respected organisations' management programmes. According to the FT Global MBA Ranking 2024, ISB is ranked 31st overall in the world and 1st in the research category in India. The IIMs also secured the first positions in the NIRF ranking in 2024.
The main difference between ISB vs IIM can be seen in the table mentioned below.
ISB Hyderabad | IIM |
Private and autonomous | Government-funded and autonomous |
Campuses are located in Hyderabad and Mohali | 21 Institutes all over India |
Accept GMAT/ GRE score | Accept CAT score |
Courses are offered for working professionals. | Courses are offered for freshers and working professionals. |
Average ISB fees is around Rs. 30 lakhs to Rs. 40 lakhs | Average fees is around Rs. 24 lakhs to Rs. 27 lakhs |
Focus mainly on practicals and research | Focus mainly on theory and research |
Candidates who wish to pursue ISB PGP courses are required to pay an ISB fee of Rs. 40 lakh. Meanwhile, the IIM course fee ranges from Rs. 20 lakhs to Rs. 30 lakhs. The details regarding the ISB vs IIM fees comparison, along with the course duration and accepted entrance exams are mentioned in the table below.
Particulars | ISB Courses | IIM Courses |
Courses |
|
|
Duration | 1 to 2 years | 1 to 2 years |
Accepted entrance exam | GMAT/ GRE score | CAT, GMAT, GRE |
Fee structure | Rs. 30 Lakhs to Rs. 43 lakhs | Rs. 20 Lakhs to Rs. 35 lakhs |
People also search for:
Candidates must meet the ISB vs IIM eligibility criteria to apply for the MBA/ PGDM/ PGP courses. Candidates with a minimum of 2 to 3 years are only eligible to apply for the ISB management courses. On the other hand, candidates with a valid CAT score and no work experience can apply for IIM courses. Check out the below table to see who can apply for the IIM vs ISB management courses
The IIMs also consider work experience as a selection criteria for some of the courses. The details regarding the eligibility criteria for ISB vs IIM admission are listed below.
Particulars | ISB | IIM |
ISB vs IIM Eligibility Criteria | Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in a relevant field from an approved university. | Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum aggregate of 50% marks in a relevant field from an approved university. |
Age Limit | No age limit | No age restriction |
Work Experience | Work experience is mandatory to apply for the ISB PGP / Advanced Management programmes | Work experience is also considered as IIM eligibility criteria. |
Quick Links:
Candidates can apply for the PGP/ AMP programmes offered by ISB Hyderabad and ISB Mohali. ISB admission is carried out through the scores obtained by the applicants in the GMAT or GRE entrance exam and work experience. IIM admission is done based on the CAT score, followed by an interview round. Candidates can go through the details of the ISB vs IIM admission criteria 2025 from the below table.
Candidates who meet the eligibility requirements and entrance exam cutoff can participate in the institute's selection process.
Particulars | ISB | IIM |
ISB vs IIM cutoff |
| CAT cutoff:
|
ISB vs IIM Admission criteria |
|
|
Know more about
Both ISB and IIMs provide executive MBA courses for working professionals. Candidates with a minimum work experience of 3 years are eligible to apply for the ISB vs IIM executive MBA courses. The course fees for doing an ISB executive MBA are Rs. 37 lakhs to 49 lakhs and for IIM it is about Rs. 6 lakh to Rs. 12 lakh.
Both ISB and IIM offer tremendous opportunities for MBA aspirants to be bright in their management career. The ISB vs IIM admission criteria are different from each other. ISB offers courses for working professionals and IIM also provides admission to working professionals and graduates. Getting into the ISB is possible only for candidates with a strong professional background in any sector. The cost of doing an MBA at ISB is high compared to IIM fees. ISB mainly focus on entrepreneurship.
Indian School of Business Hyderabad placement cell offers all the facilities and support for the students to get placed in top companies. According to the recent placement reports, ISB placed around 1609 MBA graduates in various organisations with an average salary package of Rs. 34 lakhs.
While IIM also made 100% placement records in the previous year through lateral, final and summer placements. The IIMs showed an increase in the salary package and the number of students getting recruited by top companies. The IIM placement statistics, such as the highest and average package can vary from one to another.
Particulars | ISB Hyderabad | IIM Lucknow |
Total number of offers made | 324 | 570 |
Number of Recruiters | 1609 | 185+ |
Highest package | Rs.50 LPA | Rs. 58 LPA |
Average package | Rs. 34 LPA | Rs. 31 LPA |
ISB vs IIM placement and training cells ensure the final year graduates get hired in top MNCs with the highest salary packages. These institutions keep the best records in placement and offer a chance to work with the below companies to achieve their dreams. The following are the companies where the students get hired.
Accenture | Adani Group | Aditya Birla Group | Amazon |
Apple | Axis Bank | Citi Bank | Cleartrip |
D.E. Shaw India | Deloitte | Dr Reddy’s Laboratories | Ernst and Young |
Accenture | Genpact | HCL Technologies | |
Amazon | Amazon | Hinduja Group | American Express |
Ranbaxy Laboratories | HSBC Group | Ameriprise Financial | Apollo Tyres |
Also Read:
Candidates who wish to pursue world-class management programmes face this dilemma. It is difficult for those candidates to make a final decision on these institutes. Moreover, ISB vs IIM institutes have both advantages and disadvantages. Candidates can go through the below table to find out the ISB vs IIM pros and cons before choosing their B-school for MBA / PGP programmes.
Pros | Cons |
Students get hands-on experience in solving real-world business challenges, as the ISB curriculum is mainly focused on practical rather than theoretical. | Admission is offered to candidates with work experience only. |
The topics are taken by foreign and experienced industrial experts. | Given the condensed duration of the course, candidates are required to complete the program within a limited timeframe. This could potentially restrict the breadth of learning opportunities. |
The primary emphasis of ISB is to cultivate a mindset in students that encourages the nurturing of their business concepts, thereby providing opportunities to become entrepreneurs. | The ISB course fee is higher compared to the IIM programmes. |
Pros | Cons |
The programme provides students with opportunities to enhance their management skills, which can be applied in real-world business situations. | The IIM admission process is highly competitive compared to ISB. The total number of seats available at IIM is about 5000. |
Students who score high in the CAT exam will get scholarships. | The IIM curriculum does not offer a real-world business experience |
IIM graduates get hired in various top organisations with good salary packages. | IIM mostly focus on theory rather than practical knowledge. |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Going by past year's ISB Hyderabad placement trends, the highest package stood at Rs 66 LPA.
As per the NIRF report 2024, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode, Indian Institute of Management, Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow are the best IIMs in India.
The ISB has more global rankings in 2023 compared to the IIM. However, IIM also has global and national rankings. Candidates have different responses regarding ISB vs IIM courses, admission and recruitment experience.
Yes, candidates with a minimum work experience of 2 to 8 years can only apply for the ISB PGP programmes.
On Question asked by student community
Hey! With a NEET score of 344 in the ST category, it is highly unlikely to get admission in any government BDS college in Delhi through the All India Quota. The cutoff for government BDS seats in Delhi usually falls around 400–450 for ST category, so your score is below that range.
You can consider private dental colleges, state quota seats in other states, or reattempt NEET next year to improve your chances.
Hello dear candidate,
YES, with NEET score 344in the ST category you have high chances of getting admission in a BDS College in J&K through JKBOPEE counselling.
check the seat availability and next participate in JKBOPEE Counselling with all the necessary documents.
Thank you.
Hey! With an All India Rank (AIR) of 302,821 in NEET and belonging to the BCE category, it is highly unlikely to get a BDS seat in Telangana under the state quota, as the closing ranks for BCE are usually below 50,000. You may consider applying to private colleges under management quota or explore BDS seats in other states, but the chances remain very limited with this rank.
At KIMS Amalapuram, the internship stipend for MBBS students is generally reported to be around 20,000 per month, though some students have mentioned that in certain years no stipend was provided at all, which means it can vary depending on the policies in place at the time of your internship. To get the most accurate and updated information, it is always best to confirm directly with the college administration or recent interns, but on average, you can expect a stipend in the range of 18,000-20,000 per month during the compulsory rotating internship.
Hello Aspirant,
Since your payment status shows "S" , it means your payment is successful. The "payment unsuccessful" message on the form is likely a temporary system error or a delay in updating.
Do not make another payment.
Making a second payment could cause a double debit, which is difficult to get a refund for. You should:
Wait 24-48 hours for the status to update automatically.
Download and save a copy of your form and a screenshot of the "S" payment status as proof.
Check your bank statement to confirm the money has been debited.
If the issue is not fixed after 48 hours, contact the official CAT helpdesk immediately with your transaction details.
AACSB, NBA & SAQS Accredited | H-CTC 41.55 LPA | Merit Based Scholarship
Admissions Open | 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
IBSAT 2025-Your gateway to MBA/PGPM @ IBS Hyderabad and 8 other IBS campuses | Scholarships worth 10 CR
Offers full-time PGP in International Master in business (IMB) Equivalent to MBA under following specializations Marketing, HR, Operations, and many more
Ranked No. 3 Business School in India and no.35 in world by Financial Times MiM 2025 Ranking | Highest CTC: INR 89 LPA