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    The MBA Seats IITs Can’t Seem to Fill, A Growing Red Flag

    The MBA Seats IITs Can’t Seem to Fill, A Growing Red Flag

    Bhanu PratapUpdated on 19 Nov 2025, 03:36 PM IST

    Over the years, the Departments of Management Studies at IITs have been trying to position themselves as an alternative to the IIMs when it comes to pursuing management education. These programmes attract students who want a blend of technology, analytics, and management under a single roof.

    This Story also Contains

    1. A struggle to fill the seats
    2. 100% Placement on Admitted Students but Not on Intake?
    3. A Comparison That MBA Aspirants Cannot Ignore
    4. How MBA Aspirants Should Interpret This Data
    5. Rise in Vacant Seats: a warning sign?
    The MBA Seats IITs Can’t Seem to Fill, A Growing Red Flag
    Empty Seats at IITs

    However, a glance at the data on admissions, seat vacancies, intake, and placement outcomes across IITs and IIMs reveals a widening gap in market perception, trust in the program, and actual placement numbers. These numbers are extremely critical for MBA aspirants, especially those who are planning to make their admission decisions based on brand value, return on investment and career stability.

    This article studies the data in context and with direct relevance for MBA aspirants.

    A struggle to fill the seats

    Market perception has played a significant role in the number of students admitted to MBA programs across IITs. In the past three years, there has been a consistent rise in the number of vacant MBA seats.

    Compare this with IIMs, where vacant seats are almost non-existent.

    Vacant Seats at IIT DoMS (Delhi)

    Over three years, IIT Delhi’s DoMS saw its vacancy rate increase dramatically:

    Year

    IntakeAdmittedVacant SeatsVacancy %

    2020–21

    144

    117

    27

    18.75%

    2021–22

    144

    128

    16

    11.11%

    2022–23

    144

    93

    51

    35.42%


    Observation: The 2022–23 cycle shows one in three seats left vacant at one of India’s most prestigious institutes.

    IIT Kharagpur (VGSOM): Vacancy Jumps From 2% to 39%

    In 2022–23, the institute increased its intake from around 100 to 206. However, the number of admitted students did not increase in proportion in comparison to previous years. 81 seats remained unfilled.

    YearIntakeAdmittedVacant SeatsVacancy %

    2020–21

    99

    97

    2

    2.02%

    2021–22

    101

    94

    7

    6.93%

    2022–23

    206

    125

    81

    39.32%


    Observation: The 2022-23 cycle saw the steepest vacancy increases across all IITs.

    IIT Bombay (SJMSOM): Vacancy Remains Highly Volatile

    SJMSOM’s vacancy jumped to its highest level in recent times:

    YearIntake

    Admitted

    Vacant SeatsVacancy%

    2020–21

    182

    148

    34

    18.68%

    2021–22

    182

    115

    67

    36.81%

    2022–23

    182

    114

    68

    37.36%


    Observation: The intake consistently stays at 182 seats, but admissions stay stuck far below.

    100% Placement on Admitted Students but Not on Intake?

    We often find claims of 100 per cent placements. Although this is technically true, but it can be misleading as the calculation is based on the number of students who are admitted in the programme and not the number of seats available. This leads to vacant seats being excluded, which creates a perception of a higher placement success than what the full seat capacity suggests.

    The More Accurate Metric: Placement % on Total Intake

    IITs

    In the academic year 2022-23, IITs reflected high placement rates when it comes to admitted students, but once we bring sanctioned intake in the equation, the picture changes dramatically as the majority of the IITs fall between 55-65 per cent, with exceptions being IIT Madras and IIT Roorkee.

    InstitutePlacement% on AdmittedPlacement % on Intake

    IIT Delhi

    95.70%

    61.81%

    IIT Kharagpur

    99.20%

    60.19%

    IIT Madras

    96.51%

    86.46%

    IIT Bombay

    97.37%

    60.99%

    IIT Roorkee

    96.34%

    83.16%

    IIT Kanpur

    81.48%

    55.00%

    IIT Dhanbad

    78.67%

    64.13%


    Observation: The average placement percentage on intake for the IITs is around 67.39%

    IIMs

    In 2022–23, top IIMs recorded near-perfect admissions and placements, with almost no vacant seats and placement rates consistently above 97 per cent. This reflects strong demand, full utilisation of seats, and placement reliability across the leading IIMs.

    Institute

    Intake

    Admitted

    Placed

    Vacancy

    Placement % on Admitted

    Placement % on Intake

    IIM Ahmedabad

    444

    444

    434

    0.00%

    97.75%

    97.75%

    IIM Bangalore

    525

    525

    517

    0.00%

    98.48%

    98.48%

    IIM Kozhikode

    562

    547

    547

    2.67%

    97.33%

    97.33%

    IIM Lucknow

    621

    614

    614

    1.13%

    98.87%

    98.87%

    IIM Mumbai

    536

    536

    536

    0.00%

    100.00%

    100.00%

    IIM Calcutta

    540

    540

    528

    0.00%

    97.78%

    97.78%


    Observation: Top IIMs had almost full intake and almost 100 per cent placement. In the academic year 2022-23 the vacant seats remained below three per cent. IIM Lucknow, Calcutta and Mumbai also showed negligible or zero vacancies. This data clearly indicates that the demand for IIM programmes remains exceptionally strong and consistent.

    A Comparison That MBA Aspirants Cannot Ignore

    DetailsIIT DoMS (7 institutes)IIMs (21 institutes)

    Sanctioned Intake

    895

    8091

    Admitted

    629

    8017

    Vacancy %

    29.72%

    0.91%

    Graduated

    615

    7793

    Placed

    589

    7728

    Total Placement

    99.33%

    99.73%

    Placement % (Admitted)

    93.64%

    96.40%

    Placement % (Intake)

    65.81%

    95.53%


    Observations: If we study the table, we can see that IIMs have nearly full capacity. This shows a strong demand from aspirants (admitted) as well as employers (placed). However, when it comes to IITs the placement percentage on intake is almost 30 per cent lower than that of IIMs. So when it comes to management education, both students as well as companies prefer and trust IIMs more.

    How MBA Aspirants Should Interpret This Data

    As an MBA candidate, your goal is not only to get admitted but also to graduate into a strong peer cohort, solid corporate network, and predictable placement system.

    1763546546453

    Rise in Vacant Seats: a warning sign?

    When it comes to MBA programmes from IITs, they still fall short of IIMs, if we consider market trust, seat stability, and consistent outcomes. Increasing vacancies, weaker placements when measured on intake, and yearly fluctuations signify a visible credibility gap. IIMs set a benchmark, whereas IITs offer more niche value. Aspirants should look at more than just brochures; they should study the data that we have provided and then align their decision with their long-term career goals, rather than just go for branding.

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