Admissions guide, sections 5–6
The top 50, what they cost, and where they lead
NIRF 2025 is still the latest official ranking: the 2026 list had not been published as of 6 October 2026. Of its top 50, 37 accept CAT, 29 of them as their main route; XLRI, SIBM, NMIMS and IBS rely on other exams (XAT, SNAP, NMAT, IBSAT).
NIRF 2025 top 50, with the main exam and expected general-category call range
| Institute | NIRF rank | Main exam | Expected general call (CAT %ile) |
|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Ahmedabad | 1 | CAT | 99–100 |
| IIM Bangalore | 2 | CAT | 99–100 |
| IIM Kozhikode | 3 | CAT | 97–99 |
| IIT Delhi (DMS) | 4 | CAT | 96–99 |
| IIM Lucknow | 5 | CAT | 97–99 |
| IIM Mumbai | 6 | CAT | 97–99 |
| IIM Calcutta | 7 | CAT | 99–100 |
| IIM Indore | 8 | CAT | 97–99 |
| MDI Gurgaon | 9 | CAT | 95–98 |
| XLRI Jamshedpur | 10 | XAT | — |
| SIBM Pune | 11 | SNAP | — |
| IIT Kharagpur (VGSoM) | 12 | CAT | 90–94 |
| IIT Madras (DoMS) | 13 | CAT | 90–94 |
| IIT Bombay (SJMSOM) | 14 | CAT | 97–99 |
| IIM Raipur | 15 | CAT | 95–98 |
| IIM Tiruchirappalli | 16 | CAT | 95–98 |
| IIFT Delhi | 17 | CAT | — |
| IIM Ranchi | 18 | CAT | 94–97 |
| IIM Rohtak | 19 | CAT | 97–99 |
| SPJIMR Mumbai | 20 | CAT or GMAT, profile-based | 85–98 |
| IIM Udaipur | 21 | CAT | 95–98 |
| IIT Roorkee (DoMS) | 22 | CAT | 88–92 |
| IIM Kashipur | 23 | CAT | 94–97 |
| NMIMS Mumbai | 24 | NMAT | — |
| IIM Nagpur | 25 | CAT | 94–97 |
| Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore | 26 | Several; check the site | — |
| IIT Kanpur (DoMS) | 27 | CAT | 90–95 |
| Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi | 28 | Own entrance test | — |
| IIM Visakhapatnam | 29 | CAT | 92–96 |
| IMT Ghaziabad | 30 | CAT, XAT, GMAT | 90–96 |
| IIM Bodh Gaya | 31 | CAT | 92–96 |
| Chandigarh University | 32 | Own process | — |
| MICA Ahmedabad | 33 | CAT, XAT or GMAT, plus MICAT | — |
| IIM Sambalpur | 34 | CAT | 93–97 |
| IIM Jammu | 35 | CAT | 92–96 |
| UPES Dehradun | 36 | Several; check the site | — |
| Great Lakes Chennai | 37 | CAT, XAT, GMAT | 85–90 |
| IIM Shillong | 38 | CAT | 95–98 |
| TAPMI Manipal | 39 | CAT, XAT, GMAT | 85–90 |
| IMI Delhi | 40 | CAT, XAT, GMAT | 90–93 |
| Jaipuria Noida | 41 | Several; check the site | — |
| IMI Kolkata | 42 | Several; check the site | — |
| GIM Goa | 43 | CAT, XAT, GMAT | 85–90 |
| Lovely Professional University | 44 | Own process | — |
| XIM University, Bhubaneswar | 45 | XAT, CAT | 91–96 |
| Thapar Institute, Patiala | 46 | Several; check the site | — |
| ICFAI (IBS) Hyderabad | 46 | IBSAT | — |
| IIT (ISM) Dhanbad | 48 | CAT | — |
| Amity University, Noida | 49 | Own process | — |
| Great Lakes Gurgaon | 50 | CAT, XAT, GMAT | — |
Ranks from the NIRF 2025 management list as reported by iQuanta; call ranges from Cracku. A dash means no published estimate or a non-CAT exam.
Top schools NIRF does not rank (they do not take part)
| School | Exam and call range |
|---|---|
| FMS Delhi | CAT, 98–99.5 |
| JBIMS Mumbai | CAT or MAH-CET, about 95–98 |
| ISB Hyderabad | GMAT/GRE, one-year programme for candidates with work experience |
| XLRI Delhi-NCR | XAT |
| TISS Mumbai | Cracku lists 98+ on CAT; confirm the exam on TISS’s site |
| IIM Guwahati | CAT, 94–97; new |
Fees and packages for the 16 schools with comparable data
| Institute | Exam | Total fees (₹ lakh) | Average package (₹ LPA) | Median package (₹ LPA) | Average package ÷ fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISB Hyderabad | GMAT/GRE | 38.67 | 37.29 | 30.00 | 1.0× |
| IIM Calcutta | CAT | 27.00 | 36.00 | 35.00 | 1.3× |
| IIM Bangalore | CAT | 26.50 | 35.35 | 34.75 | 1.3× |
| IIM Ahmedabad | CAT | 27.50 | 34.45 | 34.53 | 1.3× |
| SPJIMR Mumbai | CAT/GMAT | 26.50 | 33.75 | 32.85 | 1.3× |
| IIM Lucknow | CAT | 20.75 | 33.20 | 32.90 | 1.6× |
| FMS Delhi | CAT | 2.40 | 32.27 | 29.59 | 13.4× |
| XLRI Jamshedpur | XAT | 30.60 | 31.40 | 29.00 | 1.0× |
| IIFT Delhi | CAT | 21.82 | 31.30 | — | 1.4× |
| SIBM Pune | SNAP | 27.00 | 28.83 | — | 1.1× |
| IIM Kozhikode | CAT | 23.58 | 28.18 | 27.50 | 1.2× |
| IIT Bombay (SJMSOM) | CAT | 16.90 | 28.16 | — | 1.7× |
| IIM Indore | CAT | 25.00 | 27.27 | 25.00 | 1.1× |
| JBIMS Mumbai | CAT/MAH-CET | 7.00 | 26.48 | — | 3.8× |
| IIT Delhi (DMS) | CAT | 12.00 | 22.52 | — | 1.9× |
| MICA Ahmedabad | CAT/XAT/GMAT + MICAT | 28.00 | 19.22 | — | 0.7× |
FMS Delhi and JBIMS stand out because their fees are a fraction of the others’. Source: Cracku, Top 10 MBA colleges in India 2026, from the latest placement reports.
Seats in leading non-IIM programmes
FMS Delhi about 251; SPJIMR about 360; MDI 600–720 across its programmes; IIT Bombay 152; IIT Delhi 115; IIT Kharagpur 200; IIT Madras 100; IIT Roorkee 95; IMT Ghaziabad about 600; IMI Delhi 420. Smaller intakes usually mean higher cutoffs.
Best programmes by career track
Your career goal should shape the shortlist as much as rank does. Several programmes outside the IIM top tier lead their niche: XLRI and TISS in HR, IRMA in rural management, IIFT in international business and IIM Ahmedabad’s FABM in agribusiness.
| Career track | Programmes to look at (exam) | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Consulting and strategy | IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta; IIM Lucknow, Kozhikode, Indore, Mumbai; FMS Delhi; XLRI (XAT); SPJIMR; ISB (GMAT/GRE) | Consulting roles concentrate at the top-ranked schools, so this track needs a 99+ CAT plus a strong interview. |
| Finance (banking, markets, investing) | IIM Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Bangalore; FMS Delhi; JBIMS Mumbai; NMIMS Mumbai (NMAT); SPJIMR | Mumbai schools sit next to the banks; JBIMS also runs an MSc Finance. |
| Marketing and brand management | The older IIMs; MICA (communications, via MICAT); SIBM Pune (SNAP); NMIMS (NMAT) | MICA is the specialist school for marketing communications and advertising. |
| Operations and supply chain | IIM Mumbai (formerly NITIE); IIT Bombay (SJMSOM); IIT Delhi (DMS) | IIM Mumbai grew out of an industrial-engineering and operations institute. |
| Human resources | XLRI HRM (XAT); TISS Mumbai HRM & LR; IIM Ranchi MBA-HRM; MDI PGDM-HRM; IMI Delhi PGDM-HRM; XIM University MBA-HRM (XAT) | XLRI’s HRM is the best-known HR programme in India. |
| Agribusiness and food | IIM Ahmedabad PGP-FABM (CAT); IIM Lucknow MBA-ABM (CAT); MANAGE Hyderabad PGDM-ABM; NIAM Jaipur PGDM-ABM | Roles in agri-inputs, food processing, commodities and rural finance. IIM Lucknow’s ABM has its own, lower minimum than its main MBA. |
| Rural management and development | IRMA Anand PGDM-RM (about 85+ on CAT); XIM University School of Rural Management (XAT) | Cooperatives, development finance, NGOs and CSR. |
| International business and trade | IIFT Delhi and Kolkata MBA-IB (CAT); MDI PGDM-IB | Exports, trade finance, shipping and logistics. |
| Business analytics | MDI PGDM-Business Analytics; PGDBA run jointly by IIM Calcutta, ISI and IIT Kharagpur (own entrance test) | Analytics roles also go to general MBA graduates with the right electives. |
| Sustainability and environment | IIM Mumbai MBA (Sustainability Management); IIM Lucknow MBA (Sustainability Management); IIFM Bhopal | Newer specialisations; check placement reports for role mix before committing. |
| Best value for money | FMS Delhi (about ₹2.4 lakh fees); JBIMS Mumbai (about ₹7 lakh) | Both pair low fees with average packages above ₹26 LPA. |
This reflects each school’s established reputation rather than a single ranking. Before applying, open each programme’s latest final placement report and check which roles and recruiters actually hired.