The most popular course among Indian graduate students is the Master of Business Administration (MBA)/Postgraduate Diploma in Management (PGDM). Most of them are interested in working in the corporate sector or want to start their startups. This degree is quite popular among the aspirants as the number of candidates appearing for the CAT exam (Common Admission Test) increased by 36% in the last six years. 

Over 3,500 institutions in India provide MBA or PGDM courses; about 600 are government colleges and the rest are private colleges. Universities and colleges approved by the University Grant Commission (UGC) offer MBA degrees while other institutions grant Post Graduate Diplomas in Management (PGDM) approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

In India, PGDM/MBA institutions are evaluated by Indian accrediting bodies such as the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) while international accreditation is provided by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Bus (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).

Presently, there are 21 IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) in India that have been imparting management education for many years with IIM Calcutta and IIM Ahmedabad being the oldest IIMs established in the year 1961. IIMs are currently awarding more than 7,000 degrees yearly. The IIMs have a strong placement record during all these years and their alumni are excelling in different fields. Some of the prominent alumni of IIMs are Raghuram Rajam, Arvind Subramanyam, Chetan Bhagat, Harsha Bhogle, Mallika Sarabhai, Ramchandra Guha, Indira Nooyi, K Radhakrishnan, Ravi Neelakantan, Hasmukh Adhia and many more.

Apart from the IIMs, the Indian Institute of Technology which is one of the finest institutes to provide world-class technological and engineering education also imparts management degrees. The fact that it has started to train people in management is a new development. A total of eight IITs offer MBA degrees and among them, IIT Kharagpur is the first one to do so. The HRD Ministry has granted a special status to both IIMs and IITs allowing them to award an MBA degree even though they are not universities.

Some of the private MBA/PGDM institutions are also extremely popular and renowned. These include Xavier School of Management, XLRI Jamshedpur (Jharkhand 1949) which is perhaps the best HR college in Asia and ranked 9th by NIRF 24 ranking, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research Mumbai, MDI Gururam, SIBM Pune, SCMHRD Pune, XIM University Bhubaneswar, NMIMS Mumbai, IMT Ghaziabad and IMI Delhi, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar.              

Some of the private MBA/PGDM colleges are also very popular and prestigious. These are Xavier School of Management, XLRI Jamshedpur (Jharkhand 1949) which is arguably the best HR college in Asia and is ranked 9th by NIRF 24 ranking, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research Mumbai, MDI Gururam, SIBM Pune, SCMHRD Pune, XIM University Bhubaneswar, NMIMS Mumbai, IMT Ghaziabad and IMI Delhi, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar.     

Highlights of  the MBA Colleges In India

More than 3,500 colleges including 600+ government colleges and 2,900+ private colleges in India provide different MBA courses. All these courses are accredited by national as well as international agencies and depending upon the requirement of the aspirant they offer full-time MBA, executive MBA, part-time MBA and online MBA.

Courses fees vary from ₹2.00 Lakhs to ₹49.50 Lakhs and the average annual salary for the placement packages is from ₹3.00 to ₹34.45 lakhs. Admission to this program shall be through major national-level entrance examinations such as CAT, XAT and GMAT and state/university-specific examinations. While admitting the colleges also take into account academic performance, diversity and to name a few, personal interaction and group discussion.

MBA from IIMs (Indian Institute of Management)

Since IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Calcutta came into existence in 1961, IIMs have been a great player in the management education system in India. The conversion of NITIE to an IIM Mumbai in 2023 will bring India up to 21 IIMs, out of which seven are ranked as the top 10 MBA colleges in NIRF 24, the most prominent Indian ranking agency under the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. IIT Delhi and IIT Mumbai also feature at fourth and tenth places, respectively, in the NIRF ranking 2024 and XLRI Jamshedpur is the only private college in the NIRF top 10 MBA/PGDM colleges in India list.

FT MBA ranking 2025 (Global) places IIM Ahmedabad at the 31st spot, IIM Bangalore at rank 57, IIM Calcutta at 61 and IIM Lucknow at 71. In the QS Global World Management rankings, IIM Bangalore is ranked 53, IIM Ahmedabad 60th and IIM Calcutta 65 while IIM Kozhikode finds itself between rank 151-200 and IIM Lucknow, Indore and Udaipur in the range 201-250.

An interesting piece of information about IIM Calcutta, Kozhikode and Indore is that all three are accredited by the world's top three accreditation bodies: EQUIS, AMBA and AACSB. IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Mumbai are EQUIS accredited.

Note:

• G- Government IIRF offers individual rankings for government and private colleges.

• It was previously called the National Institute for Training in Industrial Engineering/National Institute of Industrial Engineering. In 2023, it was awarded IIM status.

MBA from IITs (Indian Institute of Technology)

Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are the premier institutions for technical and engineering studies in India but IITs also began to offer MBA courses. IIT Kharagpur began offering MBA courses in 1993 then IIT Mumbai in 1995 and IIT Delhi in 1997. Currently ten IITs are operating MBA courses in the country.

IIT Delhi and IIT Mumbai stand fourth and tenth respectively on the NIRF ranking for 2024. The remaining IITs also find their place in the top 30 management colleges in the NIRF ranking list for the year 2024. Engineers alone were considered to be eligible for an MBA course in the IITs, so it was mandatory to have a minimum of four years of a degree course but now there has been a change in this rule. Now the majority of IITs allow students holding graduate degrees in any discipline to enter their institutes and enroll in their MBA programs.

IITs Establishment Years and Their Rankings 

Note:

• *Established

• ** Converted into IIT

Top 20 Government MBA Colleges In NIRF Ranking 2024

The NIRF Ranking 2024 presents the government's top 20 MBA colleges in India with a mix of good management courses. These best colleges like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and IIT Delhi are known for the quality of their study, their high rank and their good placement. 

The charges range from ₹0.95 Lakh at Jamia Millia Islamia to ₹27.00 lakhs at IIM Calcutta with CAT being the primary entrance test to gain admission. These institutions provide a variety of opportunities for enterprising MBA candidates to establish successful careers.

MBA from Private Universities/Colleges

Of all the top management colleges in India, a majority are government-owned. XLRI Jamshedpur, founded in 1949 is the highest-ranking private and oldest B-school in India. It is ranked 9th in the NIRF ranking list for the year 2024. Other privately owned management schools that are offering excellent management education in the nation are MDI Gurugram, founded in 1973, ranked at no. 11 in the NIRF 24 ranking list and SIBM Pune founded in 1978, ranked at 13th position in the NIRF rankings 2024.

Certain top private management institutions have their own entrance tests like XAT from XLRI, SNAP by Symbiosis Institute of Management and NMAT by NMIMS. Meanwhile, fewer other best private MBA schools like SPJIMR Mumbai, IMI Delhi, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, IMT Ghaziabad and Greatlakes Chennai rely on CAT and XAT scores.

Top Private MBA Colleges Ranking and Accreditations

Top MBA Colleges in NIRF Ranking 2024 Along With Eligibility, Fees and Entrance Exam Accepted

NIRF ranking parameters can include academic record, quality of faculty, placements available, infrastructure developed, industry interface and others such that a wise choice is made. Therefore aspirants should go through the MBA college's NIRF Ranking before applying.

The below table has a summary of India's best MBA institutes with details regarding rankings, eligibility criteria, tuition fees and entrance tests accepted by the institutes. Some of the B-schools mentioned are IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, XLRI etc. It is of vital importance when it comes to academic requirements, cost structures and entrance tests like CAT, GMAT, XAT, SNAP etc. The table given below serves as a guide to MBA hopefuls who are considering their university options depending on their eligibility and preference.

Top MBA Colleges in India 2024 Placement-Wise

The table given below shows the best colleges that provide high-average packages in the campus placement of 2024. Top colleges such as IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta and IIM Ahmedabad are leading at the top with great average packages exceeding ₹34.00 lakhs per annum. Despite the low fee FMS Delhi is different with an average salary of ₹34.1 lakhs. 

Other highly known colleges i.e. XLRI, SPJIMR and IIM Lucknow provide equally competitive packages from ₹29.00 Lakhs to ₹33.00 Lakhs yearly. The foremost recruiters among the colleges are giant corporations like Amazon, McKinsey, Microsoft, Tata Steel etc. For the complete information read the table provided below:

Top MBA Colleges in NIRF Ranking 2024, 2023, 2022

NIRF or National Institutional Ranking Framework is a framework created by the Government of India to rank colleges in India. NIRF evaluates colleges and universities as a means of taking into account numerous factors: quality of teaching, research, placements, infrastructures and overall performance at the college level. NIRF opens to students and parents an insight into the institution offering greater educational opportunities for management studies, engineering, medical school etc.

Following is the ranking of India's best MBA colleges based on NIRF for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024 and how these colleges IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore among others have produced super results year after year:

Top Government MBA Colleges with IIRF Rankings 2025

IIRF is one of the most important college ranking agencies in India. The full form of the IIRF is the Indian Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF). It ranks the colleges by looking at the faculty, industry relationships, academic excellence, internships and infrastructure of the institution. The information given below will help the students in making a better choice in the context of their education. 

The list given below contains the best government MBA colleges in India, as per the IIRF Rankings 2025. Most of the colleges given below mostly accept the CAT entrance exam. It begins by incorporating some of the top institutions namely FMS Delhi, IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Calcutta.

Top Private MBA Colleges with IIRF Rankings 2025

The table given below lists the top MBA colleges in the IIRF Ranking 2025. The table contains the ranking, exam accepted and fees of various government MBA colleges like XLRI, MDI, SPJIMR, NMIMS, IMI etc. Mainly CAT, XAT, NMAT and SNAP are accepted by these colleges.

Colleges with International Rankings

The two principal ranking methods employed for the evaluation of the quality of MBA education in the B-Schools are QS Global and FT Global Ranking. The QS Global Ranking examines several factors like academic reputation, employer reputation, student-faculty relations and international diversity. 

In contrast, FT Global considers the funds, alumni success, career development, research and international network. The below table provides the QS global ranking for 2025 and 2024 and the FT global rankings for 2024 and 2025:

Top Low-cost MBA Colleges with High ROI 

The best option for the aspirants is that they must get admission in a college with low fees but a high return on investment (ROI). Some colleges such as FMS Delhi and TISS Mumbai are distinct with the lowest fees of ₹1.85 to ₹2.32 lakhs and incredible packages of ₹34.1 Lakhs and ₹26.31 Lakhs per year respectively.

The other alternatives for the candidates are IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, JBIMS Mumbai, JMI Delhi and BHU Varanasi with a fee structure of ₹0.95 Lakhs to ₹11.75 Lakhs and also offering good placement packages thus offering high ROI  to the future MBA students.

Best MBA Colleges in India Ranking Wise

When a candidate searches for the top MBA colleges in India the important thing they look for is the ranking of that particular institution. They consider not only the national ranking agencies like NIRF and IIRF but also the international ranking such as the QS Global Ranking and the FT Global Ranking. 

Given below is a table that gives the Top MBA colleges in India list by showcasing the institution’s NIRF ranking of 24, IIRF ranking of 25, QS global ranking of 25 and FT global 2025 ranking. The table helps the aspirants understand which colleges are good and consistent at maintaining their positions across various rankings.

Top 10 MBA Colleges Accreditations Wise

To verify the quality, standards and authenticity of the institutions and their various programs the authorised agencies give accreditations. These accreditations are the formal recognition or certificates given to various institutions. In the context of MBA colleges accreditations like AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), EQUIS (EFMD Quality Improvement System) and AMBA (Association of MBAs) are globally known and reputed and make sure that the institution meets international standards for business education. 

The table given below highlights the top 10 MBA colleges in India based on accreditations which shows their commitment to global education standards. Institutes like IIM Kozhikode, IIM Calcutta and ISB (Hyderabad & Mohali) have three accreditations (EQUIS, AMBA, and AACSB) reflecting international recognition. Other colleges such as IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Mumbai are EQUIS-accredited while XLRI Jamshedpur and IIM Tiruchirappalli have AACSB and AMBA accreditations among others.

Top MBA Colleges Based on Specialisations

Specialisations offer a range of career paths from entrepreneurial ventures to making a student master's in analytics and marketing making it easier for students to choose programs that are in line with their aspirations. 

The table given below lists the top MBA colleges in India that offer specialised programs in areas like Integrated MBA (BBA + MBA) family business management & entrepreneurship, marketing and business analytics. It also highlights the college name, program name, duration, fees and exam of the top MBA colleges based on the specialisation that they offer. 

Specialisation - Integrated MBA (BBA + MBA)

Specialisation: MBA In Family Business Management & Entrepreneurship

Specialisation: Marketing

Specialisation: Business Analytics

Online/Distance MBA Colleges In India

The online MBA is an undergraduate business degree that takes two years to finish and can be studied entirely in an online mode. For individuals who are not able to relocate or pay for on-campus classes, the online MBA program is a suitable option. The online MBA program format enables students to learn independently and at any time they desire, which is why working individuals prefer such a program.

Fees of the online MBA course in India may cost anywhere from ₹0.33 Lakhs to ₹20.00 Lakhs. The entrance examinations for the online MBA program are CAT, XAT SNAP and GMAT. Though some universities prefer the use of matriculation grades and qualifying criteria, others conduct their own entrance exams.

The following table presents the information of the best online/distance MBA colleges in India that provide working professional and online student programs. It has program names, durations, entrance exams and fees providing a variety of options for executive and flexible education.

Leading Institutions Offering Online MBA Programs for Working Professionals

The Executive MBA online program prepares working individuals to become leaders in their industries and develop in their professions without interfering with their work lives. Students can do their assignments remotely thanks to the design of the online EMBA course. This can frequently be accomplished with little physical constraints or using internet platforms. The target audience includes mid-level or senior workers who can learn at their own speed with set deadlines. 

Normally, the courses are taught online using recorded lectures, live virtual meetings and interactive platforms that let students take part in assignments, group projects and debates from a distance. The following table includes the college's name, course and duration, accepted exams, average income and executive MBA cost:

Key Factors to Consider While Choosing an MBA College

The most important thing is the selection of the  MBA college that suits the candidate's future goals. Thus, to make the correct choice the aspirants must consider some of the key parameters while opting for an MBA college. Such key parameters are mentioned below:

• Accreditation and Quality Standards.

• Faculty and Infrastructure.

• Alumni Network and Industry Connections.

Accreditation and Quality Standards:

Accreditations and Quality Standards are major considerations when choosing a good MBA program because accreditation and quality standards indicate the legitimacy of a school, the credibility of a school's faculty and to what extent it embraces international business education standards. The following are what to seek and why they become relevant:

1. Assurance that the School Provides Top-Class Education

Accreditation by major organisations ensures the college is implementing all the fixed academic and professional standards. Facilities in infrastructure, research findings, assistance provided to the students, teaching experience of the faculty and curriculum provided through the accredited MBA programs are compared while evaluating the accredited MBA programs. This way, the industry would be facilitated with a good quality education which would benefit the students. 

2. Employer's Recognition

It shows that the graduate was educated in a dignified and demanding academic setting and degrees from reputable schools are greatly appreciated around the world. The accreditation shows that the MBA program is in accordance with the requirements of contemporary companies.

3. Global Acceptance

It is a sign that the MBA program is in accordance with the requirements of contemporary companies. For students who want to work for multinational companies or secure jobs abroad, this gives special emphasis.

4. Scholarships and Financial Aid

The second benefit of admission in accredited MBA schools is that numerous scholarships and financial aid are open only to students who gain admission into accredited courses. Accreditation provides a sense of comfort to the funding agencies with regards to the institution's jurisdiction as well as the quality of the course.

5. Major Accreditation Bodies

Some of the well-known accrediting agencies are AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), AMBA (Association of MBAs), EQUIS (EFMD Quality Improvement System), National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC).

Faculty and Infrastructure:

1. Quality of Faculty:

The quality of faculty is one of the foundation stones of any MBA program since faculty makes students grasp complex business issues and readies them for practical issues. Professors with suitable experience and credentials such as higher degrees like a Ph.D. or equivalent experience can provide a balanced education by incorporating academic understanding with practical wisdom. Furthermore, professors with good industry links can allow students to establish networks for future opportunities while providing thoughtful opinions on recent trends.

With an engaged faculty conducting cutting-edge research, institutions enable students to gain a better perspective of evolving business practices that even encourage them to think innovatively and create. Learning, through good pedagogy of teaching, makes the subject engaging and relevant to the world in general by providing focus on case studies, simulations and group projects. A diverse faculty, in terms of gender, experience and international exposure brings a variety of perspectives that improve the learning experience for students in general.

2. Infrastructure:

Good infrastructure is the beginning to develop an environment that would assist in learning and developing students professionally. State-of-the-art classroom facilities with state-of-the-art technology like smart boards and AV equipment actually improve the learning process. A well-equipped library and research centre with access to international journals, databases and research material is necessary for MBA students to enhance their knowledge base.

Integration of technology is the other important element, as data analytics programs, trading labs and virtual collaboration platforms allow the students to have real-time exposure to business situations. Residence accommodation and campus facilities aid in balancing academic life and focus by the students.

Fast and secure Wi-Fi and IT support are required for completing assignments, online classes, and utilization of all learning materials efficiently. Recreation and wellness amenities like sports complexes, gyms, and wellness centres provide a healthy lifestyle in the midst of a busy schedule. For budding entrepreneurs, incubation centres and innovation laboratories are a huge difference as these help initiate start-ups and the spirit of innovation. Overall, proper infrastructure assists in furthering the academic as well as individual growth of MBA student's right to choose a college.

Alumni Network and Industry Ties

Strong industry ties and an active and connected alumni network represent the recipe for a well-functioning MBA program. Alumni are good sources of networking opportunities, career counselling, and mentoring. A strong alumni base often reflects the quality of curricula at schools and their ability to inculcate long-term professional relationships.

Equally important is a strong industry connection, which will give students real experience through internships, real-world projects and business contacts. Colleges with built relationships with leading businesses can provide better placement chances and access to industry experts' guest lectures, seminars and workshops.

Together, a strong network of alumni and broad industry partnerships make better education, and opportunities to progress in careers and ensure students are prepared for business World demands. Generally these factors are very important when reviewing MBA colleges.