Top 20 PGDM Colleges in India: Courses, Fees, Admissions, Average Package

Top 20 PGDM Colleges in India: Courses, Fees, Admissions, Average Package

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Abhishek
Abhishek Dhawan
Assistant Manager – Editorial Content
Updated on Feb 12, 2026 23:20 IST
Post Graduate Diploma in Management, also known as PGDM, go hand in hand with MBA. More than 5,600 colleges in India offer management courses, including PGDM or MBA. The primary difference between PGDM and MBA is the nature of educational institute and its authority to revise the curriculum.

India has more than 5000 institutes offering PG management courses, such as PGDM. Find the list of top PGDM institutes of India with salary and tuition fee.

Top PGDM Colleges in India

Top PGDM Colleges in India

Top PGDM Colleges in India: More than 5,000 institutes in India offer PG management courses, including PGDM. PGDM full form is Post Graduate Diploma in Management. PGCET course is similar to an MBA degree courses. The primary difference between a PGDM and MBA is the type of educational institution and its ability to change the curriculum. MBA is a degree course, whereas PGDM is a Diploma course. A degree can be offered by a University, which is recognised by the University Grants Commission. 

Some of the best PGDM colleges in India include the Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, the S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, and the Xavier Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur. Candidates planning to pursue MBA this year, can refer to this article for more information on MBA admission to top PGDM colleges in India.

Table of contents
  • Top 20 PGDM Colleges in India (Based on NIRF Ranking)
  • Top IIMs offering PGDM Courses
  • Top Non-IIMs offering PGDM Courses
  • Top PGDM Institute in India based on Placements
  • Top PGDM Institute in India based on Fees
  • Best Cities for PGDM in India
  • Best PGDM Colleges Admission Process
  • Difference between MBA and PGDM
View More

Top 20 PGDM Colleges in India (Based on NIRF Ranking)

Every year NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) releases rank-wise PGDM colleges along with best colleges across streams. The rank of PGDM colleges is determined based on numerous factors, including

  • Teaching, Learning and Resources (TLR)
  • Research and Professional Practice (RP)
  • Outreach and Inclusivity (OI)
  • Graduation Outcomes (GO)
  • Perception (PR)

The rank of each PGDM institute varies from year to year based on how well a college or university performed across different parameters. The table below mentions top 10 PGDM colleges in India:

Sr. No. PGDM Colleges
NIRF 2025 Rank of PGDM Institutes
1 IIM Kozhikode 3
3 IIM Lucknow 5
2 IIM Mumbai 6
5 MDI, Gurgaon 9
4 XLRI Jamshedpur 10
9 IIT, Kharagpur 12
7 IIM Raipur 15
8 IIFT 17
6 IIM Rohtak 19
10 SPJIMR 20
16 IMT, Ghaziabad 30
14 MICA, Ahmedabad 33
15 Great Lakes Institute of Management 37
11 IIM Shillong 38
18 IMI, Delhi 40
17 Goa Institute of Management 43
20 Institute of Rural Management Anand 54
12 IIM, Tiruchirappalli 57
19 IIM, Amritsar 64
13 IIM, Nagpur 99
Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is a good score in CMAT for admission to top MBA colleges?
A: 

Ideally, one would say that 99 to100 percentile is good for MBA Admission. However, it is not possible for all candidates to score so high. So, what shall be considered a good score in CMAT. A good CMAT score is basically a score that will get you a seat in your desired college. So, if you desire a Tier 1 college, a good score in CMAT will be 85 percentile and above. If you desire a Tier 2 college, a good score in CMAT will be 70 to 85 percentile and for a Tier 3 college, less than 70 percentile in CMAT will be good. Now, if you want to understand CMAT. Score in terms of percentile, so that while giving the exam you know how much raw score is needed to get the required percentile for the desired college, you need to know how much CMAT score is equal to percentile. About 340 to 350 score is equal to 100 percentile in CMAT About 281to 340 score is equal to 90 to 99.99 percentile in CMAT About 201 to 280 score is equal to 81 to 89 percentile in CMAT About 171 to 200 score is equal to 71to 80 percentile in CMAT About 140 to 171 score is equal to 61 to 70 percentile in CMAT About 116 to 140 score is equal to 51 to 60 percentile in CMAT.

Q:   How are TANCET cutoff scores determined?
A: 

Some factors that influence TANCET cutoff scores include number of seats, difficulty level of exam, previous cutoff trends, number of test takers, performance of test takers, among other factors.

Q:   What is the CAT exam cutoff required to get admission to IIM Bangalore?
A: 

The CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore hovers between 97-100 percentile. The qualifying CAT cut off required for being eligible for IIM Bangalore's Written Ability test (What) and Personal Interview PI is 85 percentile for General category students, whereas for SC candidates, it is 70 percentile. For ST candidates, it is 65 percentile and for PwD candidates it is 60 percentile. Given below are the sectional and overall qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore.

  • General category: 80 VARC 75 DILR 75 Quantitative Aptitude 85 (Overall)
  • NC-OBC category: 75 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
  • EWS category: 70 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
  • SC category: 65 VARC 60 DILR 60 Quantitative Aptitude 70 (Overall)
  • ST category: 55 VARC 55 DILR 55 Quantitative Aptitude 65 (Overall)
  • PwD category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall)
Q:   What is the average number of CAT 100 percentilers every year?
A: 

On an average, about 10-15 CAT aspirants score 100 percentile. Given below is the data of CAT 100 percentilers of last 4 years:

Exam year

CAT 100 percentilers

State wise numbers

CAT 2025

12

1- Uttar Pradesh

1- Karnataka 

1- Maharashtra

3- Delhi

2- Haryana 

2- Gujarat

1- Jharkhand

1- Odisha

CAT 2024

14

1- Andhra Pradesh
2- Delhi
1- Haryana
1-Kerala
5- Maharashtra
1- Odisha
1- Rajasthan
2- Telangana

CAT 2023

14

1 – Andhra Pradesh
1 - Delhi
1 – Gujarat
1 – Jammu & Kashmir
1 - Karnataka
1 - Kerala
4 – Maharashtra
1 – Tamil Nadu
2 - Telangana
1 - Uttar Pradesh

CAT 2022

11

2 - Delhi

1 - Gujarat

1 - Haryana

1 - Kerala

1 - Madhya Pradesh

2 - Maharashtra

2 - Telangana

1 - Uttar Pradesh

 

Top IIMs offering PGDM Courses

Not all IIMs offer a PGDM course, some IIMs, including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta brand their management course as PGP; however, awards an MBA degree after course completion. The list of IIMs offering PGDM programme is mentioned below:

PGDM Colleges
NIRF Rank of PGDM Institutes
IIM Kozhikode 3
IIM Lucknow 5
IIM Mumbai 6
IIM Raipur 15
IIM Rohtak 19
IIM Shillong 38
IIM, Tiruchirappalli 57
IIM, Amritsar 64
IIM, Nagpur 99
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Top Non-IIMs offering PGDM Courses

The table below mentions the list of best PGDM institutes in India that are not IIMs:

PGDM Colleges
NIRF Rank of PGDM Institutes
MDI, Gurgaon 9
XLRI Jamshedpur 10
IIT, Kharagpur 12
IIFT 17
SPJIMR 20
IMT, Ghaziabad 30
MICA, Ahmedabad 33
Great Lakes Institute of Management 37
IMI, Delhi 40
Goa Institute of Management 43
Institute of Rural Management Anand 54

Also Read: Top 20 MBA colleges apart from IIMs

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   How many candidates scored 100 percentile in CAT 2025?
A: 

In CAT 2025, the number of 100 percentilers was 12. Check state wise data:

Overall Percentile

Total

Gender and Discipline

State wise distribution

100

12

Female - 2 Male - 10 Engineering - 3 Non-Engineering - 9

Uttar Pradesh 1

Karnataka 1

Maharashtra 1

Delhi 3

Haryana 2

Gujarat 2

Jharkhand 1

Odisha 1

Q:   I don’t have 50 % in graduation. Can I apply for CMAT?
A: 

Yes, you can apply for CMAT as only passing marks are required in graduation to apply. However, CMAT accepting colleges accept candidature only above 50% (45% for Reserved categories).

Q:   Which are the top colleges for MBA with CMAT score of 80 to 85 percentile?
A: 
If you score between 80 to 85 percentile CMAT you need not worry about admission. There are a large number of MBA colleges that accept candidates with CMAT score in the range of 80 to 85 percentile. A number of government as well as private institutes with good infrastructure and placements are within your reach. Some of those popular colleges include, Welingkar Institute of Management-Mumbai, Welingkar Institute of Management-Bangalore, Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management, IFIM-Bangalore, IFMR- Chennai, NIBM-Pune, NL Dalmiya Institute of Management, IMT Hyderabad, IMT Nagpur, XISS Ranchi, ITM Navi Mumbai, Jaipuria Institute of Management Noida, Xavier Business School-Xavier University, Great Lakes Institute of Management-Gurgaon, BIMTECH-Greater Noida, XIME-Bangalore, ISBM-Pune, Jaipuria Institute of Management Lucknow, KIIT School of Management, IPE Hyderabad, SIES College of Management Studies-Navi Mumbai and Chetana Institute of Management and Research-Mumbai among others.

Explore colleges based on CAT

Pune
₹13.39 L
Ahmedabad
#1 NIRF
₹27.50 L
Bangalore
#2 NIRF
₹26.00 L
Kozhikode
#3 NIRF
₹14.00 L

Want better recommendations?

There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
Delhi
#4 NIRF
₹12.00 L
Indore
₹12.50 L
Lucknow
#5 NIRF
₹12.60 L
Gurgaon
₹86.00 K
Mumbai
#6 NIRF
₹25.00 L
Kolkata
#7 NIRF
₹27.00 L
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Top PGDM Institute in India based on Placements

The space below mentions the average package of top 10 PGDM colleges in India:

Sr. No. PGDM Best Colleges Average Package (in INR)

1

IIM Kozhikode

31.02 LPA

2

IIM Lucknow

32.20 LPA

3

IIM Mumbai

25.27 LPA

4

XLRI Jamshedpur

32.7 LPA

5

IIM Raipur

21.04 LPA

6

IIM Rohtak

18.73 LPA

7

MDI, Gurgaon

27.26 LPA

8

IIT, Kharagpur

TBA

9

SPJIMR

33.02 LPA

10

IIM, Tiruchirappalli

20.55 LPA

Also Read: IIM Placements

Top PGDM Institute in India based on Fees

The space below mentions the PGDM course fee of best colleges in India:

Sr. No. PGDM Best Colleges PGDM Fees (in INR)
1 IIM, Kozhikode 20.5 L
2 IIM, Lucknow 12.6 L
3 IIM, Mumbai 8.5 L
4 XLRI, Jamshedpur 2.9 L
5 IIM, Raipur 14.2 L
6 MDI, Gurgaon 18.1 L
7 IIT, Kharagpur 25 L
8 SPJIMR 20.4 L
9 IIM Trichy 19.5 L
10 IIM Shillong 14.6 L
11 IIFT 4.85 L
12 Great Lakes Institute of Management 9 L
13 Goa Institute of Management 18.3 L
14 IMI, Delhi 18.2 L
15 MICA, Ahmedabad 21 L
16 IMT, Ghaziabad 18.8 L
17 IIM, Amritsar 12.5 L
18 Institute of Rural Management Anand 12.6 L
19 IIM Nagpur 17.7 L
20 IIM Rohtak 8.9 L

Best Cities for PGDM in India

With over 4000 cities and towns in India, PGDM colleges are situated in every part of the country. PGDM course is known to deliver practical knowledge of the business world. Therefore, candidates prefer to pursue a PGDM course from a tier-1 city with flourishing businesses. Some of these cities in India include Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi, and Bangalore. Find the top PGDM colleges in Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, and Bangalore below:

Top Colleges for PGDM in Delhi

Check the space below to know best PGDM colleges in Delhi based on popularity on shiksha:

  1. Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi
  2. Jamia Milia Islamia
  3. IIM Rohtak
  4. MDI, Gurgaon
  5. Amity University, Noida

Top Pune PGDM Colleges

Check the space below to know best Pune PGDM colleges based on popularity on shiksha:

  1. Symbiosis Institute of Business Management
  2. National Institute of Bank Management
  3. Pune Institute of Business Management
  4. National Insurance Academy
  5. Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship Development

Top Bangalore PGDM Colleges

Check the space below for top Bangalore PGDM colleges based on popularity on shiksha:

  1. Christ University
  2. Alliance School of Business
  3. Jain University
  4. Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship
  5. Welingkar Bangalore

Best PGDM Colleges in Hyderabad

Check the space below for best PGDM colleges in Hyderabad based on popularity on shiksha:

  1. Institute of Management Technology
  2. University of Hyderabad
  3. National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management
  4. NMIMS, Hyderabad
  5. KL University

Best PGDM Colleges Admission Process

The admission process for PGDM course is identical to MBA admissions. Candidates will have to appear for national-level/state-level entrance exams for PGDM admissions.

Top exams for PGDM Admissions

The space below mentions the names of PGDM exams conducted at national or state levels:

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Difference between MBA and PGDM

The primary difference between a PGDM and an MBA is that a PGDM is a diploma programme, while an MBA is a degree program. A diploma course is offered by an autonomous institute, while an MBA degree is offered by a university or college affiliated to a university. A b-school may offer both MBA as well as PGDM courses.

A b-school may market the PGDM or MBA course with different names, such as PGP. The award at the time of course completion will be among PGDM or MBA degree.

The difference between PGDM and MBA is tabulated below:

Feature

PGDM

MBA

Nature of course

Diploma

Degree

Awarding body

Autonomous institute (typically holds AICTE approval or standalone institutes)

University (typically regulated by UGC)

Knowledge imparted

Industry-oriented

Theoretical

Curriculum flexibility

Can change every year with advancing industry standards

Can change in long term

Which programme among PGDM and MBA is right depends on the individual needs as well as goals. Candidates looking for a course that imparts practical skills can choose a PGDM. However, candidates looking for a program that provides a broader understanding of business concepts and principles must go for an MBA degree course. Before choosing a degree or a diploma course, aspirants must have an understanding of MBA accreditation.

Irrespective of what course is chosen by the candidate, employers regard both MBA and PGDM at equal levels.

Read More:

CAT Percentile predictor prepared by Shiksha.com helps students to get their predicted CAT 2025 percentile on the basis of their expected exam score. So, predict your CAT 2025 score by clicking the link below:

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About the Author
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Abhishek Dhawan
Assistant Manager – Editorial Content

Abhishek is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He completed his graduation from University of Delhi with a BA Degree. At Shiksha.com, he handles content for MBA, BBA, an

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