Top 20 PGDM Colleges in India: Courses, Fees, Admissions, Average Package
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Explore the Top PGDM Colleges in India based on NIRF rankings, tuition fees, average salary packages and placement records. Find the best institutes, admission process, entrance exams and key differences between MBA and PGDM to choose the right management programme.
Top PGDM Colleges in India
Top PGDM Colleges in India: 5000+ colleges offer PG management courses in India. The full form of PGDM is Post Graduate Diploma in Management. PGDM is very similar to an MBA degree; however, the PGDM is a diploma while the MBA is a degree. A degree can only be awarded by a university that is approved by the University Grants Commission, while awarding a PGDM does not require any accreditation from the University Grants Commission. Another difference between the MBA and PGDM is that the MBA syllabus and PGDM syllbus can be slightly different to each other depending on the colleges.
Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, the S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, and the Xavier Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur are some of the best PGDM colleges in India. This article is specifically designed for individuals planning to pursue an MBA this year; they can learn about MBA admissions at the top PGDM schools in India through this article.
- 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
Top 20 PGDM Colleges in India (Based on NIRF Ranking)
Every year, NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) releases rank-wise PGDM colleges along with the 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. Top 10 PGDM colleges in India and their NIRF 2025 rank of PGDM institutes are tabulated below:
(NIRF 2026 ranking is yet to be announced; therefore, for now, the data is provided as per NIRF 2025 data)
| PGDM Colleges |
NIRF 2025 Rank of PGDM Institutes
|
|---|---|
| IIM Kozhikode | 3 |
| IIM Lucknow | 5 |
| IIM Mumbai | 6 |
| MDI, Gurgaon | 9 |
| XLRI Jamshedpur | 10 |
| IIT, Kharagpur | 12 |
| IIM Raipur | 15 |
| IIFT | 17 |
| IIM Rohtak | 19 |
| SPJIMR | 20 |
| IMT, Ghaziabad | 30 |
| MICA, Ahmedabad | 33 |
| Great Lakes Institute of Management | 37 |
| IIM Shillong | 38 |
| IMI, Delhi | 40 |
| Goa Institute of Management | 43 |
| Institute of Rural Management Anand | 54 |
| IIM, Tiruchirappalli | 57 |
| IIM, Amritsar | 64 |
| IIM, Nagpur | 99 |
Commonly asked questions
NMIMS offers admission to MBA course (Part-time) on the basis of NMAT scores. Candidates seeking admission to NMIMS Mumbai must appear for the NMAT exam and qualify for the same. Tabulated below is the NMIMS Mumbai NMAT cutoff 2023:
| Master of Business Administration (MBA) (Part Time) - NMIMS School of Business Management, Mumbai : NMAT score Cutoff (General-All India) | |
|---|---|
| Section | 2022 |
| Overall | 212 |
Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the conducting body of NMAT exam, do not release the NMAT cutoff scores or percentile. The cutoff scores are released by the NMAT participating institutes at the time of the admission process. For NMAT exam conducted from October 10 to December 19, the MBA admission process at participating b-schools typically start from the month of November. While some b-schools also conduct the NMAT based MBA admission process from the month of February in the subsequent admission cycle.
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.
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)
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 the 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 |
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
Commonly asked questions
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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 the 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 India across Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, and Bangalore below:
Top Colleges for PGDM in Delhi
Check the space below to know the best PGDM colleges in Delhi based on popularity on Shiksha:
- Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi
- Jamia Millia Islamia
- IIM Rohtak
- MDI, Gurgaon
- Amity University, Noida
Top Pune PGDM Colleges
Check the space below to know the best Pune PGDM colleges based on popularity on Shiksha:
- Symbiosis Institute of Business Management
- National Institute of Bank Management
- Pune Institute of Business Management
- National Insurance Academy
- Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship Development
Top Bangalore PGDM Colleges
Below are top Bangalore PGDM colleges based on popularity on Shiksha:
- Christ University
- Alliance School of Business
- Jain University
- Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship
- Welingkar Bangalore
Best PGDM Colleges in Hyderabad
Check the space below for the best PGDM colleges in Hyderabad based on popularity on Shiksha:
- Institute of Management Technology
- University of Hyderabad
- National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management
- NMIMS, Hyderabad
- KL University
Best PGDM Colleges Admission Process
The admission process for the 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
Below are the names of PGDM exams conducted at national or state levels:
Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates
31 Oct '26 - 1 Nov '26
15 Sep '26 - 21 Nov '26
21 Nov '26
21 Aug '26 - 25 Nov '26
27 Oct '26 - 28 Nov '26
4 Nov '26 - 29 Nov '26
30 Nov '26
13 Dec '26
Difference between MBA and PGDM
The main difference between a PGDM and an MBA is the type of qualification. A PGDM is a diploma, while an MBA is a degree.
A PGDM is offered by autonomous institutes. An MBA is offered by universities or by colleges affiliated to a university. Some B-schools offer both courses, and some give the programme a different name, such as PGP. At the end of the course, you receive either a PGDM or an MBA, depending on the programme you chose.
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 the 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.
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Abhishek Dhawan is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He holds a BA degree from the University of Delhi. At Shiksha, Abhishek primarily covers MBA and BBA entrance
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