Here is the guide to the best of 170+ MBA colleges in Chennai. Chennai's management schools can be seriously more affordable than in Mumbai and Bangalore. And, as a city, it's also quite industrious, which is why the ROI is great. Chennai MBA colleges are ideal to get into managerial and leadership roles in operations and business. You have India's top IIT standing out within the top 20 MBA colleges in India tier, with its exceptional Department of Management Studies (DoMS) of IIT Madras. Then there is one of the top private MBA colleges in India - Great Lakes Institute of Management in Chennai, known for its high-calibre programmes aligned to place you in top-notch industries.
Beyond the CAT exam for admissions to best MBA colleges in Chennai, there are other national and state-level entrances, ranging from MAT and XAT to TANCET exam. Discover your options from below.
Best MBA Colleges in Chennai: Highlights
Chennai has the largest number of top MBA colleges in Tamil Nadu, with more private B-schools taking the top spots in ranking surveys like NIRF, often above the new IIMs in Shillong and the NIT colleges in Trichy, Calicut, and Jaipur. Some of these focus on experiential learning, while others focus on value-for-money programmes when affiliated with ranking government colleges, including Anna University.
| Parameters |
Details |
| No. of Chennai MBA Colleges |
Total: 170+
Private: 130+
Government: 8+ |
| Total Tuition Fees for MBA Colleges in Chennai |
~ INR 14,700 - ~ INR 14 Lakh |
| Top Specialisations for Good Placements |
Operations
General Management Marketing and Sales IT and Systems
HR |
| Accepted Entrance Exams |
TANCET, CAT, CMAT, MAT, XAT |
| Accreditations of the Best MBA Colleges in Chennai |
AMBA, AACSB, NAAC, AICTE, NBA |
| Median Packages from Best MBA Colleges in Chennai |
INR 4.5 LPA - INR 18 LPA |
Note: All info. is from official sites and can change.
7 Top MBA Colleges in Chennai: NIRF Ranking 2025
NIRF Management rankings for best MBA colleges in Chennai in 2025 have listed six in the top 1-100 tier, and one in the 101-125 rank band. IIT-M has risen in its rankings owing to its placements and curricula, and scoring better in all five parameters - TLR, RPC, GO, OI and Perception, than in 2024. Loyola Institute of Business Administration, better known as LIBA, has moved up in rankings since 2024, and in 2025, it scored quite high in two parameters: Graduation Outcomes (GO) or career success, and Outreach and Inclusion (OI), which defines diversity among students, with scores levelling above 70. The newest addition in 2025 is the S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology in 2025, outranking Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences and Anna University.
Note: Official NIRF reports. India Rankings 2024 and 2025: Management. For 2026, it is yet to be published.
General Eligibility for MBA Colleges in Chennai in 2026
MBA colleges in Chennai need candidates to have at least 50 to 60 per cent graduation marks or an equivalent CGPA. They also accept candidates for MBA without CAT, but with other entrances like TANCET, MAT, or CMAT. For some private B schools with moderate to high fees, the entrance score requirement may not be higher.
Entrance Schedules for MBA in Chennai Colleges in 2026
For management education in this city, you must first check MBA colleges accepting TANCET in Chennai - mostly applicable to all the management schools affiliated with Anna University. Below are schedule links for this entrance and others that many colleges for MBA in Chennai accept.
Note: All info. is from official sites and can change.
10 Best Private MBA Colleges in Chennai
Great Lakes Institute of Management is the best private MBA college in Chennai. It offers more than five Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGPM) courses, covering the flagship Family Business and Entrepreneurship specialisation, while the other common ones include retail management and finance management. LIBA has fewer options than Great Lakes and offers two-year management programmes as PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management). S.R.M Institute of Science and Technology has more than 20 specialisations for its MBA programmes, making it the most versatile among all, and more so, because it ranks on NIRF for many other categories. It's MBA programme in Data Science along with AI is quite popular.
Note: All info. is from official sites and can change.
ROI of Best MBA Colleges in Chennai
The ROI for MBA from Chennai colleges can differ, but are equally great for the fee range and the median packages reported. IIT-M has the reputation of the best ROI, but there are so many other colleges that have above-average fee-to-salary ratios. See the median salaries and comapre with the tuition fees from the best business schools in Chennai below.
Note: This info is from the official sites and can change.
Top MBA Colleges in Chennai with Low Fees
Chennai also has some low-fee and good ROI MBA programmes from private engineering colleges that are affiliated with Anna University or the University of Madras. This table lists those institutions where the fee ranges are less than INR 1 Lakh for the entire tuition fee. All these have median salaries reported as above INR 3 LPA, and up to INR 8 LPA. Also, all of these require candidates to get through the TANCET entrance exam, instead of CAT. Explore the top 10 MBA colleges in Chennai with low fees.
| Low-cost MBA Colleges in Chennai |
Total Tuition Fee |
| Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University |
INR 30,000 |
| Misrimal Navajee Munoth Jain Engineering College |
INR 35,000 |
| Madha Group of Academic Institutions |
INR 35,000 |
| GKM College of Engineering and Technology |
INR 35,000 |
| DMI College of Engineering |
INR 35,000 |
| College of Engineering |
INR 60,000 |
SRM Easwari Engineering College
|
INR 70,000 |
| Gojan School of Business and Technology |
INR 35,000 |
| Loyola Institute of Technology |
INR 35,000 |
| Rajalakshmi Engineering College |
INR 35,000 |
Note: All info. is from official sites and can change.
Government MBA Colleges in Chennai
Besides IIT Madras, there are a couple of other public colleges for management courses, which you can check. These are not necessarily the lowest-fee MBA colleges in Chennai, but are definitely among the most preferred in the state and the southern region, when considering the best MBA colleges in India.
Note: All info. is from official sites and can change.
Compare MBA Colleges in Chennai
