Best MBA Colleges in Lucknow: Ranking, Fees, Admission 2026, Courses

IIM Lucknow, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, and Chandigarh University, UP Campus lead the 90+ MBA colleges in Lucknow. They serve the city's fast-growing FMCG and retail sectors and the established regional commercial strengths in agro-processing and logistics through specialised MBA courses. If planning to pursue an MBA here, prepare primarily for CUET-PG MBA and CAT. Explore more in detail below. 

Best MBA Colleges in Lucknow: An Overview in 2026

Lucknow may be a Tier-2 city, but it's also going through a positive socioeconomic transition to become India's first AI city. With that said, the newer private MBA colleges in Lucknow offer a good range of tech-integrated programmes in Business Analytics, Agribusiness, Supply Chain, and similar. Older established government institutions continue to provide low-cost MBA courses with traditional specialisations that are highly employer-friendly regionally. In short, among all MBA colleges in India, Lucknow serves as a fine middle ground for management education with a decent fee-to-salary ratio, specialisations, and relatively easier admissions. The city also hosts some of the best MBA colleges in Uttar Pradesh. Get more details below. 

Note: All info. is from official sites and can change. 

Top 4 MBA Colleges in Lucknow: NIRF 2025

IIM Lucknow is the No. 1 MBA college in Lucknow, according to NIRF. Among the five parameters NIRF uses (Teaching and Learning Resources, Research and Collaboration, Graduation Outcomes, Outreach and Inclusion, and Perception) to rank the top management schools in India, IIM Lucknow scores high in Graduation Outcomes -  the score is 96.96 and better than the same parameter for IIM Kozhikode and IIT Delhi, which rank above it. The table below even provides a two-year comparison of the NIRF ranks, which show that all the 4 best Lucknow MBA colleges have improved in their rankings. 

Note: NIRF's India Rankings 2025: Management is yet to be officially updated in 2026. 

Lucknow MBA Colleges: Eligibility and Admission 2026

Eligibility and admissions at the B-schools in Lucknow depend on the type of institution. 

Basic Eligibility at MBA Colleges in Lucknow

Candidates require at least 50% in graduation. It's 45% for reserved categories.

• National Institution: For IIM Lucknow (and most Tier 1 B-schools in India), graduation marks should also be around 50%.   
• Central, State, and Private Colleges for MBA in Lucknow: For ATKU, Lucknow University, and BBAU, the minimum graduation marks is 50%. 

Admission Routes in Lucknow MBA Colleges

• IIM Lucknow only requires the CAT exam. After shortlisting through the CAT percentile, candidates must submit a Statement of Purpose and appear in the Written Aptitude Test and Personal Interview. Learn more with IIM Lucknow Admission. 
• ATKU admission is a highly state-centralised process, which lets MBA candidates apply to its affiliated government and private colleges through the CUET-PG MBA exam. this entire allocation process is managed online through UPTAC (Uttar Pradesh Technical Admission Counselling) process There is a maximum state quota and a smaller percentage of seats through the management quota, based on different scores in CAT, CMAT, MAT, etc. 
• Central universities, including BBAU, offer 100% seats through the CUET PG MBA exam and it is independent of UPTAC process. So competition here is at a national level. Refer to the BBAU Admission process before applying for CUET PG MBA.
• The state autonomous university, University of Lucknow, has its own entrance test for MBA: LUMET. Check more details about the UoL MBA admission guide.
• Lucknow also has many other private colleges, where entrance exams for MBA admission are held at the institute level.

Entrance Exams and Schedules in Lucknow MBA Colleges 2026

45+ MBA colleges in Lucknow accept CUET-PG, while CAT is compulsory for IIM Lucknow. Altogether, 25+ business schools in Lucknow accept CAT. A few private, self-financed colleges for MBA in Lucknow simultaneously take in candidates with MAT or CMAT exam scores. Besides these, there are institute-level entrance exams, such as the LUMET Exam for the University of Lucknow (UoL) and the CUCET Management Exam for Chandigarh University, UP Campus. 

10 Best Private MBA Colleges in Lucknow

The top private MBA college in Lucknow is Jaipuria Institute of Management, according to NIRF. It holds the AACSB accreditation and recorded maximum placements in the Consulting and BFSI sectors. It integrates AI into its curriculum and career assistance. Along with Jaipuria Lucknow, the newly opened Chandigarh University, UP Campus, is also AI-powered, and it has a heavy focus on corporate collaborations, including IBM and PwC.  You can evaluate some more among the 60+ private B-schools in the city listed on Shiksha, and note that they are not expensive. For convenience, we have listed the 10 best below, with tuition fees.    

Note: All info. is from official sites and can change. 

ROI of Private MBA Colleges in Lucknow

Now it's known that IIM Lucknow placements are unbeaten with a median salary at INR 31 LPA. But, you might also want to consider the other private MBA colleges in Lucknow, which have decent career outcomes for the tuition fees, that can be paid without taking student loans. This section covers some of the best MBA colleges in Lucknow with low fees that have really strong returns.

Note: All info. is from official sites and they can change. 

MBA Colleges in Lucknow with Direct Admission

You can expect direct admission from some of the autonomous private MBA colleges in Lucknow through management quota, which is reserved at 15% of the total number of seats (according to the official UPTAC Information Brochure 2026-27). Under the management quota, the MBA fees can be higher, which is only disclosed when you visit the campus directly. Also some may just require candidates to appear in any of the entrances without them setting any cutoff score for admissions, but they require meeting the minimum graduation scores and appearing for personal interviews for profile selection. Here are some of the best MBA colleges in Lucknow without entrance exams that can offer direct admission. 

• Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management and Development Studies MBA Admission
• Integral University MBA Admission
• Babu Banarasi Das University MBA Admission 

Best Government MBA Colleges in Lucknow

IIM Lucknow is the only Tier-1 MBA college in Lucknow. Two other state universities in Lucknow that NIRF ranks among the top 100 B-schools in the country are the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University and the University of Lucknow. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University has the most affordable MBA programme, while AKTU or Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University affiliates over 50 colleges in Lucknow offering MBA.  

Note: All info. is from official sites and can change.

Compare the Best MBA Colleges in Lucknow in 2026

Click on the links below to compare the best MBA colleges in Lucknow. 

• IIM Lucknow Comparison
• BBAU Lucknow Comparison 
• Amity University Lucknow Comparison 
• Integral University Comparison