Top MBA Colleges in Kerala 2021

Kerala, known for having India’s highest literacy rate at nearly 94 percent, enjoys the unique status of being the country’s key education hub. The state, economy of which contributes nearly four cent to India’s total economy, is now emerging as one of the largest corporate destination as well making it a perfect choice to study MBA. MBA Colleges in Kerala offer quality education with high placements. Students from the state and even across the country, are now looking at B-Schools in Kerala to make a career in Management.

The two-year MBA programme acts as a gateway to a plethora of job and entrepreneurial opportunities. This course provides understanding related to the administration of the business and managing the business operations. Students from any background, including Science, Commerce and Humanities can pursue MBA. Such students should also possess skills such as excellent communication, leadership, problem-solving, management, research-oriented, analytical thinking, eye for detail, goal-oriented & ability to work under pressure, strong mathematical skills, etc.

Some of the best MBA colleges in Kerala include Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode;  National Institute of Technology (NIT), Calicut; Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship (XIME), Kochi; Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies (RCBS), Kochi; LEAD College of Management, Palakkad; DC School of Management and Technology, Idukki; SCMS Cochin School of Business, Kochi, etc. MBA in Kerala can be a good choice for aspirants looking for an affordable fee structure with a high return on investment.

In Kerala,MBA degree is offered across various specialisations. Some of the most prominent ones are as follows:

• Finance

• Human Resources

• Sales and Marketing

• Operations

• IT and Systems

• International Business

• Transport & Logistics

• Supply Chain

• Travel and Tourism Management

• Retail 

There are a total of around 150 colleges in Kerala which offer full-time, part-time, distance-learning and online modes of study. These colleges provide degree, diploma and certificate courses. Out of these the top 16 MBA colleges in India ranked by NIRF, Outlook, Times, Business World and Business Today offer degree courses in a full-time mode of study.

MBA Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for MBA course may differ from college to college. However, the basic eligibility criteria to pursue an MBA is as follows:

• Candidates must have passed graduation in any discipline or equivalent from a recognised university as a basic eligibility criteria for MBA (full-time)

• Most of the institutes follow the minimum score criteria in graduation which is 50 per cent on average or equivalent. Some of the colleges also offer a five per cent relaxation to students from the reserved categories.

• Final-year graduation candidates are also eligible to apply for MBA, provided they present the proof of completion of graduation degree within the duration specified by the institute

Apart from merit-based admission, colleges conduct entrance exams such as CMAT, CAT, KMAT, KMAT KERALA, MAT, XAT, ATMA, GMAT, etc. for MBA in Kerala.

Although there are plenty of MBA colleges in Kerala there a few top ones that have been listed by NIRF. Following is a list of top 2 MBA colleges in Kerala ranked by NIRF:

College Name	NIRF’20 Ranking
IIM Kozhikode	6
Rajagiri Business School	76

Here is the list of some of the top private and public MBA Colleges in Kerala:

Private Colleges	Course Fee (in Rs lakh)
LEAD College of Management	4,80,000
RCBS, Kochi	-
DC School of Management and Technology, Idukki	2,18,000
SCMS Cochin School of Business, Kochi	7,50,000
XIME Kochi	7,50,000

 

Public Colleges	Course Fee (in Rs)
Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode	8,75,000
National Institute of Technology (NIT), Calicut	1,70,600

Following is the list of top 2 MBA colleges in Kerala ranked by Outlook:

College Name	Outlook’20 Ranking
RCBS, Kochi	71
SCMS Cochin School of Business, Kochi	113

 Following is the list of top 2 MBA colleges in Kerala ranked by Times:

College Name	Times’20 Ranking
LEAD College of Management, Palakkad	46
DC School of Management and Technology, Idukki	86

What are the study options after MBA?

MBA graduates can choose from multiple courses to pursue higher education or certification. The popular courses include:

• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)

• Financial Risk Manager (FRM) Exam

• Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

• Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA)

• Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM)

• Project Management Professional (PMP)

• Second MBA from an international business school

MBA Placement Trends

• Finance Manager

• Marketing Manager

• Sales Manager

• Human Resources Manager

• Operations Manager

• Product Manager

• Data Analytics Manager

• Digital Marketing Manager

• Advertising Sales Manager

• NGO Manager

Graduates from below top 2 MBA colleges in Kerala get a median salary of Rs 5-10 LPA:

• LEAD College of Management, Palakkad

• SCMS Cochin School of Business, Kochi

 Graduates from below top MBA college in Kerala get a median salary of Rs 10-20 LPA:

• IIM Kozhikode

Refer to the infographic below to get a detailed overview of the median salary for MBA Colleges in Kerala:

Top Recruiters for MBA Graduates

MBA graduates from any domain are in high demand. All organisations, big or small, private or government, hire MBA degree holders in various capacities. Below is the list of few top companies in Kerala that recruit MBA postgraduates along with their placement ratings:

Colleges	Placement Ratings (Based on Reviews)	Top Recruiters
LEAD College of Management, Palakkad	4.5	Airtel, Amul, Berger Paints, Envestnet, Impex, KPMG, Nestle, Sundaram Finance, Vodafone, Wipro, etc.
Saintgits Institute of Management (SIM), Kottayam	4.5	Aditya Birla Group, Asia Paints, Axis Bank, Hidesign, Everest, Idea, ITC, Taj Group, Infosys, etc.
IIM Kozhikode	4.4	Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Bain & Co., BCG, Mckinsey & Co., Deloitte, Amazon, HUL, Capgemini, Mahindra, RPG, TAS, BlackRock, Microsoft, Accenture, Hindustan Unilever Limited, etc.
RCBS, Kochi	4.4	Air India, Allianz, Axis Bank, Berger Paints, Blue Star, Coca-Cola, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, RBS, HDFC Bank, IBS Software, Larsen and Toubro, Mahindra Finance, Muthoot Fincorp, Nerolac, Oracle, Pepsi, Reliance Money, SBI Life, Suntec, Sutherland, TAFE, Taj Group of Hotels, TVS Group, Verizon, etc.
Rajagiri Business School, Kochi	4.1	Federal Bank, Bata, Goldman Sachs, Wipro, TCS, Amazon, Deloitte, Coca-Cola, Future Group, Decathlon, Aditya Birla, Tata Communications, HDFC, Axis Bank, etc.
XIME Kochi	4.0	Infosys, MindTree, KPMG, TechMahindra, Deloitte, Sonata, BOSCH, Hitachi, Airtel, Oracle, Sabre, Mahindra, IDFC Bank and Mercedes, etc.
Nehru College of Engineering and Research Centre (NCERC), Thrissur	3.7	Face Academy for Career Enhancement, ICICI Prudential, ICICI Securities, Indian Army, Indian Navy, Infosys, KPMG, IBM, Wipro, FCRI, Apollo Tyres, Dare, Malabar Cements, Tata AIG, Amazon, HDFC Bank, Oyo Rooms, and Byjus, etc.

 How affordable is studying MBA in Kerala?

Based on the below pie chart, it can be estimated that pursuing MBA in Kerala is moderately priced as approximately 40% of the colleges have annual fees ranging from Rs 3-5 lakh. Some of these colleges are:

• Farook Institute of Management Studies, Calicut

• Albertian Institute of Management, Kochi

• SIM, Kottayam

• LEAD College of Management, Palakkad

Around 30% MBA colleges have fee of more than Rs 5 lakh. Some of these colleges are:

• SCMS Cochin School of Business, Kochi

• XIME Kochi

• IIM Kozhikode

Around 10% MBA colleges have fee of less than Rs 1 lakh. Some of these colleges are:

• NCERC, Thrissur

Around 10% MBA colleges have fee structure that ranges from Rs 2-3 lakh. These colleges are:

• DC School of Management and Technology, Idukki

Around 10% MBA colleges have fee structure that ranges from Rs 1-2 lakh. Some of these colleges are:

• NIT Calicut

Refer to the infographic below to get a detailed overview of the break-up of MBA colleges in Kerala based on fee: