

The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj was established in 1977. It is an autonomous organisation under the Union Ministry of Rural Development and is approved by AICTE. The institute offers regular and distance PGDM courses.
The regular course offered by NIRD&PR is PGDM in Rural Development, and distance education courses include PGDM in Sustainable Rural Development, Tribal Development Management, and Geospatial Technology Applications in Rural Development. The course duration of the PGDM program is 2 years.
The Institute has a sprawling campus of 174.21 acres with four guest houses, 223 guest rooms, 11 conference halls with air conditioners, an auditorium, a community hall, a health centre, a canteen, a swimming pool, and a library with a rich collection of 1,23,448 books and more.
With regard to the placements provided by the Institute, students were offered salary packages as high as INR 10 LPA, while the average salary package was INR 5.8 LPA. Some of the top recruiters for this Institute are government agencies, NGO’s, NABARD, UNDP, and more.
Institute Name | National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj |
Established Year | 1977 |
Courses Offered | PGDM |
Mode of Admission | Merit-Based & Entrance exam-based |
Approvals & Accreditations | AICTE |
Application Start Date | June 2026 (Tentative) |
Application End Date | July 2026 (Tentative) |
Institute Type | Government |
Institute Website | https://www.nirdpr.org.in/index.aspx |
The institute has one regular PGDM course in Rural Development, while it offers three courses through distance learning, which include PGDM in Tribal Development Management, Sustainable Rural Development, and Geospatial Technology Applications in Rural Development. The total duration of these courses ranges from 2 years to 18 months.
Candidates who want to get admission into these courses must have completed their graduation and scored the required marks in management exams such as CAT, XAT, MAT, ATMA, or CMAT. Additionally, students are required to appear for the Group Discussion and the Personal Interview. Candidates are required to fill out the application form by visiting the website. The application fee for the PGDMSRD, PGDTDM, and PGDGARD is INR 500 for the general category, and INR 300 for the SC/ST/PH category.
Events | Dates |
Application Start Date | June 2026 (Tentative) |
Application End Date | July 2026 (Tentative) |
CAT Exam Date | 30th November 2025 |
XAT Exam Date | 4th January 2026 |
MAT Exam Date | Year-Around |
ATMA Exam Date | Year-Around |
CMAT Exam Date | 24th January 2026 |
Candidates who want to get admission into the PGDM courses provided by the institute should fulfil the following criteria:
Candidates must have completed a Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% marks (45% for reserved categories).
Along with this, candidates need to appear in any one of the management exams, such as CAT, XAT, MAT, ATMA, or CMAT.
Students who are in the final year of their graduation can also apply for this course. The final merit list will be created based on the Group Discussion and Personal Interview scores.
For the PGDM courses that are provided through Distance Learning, candidates need to have a Bachelor’s degree from a recognised university.
Additionally, freshers and in-service development personnel working in sectors such as Rural development, Agriculture, Non-Governmental Organisations, and more.
The placement cell plays an important role in reducing the gap between students and potential employers. They also help provide career opportunities for students studying PGDM by organising placement drives and providing career guidance.
Moreover, students at this Institute have received the highest salary package of INR 10 LPA, while the average salary package being offered is INR 5.8 LPA. Some of the top recruiters for this Institute are ICICI Foundation, Grant Thornton, Drishtee, HSRLM, DDU-GKY, BAIF Development, and more.
The Institute provides scholarships to meritorious and financially weak students. Some of the scholarships are based on students' performance in the trimester examination. Additionally, they also provide scholarships or fellowships to the students of the North Eastern states who are economically backward.

