Top MBA Colleges in Kolkata 2025: Compare Rankings, Courses, Fees & Placement Data

Kolkata is known as the cultural and educational capital of eastern India. For management aspirants seeking quality education, affordable fees, and strong placement records, the city offers a wide range of colleges, such as one of the top business institutes, IIM Calcutta, and more affordable yet reputable MBA colleges like IISWBM, Praxis Business School, IBS, and St. Xavier’s University Kolkata. The fees of these colleges range from approximately 2 Lakh to 27 lakh, allowing candidates to choose from a wide range of fees. 

Just like the fees, the annual placement packages also have a wide range. IIM Calcutta leads with an average of 33 LPA offered during campus placements; on the other hand, the rest of the colleges usually have placement packages that start from 7 LPA to 13 LPA. To get admission to the colleges mentioned above, candidates are required to clear entrance exams such as CAT, XAT, CMAT, and ATMA. Apart from these national-level exams, a state-level entrance exam called JEMAT is conducted by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology for admission to MBA programs in colleges across West Bengal. 

Top MBA Colleges in Kolkata Highlights 2025

Kolkata is home to one of India’s top business schools, like the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. Apart from the top IIM, this city also offers some great private MBA colleges, such as Praxis Business School, IBS, and St. Xavier’s University Kolkata. These colleges offer many specializations to enable students to align their studies with their career goals. It includes core specializations such as finance, human resources, and business analytics along with more contemporary specializations such as Healthcare Management, Hospital Administration and Sports Management offered by Sister Nivedita University.  

To get admission to these courses, candidates must clear the state-level exams, such as JEMAT or other national-level entrance exams accepted by the colleges, like XAT, CMAT, MAT and CAT. Qualified candidates will be called for a personal interview/GD round. Students who clear these rounds will just have to pay the fees to confirm their admission. The fee ranges from 2 Lakh to 27 lakh, the highest fee charged by the IIM Calcutta. Top MBA colleges in Calcutta generally offer packages that range from 7 LPA to 13 LPA. Here are some key highlights on the Top MBA colleges in Kolkata that each candidate planning to pursue an MBA from Kolkata should know.

MBA Colleges in Kolkata with NIRF & Business Today Rankings 

The NIRF and Business Today rankings are a national-level grading system for MBA colleges across the nation. The infrastructure, academic resources, faculty, placements, and student experiences of various business schools are assessed and compared to rank them accordingly. It allows candidates to assess the quality of education and opportunities provided by the colleges. For example, IIM Calcutta is ranked in 5th position under the NIRF ranking and is the only MBA college in Kolkata on the list.

Business Today Rankings 2024

Business Today is India's most famous business magazine. Each year, it releases a list in which the top MBA colleges in the country are ranked according to their academic resources, student reviews, and placement records. A total of 5 colleges from Kolkata made it to the list, with IIM Calcutta in 1st rank. Here is a list of top MBA colleges in Kolkata, both private and government, according to the Business Today ranking, along with their score out of 1000.

MBA Admission Process in Kolkata 2025

The admission process to join top MBA colleges in Kolkata includes clearing the entrance exam (JEMAT, CAT, CMAT, XAT etc.), group discussion, and personal interview, and then a final merit list is created based on the candidate’s performance in previous rounds, entrance exam score, and academic background. For example, JEMAT is a state-level entrance exam conducted by  Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology to select candidates for admission to MBA colleges across West Bengal, including ones located in Kolkata. Candidates interested in pursuing an MBA through JEMAT and other entrance exams are required to follow the steps mentioned below:

Step 1. Check whether the candidate fulfills the eligibility criteria required by the desired college for admission to the MBA program. Most of the top MBA colleges in Kolkata require candidates to have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institute with at least 55% scored by passing out.  

Step 2. Apply to appear in the entrance examinations like CAT, MAT, CMAT and XAT that are accepted in top colleges in Kolkata. The JEMAT examination is expected to be conducted in July 2025. Candidates must fill out the application form on the official website of the examination and pay the application fee. 

Step 3. After clearing the entrance exam, the selected candidates will be allotted a written ability test. This is designed to test candidates’ writing/communication abilities and the clarity of thought they have. Unlike the Group Discussion round, where more extroverted candidates may dominate, this test provides an equal opportunity to all the candidates.

Step 4. The Group discussion round allows the university to assess the candidate’s leadership qualities, teamwork, analytical skills, reasoning, and communication while discussing certain topics. In colleges such as Praxism and IISBWM, the GD round is replaced with “case discussion,” which is more analytical and problem-solving oriented. 

Step 5. After the GD, candidates are called for a personal interview round. Where the interviewer asks questions on the candidate’s goals, interests, and academic background to understand their personality and capabilities. Candidate’s subject knowledge is also judged in this round, ensuring that the candidate is well informed and educated.

Step 6. A final merit list is created after the completion of WAT, GD and the interview. This list is based on the candidate's score in the previous rounds along with the entrance exam scores and educational background. MBA requires candidates to be well-rounded, so all these components are equally important while electing candidates for admission.

Step 7. The final step of the admission process is to pay the admission fee; only after completing the payment will the seat be secured. Candidates who fail to successfully pay the admission fee may get disqualified.  

MBA Entrance Exam Schedule 2025

Every year, thousands of MBA aspirants prepare for a series of competitive exams conducted to select candidates for admission to top MBA colleges in Kolkata. The 2025 MBA admission cycle will revolve around major national-level entrance exams such as CAT, XAT, and CMAT and state-specific exams like JEMAT expected to be conducted in July 2025. Keeping up with each exam’s schedule is hectic; that’s why here is a table that consists of the major entrance exams to pursue an MBA in Kolkata along with their registration and exam dates:

Entrance Exams Accepted

Each college located in Kolkata has its own admission criteria and accepts scores from different entrance exams. For example, IIM Calcutta strictly accepts only CAT scores, while colleges such as the Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management (IISWBM) accept scores from CAT, XAT, JEMAT, etc. The list of the best MBA colleges in Kolkata and accepted exams is mentioned below:

Top Private MBA Colleges in Kolkata

There are some great private MBA colleges located in Kolkata with reasonable fees and good placement opportunities. Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management (IISWBM) being one of them. It's ranked at the 60th position in the list of “Top MBA colleges in India” according to the Business Today ranking. Just like IISWBM, there are other great private colleges located in Kolkata. Here is a list of top private colleges in Kolkata along with their fees, entrance exams, average salaries, and NAAC grades.

Top Government MBA Colleges in Kolkata

When it comes to top government MBA colleges in Kolkata, the IIMC comes out on top of the list. It's ranked at 1st position when it comes to Business Today ranking and 5th on NIRF 2024 ranking. Apart from IIM Calcutta, some other great MBA colleges located in Kolkata are the University of Calcutta, IIFT and the University of Kalyani. These government-run colleges have a great return on investment with low fees and high placement opportunities. Here is a list consisting of their tuition fees and required entrance exam.

MBA Courses & Fees in Kolkata Colleges

Kolkata has colleges such as IIM Calcutta, with fees that cost approximately INR 25 lakh, and is also the home to government-run MBA colleges such as the University of Calcutta, where students can complete an MBA for under 3-5 lakhs. These colleges have multiple specializations that include general management, sales & marketing, business analytics, and unique specializations such as Sports Management. For more information regarding the courses and fees of the best MBA colleges in Kolkata, read the table mentioned below.

MBA Colleges in Kolkata Fees vs Salary (ROI)

While choosing the college to pursue an MBA from, it's important to draw a comparison between the fees and the average offered salary to find the best ROI college. ROI stands for return on investment, investment being the fees, and return being the offered salary package. Here is a list of top MBA colleges in Kolkata with their fees, average package, and an ROI verdict.

MBA Placements in Kolkata Packages & Recruiters

Some of the top recruiters in top MBA colleges located in Kolkata are Accenture, Nestle, Amazon, Flipkart, Microsoft, and Infosys. With the highest packages offered in IIM Calcutta, which was over 1 crore per annum. The average package offered to candidates after completing an MBA from Kolkata ranges from 7 LPA to 13 LPA. Here is a list of the top MBA colleges in Kolkata and the recruiters with the average packages offered by those companies.

Top MBA Specialisations in  Kolkata Colleges

An MBA is a professional degree with many specializations, such as finance, sales, marketing, HR, Business analytics, etc. Each specialization deals with a specific part of business administration and requires a different skill set. Finance is one of the highest-paying MBA specializations, with 45+ colleges offering it in Kolkata alone. Here is the list of top specializations available in the best MBA colleges in Kolkata, along with the colleges offering them.

MBA Colleges in Kolkata Scholarships 2025

There are many need-based and merit-based scholarships available for students pursuing master's degrees from top MBA colleges in Kolkata. For example, the IIFT gives scholarships to students from minority categories (SC/ST) who are at the top of their class. Any candidate from these categories pursuing a full-time MBA at IIFT can apply for this scholarship. Here is a list of many other scholarships available for candidates pursuing an MBA in Kolkata.

Top MBA Colleges in Kolkata Cutoffs 2025

MBA entrance exams are highly competitive and require rigorous preparation. The top MBA colleges, such as IIM Calcutta, require candidates to have at least a 99+ score in the CAT examination to secure admission. IIFT follows closely with 98+ scores required for admissions. Here is a list of top MBA colleges in Kolkata with the accepted entrance exam and the expected CAT cutoffs since it's the most accepted exam in India.

Compare Top MBA Colleges in Kolkata

Comparing the fees, average offered packages, specializations available, and required entrance exam scores is important before taking admission to the top MBA colleges located in Kolkata. For example, the IIM Calcutta has the highest average package among the MBA colleges present in Kolkata, but the fees and cutoffs are also very high. On the other hand, colleges like IBS Kolkata provide MBA degrees at reasonable fees with average packages and require average marks in CAT. Here is a list of top MBA colleges in Kolkata along with their fees, salaries, accepted entrance exams, and expected cutoffs.

Frequently Asked Questions