Top MBA Colleges in Visakhapatnam 2025 – Rankings, Fees, Admissions, ROI & More

The city of Visakhapatnam, which is located in Andhra Pradesh, consists of more than 45 MBA colleges, out of which 40-plus colleges are privately owned and managed, while around 4 are managed by the government. These colleges offer specialisations in different fields like Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Operations, and Business Analytics. Institutes like IIM Visakhapatnam, GITAM School of Business, and Andhra University provide programs with both core and the latest specialisations. Candidates who are looking to take admission should have completed their Bachelor's Degree in any stream or be in the final year of their course. Also, there is no age restriction to apply to the MBA.

The fee structure of the MBA course varies widely depending on the institution, like IIM Visakhapatnam charges INR 16 to 19 lakh for a full-time two-year MBA, while GITAM’s MBA programs cost around INR 9 to 10 lakh. In comparison to them, the Andhra University and other government colleges offer more affordable options at around INR 2.6 to 3 lakh for the full course. Private colleges in the state have annual fees ranging from INR 50,000 to INR 1.5 lakh, making management education accessible to a large pool of students. 

Top MBA Colleges in Visakhapatnam Highlights 2025

Top MBA colleges in Visakhapatnam include leading institutions like IIM Visakhapatnam, GITAM School of Business, and Andhra University, with IIM Visakhapatnam ranked in the 26th spot in the NIRF rankings and boasting an average package of INR 15.5 LPA. These colleges accept scores from major entrance exams such as CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT, and APICET, and offer specialisations in Finance, Marketing, HR, Operations, and Business Analytics. While IIM and GITAM provide high-quality education, colleges like Avanthi Institute and Vignan’s Institute of Information Technology provide high ROI with fees under INR 1 lakh and average packages around INR 3 to 3.5 LPA. With flexible learning models, a startup ecosystem, and ESG-focused curricula, Visakhapatnam’s MBA colleges are closely aligned with the latest industry trends.

MBA Colleges in Visakhapatnam with NIRF & Business Today Rankings

Among all the colleges in Visakhapatnam, only IIM Visakhapatnam is ranked by the NIRF. It scored a score of 59.20 and has got an overall rank of 26 in the management category. Other colleges were not ranked by any agency or did not feature in the list of Business Today ranking and Times Ranking. NIRF ranking is a government approved ranking which ranks the colleges on different criterias. 

MBA Admission Process in Visakhapatnam 2025

Students who are looking to apply for admission into one of the colleges for the MBA programme are required to take the APICET 2025 exam. The overall admission process consists of multiple steps, like applying for the APICET entrance test, then qualifying for it. After qualifying, the candidates will have to apply to the institute separately. The detailed steps are mentioned below so that candidates can get an idea about the entire admission process. 

 

Steps for Applying to the APICET Entrance Exam

 

Here are the steps to apply for the APICET exam:

Step 1: Students are required to apply for the APICET entrance, which is conducted for admission into the management courses in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Step 2: To apply to the APICET, the student has to visit the official website and find the link for the application form, and click on it.

Step 3: After clicking on it, the student has to register themselves on the portal by entering the details like their name, their date of birth, and their contact email ID.

Step 4: Once registered, the candidate will be required to fill in the other details, like information about their education, their personal details, and their permanent address. 

Step 5: The next step in the process is to upload all the necessary documents on the candidate portal.

Step 6: Candidates are required to pay the application fee in order to complete the application form. 

Step 7: Once the application form is submitted, they are required to take the entrance test and obtain a valid score.

Step 8: The score obtained by the candidate can be used by them when applying for the admission process on the site of the institute. 

 

Steps for Applying to the Preferred Choice of Institute 

 

Step 1: Visit the website of the institute and look for the admission link.

Step 2: Register on the admission portal by entering the details mentioned on it.

Step 3: After doing the registration, the candidate will be redirected to the other window where they will have to complete the application form.

Step 4: To complete the application form, the candidates will have to provide other details like marks scored by them at different levels of education, details about their work experience.

Step 5: Candidates will have to upload their scanned copies of all the certificates and marksheets.

Step 6: After doing the final submission, the candidates shall take a printout of the application form and download it.

Step 7: Once all the applications are received by the institute, it will analyse all the applications and prepare a list of all the shortlisted candidates.

Step 8: The shortlisted candidates will be called for further rounds, which will include a group discussion and a personal interview.

Step 9: Once all the rounds are concluded, the institute will declare a final merit list of all the selected candidates. 

Step 10: To confirm the admission, candidates will have to report to the institute physically and verify all the documents. 

MBA Entrance Exam Schedule 2025

There are many MBA entrance exams whose dates are spread across the year for students. Among all of them, if we consider the state of Andhra Pradesh, the APICET is important for candidates who are going to take admission in MBA colleges of Andhra Pradesh. It is conducted by APSCHE and took place on May 7 in two shifts, morning (9:00 AM to 11:30 AM) and afternoon (2:00 PM to 4:30 PM). 

Candidates were able to apply from March 13 to April 9, with the admit card being released on May 2. The provisional answer key was released on May 10, and the results were published on May 20, followed by Phase 1 counselling from July 10 to 28. APICET scores are accepted by over 290 colleges across the state.

Entrance Exams Accepted

Most of the colleges in Visakhapatnam consider the score of the Andhra Pradesh Integrated Common Entrance Test (APICET). It is being taken for admission into MBA and MCA programs offered by universities and affiliated colleges across Andhra Pradesh. Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, organises this exam on behalf of APSCHE. There are more than 290 colleges that accept  APICET scores. Apart from it, the CAT is also considered by some institutes for taking admission into their MBA courses. 

Top Private MBA Colleges in Visakhapatnam

There are many top private MBA colleges in Visakhapatnam that offer good industry exposure, have an excellent placement record, and provide industry connections. Colleges like GITAM School of Business, which are NAAC-accredited, give ample opportunity to the students to get placed in a reputed company. Other notable private MBA colleges are Dr. Lankapalli Bullayya College, Vignan's Institute of Information Technology, and Gayatri Vidya Parishad College. 

MBA Courses & Fees in Visakhapatnam Colleges

The best MBA colleges in Visakhapatnam offer an MBA in a wide range of specialisations. Some of the specialisations offered by them are Finance & Accounting, Marketing, Operations, Business Analytics, HR Management, and Entrepreneurship. Among all the IIM Visakhapatnam has the highest fee of around INR 18 Lakh, while the rest of the colleges have comparatively lower fees. 

MBA Colleges in Visakhapatnam Fees vs Salary (ROI)

The city of Visakhapatnam has many top MBA colleges that provide an MBA in different specialisations. Candidates looking to get admission in one of the colleges should consider the ROI factor of every college carefully. It is defined as the ratio of fees that a student pays and the package they are offered at the end of the course. The ROI factor of those students is excellent, whose fees are very less, but they offer a good salary. To make an informed choice, candidates can look into the table below.

MBA Placements in Visakhapatnam Packages & Recruiters

In placements, the IIM Visakhapatnam is considered the top choice for most companies. The average package offered to the students of IIM is in the range of INR 15.46 Lakh to INR 16.61 Lakh, while the highest salary offered to them is around INR 43 Lakh. Companies like Amazon, ICICI, Deloitte, Yes Bank, and HCL visit the campus every year for the placement process. Other colleges GITAM School of Business, also offer comparatively good placement, inviting companies like Accenture, KPMG, Airtel, Infosys in their placement drive.  

Cost of Studying MBA in Visakhapatnam

The total estimated cost for doing an MBA in IIM Visakhapatnam would be around INR 23 Lakhs, which will include tuition fee, rent of hostel, mess fee, and other miscellaneous fees. Similarly, in other colleges, the cost of hostel, mess, and other miscellaneous charges would be similar, but the tuition fee of that particular college will be less compared to the IIM. Normally, the hostel fee is charged annually, while the mess fee is charged semester-wise. The table below provides a comprehensive breakdown of different costs incurred by students while doing an MBA and will help them in preparing their budget more efficiently. 

Top MBA Specialisations in Visakhapatnam Colleges

Top MBA colleges in Visakhapatnam offer a wide range of MBA specialisations. Institutions like IIM Visakhapatnam, GITAM School of Business, and Andhra University provide programs in Finance, Marketing, Human Resources, Operations, Business Analytics, and International Business. With the growing demand for technology-driven decision-making, many colleges have now included Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and other courses in their curriculum. Candidates are advised to visit the official website of the respective colleges in order to get the details about their choice of specialisations. 

MBA Colleges in Visakhapatnam Scholarships 2025 

There are many scholarships for students who are going to take admission into different MBA colleges in Visakhapatnam. The Students of IIM Vishakhapatnam can avail different scholarships based on the set criteria. It provides government scholarships, scholarships to top scorers, Need need-based scholarships where the candidate is given a scholarship based on their financial need. GITAM School of Business also provides a scholarship to its students based on different criteria. Below are the names of the scholarship and their criteria, which candidates can refer to. 

Top MBA Colleges in Visakhapatnam Cutoffs 2025

The top MBA colleges in Visakhapatnam normally consider the scores of the state-level entrance test APICET, which is conducted by the Andhra Pradesh government, and other institutes like IIM Visakhapatnam accept the scores of CAT for enrolling students. The cutoff is the minimum marks that a candidate has to score in order to be eligible for the admission process in their preferred college. The cutoff of different MBA colleges in Andhra Pradesh is not available, and the cutoff percentile of IIM Visakhapatnam is around 82, which takes admission through CAT.

Compare Top MBA Colleges in Visakhapatnam

On comparing the top MBA colleges in Visakhapatnam, the Indian Institute of Management Visakhapatnam is considered one of the best institutes, providing a high average salary and better industry exposure. Among others, Andhra University

Avanthi Institute of Engg. & Tech and Pydah College of Engineering & Tech are also considered to be the best MBA colleges in Viasakhapatam if we consider return on investment (ROI). Most of the colleges take admission through state-level entrance tests APICET, and only IIIM Visakhapatnam considers the score of CAT for taking admission. 

Frequently Asked Questions