Top PGDM Colleges in India 2025 – Rankings, Fees, Admissions, ROI & More

For those aspirants looking for a full-time management education, the PGDM or Post Graduate Diploma in Management offers a hands-on management education. This course utilises internships, live projects, and workshops to prepare aspirants with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in Management. Over the years, India has emerged as a viable destination to pursue a PGDM program, with more than 760 colleges that offer a PGDM course. The course is generally for a duration of 2 years. There are various PGDM offering colleges in India that are constantly ranked higher in widely recognised rankings like NIRF. Some well-known institutes for PGDM programs include MDI Gurgaon, S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, XLRI, and GLBIMR.

To qualify for a PGDM program, the candidates usually need to have a graduation degree with at least 50 per cent overall marks. In addition to this, a valid entrance exam score is also required. The entrance exam for this includes national, state, and university examinations. The exams generally accepted are CAT, CMAT, XAT, GMAT, SNAP, etc. The course fee for PGDM is usually high, in the range between INR 6 and INR 20 lakhs, with the average salary offered falling between INR 6 to INR 20 lakh per annum.

Top PGDM Colleges in India Highlights 

There are around 760+ management colleges in India that offer PGDM courses. These courses cover various specialisations like International Business, Data Analytics, HRM, Healthcare Management many more. The table below provides all the highlights regarding the top PGDM colleges in India.

Top PGDM Colleges in India NIRF Ranking 2024

XLRI was ranked highest in 2024 among all Indian PGDM offering colleges, with a rank of 9 and a score of 68.13. The NIRF ranking is considered one of the most valid and credible rankings of academic excellence. These rankings can help candidates assess and be better equipped to make an informed choice when selecting their PGDM college. The following table provides more information regarding the best PGDM colleges in India.

Top PGDM Colleges in India Admission Process 2025

The overall admission process for the top PGDM colleges in India generally follows specific steps. The admission process typically begins with the entrance exam like CMAT or CAT etc. The scores of XAT and GMAT are accepted by XLRI for PGDM admission. XAT is only conducted annually while GMAT exams are taken at any time of the year.

Afterwards, candidates must apply to their preferred institutions and qualify in the additional admission rounds. The entrance exams are mostly conducted in the months of November and December, with exams like SNAP and NMAT providing multiple attempts to improve the score. Interested candidates are advised to check the detailed steps given below for guidance:

Step 1- The first step is to register for the entrance exam accepted by a college that offers PGDM. 

Step 2- Candidates have to fulfil the eligibility criteria that the college has and obtain cutoff marks in the entrance exam to be eligible for admission. 

Step 3- Candidates should then apply to their preferred PGDM college/university. The application deadlines can be either before or after the entrance exam date, accordingly, candidates must be aware of the application deadline date. 

Step 4- Eligible candidates will be shortlisted based on the entrance test results that are announced. 

Step 5- Shortlisted candidates would need to qualify the next rounds for selection like interview/gd rounds. Some colleges may have a written ability test (WAT) round also. 

Step 6- A final merit list would be generated containing the shortlisted candidates. 

Step 7- Candidates in the final merit list would need to pay the PGDM course fee to secure their admission in the college.

Top PGDM Exams in India Schedule & Accepting Colleges

There are many options for the candidates in terms of the entrance exams that must be taken for admission into top PGDM colleges in India. These exams include CAT, CMAT and other national-level exams. There are also state-level and university-level exams that grant admission to specific colleges. Candidates are advised to check the entrance exam considered by their target PGDM college and its test schedule in advance so they do not miss any important deadlines.

Top PGDM Colleges in India Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility requirements for admission into PGDM colleges in India vary from college to college. Although the eligibility criteria are subject to change based on the specific management college or university, there are some general requirements. These requirements are mostly similar at all the colleges. Check the following table for more detailed information.

Top Private PGDM Colleges in India

Most of the top PGDM colleges in India are private institutes that offer various specializations. These colleges are generally higher in fees, in the range of INR 6.25 lakhs to INR 20+ lakhs. These colleges are widely recognized and reputed, as they offer industry-relevant education that prepares management students for their future in the field. Some of these top colleges include XLRI Jamshedpur, GL Bajaj Institute, ABBSSM School of Management, and more. Refer to the table mentioned below for more details.

Note: These full course fees for the PGDM program given above are subject to change as per the college or university’s guidelines.

Top Distance PGDM Colleges in India

Candidates looking to complete their PGDM in the distance mode have the option to do so from select management institutes. The course fees for this mode are a lot lower when compared to the regular mode of PGDM. Given below are some of the colleges that provide distance PGDM courses, which include the Institute of Management Technology Centre for Distance Learning and SCDL. 

Top PGDM Colleges in India Fee & Salary

Return on Investment (ROI) is one of the biggest influencing factors when it comes to selecting the right management college. Candidates are advised to consider this parameter in order to make a financially sound decision. Colleges with higher ROIs must be on the preference list. In this aspect, colleges like XLRI, Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Great Lakes Institute of Management, and MDI Gurgaon can be considered by the students. Take a look at the table mentioned below for more details on fee and salary offered at top PGDM colleges in India:

Top PGDM Colleges in India Placements & Recruiters

Some of the top PGDM colleges in India include XLRI, Accurate Group of Institutions, GL Bajaj Institute, Welingkar Institute, and more. At these colleges, candidates are provided with ample placement opportunities through networking, placement drives, and internships. MNCs like Deloitte, McKinsey, Bain, Accenture, Amazon, BCG, etc, are the regular recruiters at these institutes. The following table will provide candidates with more information in this regard.

Low-Cost PGDM Colleges in India

The PGDM course is generally costlier when compared with the MBA degree. But there are some PGDM institutes that provide the degree at an affordable price without compromising on the quality of education. For example, the Loyola Institute of Business Administration provides a PGDM degree at just INR 3.5 lakh for the entire course, while a PGDM at the Accurate Group of Institutions costs around INR 6.25 lakh. The table given below provides more information about the top low-cost PGDM colleges in India.

Top PGDM Colleges in India by Specializations

There is a wide range of specializations available for candidates intending to pursue a PGDM degree, based on their interests and career plans. These PGDM specializations typically include HRM, Logistics and Supply Chain, Banking and Financial Services, International Business, Business Analytics, Data Analytics, etc. The table below highlights the top PGDM colleges in India and the specializations offered at these colleges.

Frequently Asked Questions