Best MBA Colleges in India: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 MBA Colleges

• Updated on  Aug 13, 2025, by Vasudha Sharma

Choosing the best MBA colleges is an essential step to having an advanced career in management. The candidates need to make their choice of the MBA colleges from the recognized top-level colleges of the country, by the ranking 2024 of the NIRF. While choosing an MBA college, the candidates need to keep in mind several factors like the college's national ranking, the range and depth of its curriculum, quality of faculty, placement and internship track, tuition and hostel costs, and eligibility criteria in popular national entrance examinations like CAT, MAT, XAT, and CMAT.

 

This article classifies the best MBA colleges India as Tier-1, Tier-2, and Tier-3 with their benefits in academic, infrastructure, and industry placements. The candidates need to keep in mind the factors that align their career goals, financial capability, and preferred specialization for the best learning outcome, job market prospects, and lifetime value of money spent.

 

Table of Contents

  1. Best MBA Colleges in India: NIRF Ranking 2024
  2. Top MBA Recruiters in India
  3. Best MBA Colleges: Tier 1 MBA Colleges in India
  4. Best MBA Colleges: Tier 2 MBA Colleges in India
  5. Best MBA Colleges: Tier 3 MBA Colleges in India
  6. Best MBA College: How to Select the Best B School?
  7. Best MBA Colleges in India as per Entrance Exams
  8. Top Public B-Schools In India
  9. Best MBA Colleges in India: FAQs

 

Best MBA Colleges in India: NIRF Ranking 2024

As per the NIRF MBA rankings of the year 2024, IIM Ahmedabad is the top MBA college in India. This ranking gives the credibility to the prevalence of IIMs in the management education industry in India. These institutions provides higher academic performance, research and placement, and also offer a wide range of MBA specializations and they have strong industry connections that guarantee a good career.

Rank

Institute

1

IIM Ahmedabad

2

IIM Bangalore

3

IIM Kozhikode

4

IIT Delhi

5

IIM Calcutta

6

IIM Lucknow

7

IIM Mumbai (NITIE)

8

IIM Indore

9

XLRI Jamshedpur

10

IIT Bombay

 

Top MBA Recruiters in India

The top MBA recruiters in India comprise of top global consulting firms, top IT companies, financial institutions and big business giants who aggressively recruit the candidates from top business schools such as Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), XLRI Jamshedpur, and MDI Gurgaon.

Recruiter Name

Industry/Domain

Notable Hiring Institutes

McKinsey & Company

Consulting

IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta, IIM Bangalore, XLRI

Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Consulting

IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Calcutta

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

IT & Technology

Multiple B-schools including IIMs, XLRI

Reliance Industries Limited

Conglomerate (Energy, Retail, Telecom)

Various B-schools

Cognizant

IT Services & Consulting

Various B-schools

Wipro

IT & Consulting

Multiple institutes

Infosys

IT & Consulting

Top B-schools

ICICI Bank

Banking & Finance

Multiple B-schools

HDFC Bank

Banking & Finance

Multiple B-schools

Deloitte

Consulting & Professional Services

IIMs, XLRI, MDI

Amazon

E-commerce & Technology

XLRI, IIMs

Google

Technology

XLRI, IIM Ahmedabad

Accenture

IT & Consulting

IIM Mumbai

Axis Bank

Banking & Finance

Multiple B-schools

 

Best MBA Colleges: Tier 1 MBA Colleges in India

Top Tier 1 MBA colleges in India include IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, XLRI Jamshedpur, FMS Delhi, IIM Lucknow, and IIT Delhi. These institutes offer top academic rigor, strong industry connections, nearly 100% placements, etc.

College Name

Average Package

IIM Ahmedabad

INR 30-36 LPA

IIM Bangalore

INR 28-34 LPA

IIM Calcutta

INR 27-33 LPA

IIM Lucknow

INR 25-31 LPA

IIM Indore

INR 24-30 LPA

 

Best MBA Colleges: Tier 2 MBA Colleges in India

The top tier 2 MBA colleges in India include the XLRI Jamshedpur, FMS Delhi, JBIMS Mumbai. The complete details are given below.

College Name

Average Package

XLRI Jamshedpur

INR 25-32 LPA

FMS Delhi

INR 23-28 LPA

IIT Bombay (SJMSOM)

INR 21-27 LPA

JBIMS Mumbai

INR 22-28 LPA

SPJIMR Mumbai

INR 23-29 LPA

 

Best MBA Colleges: Tier 3 MBA Colleges in India

The top tier 3 MBA colleges in India are given below.

College Name

Average Package

JBIMS Mumbai

INR 22-28 LPA

SPJIMR Mumbai

INR 23-29 LPA

MDI Gurgaon

INR 22-27 LPA

 

Best MBA College: How to Select the Best B School?

To choose the best MBA college for education, the candidates should focus on the goals that they want for their career. The NIRF ranking of the college is among the decisive factors. The quality of the provided curriculum, qualifications of the faculty and its pedagogical approach, and the placement record with the relevant average compensation package, quality and scope of internships, the cost and the overall cost of living and the admission criteria, such as CAT, XAT, MAT or CMAT examination results are also holds equal significance.

  • MBA College Ranking

The MBA college ranking holds higher significance in determining institutional rankings, student placement, faculty hiring and industry affiliations. The top management colleges like IIM Bangalore or IIM Ahmedabad provide best placement opportunities for students.

  • Course Curriculum, Teaching Methods, and Faculty

In the top-ranked business schools, the MBA syllabus and teaching methods usually combine traditional lectures with case studies, teamwork projects, practical initiatives, and direct involvement with the professionals to allow developing analytical skills and the ability to solve practical problems.

  • MBA Placements

The placement records are often regarded as the success criteria of the best MBA college. Top colleges like the IIMs and XLRI claim close to 100 per cent placements, and can even average out salaries of around INR 25-35 lakh. Top-tier recruiters include McKinsey, BCG, Deloitte and Amazon.

  • MBA Internships

The top MBA colleges conduct internship in a range of industries, where students can practice theoretical aspects, sharpen professional skills, and develop a valuable relationship with such renowned organisations like Deloitte, McKinsey, and Amazon.

  • MBA Fees and Cost of Living

The total expenses of doing MBA in India varies with the level institution and its location. Top MBA colleges usually charge between INR 10 to 30 lakh where as Tier 2 and Tier 3 colleges charge lesser MBA fees.

 

Best MBA Colleges in India as per Entrance Exams

The MBA admission in the MBA colleges in India, the candidates has to qualify the national-level entrance tests as CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, NMAT and SNAP. The IIMs and FMS Delhi give the first preference to the CAT score and other colleges accepts the application on the scores of XAT, NMAT, and SNAP exams.

 

Best MBA Colleges in India Accepting CAT Scores

The top MBA colleges accepting CAT scores include the top business schools as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, etc.

College Name

NIRF Ranking (2024)

IIM Ahmedabad

1

IIM Bangalore

2

IIM Kozhikode

3

IIM Calcutta

5

IIM Lucknow

7

IIM Indore

8

SPJIMR Mumbai

14

 

Best MBA Colleges in India Through MAT

The top MBA colleges accepting MAT scores are Jaipuria Institute of Management, Christ University, BIMTECH Greater Noida, JAGSoM Bangalore, ISB&M Pune, and IPE Hyderabad.

College Name

Location

Jaipuria Institute of Management

Noida

ISB&M Pune

Pune

JAGSoM Bangalore

Bangalore

PSGIM Coimbatore

Coimbatore

IPE Hyderabad

Hyderabad

SIES Mumbai

Mumbai

 

Best MBA Colleges in India Through CMAT

The top MBA colleges accepting CMAT scores are JBIMS Mumbai, SIMSREE, Welingkar Mumbai, etc. These colleges offer stable placements, a high variety of specializations, and tuition fees.

College Name

Location

Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS)

Mumbai

SIMSREE (Sydenham Institute)

Mumbai

PUMBA (Pune University)

Pune

Welingkar Institute of Management

Mumbai

NIBM (National Institute of Bank Management)

Pune

 

Best MBA Colleges in India Through XAT

The top MBA colleges accepting XAT score are XLRI Jamshedpur, MICA Ahmedabad, XIM Bhubaneswar, IMI New Delhi and IMT Ghaziabad. Such universities provide competitive rates of tuition fee, good records of placement with average salary package of INR 12 to 30LPA as well as offering varieties of MBA specialisations.

College Name

Location

XLRI Jamshedpur

Jamshedpur

MICA Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad

XIM University, Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar

IMI New Delhi

New Delhi

Goa Institute of Management (GIM)

Goa

IMT Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad

TAPMI Manipal

Manipal

 

Top Public B-Schools In India

India has several of the leading government business schools or associated with highly regarded institutions like the IIMs, the IITs and specialized universities, among others. The top B-schools are IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, IIT Delhi (DMS), IIM Calcutta and XLRI Jamshedpur. These colleges offer quality academic curriculum, strong relationships with the industry, close to a hundred percent placements, and also remunerative salary packages.

College Name

NIRF Ranking

Entrance Exams Accepted

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM A)

1

CAT

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM B)

2

CAT

Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM K)

3

CAT

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (DMS IIT D)

4

CAT, GATE

Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM C)

5

CAT

Indian Institute of Management Mumbai (IIM Mumbai)

6

CAT

XLRI - Xavier School of Management

9

XAT

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (SJMSOM)

10

CAT, GATE

 

Best MBA Colleges in India: FAQs

Which is the best college for MBA?

IIM Ahmedabad is traditionally considered the best MBA college in India, which is ranked as No. 1 in several and various rankings, such as IIRF and NIRF. Other leading competitors are IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, XLRI Jamshedpur and FMS Delhi. These are the top academically rated schools, they have great placement track record (average packages are in the excess of 30 lakh per annum), have high global exposure and recruiters lined up including McKinsey, BCG, and Amazon.

Can I do an MBA after 12th?

MBA applicants cannot enter an MBA program immediately after the 12th grade is over; an MBA is a postgraduate degree, and a bachelor's degree (generally a three or four-year undergraduate degree programme) is the mandatory prerequisite.

Does IIT offer MBA?

In India, there are MBA or management programmes in some Indian Institutes of Technology ( IITs ). The Department of Management Studies at IIT Delhi, the Shailesh J Mehta School of Management at IIT Bombay, and the MBA or equivalent programme at IIT Madras combine management and technology education and use CAT scores or other such examinations.

What is the salary of MBA in India?

The salary of MBA in India depends on highly institutional and sectoral context. Top MBA schools like IIM Ahmedabad and Bangalore typically have average offers of 30-36 lakh a year with some people making much more in the field of consulting and finance. Mid-range schools have average packages starting 10 lakhs to 20 lakhs whereas the not so referred college will have an average of 4 lakhs to 10 lakhs.

How to get admission in IIM?

The Common Admission Test (CAT) with a high percentile (normally 98 100 percentile in top IIMs) is the prime requirement to get admission on IIMs. The recruiting also has group discussions, individual interviews, and ability tests (written in some cases) to check the suitability of the candidates. Academic records and experience are comparable during selection as well.

Can I go to IIM without a CAT?

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is normally used as the major mode of admission into the IIM institutions. However, some IIMs also recognize other exams, such as certain post-graduate programs or non-PGP programs, which can be considered for admission. For instance, executive MBA programs may be accepted with a GRE or GMAT score, and in some cases, even a non-CAT entrance exam. Some improvements in policy have been made occasionally, which in addition to the CAT, also incorporate new standards, but to a large extent, the admission process in flagship programs is run on this entrance examination.

Which MBA is best to choose?

Regarding the choice of an appropriate MBA specialization, the priority should be given to the career objectives. Finance, Marketing, Operations, Human Resource Management, IT/Systems, and Strategy & Consulting are the most general among the pursued concentrations. Top MBA colleges also offer electives in entrepreneurship, analytics, International Business, and supply chain management.

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