DBS vs IIMA

Detailed comparison of rankings, fees, ROI, placements and admissions.

DBS

Delhi School of Economics — Department of Commerce / MBA pathway

New Delhi, Delhi

DSE Pathway

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IIMA

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

NIRF 2025 #1

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Bridge summary

Evenly matched across 6 measurable metrics. Fit still depends on your profile, city and specialization.

Flagship programme fees

₹0.5Lvs₹27.5L

DBS is ahead

Average CTC

₹14 LPAvs₹35.5 LPA

IIMA is ahead

5-year ROI

140.0xvs6.5x

DBS is ahead

NIRF Management rank

Not rankedvs#1 (2025)

No clear edge

Institute

Institute: Delhi School of Economics — Department of Commerce / MBA pathway vs Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Metric	DBS	IIMA
Location	New Delhi, Delhi	Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Established	—	1961
Institute type	University of Delhi	Institute of National Importance
Accreditation	University of Delhi	Institute of National Importance

Rankings

Rankings: Delhi School of Economics — Department of Commerce / MBA pathway vs Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Metric	DBS	IIMA
NIRF Management rank	Not ranked	#1 (2025)
NIRF score	—	83.29
Outlook-ICARE	Not ranked	#1 (2026)
BT–MDRA	Not ranked	#1 (2025)
IIRF	Not ranked	#1 (2025 · Govt)

Fees & ROI

Fees & ROI: Delhi School of Economics — Department of Commerce / MBA pathway vs Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Metric	DBS	IIMA
Flagship programme feesLower is better	₹0.5L (better)	₹27.5L
Programmes offered	Flagship MBA / PGDM · 2 Years · ₹0.5L	PGP (MBA) · 2 Years · ₹27.5L PGPX · 1 Year · ₹35L ePGP · 2 Years · ₹20L
5-year ROI5 years of avg CTC ÷ fees	140.0x (better)	6.5x
Payback periodFees ÷ avg CTC	0.0 yrs (better)	0.8 yrs
5-year net earnings5 years of avg CTC minus fees	₹70L	₹150L (better)

Placements

Placements: Delhi School of Economics — Department of Commerce / MBA pathway vs Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Metric	DBS	IIMA
Average CTC	₹14 LPA	₹35.5 LPA (better)
Median CTC	₹14 LPA	₹34.59 LPA (better)
Highest package	—	₹1.10 Cr
Placement rate	—	100%
Top recruiters	—	McKinsey BCG Bain Goldman Sachs Google Amazon

Admissions

Admissions: Delhi School of Economics — Department of Commerce / MBA pathway vs Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Metric	DBS	IIMA
Exams acceptedHighlighted = common to both	CAT (both)	CAT (both)
Primary cutoffHigher means more selective	95+ CAT	95+ CAT
Category cutoffs	General: 95+	General: 99.5+ EWS / NC-OBC: 97.5+ SC: 85+ ST: 75+
Admission process	Entrance — CAT exam window Shortlist — GD / PI / WAT Offer — Final merit & joining	Nov 2025 — CAT examination Jan 2026 — Shortlist & AWT-PI calls Mar–Apr 2026 — Final offers & waitlist

Specializations

Specializations: Delhi School of Economics — Department of Commerce / MBA pathway vs Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Metric	DBS	IIMA
Streams offeredHighlighted = common to both	General Management (both) Finance (both) Economics	General Management (both) Finance (both) Consulting Marketing

Data sources

DBS: Publicly reported placements and institute disclosures; confirm with the institute
IIMA: Fees: IIMA PGP 2025–27 programme fee ₹27.5L (official). Placements: IPRS 2025 mean MEP ₹35.5L / median ₹34.59L (not CTC). PGPX SSH fee ₹35L (2026–27).

Popular comparisons

IIMA

FMS campus — Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi

FMS

TIER 1 • OLD IIM

IIM Ahmedabad

TIER 1 • BEST ROI

FMS Delhi

₹25.0 LakhsFees₹2.1 Lakhs

₹34.2 LPAAvg CTC₹34.1 LPA

ROI 1.4x1st-year CTC / feesROI 16.2x

Bridge Verdict

FMS delivers 11.9x higher capital ROI due to subsidized university fees; IIM-A maintains an unmatched edge in Global Front-End Consulting & PE recruits.

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XLRI

MDI

PREMIER PRIVATE • JSR

XLRI Jamshedpur

CORPORATE HUB • NCR

MDI Gurgaon

₹27.4 LakhsFees₹24.2 Lakhs

₹32.7 LPAAvg CTC₹25.5 LPA

ROI 1.2x1st-year CTC / feesROI 1.1x

Bridge Verdict

XLRI dominates the subcontinent in HR & BFSI placements; MDI provides unmatched proximity to Fortune 500 headquarters in Delhi-NCR with lower living friction.

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