IIMA vs ISB

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

IIMA

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

NIRF 2025 #1

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ISB

Indian School of Business (ISB)

Hyderabad, Telangana

Global Premier

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Bridge summary

IIMA leads on 6 of 6 measurable metrics. Fit still depends on your profile, city and specialization.

Flagship programme fees

₹27.5Lvs₹41L

IIMA is ahead

Average CTC

₹35.5 LPAvs₹34 LPA

IIMA is ahead

5-year ROI

6.5xvs4.1x

IIMA is ahead

NIRF Management rank

#1 (2025)vsNot ranked

No clear edge

Institute

Institute: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad vs Indian School of Business (ISB)
Metric	IIMA	ISB
Location	Ahmedabad, Gujarat	Hyderabad, Telangana
Established	1961	—
Institute type	Institute of National Importance	EQUIS \| AACSB \| AMBA
Accreditation	Institute of National Importance	EQUIS \| AACSB \| AMBA

Rankings

Rankings: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad vs Indian School of Business (ISB)
Metric	IIMA	ISB
NIRF Management rank	#1 (2025)	Not ranked
NIRF score	83.29	—
Outlook-ICARE	#1 (2026)	Not ranked
BT–MDRA	#1 (2025)	Not ranked
IIRF	#1 (2025 · Govt)	Not ranked

Fees & ROI

Fees & ROI: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad vs Indian School of Business (ISB)
Metric	IIMA	ISB
Flagship programme feesLower is better	₹27.5L (better)	₹41L
Programmes offered	PGP (MBA) · 2 Years · ₹27.5L PGPX · 1 Year · ₹35L ePGP · 2 Years · ₹20L	Flagship MBA / PGDM · 2 Years · ₹29.69L
5-year ROI5 years of avg CTC ÷ fees	6.5x (better)	4.1x
Payback periodFees ÷ avg CTC	0.8 yrs (better)	1.2 yrs
5-year net earnings5 years of avg CTC minus fees	₹150L (better)	₹129L

Placements

Placements: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad vs Indian School of Business (ISB)
Metric	IIMA	ISB
Average CTC	₹35.5 LPA (better)	₹34 LPA
Median CTC	₹34.59 LPA (better)	₹34 LPA
Highest package	₹1.10 Cr	₹34 LPA
Placement rate	100%	—
Top recruitersHighlighted = common to both	McKinsey (both) BCG (both) Bain Goldman Sachs Google Amazon	McKinsey (both) BCG (both) Deloitte Accenture Strategy and PwC were major recruiters Kearney Alvarez & Marsal Oliver Wyman

Admissions

Admissions: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad vs Indian School of Business (ISB)
Metric	IIMA	ISB
Exams acceptedHighlighted = common to both	CAT (both)	CAT (both) GMAT GRE
Primary cutoffHigher means more selective	95+ CAT	Not published (CAT)
Category cutoffs	General: 99.5+ EWS / NC-OBC: 97.5+ SC: 85+ ST: 75+	—
Admission process	Nov 2025 — CAT examination Jan 2026 — Shortlist & AWT-PI calls Mar–Apr 2026 — Final offers & waitlist	Entrance — CAT exam window Shortlist — GD / PI / WAT Offer — Final merit & joining

Specializations

Specializations: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad vs Indian School of Business (ISB)
Metric	IIMA	ISB
Streams offeredHighlighted = common to both	General Management (both) Finance (both) Consulting (both) Marketing	General Management (both) Strategy Finance (both) Consulting (both)

Data sources

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).
ISB: Source: BSchool Bridge research notes · non-iims.

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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