IIMA vs MDI

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

IIMA

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

NIRF 2025 #1

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MDI

Management Development Institute

Gurugram, Haryana

NIRF 2025 #9

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Bridge summary

IIMA leads on 8 of 9 measurable metrics. Fit still depends on your profile, city and specialization.

Flagship programme fees

₹27.5Lvs₹26.55L

MDI is ahead

Average CTC

₹35.5 LPAvs₹26.2 LPA

IIMA is ahead

5-year ROI

6.5xvs4.9x

IIMA is ahead

NIRF Management rank

#1 (2025)vs#9 (2025)

IIMA is ahead

Institute

Institute: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad vs Management Development Institute
Metric	IIMA	MDI
Location	Ahmedabad, Gujarat	Gurugram, Haryana
Established	1961	1973
Institute type	Institute of National Importance	Private Autonomous
Accreditation	Institute of National Importance	AACSB Accredited

Rankings

Rankings: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad vs Management Development Institute
Metric	IIMA	MDI
NIRF Management rank	#1 (2025) (better)	#9 (2025)
NIRF score	83.29 (better)	71.96
Outlook-ICARE	#1 (2026) (better)	#8 (2026)
BT–MDRA	#1 (2025)	#3 (2025 · Private)
IIRF	#1 (2025 · Govt)	#3 (2025 · Private)

Fees & ROI

Fees & ROI: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad vs Management Development Institute
Metric	IIMA	MDI
Flagship programme feesLower is better	₹27.5L	₹26.55L (better)
Programmes offered	PGP (MBA) · 2 Years · ₹27.5L PGPX · 1 Year · ₹35L ePGP · 2 Years · ₹20L	PGDM · 2 Years · ₹26.55L PGDM-HRM · 2 Years · ₹26.55L PGDM-IB · 2 Years · ₹26.55L
5-year ROI5 years of avg CTC ÷ fees	6.5x (better)	4.9x
Payback periodFees ÷ avg CTC	0.8 yrs (better)	1.0 yrs
5-year net earnings5 years of avg CTC minus fees	₹150L (better)	₹104L

Placements

Placements: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad vs Management Development Institute
Metric	IIMA	MDI
Average CTC	₹35.5 LPA (better)	₹26.2 LPA
Median CTC	₹34.59 LPA (better)	₹26.2 LPA
Highest package	₹1.10 Cr	₹53.6 LPA
Placement rate	100%	100%
Top recruitersHighlighted = common to both	McKinsey BCG Bain Goldman Sachs Google Amazon (both)	Deloitte EY KPMG Amazon (both) HSBC Nestlé

Admissions

Admissions: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad vs Management Development Institute
Metric	IIMA	MDI
Exams acceptedHighlighted = common to both	CAT (both)	CAT (both)
Primary cutoffHigher means more selective	95+ CAT	95+ CAT
Category cutoffs	General: 99.5+ EWS / NC-OBC: 97.5+ SC: 85+ ST: 75+	General: 95+ Profile-based: 92+
Admission processHighlighted = common to both	Nov 2025 — CAT examination Jan 2026 — Shortlist & AWT-PI calls Mar–Apr 2026 — Final offers & waitlist	Nov 2025 — CAT examination Jan–Feb 2026 — MDI GD-PI shortlist Mar 2026 — Offers roll out

Specializations

Specializations: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad vs Management Development Institute
Metric	IIMA	MDI
Streams offeredHighlighted = common to both	General Management (both) Finance (both) Consulting Marketing (both)	General Management (both) Finance (both) Marketing (both) Operations

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).
MDI: Fees: ₹26.55L for PGDM/HRM/BA 2026–28 (mdi.ac.in fee schedule, incl. boarding/lodging). Placements 2025: PGDM avg ₹26.2L / highest ₹53.6L.

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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