MDI vs IIMA

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

MDI

Management Development Institute

Gurugram, Haryana

NIRF 2025 #9

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IIMA

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, Gujarat

NIRF 2025 #1

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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

₹26.55Lvs₹27.5L

MDI is ahead

Average CTC

₹26.2 LPAvs₹35.5 LPA

IIMA is ahead

5-year ROI

4.9xvs6.5x

IIMA is ahead

NIRF Management rank

#9 (2025)vs#1 (2025)

IIMA is ahead

Institute

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

Rankings

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

Fees & ROI

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

Placements

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

Admissions

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

Specializations

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

Data sources

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.
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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