IIM Bangalore

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore or IIMB) is a public management institute established in 1973 in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It is an Institute of National Importance under the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017. The institute offers postgraduate, doctoral and executive education programmes, with the two-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) serving as its flagship full-time MBA programme.

The IIM Bangalore PGP is a two-year, full-time residential programme that leads to a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. The programme is organised across six trimesters and includes a summer project between the first and second academic years. For the 2026-28 cohort, IIMB reported 541 students joining the PGP, while the separate PGP in Business Analytics (PGPBA) had 77 students. These programmes should not be confused because PGPBA is a separate MBA programme with a business analytics focus.

For Indian applicants, CAT is the principal entrance examination for the PGP. The 2026-28 admission process required a valid CAT 2025 score and a bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA. The minimum academic requirement for SC, ST and PwD applicants was 45%. Meeting the basic eligibility requirement does not itself guarantee shortlisting or admission.

IIM Bangalore's selection process goes beyond the CAT percentile. For the 2026-28 cycle, the institute used a first-shortlist process based on CAT section-wise and aggregate minimum requirements, followed by a pre-PI score incorporating CAT, Class 10, Class 12, bachelor's performance, work experience or professional qualification, and gender diversity. Shortlisted candidates then participated in a Personal Interview (PI) and Written Ability Test (WAT). Final admission offers were based on the post-PI composite score.

The institute's academic identity is broader than a conventional MBA specialisation model. The official PGP information describes the programme as a general management degree, while the curriculum contains courses across areas such as finance and accounting, marketing, strategy, organisational behaviour and human resources, economics, operations, information systems, decision sciences and entrepreneurship. Therefore, fixed specialisations should not be attributed to the flagship PGP unless IIMB officially identifies them as such.

IIM Bangalore has maintained a strong position in national management rankings. The Ministry of Education's NIRF 2025 Management ranking placed IIM Bangalore at #2 in India with a score of 81.56. IIMB also holds EQUIS accreditation from EFMD; its latest publicly stated EQUIS re-accreditation was for five years from December 2021.

The main IIM Bangalore campus is located on Bannerghatta Road in Bengaluru and covers approximately 100 acres. The campus was designed by architect Balkrishna Doshi and forms an important part of the institute's academic and residential environment.

For students researching IIM Bangalore fees, admission, CAT cutoff, courses and placements, the PGP remains the key programme to examine. The official 2026-28 domestic PGP fee is ₹26 lakh for two years, excluding the separate caution deposit and applicable taxes, with mess advance payable additionally. Placement information should be read carefully because the latest 2026 final placement report combines PGP and PGPBA outcomes rather than publishing all compensation figures exclusively for the flagship PGP.

IIM Bangalore's PGP 2026-28 admission cycle was linked to CAT 2025, followed by the institute's own shortlisting, Written Ability Test (WAT), Personal Interview (PI) and final selection process. Since the 2026-28 batch has already commenced, these dates are best understood as the admission timeline used for the 2026 intake rather than upcoming application dates.

The first important milestone was CAT 2025 registration. According to the official CAT 2025 notification, registration opened on 1 August 2025 at 10:00 AM and closed on 13 September 2025 at 5:00 PM. The CAT 2025 admit card was scheduled to be available from 5 November 2025, while the examination was conducted on 30 November 2025 in three sessions. The CAT result was scheduled for the first week of January 2026.

CAT 2025 was particularly important for IIM Bangalore's domestic PGP 2026-28 admissions because the institute's official admission procedure required a valid CAT score. IIMB used CAT performance as a major component of its pre-PI and post-PI evaluation. However, CAT registration and IIM Bangalore admission should not be treated as two unrelated applications: the CAT process formed the entrance-examination foundation for the domestic PGP route.

After CAT results, IIM Bangalore proceeded with its shortlisting and subsequent selection stages. The official 2026-28 admission document states that the first shortlist was prepared using predetermined minimum CAT section-wise and aggregate requirements. The subsequent pre-PI score considered CAT, Class 10, Class 12, bachelor's performance, work experience or professional qualification and gender diversity.

The second stage consisted of a Personal Interview and Written Ability Test. IIMB states that the PI and WAT were conducted on the same day and at the same location. The WAT lasted approximately 30 minutes and was evaluated on the content and style of the candidate's written response. The post-PI stage then incorporated the PI, WAT, CAT, academic performance and work experience or professional qualification.

For the 2026-28 batch, the academic year commenced with the new cohort's inauguration on 8 June 2026. IIM Bangalore officially welcomed 541 PGP students and 77 PGP in Business Analytics students. The orientation programme for the new cohort ran from 8 June to 14 June 2026, with reorientation for the previous batch also taking place on 14 June.

The published CAT 2025 dates are useful for understanding the examination timeline, while IIMB's own admission procedure should be used for understanding the institute-level selection process. Applicants should not assume that future IIM Bangalore admission dates will follow exactly the same schedule. IIMB expressly states that the 2026-28 admission procedure applies only to that admission cycle and that future processes may be changed.

For students planning for a subsequent IIM Bangalore PGP intake, the CAT examination notification and the latest IIMB admission document should therefore be checked separately. The CAT authority controls CAT registration, examination and result dates, while IIM Bangalore determines its own shortlisting and admission procedures.

In summary, the 2026-28 cycle followed this broad sequence: CAT 2025 registration in August-September 2025, CAT examination on 30 November 2025, result in January 2026, IIMB shortlisting and PI/WAT stages during the subsequent admission period, and commencement of the PGP 2026-28 academic programme in June 2026.

IIM Bangalore offers several management and research programmes, but the flagship programme for conventional MBA aspirants is the two-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP), which leads to a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. The PGP should be distinguished from IIMB's other MBA and postgraduate programmes because admission criteria, duration, fees and placement processes can differ.

Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP)

The PGP is a two-year, full-time residential MBA programme divided into six trimesters. Students undertake a structured management curriculum during the programme and complete a summer project between the first and second academic years. The programme is designed for students seeking broad management education rather than a narrowly defined single-discipline qualification.

For the 2026-28 admission cycle, applicants required a bachelor's degree in any discipline with a minimum of 50% marks or equivalent CGPA. SC, ST and PwD applicants required at least 45%. A valid CAT score was also required for the domestic admission route.

IIM Bangalore does not present the flagship PGP as a set of fixed named specialisations on its official programme page. Instead, the curriculum spans multiple management disciplines. Academic areas represented within IIMB's teaching and research ecosystem include Finance and Accounting, Marketing, Strategy, Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management, Economics, Production and Operations Management, Information Systems, Decision Sciences, Entrepreneurship and Public Policy. These areas should not automatically be described as PGP specialisations because an academic area or elective does not necessarily constitute an officially designated specialisation.

Post Graduate Programme in Business Analytics (PGPBA)

IIM Bangalore also offers the two-year full-time Post Graduate Programme in Business Analytics, which is a separate MBA programme. The 2026-28 cohort included 77 PGPBA students alongside 541 PGP students. Because PGPBA has a distinct programme identity and analytics orientation, its admissions, curriculum and placement information should not be merged with the flagship PGP when presenting programme-specific statistics.

Other Management Programmes

Beyond the two full-time MBA programmes, IIM Bangalore offers programmes for different professional and academic audiences. These include the one-year Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management (EPGP), the weekend Post Graduate Programme in Enterprise Management (PGPEM), and the Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management (PGPPM). IIMB also operates doctoral and pre-doctoral programmes.

The EPGP is designed for experienced professionals and is structurally different from the two-year PGP. The PGPEM is a weekend programme aimed at working professionals, while PGPPM focuses on public policy and management. These programmes should therefore not be treated as alternatives with identical admission requirements or fee structures.

For students specifically searching for IIM Bangalore MBA courses through CAT, the PGP is the principal programme to investigate. The CAT-based domestic admission route, academic eligibility, shortlisting methodology and PI/WAT process described by IIMB apply to the PGP 2026-28 cycle.

The current PGP profile shows a 2026 enrolled cohort of 540 on the programme page, while IIMB's June 2026 inauguration announcement records 541 students joining the 2026-28 PGP cohort. The institute's official announcement also provides a combined figure of 618 students for PGP and PGPBA, but that combined number should not be presented as the PGP intake.

Accordingly, students researching IIM Bangalore courses should first identify the exact programme they intend to pursue. The two-year PGP is the flagship general-management MBA, while PGPBA, EPGP, PGPEM and PGPPM serve different academic or professional objectives.

IIM Bangalore admission to the two-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) is a multi-stage process. For the 2026-28 domestic cycle, CAT 2025 was the required entrance examination, but admission was not determined by CAT percentile alone. IIMB evaluated academic performance, work experience or professional qualifications, gender diversity, Written Ability Test (WAT) performance and Personal Interview (PI) performance as part of its selection framework.

Step 1: Check Eligibility

Candidates applying for PGP 2026-28 needed a bachelor's degree in any discipline with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA. The minimum requirement for SC, ST and PwD candidates was 45%. IIMB also allowed candidates who had completed CA, ICWA or CS after Class XII to apply under the specified conditions.

Step 2: Take CAT

A valid CAT score was mandatory for the domestic PGP admission route. CAT 2025 was conducted on 30 November 2025. Candidates needed to satisfy IIMB's minimum CAT requirements to be considered for the first-shortlist process.

It is important to distinguish the minimum CAT cutoff from the actual level of performance among candidates who receive interview calls. IIMB explicitly states that the published cutoffs are used for preparing the first shortlist and that the scores of candidates actually called for interviews were higher.

For the 2025-27 cycle, which is the latest category-wise cutoff table published in IIMB's 2026-28 admission document, the General-category minimums were 80 percentile in VARC, 75 in DILR, 75 in QA and 85 percentile in aggregate. These figures should be described as minimum first-shortlist cutoffs based on CAT 2024, not as a guaranteed final admission cutoff for the 2026-28 batch.

Step 3: Submit the Application

The domestic PGP admission route is connected with the CAT application process. Candidates provide the required academic and personal information and supporting documentation. IIMB also requires two online reference letters, with referees submitting their references directly through the designated process.

Step 4: First Shortlist and Pre-PI Evaluation

Candidates meeting the applicable initial requirements enter the first-shortlist process. IIMB's pre-PI score for the 2026-28 cycle assigned weight to CAT, Class 10, Class 12, bachelor's performance, work experience or professional course and gender diversity. The CAT component carried 55 points.

The CAT component itself was divided among VARC, DILR and QA, with 19, 21 and 15 points respectively at the pre-PI stage.

Step 5: WAT and Personal Interview

Candidates shortlisted for the second stage appear for both the Written Ability Test and Personal Interview. IIMB states that the two activities take place on the same day and location. The WAT lasts approximately 30 minutes and evaluates both the content and style of the candidate's written response.

Step 6: Final Selection

The final post-PI evaluation assigns 40 points to the Personal Interview, 10 to WAT, 25 to CAT, 5 each to Class 10, Class 12 and bachelor's performance, and 10 to work experience or professional course. Final admission offers are made category-wise on the basis of the post-PI scores, subject to the institute's reservation framework.

Therefore, CAT is essential for IIM Bangalore PGP admission, but the CAT percentile should not be viewed as the only admission criterion. Academic record, work experience, interview performance and WAT performance can all contribute to the final outcome.

Applicants should also remember that IIMB states its 2026-28 admission procedure applies specifically to that cycle. Future admission policies, cutoff requirements and selection weights may change, so candidates preparing for a later intake should rely on the latest official IIM Bangalore admission document rather than automatically applying the 2026-28 formula.

IIM Bangalore's official fee information for the domestic PGP 2026-28 batch lists a total programme fee of ₹26,00,000 for two years. This amount covers several major academic and residential components, including tuition, library, internet, case-permission royalty, course material, hostel room rent and service charge, medical insurance, personal accident insurance and alumni activity.

When expressed as an annual equivalent for comparison, the two-year fee works out to ₹13.00 lakh per year. However, the official structure is a two-year programme fee of ₹26 lakh, so students should use the ₹26 lakh figure when calculating the actual programme cost rather than treating ₹13 lakh as a separately billed annual tuition fee.

In addition to the programme fee, IIM Bangalore lists a general caution deposit of ₹30,000. This is a separate one-time amount payable at registration. The institute also states that students have to pay a mess advance of ₹30,000 each term. Therefore, the programme fee and mess payments should not be treated as the same component.

The ₹26 lakh programme fee covers accommodation-related components, including hostel room rent and service charge, as specified by IIMB. This makes it different from institutions where tuition, hostel and several campus services are quoted as completely separate annual charges. Students should nevertheless budget for the mess advance and other applicable expenses.

The institute notes that the published fee excludes service tax and any other tax that may become applicable under law. If such taxes are applicable, they are collected at the prescribed rates. Consequently, the ₹26 lakh figure should be understood as the officially listed programme fee before any applicable statutory taxes rather than an assurance that every possible expense during two years will be exactly ₹26 lakh.

IIM Bangalore also provides financial aid and scholarships for eligible students. The institute's financial-aid framework is intended to support students who require assistance with programme expenses. Scholarship and financial-aid availability should be checked against the latest official criteria because eligibility, documentation and award amounts can differ between schemes.

For students searching for IIM Bangalore MBA fees, it is important to identify the programme. The ₹26 lakh figure discussed here applies to the domestic PGP 2026-28 batch. It should not automatically be applied to PGP in Business Analytics, EPGP, PGPEM, PGPPM or other IIMB programmes because each programme can have a different fee structure.

The PGP 2026-28 fee structure can therefore be summarised as follows: the official two-year programme fee is ₹26 lakh, equivalent to ₹13 lakh per year for simple annual comparison; a ₹30,000 general caution deposit is payable separately; and a ₹30,000 mess advance is payable each term. The listed programme fee already includes tuition and several residential and student-service components.

Students planning an IIM Bangalore admission through CAT should also account for costs outside the institute's programme fee, such as CAT registration charges, personal travel, personal expenses and any other costs not explicitly covered by the official fee structure. These should not be added to the published programme fee as if they were IIMB tuition charges.

Because IIM Bangalore can revise fees and applicable charges for future batches, applicants should always verify the latest official PGP fee page before making a payment or financial plan.

IIM Bangalore's latest final placement information for 2026 relates to the PGP and PGP in Business Analytics (PGPBA) Class of 2024-26. The institute's official placement report records 605 students, 665 offers and 177 participating companies. The report also records 283 pre-placement offers made, of which 219 were accepted, along with 96 lateral placement offers made and 88 accepted.

The institute's 20 March 2026 announcement separately stated that 596 students appeared for final and lateral placements and received 664 offers from 177 firms. The detailed official placement report contains the larger statistical set of 605 students and 665 offers. Both sources relate to the same 2024-26 placement cycle, but the figures reflect different reporting points within the process.

For compensation, the latest reported average salary for the combined PGP and PGPBA 2024-26 placement group was ₹35.35 LPA, while the median salary was ₹34.75 LPA. These figures are useful for understanding the overall outcomes of the two full-time MBA programmes, but they should not be presented as PGP-only salary figures because the official report combines PGP and PGPBA.

The same distinction applies when discussing IIM Bangalore's highest package. The latest official placement information does not provide a verified single highest-package figure specifically for the PGP 2024-26 batch. Accordingly, a highest-package figure should not be manufactured from third-party reports or unverified salary claims. For a strict flagship-PGP page, the highest package is therefore Not Available / Not Officially Disclosed.

Recruitment in the 2026 placement cycle covered multiple sectors. Management consulting accounted for 45% of the offers, making it the largest category. Technology and product-management roles accounted for 15%, while investment banking contributed 11% of offers according to IIM Bangalore's March 2026 announcement.

The institute reported participation from 177 firms. Major recruiters by number of offers included Accenture, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, EY-Parthenon, American Express, Kearney and Tata Consultancy Services. The official announcement states that approximately 35% of participating firms were new recruiters in this cycle.

The sector spread extended beyond consulting and finance. Official placement information lists opportunities in IT software, analytics and product management; finance, banking, investments and fintech; e-commerce, payments, telecom and logistics; manufacturing, construction, energy and infrastructure; FMCG and retail; conglomerates; and healthcare and education.

IIM Bangalore also recorded seven overseas offers in the 2024-26 final placement report. Pre-placement offers were an important component of the process, with 283 PPOs made and 219 accepted according to the detailed report. Lateral recruitment was also conducted for candidates with prior professional experience.

For students researching IIM Bangalore placements, the programme distinction is important. PGP and PGPBA have separate programme identities, but the latest official 2026 final placement report combines their headline outcomes. Therefore, the ₹35.35 LPA average and ₹34.75 LPA median should be labelled as PGP + PGPBA figures rather than being described as PGP-only figures.

IIMB's Career Development Services continues to manage final, lateral and summer placement activities. For the upcoming 2026-27 placement calendar, IIMB has scheduled final placement interviews for 25-30 January 2027 and summer-placement interviews for 26-31 October 2026.

Thus, the latest verified placement picture for IIM Bangalore is based on the 2024-26 PGP + PGPBA cycle: 605 students in the detailed placement report, 665 offers, 177 companies, ₹35.35 LPA average salary and ₹34.75 LPA median salary. A separate verified PGP-only highest package is not officially disclosed.