Every MBA aspirant dreams of getting into any of the top three Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) when they begin their CAT preparation.

However, only a few hundred students manage to convert this dream into reality. But what about the thousand other aspirants who missed the IIM A, B, C conversion by a few marks? One must not be disheartened for not making into the three best MBA colleges in India.

There are several top private business schools with excellent curriculum and placement opportunities that help the students to ace their career after completing the MBA course. Two such colleges are SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) and the XLRI- Xavier School of Management.

Mostly ranked in the top 10 MBA colleges of the country, the SPJIMR Mumbai and XLRI Jamshedpur are also the topmost choices of several talented candidates. And how do we compare IIM A, B and C, you might ask. This article will venture into several factors that go into a candidate’s selection process of the colleges.

SPJIMR, XLRI vs IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta

• *- The fees do not include extra charges like food, electricity and hostel charges for some colleges.
• The fees of SPJIMR and IIM Bangalore are based on the 2019 Academic Year.
• The increase and decrease in the number of seats depending upon the institutes.
• The details of average and median salaries are as per the placement reports of 2019 of all the institutes.
• The intake capacity for all colleges is solely based on the 2 years full-time PGDM/PGP programmes except for the XLRI.
• The intake capacity and the median salary of XLRI is based on two programmes: Business Management and Human Resource Management.
• The minimum CAT percentile is denoted by the institute for the shortlisting process. The overall cut-offs can go as high as 99 percentile depending upon various factors.
• The perception parameter denotes the peer perception of employers, academics and professionals of reputed organisation. The peer perception percentage is based on a survey conducted by the NIRF and is subject to periodic updating.

Striking Factors of each college

1. SP Jain

• The college accepts both CAT and XAT scores. It helps the students who couldn’t perform well in one test to supplement the score with others. It is the only college in this list to accept both scores.
• As per the latest data, the fees for SPJIMR is the lowest of all the aforementioned institutes.
• SPJIMR provides the best ROI amongst all the listed B-schools if we compare the programme fee with median and average offered salaries.
• Applicants for the second stage of admission are shortlisted according to their profiles and CAT/XAT scores.

2. XLRI- Xavier School of Management

• The college issues extremely high cut-offs to select the best candidates from the Xavier Aptitude Test.
• The HRM programme is ranked as the best Human Resource Management course in the Asia-Pacific region.
• The BM programme introduces students to various fields of management and offers a well-thought choice for specialization.
• The faculty of HRM is regarded as the best in India for HR programmes.

3. IIM Ahmedabad

• The IIM-A charges the highest fees amongst all the aforementioned colleges.
• The institute has a very rich legacy which the high perception rate reflects.
• The faculty of IIM Ahmedabad includes world-renowned academics which is a major factor for the excellence of this business school.
• Excellent placement opportunities and collaborations with top foreign universities help the students to thrive in their respective fields.

4. IIM Bangalore

• IIM Bangalore has a perfect score in the perception parameter of NIRF ranking, the highest in India.
• IIM Bangalore also charges the lowest programme fee when compared to the other top IIMs.
• The number of top foreign universities collaboration with IIM Bangalore exceeds the number of IIM Ahmedabad.
• As per the 2019 Placement Report, the median and average salaries of the IIM-B students exceeds that of IIM-A.

5. IIM Calcutta

• The campus of IIM Calcutta is spread across a huge area and is very beautiful.
• There is much larger diversity in the PGP batches of IIM Calcutta than any other top IIM.
• IIM Calcutta provides students with flexible options to select.
• As many alumni have remarked, there is a feeling of camaraderie that is difficult to find in other B-schools.
• Needless to say, the placement opportunities and peer perception are amongst the best in the country.

Why Do Students Prefer IIM?

• The IIMs have become a prestigious global brand of business schools.
• Excellence is now synonymous with IIM, especially with the top three IIMs
• The ‘IIM’ tag will remain with the students for life.
• The brand of networking of IIM A, B and C are the best in the country.
• The IIMs are known for their rigorous and excellent course structures.

The advantages of studying in XLRI or SPJIMR

• The quality of education of XLRI is just as good as IIM A, B and C.
• The SPJIMR PGDM course is unique and innovative.
• Both SPJIMR and XLRI have a quality-based selection process.
• The students of SPJIMR and XLRI get very similar packages as compared to the top IIMs.
• Both colleges have a strong alumni network.