This blog provides a complete guide for shortlisting the best non-IIM B-school in 2026. The MBA programme’s demand is linked with the number of participants in the CAT exam. Over 3 Lakh individuals participated in the Common Admission Test or CAT 2025 exam. CAT has the most competition compared to other management exams like NMAT, SNAP, GMAT etc. Students go through the challenging process of preparing for national level entrance tests, Group discussion or personal interviews only to get into the ‘top management colleges in India’.
But the admission process is not limited to entrance test scores alone, top non-IIMs also check your overall profile including 10th or 12th marks, graduation marks, work experience, etc. Once you have cleared the cutoffs, you’ll get through the initial shortlist. The next stage which is common across top non-IIMs is the PI, WAT, GE or GD round. After clearing the second round, you only need to confirm your admission by fee payment, document verification and offer letter acceptance. Apart from the admission process, it is also important to consider the fees, placements, and ranking of the college. Clearing respective cutoffs is the only way to get into top non-IIMs.
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Who Should Choose a Non-IIMs and Why?
Non-IIMs are suitable for those who want a college with a good brand name and a high ROI. Students who select non-IIMs will get a chance to engage in a rewarding placement process. Top Non-IIMs like FMS Delhi, XLRI and SPJIMR offer a high placement package with average CTC crossing ₹30 LPA. If you have worked hard and scored a decent percentile in CAT but do not have the time or the resources to study for another attempt, it is best to take a non-IIM with a good placement record, high returns and a decent infrastructure.
The knowledge and experience level of the faculty at B-scholls is generally good and almost at par with popular IIMs. If you are not able to clear the CAT cutoff for top IIMs, top B-schools are your next best option considering you do not want to go for a re-attempt or a gap year. Most students only prefer IIMs because IIMs dominate the conversation on the best management colleges in India. But there is a major concern when it comes to IIMs. At present there are 21 IIMs in India and each has a limited number of seats but when it comes to non-IIMs, there are 5000+ with lots of affordable options.
Top Non IIMs and Its Admission Process
Depending on one’s needs and requirements, top non-IIMs serve as the best colleges offering a great on-campus life, excellent industry exposure and best faculty cum peers with a diverse set of life experiences. No matter how hard you work for top IIMs, if you are able to get a seat into a top B-school, you are still doing great compared to those who neither cleared the CAT exam nor managed to clear shortlists or interviews. Before moving ahead with the fee details and placements at top non-IIMs, understand the admission procedure in detail. The list of top non-IIMs and its admission process is summarized in the table below. Most non-IIMs have a first round of shortlisting based on a candidate’s entrance test scores, academic and work profile. The second round at top non-IIMs is based on an Interview, a GD or a GE round.
| Admission Procedure 2026 at Top Non-IIMs in India | |
| Name of the Non-IIM | Admission Process Details |
| XLRI | To take admission into XLRI, you’ll need to appear for the XAT exam and apply separately to XLRI programmes. Students get shortlisted based on their XAT scores and profile but the final selection round may include a PI or a WAT. |
| SPJIMR Mumbai | CAT/GMAT cutoffs are considered for admission along with the student’s overall profile. Each profile is assigned a score and grouped based on the scores. SLJIMR conducts a PI round for final shortlisting. |
| FMS Delhi | Admission is based on CAT scores, followed by shortlisting and a PI/WAT round for final selection. |
| SIBM Pune | Clear the SNAP test and submit an application form online for the preferred course. Participate and clear the GE/PI/WAT rounds for making it to the final shortlist. |
| MDI Gurgaon | Appear for the CAT exam and clear the college cutoff. Take part in the interview process and clear the final selection rounds. |
| NMIMS Mumbai | To be eligible for admissions, you must take the NMAT exam, clear the first shortlist based on NMAT scores, and appear for the interview or assessment rounds for final shortlisting. |
| JBIMS Mumbai | Admission is through the MAH MBA CET and it is based on the overall profile of the candidate. |
| IIFT | CAT qualification is required and an interview process may be conducted for final evaluation of the candidate’s profile. |
| IMT Ghaziabad | Admission is based on clearing the cutoffs in CAT, XAT or GMAT entrance test. |
Top Non‑IIMs and Its Accepted Entrance Exams
After knowing the admission process for the top-non IIMs, students must understand the importance of entrance tests that are accepted at top B-schools. Majority of the top non-IIMs consider the Common Admission Test or CAT scores making CAT the most competitive management exam to crack for the best colleges in India. Apart from CAT, other entrance tests accepted at well-recognized non-IIMs in India are GMAT, SNAP, NMAT, MAH MBA CER and XAT among others. Each college has its own admission cum selection criteria, while some consider overall entrance test score, other non-IIMs also take your section-wise scores into consideration.
To easily identify which entrance test is applicable for a particular B-school, in this table, we have compiled the list of non-IIMs and their accepted entrances beside the college name. Most management entrance tests have similar formats, structure, sections and syllabus. Preparing for the CAT exam may be beneficial for attempting other entrance tests such as SNAP, MAH MBA CET, NMAT, GMAT and so forth.
| Entrance Tests 2026 Accepted at Top Non-IIMs in India | |
| Name of the Non-IIM | Accepted Entrance Exam Name |
| XLRI | XAT |
| SPJIMR Mumbai | CAT and GMAT |
| FMS Delhi | CAT |
| SIBM Pune | SNAP |
| IIFT | CAT |
| NMIMS Mumbai | NMAT |
| JBIMS Mumbai | MAH MBA CET |
| MDI Gurgaon | CAT |
| IMT Ghaziabad | CAT, XAT and GMAT |
Top Non IIMs and Its Program Fees
The overall range of top non-IIMs and its program fees is between ₹1.16 Lakhs (FMS Delhi) to ₹29.36 Lakhs (SIBM Pune). Students can choose which programme they want to study based on their interests, what the college offers, and the overall fee structure of the course. Evaluating the non-IIM based on fee criteria is important to check the overall worthiness and affordability of the course.
Low cost top non-IIMs are FMS Delhi, NMIMS Mumbai, JBIMS Mumbai and XLRI. Slightly expensive non-IIMs which students can choose for their management studies are IIFT, MDI Gurgaon and IMT Ghaziabad. The top two most costly non-IIMs are SPJIMR Mumbai and SIBM Pune with their total program fee ranging between ₹26 LPA to ₹29 LPA approximately. Detailed non-IIMs course wise fees for the 2026-28 batch are given below.
| Admission Procedure 2026 at Top Non-IIMs in India | |
| List of Non-IIM B-Schools | Programme Fee Details |
| XLRI | PGDM (BM) & PGDM (HRM) – ₹15.25 LPA (₹30.5 Lakhs total) |
| SPJIMR Mumbai | PGDM – ₹26.50 Lakhs (International Student – ₹35.94 Lakhs) |
| FMS Delhi | PGDM – ₹1.16 Lakhs (total) subject to revision |
| SIBM Pune | MBA – ₹29.36 Lakhs (total excluding 2nd hostel & mess fees) |
| IIFT | MBA BA – ₹17,87,506 (total) MBA IB – ₹21.82 Lakhs (Delhi Campus)MBA IB – ₹21.32 Lakhs (Kolkata Campus)MBA IB – ₹19.68 Lakhs (Kakinada and GIFT City) |
| JBIMS Mumbai | MMS – ₹8.34 Lakhs |
| NMIMS Mumbai | MBA Tech IT – ₹5.50 Lakhs (Chandigarh)MBA Tech CE – ₹5.50 Lakhs (Chandigarh)MBA Tech CE – ₹3 Lakh (Shirpur Campus)MBA Tech CE – ₹3.90 Lakh (Navi Mumbai)MBA Tech Computer Engineering – ₹3 Lakh (Indore)MBA Tech Data Science – ₹5.50 Lakhs (Chandigarh)MBA Tech AI – ₹5.50 Lakhs (Chandigarh) |
| MDI Gurgaon | PGDM BM – ₹18.50 Lakhs (General category) |
| IMT Ghaziabad | ₹23 Lakhs (total) for PGDM, PGDM FM, PGDM Marketing, andPGDM Banking and Financial Services |
Top Non IIMs and Its Placement Highlights
Non-IIMs offer high ROI as their placement packages are decent and rewarding for a fresher or even for working professionals with 1+ years of work experience. Students who choose to study at top non-IIMs will be exposed to a vast industry network of known big MNCs in India and Abroad. The placement trends at non-IIMs have grown significantly over the past years with consistently providing better work opportunities to the youth.
The highest, average and median salary packages for non-IIMs like XLRI, FMS, and MDI Gurgaon are given in the table below. Students who are seeking to take admission into non-IIMs in 2026 must research the placement packages provided at the college. Median CTC is around ₹30 LPA while the average and the higher CTC range is between ₹50 LPA (approximately) and ₹1.23 Crores per year, respectively.
| Placement Packages Offered in 2025 at Best Non-IIMs in India | |
| Non-IIM B-Schools | Placement Statistics |
| XLRI | Average CTC – ₹31.08 LPAMedian CTC – ₹29 LPAHighest CTC – ₹75 LPA (Domestic)Highest CTC – ₹1.10 CPA (International) |
| SPJIMR Mumbai | Average CTC – ₹32 LPAMedian CTC – ₹30.5 LPAHighest CTC – ₹89 LPA |
| FMS Delhi | Average CTC – ₹34.1 LPAMedian CTC – ₹31 LPAHighest CTC – ₹1.23 CPA (Domestic) |
| SIBM Pune | Highest CTC – ₹53.58 LPAAverage CTC – ₹28.83 LPA |
| IIFT | Average CTC – 27.3 (2024) |
| NMIMS Mumbai | Highest CTC – ₹67.7 LPAAverage CTC – ₹25.13 LPA |
| JBIMS Mumbai | Highest CTC – ₹87.12 LPAAverage CTC – ₹26.12 LPAMedian CTC – ₹26.4 LPA |
| MDI Gurgaon | Average CTC – ₹25.5 LPAMedian CTC – ₹24.2 LPAHighest CTC – ₹63.3 LPA |
| IMT Ghaziabad | Highest CTC – ₹62.86 LPAAverage CTC – ₹17.20 LPAMedian CTC – ₹15.86 LPA |
Top Non IIMs and Its NIRF Ranking 2025
Ranking of the college is a significant factor which influences the overall image and brand value. Top non-IIMs are institutions ranked highly by government ranking bodies such as the NIRF. NIRF Management category ranking 2025 lists various non-IIMs ranking higher than IITs or some newer IIMs. The highest ranking non-IIM among top 10 IIMs is MDI Gurgaon.
Right after MDI Gurgaon, XLRI secured the 10th position and turns out to be an excellent place to study for prospective MBA aspirants. Following MDI and XLRI are other top ranking non-IIMs such as SIBM, IIFT, and SPJIMR among others. All the non IIMs listed below are ranked under top 30 non-IIMs in India.
| Ranking of Top Non-IIMs in India | ||
| Name of the Non-IIM | City and State | NIRF Rank 2025 |
| MDI | Gurugram, Haryana | 9 |
| XLRI | Jamshedpur, Jharkhand | 10 |
| SIBM | Pune, Maharashtra | 11 |
| IIFT | New Delhi, Delhi | 17 |
| SPJIMR | Mumbai, Maharashtra | 20 |
| NMIMS | Mumbai, Maharashtra | 24 |
| IMT | Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh | 30 |
Top Non IIMs and Its CAT Cutoff 2026 (Expected)
Cutoffs are an important factor that decides your entry into the top non-IIMs for MBA (PGDM courses). CAT being the most competitive exam has one of the highest cutoffs compared to other entrance tests like GMAT. CAT cutoffs for top institutions except IIMs range between 92-99+ percentile.
IIMs have a high cutoff around 99 percentile. Those who do not clear this cutoff still have a great chance to pursue their management studies at other ranking B-schools like FMS Delhi, MDI Gurgaon or SPJIMR in Mumbai. You’ll need a CAT score higher than 92 percentile on the lowest end for admission into the non-IIM colleges. Although, a CAT score above 95 percentile has a higher or stronger chances of getting non-IIM calls.
| Non-IIMs CAT Cutoff for 2026 Based on CAT Cutoff Trends | |
| Non-IIMs Accepting CAT | Expected Cutoff Based on Trends |
| FMS Delhi | 99+ |
| SPJIMR Mumbai | 95-96 |
| MDI Gurgaon | 95-96 |
| JBIMS Mumbai | 92-95 |
| IMT Ghaziabad | 92-95 |
