Every year, lakhs of students sit for entrance exams like CAT, XAT, SNAP, and NMAT with one goal in mind: getting into a good MBA college and building a career they can be proud of. Somewhere in that crowd is a smaller group of students who are not chasing finance roles or consulting jobs. They are drawn instead to something a little different, the world of people, culture, and organisations. If you find yourself more interested in how teams function, how conflicts get resolved, how companies attract and retain talent, and how workplace culture is shaped from the ground up, then a career in Human Resources is probably calling out to you, whether you have fully realised it yet or not.
Human Resources used to be seen as a support function, something that happened quietly in the background while the real business decisions were made elsewhere. That perception has changed quite a bit over the last decade. Today, HR professionals sit at the table when companies plan strategy, restructure teams, handle mergers, or think about long-term growth.
This is exactly where things can get a little overwhelming for a student trying to make a decision. Do you go with the college that has the biggest brand name, even if the fees are steep? Or do you pick something more affordable that still offers a strong return on investment? Should the entrance exam you are comfortable with be the deciding factor, or should you look purely at the average package being offered? These are not easy questions, and honestly, there is no single right answer that works for everyone. It depends on your own priorities, your financial situation, your comfort with a particular exam, and where you eventually see yourself working. This blog covers the detailed list of top 10 MBA colleges in India for HR, with entrance exams accepted, fee structure, average package and more.
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Top 10 MBA Colleges in HR
| MBA Colleges in India | Exam Accepted | Fees | Average Package |
| XLRI Jamshedpur | XAT | 25.8 lakh | 29.89 LPA |
| TISS Mumbai | CAT | 1.85 lakh | 27.22 LPA |
| NMIMS Mumbai | NMAT | 23.90 lakh | 26.63 LPA |
| IIM Indore | CAT | 25 lakh | 25.01 LPA |
| MDI Gurgaon | CAT, GMAT | 25 lakh | 27.67 LPA |
| SCMHRD Pune | SNAP | 23.90 lakh | 23.71 LPA |
| IIM Lucknow | CAT | 20.7 lakh | 32.20 LPA |
| SIBM Pune | SNAP | 22.20 lakh | 28.16 LPA |
| IIM Ranchi | CAT | 17.2 lakh | 17.3 LPA |
| IIM Tiruchirappalli | CAT | 19.5 lakh | 20.55 LPA |
| XIMB (HRM) | CAT, XAT, XGMT | 19.3 lakh | 16.64 LPA |
XLRI Jamshedpur
Ask any HR aspirant in India which college they dream of getting into, and XLRI comes up almost immediately. It has been running HR programs since long before most other business schools even thought about specialising in the field, and that head start shows in how deeply it is respected across industries. The exam you need to crack here is XAT, and it is not an easy one.
Fees at XLRI work out to about 25.8 lakh for the full course, which sounds steep until you look at the placement numbers. Graduates walk out with an average package of 29.89 LPA, and recruiters from consulting firms, FMCG giants, and banking companies show up on campus year after year. A lot of this comes down to the alumni sitting in senior HR roles across the country, people who went through the same classrooms and now come back to hire from there.
Entrance Exam Accepted: XAT
Fee Structure: 25.8 lakh
Average Package: 29.89 LPA
TISS Mumbai
TISS Mumbai does things a little differently, and that is exactly why so many students end up choosing it. Since it grew out of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, the program has a social work backbone woven into the HR curriculum, so students end up learning about human behaviour and organisational dynamics in a way that feels less like textbook management theory and more grounded in reality.
The entrance exam here is CAT, and here is the part that surprises most people: the fees are just 1.85 lakh, a fraction of what most other colleges on this list charge. Yet the placements do not suffer for it. Students walk away with an average package of 27.22 LPA, which honestly makes TISS one of the best deals going among MBA colleges in India for HR.
Entrance Exam Accepted: CAT
Fee Structure: 1.85 lakh
Average Package: 27.22 LPA
NMIMS Mumbai
NMIMS has spent years building a name for itself in Mumbai’s crowded MBA landscape, and its HR specialisation gets a fair bit of attention from recruiters too. NMAT is the exam of choice here, and thanks to the college’s location and reputation, seats fill up fast every admission cycle.
Fees come to around 23.90 lakh, and the average package sits at 26.63 LPA. What students often mention when talking about NMIMS is the amount of live project work and industry exposure baked into the curriculum, so by the time graduation rolls around, most of them have already worked on something close to a real HR problem, not just case studies from a textbook.
Entrance Exam Accepted: NMAT
Fee Structure: 23.90 lakh
Average Package: 26.63 LPA
IIM Indore
Being an IIM automatically puts a college in a different bracket, and IIM Indore is no exception. Its HR track has grown steadily over the years, and getting in requires clearing CAT, which as most applicants know, is no small feat given how many people compete for a limited number of seats.
The course will run you close to 25 lakh in fees, and graduates typically land packages averaging 25.01 LPA. There is something to be said for the sheer weight the IIM name carries during placement season. Recruiters trust the brand, and that trust translates directly into opportunities for students the moment they step into interview rooms.
Entrance Exam Accepted: CAT
Fee Structure: 25 lakh
Average Package: 25.01 LPA
MDI Gurgaon
MDI Gurgaon rarely misses a top ten list when people talk about HR education, and for good reason. One thing that sets it apart is flexibility on the entrance exam front, since it accepts both CAT and GMAT scores, which opens the door a little wider for applicants who might have taken one exam over the other for reasons unrelated to their MBA plans.
Total fees land around 25 lakh, and the average package offered is 27.67 LPA. Being located just outside Delhi gives MDI a practical advantage too. Corporate offices are a short drive away, which means easier access for internships, guest lectures, and eventually, placements, since so many companies already have a presence in the NCR region.
Entrance Exam Accepted: CAT, GMAT
Fee Structure: 25 lakh
Average Package: 27.67 LPA
SCMHRD Pune
Part of the larger Symbiosis network, SCMHRD has quietly built one of the strongest HR identities among Pune’s business schools. SNAP is the exam students need to clear, and the campus itself has a reputation for being close-knit, the kind of place where batches tend to know each other well by the time they graduate.
Fees for the program come to 23.90 lakh, with an average package of 23.71 LPA. What stands out about SCMHRD is how much weight it puts on soft skills and leadership training alongside the core HR subjects, since at the end of the day, HR is as much about people skills as it is about policy and process.
Entrance Exam Accepted: SNAP
Fee Structure: 23.90 lakh
Average Package: 23.71 LPA
IIM Lucknow
If you are looking purely at numbers, IIM Lucknow might just be the standout on this entire list. It runs the CAT exam route like every other IIM, but what makes it interesting is the gap between what students pay and what they eventually earn.
Fees here are 20.7 lakh, which is actually lower than several other IIMs, yet the average package touches 32.20 LPA, the highest figure among all the colleges covered here. That combination of comparatively affordable fees and a strong placement outcome is hard to beat, and it is a big reason why IIM Lucknow keeps coming up in conversations about the best MBA colleges in India for HR.
Entrance Exam Accepted: CAT
Fee Structure: 20.7 lakh
Average Package: 32.20 LPA
SIBM Pune
Another Symbiosis institute, SIBM Pune has carved its own space in the HR world, separate from its sister college SCMHRD. Admission runs through SNAP, and beyond academics, the campus is known for a lively student life that a lot of alumni still talk about years later.
The fees work out to 22.20 lakh, and the average package sits at 28.16 LPA. SIBM has kept its recruiter relationships steady over the years, which shows up in placement consistency rather than the occasional standout year followed by a dip, something that matters a lot when you are trying to judge a college beyond just one batch’s results.
Entrance Exam Accepted: SNAP
Fee Structure: 22.20 lakh
Average Package: 28.16 LPA
IIM Ranchi
IIM Ranchi does not carry the same decades-old legacy as some of the older IIMs, but it has been putting in the work to close that gap, particularly on the industry connections front. CAT remains the entrance exam, same as the rest of the IIM family.
Fees are 17.2 lakh, among the more affordable options on this list, and the average package comes to 17.3 LPA. That package figure is lower compared to some of the other names here, so this one really comes down to priorities. For students who would rather keep costs down and are comfortable with a more modest starting package in exchange for the IIM tag, Ranchi still makes a reasonable case for itself.
Rounding out the list are two more names worth knowing about. IIM Tiruchirappalli takes CAT scores, charges around 19.5 lakh in fees, and sends students out with an average package of 20.55 LPA. XIMB’s HRM program is a bit more flexible on exams, accepting CAT, XAT, and XGMT, with fees of 19.3 lakh and an average package of 16.64 LPA. Neither is the flashiest name on paper, but both offer a decent HR education without demanding the kind of fees that some of the bigger names charge.
Entrance Exam Accepted: CAT
Fee Structure: 17.2 lakh
Average Package: 17.3 LPA
Conclusion: MBA Colleges in India for HR
Someone chasing the highest possible package might lean toward IIM Lucknow or XLRI. Someone watching their budget closely might find TISS Mumbai hard to beat, given how much it offers for how little it costs. And someone who already knows they want the IIM brand on their resume might be willing to look past a slightly lower package at a place like IIM Ranchi just to get that tag.
None of that makes one choice objectively better than another. What matters is figuring out what you personally value most, whether it is the exam you already have a score for, the fees your family is comfortable paying, the city you want to spend the next two years in, or simply the name that opens the most doors in the specific corner of HR you want to work in. Sit with the numbers for a bit, talk to seniors or alumni if you can track any down, and then make the call. Every college on this list has earned its spot, so however you decide, you are not picking wrong, you are picking what fits you.
FAQs: Top MBA Colleges in India for HR
There is no single answer that fits everyone, but XLRI Jamshedpur tends to top most people’s lists because of its legacy and placement record. IIM Lucknow and TISS Mumbai are usually right behind it, though for very different reasons, one for its package, the other for its fees.
It depends on where you want to apply. CAT is the most widely accepted exam and gets you into places like TISS, most IIMs, and a few others. XLRI wants XAT specifically, NMIMS goes with NMAT, and colleges like MDI Gurgaon or XIMB will take more than one score, so it is worth checking each college individually before you start prepping.
It varies quite a bit. TISS Mumbai is on the lower end at around 1.85 lakh, while a college like XLRI sits closer to 25.8 lakh. Most of the others fall somewhere in between, so your budget will play a real role in narrowing down the list.
Again, it depends heavily on the college. Some institutes report average packages around 16 to 17 LPA, while others, IIM Lucknow being the clearest example, go as high as 32.20 LPA. Your own profile, internships, and interview performance will obviously factor in too, these numbers are averages, not guarantees.
Again, it depends heavily on the college. Some institutes report average packages around 16 to 17 LPA, while others, IIM Lucknow being the clearest example, go as high as 32.20 LPA. Your own profile, internships, and interview performance will obviously factor in too, these numbers are averages, not guarantees.
Yes, and this is not a case of low fees meaning a lesser education. TISS manages to keep costs down while still delivering placements that hold their own against colleges charging many times more, which is exactly why it keeps coming up as one of the smartest picks among MBA colleges in India for anyone serious about HR
