Indian School of Business - [ISB], Mohali

Established in 2001, ISB is known for its flagship PGP program and is ranked #32 in the world and #1 in India in FT Rankings. ISB operates through two campuses Hyderabad (600+ students) and Mohali (300+ students). The allotment of location is based on luck of draws. The admission and placement process is the same throughout the school.

Vision: To be an internationally top-ranked, research-driven, independent management institution that grooms future leaders for India and the world.

The ISB is committed to creating leaders through its innovative programmes, outstanding faculty and thought leadership. It provides a plethora of programs for students, professionals and executives. Some of the programs include Flagship PGP program, PGPpro, PGPMax, PGPMFAB and other advanced management programs.

For it’s MBA equivalent PGP program, the 80% average package stood at INR 33.25 LPA and the 80% median package at INR 32 LPA during the 2023 placement drive. 

ISB is a not-for-profit organization, funded entirely by private corporations, foundations and individuals from around the world. ISB is the only school in India to receive triple crown accreditation from the Association of MBAs (AMBA), EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

With Wharton and Kellogg as founding associate schools, ISB subsequently partnered with London Business School & MIT Sloan School of Management to strengthen its curriculum.

With Wharton and Kellogg as founding associate schools, ISB subsequently partnered with London Business School & MIT Sloan School of Management to strengthen its curriculum.

ISB Mohali Quick Facts 

• Ranking: ISB Hyderabad is ranked #1 in India, #5 in Asia, and #23 globally in the Financial Times Global MBA Rankings (2021).
• Collaboration: ISB Hyderabad has academic alliances with many foreign universities such as Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, LBS, etc.
• Scholarships: ISB Hyderabad provides scholarships on the basis of students’ academic performance and financial requirements in terms of waivers, grants, and awards.
• Placements: ISB Mohali Placements 2023 recroded the 80% average package of INR 33.25 LPA. Students received 1609 placement offers.

Check Is an MBA from ISB worth the money invested?

ISB Mohali Rankings

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ISB Mohali Admission

1. Choose the admissions round to which you want to apply. In a given application year, the ISB admissions process is divided into three admission cycles, typically in September, December, and January. A candidate may only submit one application during the admissions period.
2. Make a calculation based on the application deadline you've selected, and allow at least 40 to 45 days for the application essays and GMAT or GRE preparation.
3. Planning for the online application submission for ISB admission is the next stage.
4. The application form for ISB admissions in 2023 asks applicants to provide personal information, proof of identity, etc.
5. In addition to a passport, the Aadhar card is a recognised form of identification for the ISB admissions process in 2023.
6. Undergraduate and graduate degrees should be listed on the ISB application form as academic credentials.
7. To the online application, add the employment details, including term, tasks and responsibilities, and accomplishments.
8. For the ISB admissions process, a valid GMAT or GRE score is required.
9. The next step is to write two ISB essays. In case of re-applicants an additional essay is required.

Essay topics for Class of 2023 were:

• Peer Learning is a major building block of PGP at ISB. Help us in understanding how you will be able to add value to the PGP peer group through your personal and professional qualities/capabilities? (400 words max)
• What are your short term and long term career goals? How will the Post Graduate Program at ISB assist you in achieving your goals? (400 words max)

10. 1 letter of recommendation preferably from employer who would know you the best
11. Scholarship essay if applicable
12. Finally add your extracurricular activities, awards and achievements, hobbies to the online ISB application.
13. After submitting the application, your candidature is reviewed and if suitable, you get an interview call.
14. Final step is the ISB interview. It is usually the alumni of the school conducting the interview in group of 2 or 3. The range of question varies from your work experience, hobbies, and special emphasis on how will ISB help you in your career going forward.

ISB Mohali Cut-off

ISB has no cut off criterion. You can get admission through GMAT/GRE score which could strengthen your overall profile. A candidate with a strong background and average GMAT score has a similar chance of getting in as an average candidate with stellar GMAT scores. 

The average GMAT score for ISB Hyderabad and ISB Mohali is expected to be 709, GRE score is 323 (Please note that this is the average GMAT score for ISB and not the minimum score required to secure admission in ISB).

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ISB Mohali Courses

​ISB Mohali Vs Other Top B Schools

ISB Mohali Batch Profile

The batch profile of class of 2024 is shown in the table below:

ISB Mohali Placements

ISB has recently completed the 2023 placement drive for its PGPM batch. The 80% average salary has increased from the previous year. 324 recruiters visited the campus. Recruiters came from sectors like Consulting, IT / ITES / Technology, BFSI, FMCG / Retail, Pharma / Healthcare. 

The placement highlights of ISB are tabulated below:

Check ISB Hyderabad Placement

Key Facts:

1. Approximately 50% students are placed on day 1 of placements
2. Your academic performance for only core terms counts for the placements
3. Decoding CTC

• Some companies give a joining bonus of around 1–3 Lakhs which might or might not be considered as a part of CTC
• Performance Bonus (10–20% of total CTC)
• Some start-ups give stock based compensations too, could be 10-20% of total CTC

Do marks matter?

Only if you're planning to get into top consulting firms, otherwise the companies don't ask for CGPA as such

What type of companies come to hire at ISB?

ISB Mohali Scholarship

The candidate has to apply for a scholarship after he gets the offer letter. For this, a separate Statement of Purpose has to be submitted, clearly stating why you would need a scholarship. In some cases, you may also need to submit supporting documents.

There would be ~900 individuals fighting for this - the competition is as usual high. But if your profile is sound and matching the requirements of the individual scholarships then you would get in without much struggle. Usually at most 30-40 people get any kind of useful scholarship.

However, Dean Madan has emphasized on making scholarships more prominent- and has started an alum fund- wherein the current class could contribute some amount to fund the education of upcoming batches.

ISB MBA Applicants for tuition waivers must submit proof of income for self, parents & spouse (if applicable) is mandatory to be eligible.

An MBA applicant is allowed to apply for more than one tuition waiver, at the same time only one tuition waiver shall be awarded to an applicant.

Submission of a testimonial is mandatory for all students who are "awarded" a tuition waiver.

Options for Scholarships for ISB Hyderabad MBA:

1. All ISB MBA applicants shall be eligible for the merit-linked tuition waivers. They are not required to apply separately
2. ISB need based waiver:

Eligibility:

• Family income inclusive of the applicant's pre ISB income being less than INR 12 lakhs.
• Application process includes submission of the proof of income for self and family and an essay on the topic "Justify by stressing on the need & your family financial condition " (200 words max)

3. ISB - AIESEC waivers: Sanctioned INR. 5 Lakh to 3 candidates enrolled and applicable to only AIESEC alumni
4. Diversity waivers: Sanctioned INR. 5 Lakh to 5-10 applicants on the basis of merit and diversity of students

Chec Out ISB Hyderabad Scholarship Reviews

ISB Mohali vs ISB Hyderabad

Myths around ISB Hyderabad vs ISB Mohali

Do Better students go to the Hyderabad campus?: ISB maintains a similar class profile and has a common admissions process for both campuses. The school follows an algorithm which helps them allocate students to the Hyderabad and Mohali campuses from the pool of admitted students. For instance, from every 9 students (based on rank / performance in the admissions process), 6 are allocated Hyderabad and 3 are allocated Mohali.

Do Hyderabad students get better placements?: While the school does not publish campus level statistics,there have been instances when placements at ISB Mohali were slightly better. In one of the recent placement seasons, one of the top consulting firms ended up selecting more students from the Mohali campus than the Hyderabad campus (unknowingly, as you are not allowed to disclose your campus during placements) .

Faculty at ISB Hyderabad is bette than ISB Mohalir? While most visiting faculty members from foreign schools visit both the campuses, some only visit the Mohali campus as the same course is taken by a resident faculty member at the Hyderabad campus. While both resident and visiting faculty at ISB is amongst the best in the world, the foreign faculty also brings their global research and consulting experience to the class at Mohali.

ISB Mohali Alumni

What alums have to say:

• Ankur Warikoo (Founder, Nearbuy.com): "The life experience and learnings from ISB changed my life, most important thing about a MBA college is network- and I have got the most powerful network of individuals in India through ISB"
• Vivek Arora, PGP Co'20, Partner at McKinsey – "ISB alumni community is far better than any other top B-schools. The caliber and knowledge ISB grads bring to organization is known all over the world"

How does alumni network helps?

ISB provides access to alumni portal wherein you could see profiles for every alum. In case you would require any help, you can directly reach out to alums. Also, the portal gives access to the email, wherein alums post any vacancies for ISB grads, since they prefer to take people from alma matter.

How do students remain connected with alums?

ISB hosts multiple events throughout the year, wherein current class invite alums for fest celebrations. Also, the community has city wise chapters and organise meetups on weekly basis.

Other Prominent Alumni include: 

• Dr. Charu Arora: Senior Product Manager at Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited
• Dr. Dinesh Reddy: Associate Director at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratory
• Namratha Agarwal: Manager at ZS
• Viren W Rasquinha: CEO at Olympic Gold Quest
• Atul Satija: Founder, N/Core, Give
• Zahabiya Khorakiwala: Managing Director at Wockhardt Hospitals
• Piyush Shah: Co-Founder, InMobi Group, and CEO, TruFactor
• Ajith Andhare: COO at Viacom18 Studios
• Alok Goel: Partner, SAIF Partners, and Ex CEO- FreeCharge

ISB Mohali Faculty

Teaching experience at ISB is best in class when compared to other Indian Top B-schools because of the great mix of Resident/Inhouse and International visiting professors- coming from Top Universities from around the world- including Wharton, Kellog, Yale, Stern and Harvard.

Some of the prominent faculty includes:

Name	Photo	Achievements
Ashish Kohli		At ISB, he teaches financial modeling. He is a seasoned investment banker with previous teaching experience at prestigious universities, including Columbia, the London School of Economics, and New York University.
Professor Prashant Kale		He has worked with the CEOs of numerous Fortune 500 firms. He is known for no-nonsense demeanor in the classroom and often engages students by encouraging them to “take a stand”.
Achal Bassamboo		He is an adjunct professor of decision making and optimization at ISB and teaches operations management at Kellogg. When it comes to teaching, he approaches it with the passion of a child and is unrelentingly persistent until everyone understands the concepts. This one time, he was able to lecture for longer than four hours before students literally had to inform him the session needed to finish. No question is too dumb for him to answer. He is an incredibly like-able individual with incredible knowledge.
Sarang Deo		He is an absolute rockstar in the field of statistics. He has received the Best Prof award six years running and is a resident professor. His teaching abilities are simply flawless for someone learning statistics for the first time. Along with managing government healthcare programmes, he also accomplishes some other extremely remarkable things.

Check Does ISB accept CAT score?

Life at ISB Mohali

1. Housing at ISB:

There are 3 hostels in ISB Mohali and 4 hostels at ISB hyderabad comprised of both- Quads and studios. A Quad is a 4BHK equivalent shared by 4 students and a studio is a 1 BHK equivalent taken by a student with family. You can hire a maid to do the cooking for you and also get your clothes washed, dried and ironed without troubling your muscles much, all this for a nominal fee. Then there is this 24hr room service, which you can avail if something needs to be taken care of in your quad/studio. Each SV also has a common room (hosting a party or a celebration), a laundry room, a printing room and a TT room.

The rooms are equipped with:

• Living room: Sofa set, center table, chairs, TV along with a TV cabinet, whiteboard and a breakfast table.
• Bedroom: Wi-Fi, LAN, intercom (in case of a Studio), study table, chair, wardrobe, AC and of course a cozy bed.
• Modular Kitchen: Refrigerator, toaster, microwave oven, gas stove with cylinder, chimney and a complete crockery set.
• Bathroom: A large mirror and an enjoyable shower

2. Quads vs Studios 

Costing: Studios: 2.2 LPA, Quads: 1.5 LPA (Included in the fees)

Students can opt to stay either in a ‘Quad’ wherein 4 students share a flat but have their individual bedrooms, or in a ‘Studio’, for a marginally higher fee, which is a 1 BHK apartment, often chosen by students who may have their husband/wife living on campus during the program

• Pros of Studios: Ample space for 2 people to reside, studios owners are known for hosting parties at ISB. You get total control of how much you would want to interact with the outside world. If you feel that alone time is a thing for your survival, then go for a studio.
• Pros of Quads: The quad members form strong bonds as the year progresses.
• Negatives of Studios: If you consider yourself a social butterfly, studios might not be the best fit. It is usually seen, the quaddies become friends with other friends of quaddies and so on.
• Negatives of Quads: You might face a lot of disturbance if other quaddies organize a party at your quad. Also, the kitchen utensils are limited, if not used thoughtfully- you might find yourself without cleaned utensils.

3. Housekeeping at ISB:

What makes living at ISB a truly unique experience is its housekeeping service. ISB has outsourced this service to Sarovar, which professionally runs chains of Hotels pan India. Housekeeping staff clean all apartments every day and change bedsheets on request, thereby helping you to channel all your time and energy towards your personal and professional development. Imagine coming back all exhausted after back to back lectures and finding your bed made up like that at a star hotel! While this is something students miss the most once they are back into the world outside, the one year at ISB does get one the taste of living the “CEO life”

4. Year at a glance

Check out Academic Calendar for the year 2022-23 – Click Here

ISB Mohali Social Life

Events:

1. Equinox: 3 day festival covering a host of cultural celebrations and parties. Last year, famous DJs from around the world and bollywood singers came to entertain the current students and alma matter
2. ARTHA: Business conclave program of ISB which invites other top b schools on campus for case competitions
3. BANDHAN: 2 day festival to serve the underprivileged of the society
4. AIKYA: Most prominent and powerful families of India connect with ISB students
5. Shadow a CEO: You can spend a minimal amount as a donation to spend a complete day with registered business leaders and CEOs.
6. Other social events: All the festivals are celebrated in the campus

Sports: You can pursue any sport that you want at ISB. The instructors are provided for TT, Squash, Lawn tennis, Swimming and Gym. Other sports also include Basketball, Frisbee, Volleyball, cricket and badminton. Yearly, ISB organizes ISL (ISB sports league) wherein students own the franchise and buy players for the team. This is one of the best experiences that doesn't happen in other B-schools.

Other Facilities:

1. Incubation centers: If you have any startup Idea, pitch it to ISB authorities and they will help you in the process
2. ISB Fund: ISB raises and funds up to 6 start up ideas with funding of 50 Lakh each. Also provides students to sit for placements next year in case things doesn't work out
3. Day care center: ISB has partnered with Sunshine Play School which offers a day care center at the ISB campus. Sunshine Play School provides a safe and fun place for children between 3 months and 12 years.

ISB Hyderabad Expenses:

This would actually vary from person to person. However, some fixed expenses could include

Food: 12K, Electricity: 3K, Bills for Laundry, Dish-Washing- 1K, MISC: 3K

Cons of the college:

1. The year is very exhausting and you don't get much time to settle. The courses are generally 1.5 months long compared to 3 months at IIM-A. All the 24 month long curriculum is to be covered in 12 months.
2. No internship opportunity compared to other IIMs
3. Living expenses are also on the higher side compared to other IIMs, the college collects bills for laundry, electricity and utensils cleaning

​ISB Mohali FAQs

Ques. How is life at ISB Mohali? 

Ques. How are the  placements at ISB Mohali?

Ques. Is there any financial assistance provided at ISB Mohali?

Ques. How is the faculty at ISB Mohali?

Ques. Can we do FPM course at ISB Mohali from distance learning ?

Ques. How is the selection process at ISB Mohali?