When considering which business school to attend, it's important to weigh your options carefully and choose the one that best aligns with your personal and professional goals. Here is a summary of three business schools and some key factors to consider when making your decision:
IIM Shillong is renowned not only for its strong placement record but also for its high return on investment (ROI) for students. The fee for the institute's MBA (PGP) flagship program is approximately INR 10 lakh per year, while the average salary package offered to students is above INR 15 lakh per year.
In the 2020-22 class, the institute achieved a 100% placement record for its largest batch to date, with over 73 recruiters participating in the process.
The highest salary offered increased by 72.56% to INR 55.22 lakh per year, and the average salary offered increased by 20.50% to INR 23.10 lakh per year. The average salary offered to the top 50% of the batch also rose by 16.08% to INR 26.95 lakh per year. These strong placement results demonstrate the value of an MBA from IIM Shillong and the demand for its graduates in the job market.
The competition for admission to most Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) is typically fierce, as there are a large number of highly qualified candidates vying for a limited number of spots. While some IIMs may be more selective than others, the difference in the opportunities available to students after graduating from one IIM versus another is usually not significant, with most top recruiters hiring from a range of IIMs. This is especially true for IIMs like IIM Shillong and IIM Trichy, which have strong placement records and productive faculty.
To give a sense of the level of competition at IIM Shillong, it may be helpful to consider the percentile scores that are typically required for shortlisting. While an older IIM like IIM Ahmedabad or IIM Lucknow may not consider candidates with a CAT percentile score below 99% for most general category students (with some exceptions for certain groups such as economics/art students, females, and other deserving categories), IIM Shillong or IIM Trichy may consider candidates with a score as low as 98% or even slightly lower.
It's worth noting that this year, the competition for admission to IIM Shillong may be somewhat less intense due to the expansion of the batch sizes at the ABCL campuses. Campus A and B are planning batches of 450 students, with a goal of increasing to 650 students in the next few years. As a result, candidates may have a better chance of being admitted to IIM Shillong this year.
Overall, the admission process at IIM Shillong involves an initial review of the CAT merit list, followed by the consideration of scores for academic proficiency and the selection of a pool of 1000 students for every 200 seats at the campus for interviews. During the interview stage, only the candidates' CAT scores and their performance in the interview are taken into account. The final selection is made based on the ability of the candidates to adapt to the challenges of the corporate world and their potential to excel academically, as indicated by their high CAT scores.
The admissions process for the Post-Graduate Program (PGP) at IIM Shillong involves two stages. In the first stage, candidates who have qualified through the Common Admission Test (CAT) are shortlisted and invited to take the Writing Skills Assessment Test (WSAT) and participate in a Personal Interview (PI). The second stage involves the creation of a final merit list based on the candidates' performance in the WSAT, PI, and other relevant factors such as their GMAT scores, scholastic performance, and work experience.
Overseas candidates will also go through a similar process, with the Admissions Committee carefully reviewing their applications and shortlisting those who meet the necessary criteria. These candidates will then be invited to take the WSAT and participate in a PI, which may be held in one of four cities in India or conducted remotely via video conferencing. The final selection of candidates is based on their performance in the WSAT, PI, and the criteria used for shortlisting them for the PI. Tentative offers of admission will be made by the end of April, and registration for the PGP program is tentatively scheduled for the first week of July at the IIM Shillong campus.
Firstly let me clarify one thing. IIM Raipur cannot be compared to IIM Shillong because the latter is out of the league and is no longer a new IIM. Its worth and placements are much better than the newer IIMs and are in the league of old IIMs. We can only compare IIM Raipur to the 6 new IIMs namely Raipur, Ranchi, Rohtak, Trichy, Udaipur, and Kashipur.
After Shillong, one new IIM that gives an edge to older IIMs is Ranchi mainly because it works under the mentorship of IIM Calcutta. The placement statistics of IIM Ranchi are a testament to the same.
After Ranchi comes to Trichy, one of the fastest-growing IIMs. It has a decent placement scenario and a better professional approach.
Raipur and Udaipur are almost similar and are better than Kashipur and Rohtak. Raipur especially enjoys location advantage being situated in the capital of Chattisgarh. The faculty base is also quite learned and the institute has proper connectivity.
Kashipur has many connectivity issues but is famous for its guest lectures and interaction with industry experts.
IIM Rohtak is the last in line mainly because of its pathetic placement scenario which overshadows its vicinity to Delhi.
So the final order is
Shillong>Ranchi>Trichy>Raipur=Udaipur>Kashipur>Rohtak
Many of my students attend IIM programs in Shillong, Ranchi, and Raipur each year. While the placement outcomes at IIM Shillong and Ranchi are similar, the campus at IIM Shillong is more attractive and students at IIM Ranchi must spend an hour commuting to classes every day.
Additionally, the lack of a campus at IIM Ranchi may limit the ability to participate in a vibrant social scene. Therefore, IIM Shillong may be a better choice for those who value the campus learning experience.
IIM Lucknow is one of the older IIMs and therefore has a stronger alumni base. IIMs mostly specialize in Core Management and Investment Banking. So before you consider taking Sustainable Management look up at the figures and campus records.
Sustainable Management is only beneficial if at the end of the program you have formed professional colleagues or have come up with a business idea.
Currently, Sustainable Development lacks the demand and credibility enjoyed by other domains. So it’s a risky choice and should be considered only if you are serious about it or don’t have any other options.
IIM Shillong boasts of a spectacular placement scenario with a record of 100% placements. There is no major difference in the packages offered to freshers and working professionals. In fact, IIM Shillong’s USP is its high ROI. With fees considerably lower than other IIMs, it offers similar packages. This is why it has become the most preferred new IIM these days.
Many activities are conducted to enhance the placement scenario at IIM Shillong. Some include
The placement statistics are as follows
Particulars |
IIM Shillong Placements |
Number of Students |
250 |
Number of Recruiters Participated |
73 |
Number of New Recruiters |
43 |
Highest CTC |
INR 55.22 LPA |
Average CTC |
INR 23.10 LPA |
Median CTC |
INR 22.28 LPA |
Major Sectors |
IT and Analytics |
Some of the top recruiters include
Some major positions offered were in consulting, product management, retail management, risk management, sales and marketing, planning and operations and supply chain management, analytics, business planning, investment banking, were provided to the students.
If you have already decided to settle abroad, investing your time and money in the new IIMs is useless. You should start looking for the top B Schools in your preferred country. Moreover, the IIMs, even the older ones, have a non-existent international scope.
So why invest so much money in something that will not improve your chances of settling abroad? To make it easier I have listed a few Canadian Business Schools that are the most preferred ones.
It’s amazing that you have been shortlisted for 2 of these amazing universities. I suggest you go for them instead of IIMs.
IIM Shillong’s eligibility criteria are
No or very little weightage is given to graduation marks so you are likely to be eliminated owing to your low marks in 10th and 12th.
Still, I have mentioned the CAT cutoff for the General Category.
The CAT cutoff for IIM Shillong's GD-PI round is 75 percentile for candidates belonging to the General and EWS categories. For candidates belonging to DA and ST categories, the minimum CAT cutoff is 50 percentile, and for those belonging SC category, the CAT cutoff is 60 percentile.