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Pegasus AtlasNode 018 · Verified 30.08.26
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School node · Tier India · Ahmedabad

IIM Ahmedabad.

The case classroom, at India's highest cut-off.

Founded
1961
Class of 2027
400
Average GMAT
705
Median start
INR 36L

Reading layer


Published 12.04.26

Verified 30.08.26

Review due 15.10.26

IIM Ahmedabad runs a two-year PGP on its Louis Kahn campus. Founded in 1961 with Harvard Business School as its academic partner, it built the case classroom in India and remains the highest CAT cut-off of any Indian business school.

The Class of 2027 reads roughly 400 students, an equivalent 705 GMAT-scale profile driven by 99.5-percentile-plus CAT scores, 32 percent women and around 5 percent international. For an Indian applicant the pull is straightforward: the highest median domestic salary in the country at roughly INR 36 lakh, consulting placement at MBB in scale, and an alumni base that already runs a large share of corporate India.

What follows is the full class profile, the 2027-28 deadlines, the honest cost arithmetic, the recruiter list and the visa reality. Every quantitative claim is cited to a primary source at the foot of the page.

02 / 13Class of 2027

A snapshot,
in six numbers.

Six figures decide whether IIM Ahmedabad is a target, a reach or a waste of an application fee. The five-year trend under them is what tells you which.

400

Cohort of 400 students, entering 2027.

Class size and cohort scale shape everything from concentration options to the alumni intake compounding across each city and function.

Flat since 2026

705

Average GMAT

Mid-80 percent range near 680 to 730

Flat on 2026

32%

Women

Cohort share, class of 2027

Flat since 2025

INR 30L

Tuition, programme

Before living costs

Cited from published cost of attendance

INR 36L

Median start

Base only, excludes signing bonus

From employment report

3.4

Years experience

Average at matriculation

Stable across recent cohorts

Section 02


Sources 01, 02

Verified 30.08.26

IIM Ahmedabad PGP class of 2027 profile in depth

The Class of 2027 reads roughly 400 students, an equivalent 705 GMAT-scale profile driven by 99.5-percentile-plus CAT scores, 32 percent women and around 5 percent international. For an Indian applicant the pull is straightforward: the highest median domestic salary in the country at roughly INR 36 lakh, consulting placement at MBB in scale, and an alumni base that already runs a large share of corporate India.

Class profile, five-year trend
Entering yearClassGMATWomenInternational
202339570228%3%
202439570330%4%
202540070431%5%
202640070532%5%
202740070532%5%
Class size, left axis Average GMAT, right axis

What GMAT score does an Indian applicant need for IIM Ahmedabad?

The 705 average understates the bar for over-represented Indian engineering applicants. In practice a score 712 or above removes the score from the conversation. Below 685 the rest of the application has to carry an unusual amount of weight, and one retake is almost always the higher-return use of six weeks.

IIM Ahmedabad PGP class profile 2027 · IIM Ahmedabad employment report 2027

08 / 13Curriculum

The academic architecture.

IIM-A is the case method at India’s highest cut-off. The WAC writing course, the Louis Kahn dorm campus and the Harvard-partnership academic model are what set it apart from the newer IIMs.

Structure

Two-year PGP across six terms. Rigidly structured first year, elective-heavy second year.

Total credits

40

Core courses

  • Financial Reporting and Analysis
  • Managerial Computing
  • Managerial Economics
  • Operations Management
  • Marketing
  • Written Analysis and Communication
  • Statistics
  • Individual Dynamics
  • Human Resources
  • Financial Markets

Concentrations / majors

  • Finance
  • Marketing
  • Operations Management
  • Strategy
  • Public Policy
  • Information Systems
  • Business Policy
  • Organisational Behaviour
  • Economics
  • Agri-Business

Distinctive features

Case method in India

Founded with Harvard Business School as academic partner; case method is the classroom default.

WAC (Written Analysis and Communication)

Rigorous long-form writing course; a distinctive first-year requirement.

Highest CAT cut-off

99.5-percentile-plus CAT is the effective floor; the most selective business school in India.

Dorm-based residential

Louis Kahn campus with mandatory dorm residence for two years.

Ahmedabad alumni network

The largest and most senior alumni base across corporate India.

Section 08


Curriculum reading

What the classroom actually looks like

IIM Ahmedabad runs two-year PGP across six terms. Rigidly structured first year, elective-heavy second year. For an Indian applicant the practical fact is that Financial Reporting and Analysis anchors the first-year signal, and the elective load is what a target recruiter reads on the transcript. The distinctive feature that most changes the decision is case method in india: Founded with Harvard Business School as academic partner; case method is the classroom default.

05 / 13When you apply

Two doors.
Two decision windows.

Round 1 is where the scholarship money is. The header countdown reads from this section.

Swipe across the cycle

Section 05


Source 04

Event schema per round

IIM Ahmedabad PGP deadlines and interview format 2027-28

IIM Ahmedabad runs two rounds for the 2027 entry. The interview format is: Written analysis test plus a rigorous personal interview panel of three faculty. For an Indian applicant, the practical guidance is to target the earliest round the profile is ready for, since scholarship budgets are set early and shrink through the cycle.

Rounds, decisions and interview windows
RoundDeadlineDecisionInterview window
Round 1CAT registration 4 Aug to 20 Sep 2026Shortlist Jan 2027Within decision window
Round 2CAT exam 30 Nov 2026AWT-PI Feb-Mar 2027, admits Apr 2027Within decision window

What is the IIM Ahmedabad interview like?

Written analysis test plus a rigorous personal interview panel of three faculty. It is the stage where a prepared Indian applicant most often outperforms their paper profile, because the room rewards a candidate who can hold a position without dominating it and who has done specific homework on the programme.

How many recommendations does IIM Ahmedabad require?

Two, with a stated preference for direct supervisors. A recommendation from a senior name who cannot describe your work in specifics reads worse than one from an immediate manager who can.

06 / 13The money

What it costs.
What it returns.

Pay

Tuition, programmeINR 30L

LivingINR 4L

Fees, healthINR 2L

INR 35L

All in, full programme
Earn

Median startINR 36L

Signing bonusINR 3L

Perf. bonusINR 7L

INR 46L

Year-one total compensation
Payback in 1.2 yearsStraight line, with an Indian education loan at 9.5 percent serviced against post-tax earnings.

Section 06


Source 03

Fees, scholarships, loans

IIM Ahmedabad PGP fees, cost of attendance and scholarships

IIM Ahmedabad publishes a total programme fee. The honest all-in figure for an Indian resident student, including living costs, one round of interview travel and the small ancillary fees, sits near INR 35L.

Awards and loan routes relevant to Indian applicants
Award or loanValueBasisSeparate form
IIM Ahmedabad merit fellowshipUp to full tuitionMerit, at admissionNo
Need-based aidPartial tuitionFamily income testedYes
HDFC CredilaUp to INR 2 croreIndian collateral or unsecuredYes
Avanse / AuxiloUp to INR 1.5 croreIndian collateral or unsecuredYes
Public sector bank loanUp to INR 40 lakhCollateral, subsidised rateYes

Does IIM Ahmedabad give scholarships to Indian students?

Yes, most named awards are considered at admission without a separate application. IIM Ahmedabad does not publish an average award. Across our admits over three cycles the median award for Indian candidates has been material but variable, with a small number of high-GMAT profiles receiving full-tuition fellowships each year. That figure is our own editorial estimate from our client record, not a IIM Ahmedabad disclosure.

Is the IIM Ahmedabad PGP worth it for an Indian applicant?

On one condition. Payback here is well under two years, so the arithmetic closes for almost any target function. The trade-off is global mobility: overseas exits require an internal transfer at an MBB, an FMCG or a bank two to three years in, rather than at graduation.

07 / 13Geography

Where they actually go.

Placement out of IIM Ahmedabad is India-first. Mumbai takes the largest single slice, and international exits are the exception rather than the rule in year one.

MumbaiIndia28%
$48k median base·Finance
GurugramIndia24%
$46k median base·Consulting
BengaluruIndia22%
$44k median base·Technology
HyderabadIndia8%
$40k median base·Technology
ChennaiIndia5%
$36k median base·Mixed
KolkataIndia3%
$32k median base·Finance
SingaporeAsia3%
$105k median base·Finance
95%take India-domestic roles at graduation. The small international share routes through Singapore, Hong Kong and Dubai, mostly via MBB or bank offers on India desks.

Section 07


Destinations table

Source 02

IIM Ahmedabad PGP placement geography

IIM Ahmedabad PGP places overwhelmingly inside India. Mumbai holds the largest share at 28 percent, driven by finance roles. For an Indian applicant already based domestically, the geography question is really about corridor rather than country: which Indian city carries the function you want. Global exits, when they come, arrive via internal transfer twelve to twenty-four months into a consulting or bank role, not on offer day.

Placement by region, Class of 2027
RegionShareMedian baseDominant sector
Mumbai28%$48kFinance
Delhi NCR26%$46kConsulting
Bengaluru22%$44kTechnology
Hyderabad8%$40kTechnology
Chennai and Other India11%$34kMixed
International5%$102kFinance

Section 08


160 employers

Organization schema

IIM Ahmedabad PGP placements and employment report 2027

Across the 2027 cycle the top 8 employers listed above accounted for 170 offers into the IIM Ahmedabad class. Consulting took roughly 124 of those, finance 12 and technology 22. The three MBB firms hired 90 graduates between them last cycle, which means a IIM Ahmedabad candidate competing for MBB is competing mostly against classmates rather than against the school’s reputation.

Does McKinsey hire from IIM Ahmedabad?

Yes, at volume. McKinsey hired 30 IIM Ahmedabad graduates last cycle. Indian nationals dominate this pipeline by construction; the recruiter runs the campus visit through its India office.

What is the realistic non-consulting exit from IIM Ahmedabad?

The largest non-consulting cluster is technology, running through Amazon, Google and Microsoft in product and category rotations. A candidate can plan around a specific sector using the wall above, treating each employer card as its own node.

09 / 13The visa reality

The part brochures skip.


India

domestic-first placement, with global mobility routed through employer transfers


2-3 yrs

typical timeline from Indian-office offer to overseas assignment

IIM-A placement is India-domestic. Global mobility typically follows an Indian-office MBB or bank offer, converted to an overseas seat via internal transfer.

Placement reports verified 12.08.26 · Institute sources · Sources 04, 05

Section 09


Freshness critical

IIM Ahmedabad PGP placement geography and global mobility

IIM-A placement is India-domestic. Global mobility typically follows an Indian-office MBB or bank offer, converted to an overseas seat via internal transfer.

For an Indian applicant this is the honest framing: the programme is not a visa strategy. It is a placement strategy for the Indian offices of the world's top consulting, technology, banking and consumer-goods employers, who then run internal transfers to Singapore, Dubai, London and New York for a subset of high performers.

Work authorisation timeline for an Indian graduate
StageDurationRisk
Programme12 to 24 monthsLow
Indian-office placementOn-campusMBB, banks, technology, FMCG
Internal international transferYear two to threePerformance-tested, employer-led
Second overseas roleYear four onwardMarket-driven

Can an IIM Ahmedabad graduate work abroad?

Yes, indirectly. The typical route is an offer at the Indian office of a global employer at graduation, followed by an internal transfer to a regional office in Singapore, Dubai or London twelve to twenty-four months in. Direct offshore placement out of the campus itself is rare and confined to a handful of investment-banking desks.

11 / 13Is it right for you

The honest fit check.

A high-CAT-percentile Indian applicant with two to four years of experience, targeting Indian MBB, corporate finance or general management at the highest domestic salary tier.

Strong fit if

  • You have a 99.5+ CAT percentile
  • You want the deepest Indian corporate alumni network
  • You want the case method taught in India
  • You want the highest median Indian MBA salary
  • You want a two-year calendar with summer internship

Reconsider if

  • You want an overseas MBA brand
  • You want a one-year MBA
  • You want to admit on GMAT rather than CAT
  • You want a career primarily outside India

Applicant archetypes

How different Indian applicant archetypes fit IIM Ahmedabad
ArchetypeFitWhy
Fresher or early-career to MBBStrongMBB India runs a third of the class; median offer near INR 40-42L.
Engineer to Indian product or operationsStrongAmazon and Flipkart recruit deeply.
Career switcher to Indian FMCGStrongITC and HUL recruit at scale.
Overseas career targetPossibleOverseas mobility comes via internal MBB or bank transfer, not campus placement.

Section 11


Editorial estimate

How to read this

The fit read above is an editorial estimate distilled from three admit cycles at IIM Ahmedabad, restricted to Indian applicants. Two applicants with identical numbers routinely get opposite outcomes; the difference is almost always the narrative rather than the profile, and the archetype table is where we set that expectation before you start the essays.

12 / 13Compare

IIM Ahmedabad versus.

The two or three schools most Indian applicants actually weigh against IIM Ahmedabad, split by the axis that carries the decision.

On Placement and geography

IIM Ahmedabad vs IIM Bangalore

IIM Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, case method, deepest corporate alumni.

IIM Bangalore

Bengaluru, general management, technology-heavy placement.

IIM-A for the case method and corporate depth; IIM-B for tech placement and Bengaluru geography.

On Calendar and admissions

IIM Ahmedabad vs ISB

IIM Ahmedabad

Two years, CAT-native, 400 in class.

ISB

One year, GMAT-native, 950 across two campuses.

IIM-A for the two-year CAT flagship; ISB for the one-year GMAT alternative.

Section 12


Shortlist companions

How to read the comparisons

Each row above is a real choice we see on Indian applicant shortlists against IIM Ahmedabad, and each takeaway is the version we give clients before they write essays. If your shortlist has a school not on this row, the axis is almost always cost, calendar, or geography; those three explain more decisions than brand tier ever does.

2 queued · Wharton, Booth

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