Master of Business Administration (MBA) is one of the most sought-after postgraduate degrees for students and working professionals in India. It is considered a career switch opportunity where aspirants could change their domains completely and improve their career trajectory moving forward. MBA also provides a leap in compensation and benefits compared to jobs that are taken immediately post-completion of undergraduate degrees. They are now moving to how we can secure a seat at a reputed university. In India, whenever we think of an MBA, we tend to think of the Common Admission Test (CAT) as a stepping stone to achieve the dream of pursuing an MBA from a premier college. However, it is true that ignoring the CAT exam as a whole is inevitable, and everyone would ideally be starting their entrance exam preparations aiming to score a high percentile in the CAT. However, it is essential to understand that it is just an exam, and someone might mess up on the day of the exam due to multiple external factors like fear, illness, anxiety, etc. So here we’ll be discussing the Top MBA Colleges Without CAT Exam.
Therefore, this article provides you with alternatives to the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs), which considers entrance exams other than the CAT. Here is the list of colleges divided into three categories basis their outlook, academic rigor, career opportunities, and placements.
List of Top MBA Colleges without CAT Exam
| Colleges | Exams Accepted | Fees | Average Packages |
| XLRI Jamshedpur | XAT | 27 lakh | 29.89 LPA |
| XLRI Delhi | XAT | 27 lakh | 29.89 LPA |
| ISB Hyderabad | GMAT | 41.8 lakh | 34.08 LPA |
| SPJIMR Mumbai | CAT, GMAT | 24 lakh | 33 LPA |
| JBIMS Mumbai | CAT, CMAT, GMAT, MAT, MAHCET | 6 lakh | 28.02 LPA |
| TISS Mumbai(HRM & LR) | CUET-PG | 2.43 lakh | 27.22 LPA |
| NMIMS Mumbai | NMAT | 23.90 lakh | 26.63 LPA |
| SIBM Pune | SNAP | 22.20 lakh | 28.16 LPA |
| SCMHRD Pune | SNAP | 23.90 lakh | 24.28 LPA |
| MICA Ahmedabad | CAT/XAT/GMAT + MICAT | 23 lakh | 20.09 LPA |
| IMT Ghaziabad | CAT, XAT, GMAT | 21.5 lakh | 17.35 LPA |
| XIMB Bhubaneswar | CAT, XAT, XGMT | 19.3 lakh | 18.37 LPA |
| GLIM Chennai | CAT, XAT, GMAT, CMAT | 20.8 lakh | 15.1 LPA |
Category 1
XLRI Jamshedpur
Xavier’s Labour Relations Institute, often abbreviated as XLRI, is India’s oldest Business School, situated in the beautiful town of Jamshedpur in eastern India. XLRI was established in 1949, primarily as an Industrial Relations Postgraduate Institute backed by the TATAs. As of Today, XLRI has a total of 2 flagship residential programs, PGDM – Human Resource Management and PGDM – Business Management. The fee of XLRI Jamshedpur stands around 32 lacs for their flagship programs. XLRI has its own entrance exam known as Xavier’s Aptitude Test (XAT), which happens around the first week of January. Upward of 98 percentiles in XAT would easily fetch calls from XLRI. XAT has a very similar syllabus and pattern to CAT except for their Decision Making (DM) section, making it easier for students to target XAT along with CAT. The average placement of XLRI Jamshedpur is upwards of 30 lacs as per their latest placement reports.
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- Fees: 27 lakh
- Average Package: 29.89 LPA
- Highest Package: 75 LPA
- Batch Size: 400 Students
XLRI Delhi
XLRI Delhi comes under the aegis of XLRI Jamshedpur. Started in 2020, it is situated in Jhajjar, NCR. XLRI Delhi only offers PGDM Business Management as its flagship program. One of the best benefits of joining XLRI Delhi is that XLRI promotes a one-institute culture, which means both campuses will have combined placements, enabling students to have equal opportunities across campuses. Being a relatively new campus, XLRI Delhi still secures an average placement of about 30 lacs with marquee recruiters visiting from multiple domains of FMCG, General Management, and Consulting.
- Fees: 27 lakhs
- Average Package: 29.89 LPA
- Highest Package: 75 LPA
- Batch Size: 180 Students
SP Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR)
SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) is one of India’s management institutes, and it is known for its explorative pedagogy and morality-driven approach. Situated in the heart of Mumbai, SPJIMR offers a range of programs, including the Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM), which is its flagship program in 4 highly curated streams, along with the newly launched PGDM – Business Management. The institute comes with solid industry connections and a broad alum network, facilitating specialized career opportunities along with placements for its students. The four streams of PGDM at SP Jain include Finance, Marketing, Operations, and Information Systems. SP Jain’s strong suits lie in their smaller batch size. They also have a mandatory foreign exchange program where the entire batch is taken to universities across the globe for a quick 2-week immersion program. SP Jain takes GMAT scores. However, their main emphasis lies in the profile of the students, not just academics but also their extra-curriculars. A GMAT Score of 680+ is considered as a safe score for the institute.
- Fees: 24 lakh
- Average Package: 33 LPA
- Highest Package: 74 LPA
- Batch Size: 360 Students
Indian School of Business, Hyderabad & Mohali
India School of Business (ISB) ranks first when it comes to executive MBA (one-year-long MBA). ISB has its primary campus in Hyderabad, and they recently started their new campus in Mohali. ISB considers the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) as its entrance exam criterion. One thing to consider for ISB is that they judge profiles heavily. They also have a hard cutoff of two years of work experience for their cohorts. Along with a very high GMAT score of 700+, the entire student profile is judged thoroughly, and a rigorous personal interview is conducted, which leads to the final admission. ISB is considered a little expensive when compared to other colleges, especially for the fact it is only 1-year long course, but it leaves no stone unturned when it comes to placement opportunities. ISB topped around 35 LPA as their average package, where there are almost 1500 offers made to their batch.
- Fees: 41.8 lakh
- Average Package: 35 LPA
- Batch Size: 873 Students
Category 2
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai
Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, or JBIMS, is often called the CEO factory among its peer Business Schools. JBIMS is undoubtedly one of the colleges when it comes to the ROI factor. Where other institutes charge a hefty fee to pursue your MBA, the JBIMS fee lies around 6 – 7 lacs, offering students a sense of freedom from financial liabilities. The institute considers various entrance exams like MAT, CMAT, etc, but the majority of intake happens through the Maharashtra Health & Technical Common Entrance Test or MAHCET. Due to extremely high demand, the cutoff for MAHCET is up and above 99.9 percentile. Located at the heart of the financial capital, Mumbai, it is known for its career opportunities in the domain of Finance. One of the features that JBIMS lacks as an MBA college is a fully residential program, unlike its peers; however, it covers its well-established pedagogy, smaller batch size, and accelerated career opportunities. A total of 55 companies, including 12 international firms, participated in the latest placement season.
- Fees: 6 lakh
- Average Package: 28.02 LPA
- Highest Package: 35.75 LPA
- Batch Size: 150 Students
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), located in the financial capital, Mumbai, is a premier renowned institution known for its commitment to social justice and excellence in the field of education. Starting back in 1936, TISS offered various programs like an MA in Social Work and Human Resources Management, making theoretical knowledge meet practical fieldwork. TISS is considered the second-best human resources program in India after XLRI Jamshedpur. Though they do not provide an MBA as a degree, their MA degree is highly competitive and is known industry-wide for its rigor and learning. Backed by Tata Trust, TISS also provides their degree at a very reasonable fee structure; the two-year program costs around 2.5 lacs in total. TISS CUET-PG as their entrance exams for these equivalent degrees.
- Fees: 2.43 lakh
- Average Package: 27.22 LPA
- Highest Package: 49 LPA
- Batch Size: 80 Students
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) Mumbai
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) in Mumbai is one of the best private universities in India, and it is known for its academic excellence and industry-oriented programs. Established in 1981, NMIMS offers a variety of courses, including undergraduate and postgraduate programs. NMIMS offers two flagship MBA programs: one regular MBA and the other MBA in Human Resources. The institute considers the Narsee Monjee Aptitude Test (NMAT) as their entrance exam for both programs. NMAT is considerably easier than CAT or XAT aptitude tests. NMAT can be taken at the student’s convenience, where they get to book a slot in a prolonged window over two months. One can either opt to appear at NMAT from their home or choose the nearest NMAT center to appear. NMIMS has a rigorous criterion for selecting students based on NMAT scores, academics, work experiences, and personal interviews. An NMAT score of above 240 is considered a safe score.
- Fees: 23.90 lakh
- Average Package: 26.63 LPA
- Highest Package: 67.80 LPA
- Batch Size: 650 Students
Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM) Pune
Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM) Pune was established in 1978 and is now one of India’s premier business schools, renowned for its rigorous and highly driven MBA program. SIBM Pune considers Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP) to be their entrance exam for their MBA program. SNAP is a speed-based test with three sections in it and is timed for 60 minutes. SNAP happens thrice, and students are open to appearing in all three attempts. The best score among all the three attempts will be considered as a final score for the following stages of selection. A score of above 42 out of 60 is regarded as a safe score for SIMB Pune. Located in pristine Pune, SIBM has a state-of-the-art infrastructure and multiple activities and committees that are entirely driven by students. SIMB offers four different specializations in the fields of Finance, Marketing, Operations, and Human Resources.
- Fees: 22.20 lakh
- Average Package: 28.16 LPA
- Highest Package: 49 LPA
- Batch Size: 200 Students
Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD), Pune
Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD), located in Pune, is a premier business school renowned for its MBA program, which also comes under the aegis of Symbiosis University and has a strong focus on management and human resources. Established in 1993, SCMHRD offers specializations in Human Resources, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and Infrastructure Management, blending rigorous academics with practical industry exposure. SCMHRD is the second-best institute under Symbiosis University when it comes to MBA programs. Like SIBM, SCMHRD also considers SNAP scores for its entrance exam criterion along with profiling of the students. A score of 38 out of 60 in SNAP is roughly considered a decent score for SCMHRD. Despite the name, the institute is also known for its career opportunities in marketing and operations. The institute also enjoys a very small batch size compared to other colleges. In the recent placement season, they were able to secure an average placement of about 24 lacs per annum.
- Fees: 23.9 lakh
- Average Package: 24.28 LPA
- Highest Package: 38 LPA
- Batch Size: 180 Students
Category 3
Mudra Institute of Communications (MICA), Ahmedabad
Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad, or MICA is a premier management institute renowned for its MBA program specializing in Strategic Marketing and Communications. Established in 1991, MICA offers unique courses blending creative thinking with strategic management, focusing on marketing, branding, advertising, and media management. The flagship Post Graduate Diploma in Management – Communications (PGDM-C) program is designed to foster innovation, creativity, and leadership. Situated in Ahmedabad, MICA has its own entrance exam, which is the Mudra Institute of Communications Admissions Test (MICAT). There are specially curated marketing and creative roles that only come to MICA, which sets the college apart from colleges in the same league. MICAT happens twice in the season of exams, and aspirants are open to appearing for both attempts and the best scores out of the two are considered for the following stages. A raw score of 45-50 in the Aptitude section can be called a good score in MICAT.
- Fees: 23 lakh
- Average Package: 20.09 LPA
- Highest Package: 36 LPA
- Batch Size: 173 Students
Institute of Management & Technology, IMT Ghaziabad
IMT Ghaziabad is renowned as one of India’s premier business schools, also known as a marketing campus. The institute’s flagship programs include the two-year PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management), known for its rigorous curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Along with this, IMT Ghaziabad also offers specialized courses in areas such as finance, marketing, human resources, and business analytics, thereby catering to growing needs in these sectors. IMT Ghaziabad accepts XAT and GMAT scores along with CAT scores for its selection processes. IMT also have a dual country program, known as DCP where one gets to feel international academic experience with courses split between India and a partner institution abroad (mainly Dubai).
- Fees: 21.5 lakh
- Average Package: 17.35 LPA
- Highest Package: 65.60 LPA
- Batch Size: 600 Students
Xavier’s Institute of Management (XIM) Bhubaneswar
Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), stands as a premier business school in India, distinguished for its academic rigor, ethical grounding which was established back in 1987. XIMB offers two flagship two-year MBA programs: one as a regular MBA and other MBA in Human Resource Management. The institute also provides specialized programs like Executive MBA, doctoral programs, and various certificate courses, catering to the professional development needs of students at different stages of their careers. XIMB also conducts its own management entrance exam, known as X-GMT along with considering CAT and XAT scores.
- Fees: 19.3 lakh
- Average Package: 18.37 LPA
- Highest Package: 30 LPA
- Batch Size: 350 Students
Great Lakes Institute of Management, GLIM Chennai
Established in 2004 by Dr Bala V. Balachandran, Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM), Chennai, is renowned for its rigorous academic programs including the one-year PGPM and two-year PGDM, emphasizing experiential learning and values-driven leadership. GLIM Chennai accepts CAT, XAT, GMAT and CMAT scores, making it more viable for students to secure a seat at this esteemed institution.
- Fees: 20.8 lakh
- Average Package: 15.1 LPA
- Highest Package: 37 LPA
- Batch Size: 279 Students
This was the list of the top MBA colleges in India that do not consider CAT as their entrance exam criterion.
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