Yes, if the applicant has a work experience of upto 4 or 5 years and is considering a one year MBA program, ISB is a good choice for him. However if the applicant has a work experience of more than 5 years he / she is also eligible for the IIM one year MBA for executives, where the number of options for the applicant increases. For applicants with a work experience of around 8 years the IIM Executive MBA programs maybe quite suitable as the average work experience in the IIM one year MBA class is around 8 to 8.5 years.
Apart from these, there are also differences in the class size, class average age, curriculum and program structure which would be important for the individual learners to decide on the program according to their personal preferences. We are discussing these in detail in this blog.
ISB and IIM are top ranked schools in India and worldwide. IIM and ISB are however different in may ways like the average class profile, work experience, kind of industries that graduates get opportunities post MBA and functional roles offered in the placements at IIM vs ISB. If one goes by the rankings above ISB definitely stands a level higher than IIM. However, to address the question of is ISB Hyderabad better than IIM, we will take a standard roadmap of what the program offers and the program structure. To decide between ISB vs IIM for a specific profile depends on what the applicant is seeking from the MBA program.
The differences between ISB vs IIM can be categorised into 20 criteria which we have discussed below:
1. Placements at IIM vs ISB over the past few years:
If one evaluates the salary packages at IIM vs ISB, career growth and opportunities IIM and ISB are quite comparable. It depends on the profile, sector, education background and goals of the applicants.
How was the IIMA PGPX average package in 2022?
20% increase in the median salary in IIMA PGPX placements 2022.
Domestic average salary at IIMA PGPX in 2022 increased by 6%.
35% students of the IIMA PGPX 2022 were hired by consulting firms.
Executive MBA at IIM Ahmedabad students in 2022 received 5 International offers.
Online services sector hired 20% of the Executive MBA from IIM Ahmedabad in the IIMA PGPX placements 2022.
IIMA PGPX Placements trends till 2022:
Recruitment in IT Sector in the last 5 years
In the year 2018 IIMA PGPX had 38 recruitments in IT sector
In the year 2019 IIMA PGPX had 47 recruitments in IT sector
In the year 2020 IIMA PGPX had 42 recruitments in IT sector
In the year 2021IIMA PGPX had 44 recruitments in IT sector
In the year 2022 IIMA PGPX had 17 recruitments in IT sector
Recruitment in Consulting Sector in the last 5 years At IIM Executive MBA
In the year 2018 IIMA PGPX had 6 recruitments
In the year 2019 IIMA PGPX had 2 recruitments
In the year 2020 IIMA PGPX had 13 recruitments
In the year 2021 IIMA PGPX had 12 recruitments
In the year 2022 IIMA PGPX had 41 recruitments
Trends in IIMA PGPX Placements in the last 5 years (INR Annual):
In the year 2018, the highest salary offered was 54.6 lakhs
In the year 2019 the highest salary offered was 60 lakhs
In the year 2020 the highest salary offered was 81 lakhs
In the year 2021 the highest salary offered was 82 lakhs
In the year 2022 the highest salary offered was 75.2 lakhs
Median salary offered in IIMA PGPX Placements in the last 5 years:
In the year 2018 the median salary offered was 28.4 lakhs
In the year 2019 the median salary offered was 30 lakhs
In the year 2020 the median salary offered was 30 lakhs
In the year 2021 the median salary offered was 30 lakhs
In the year 2022 the median salary offered was 36.2 lakhs
How was the ISB Hyderabad placements 2022?
41.21% of placement offers were made to female students.
ISB Hyderabad placements 2022 saw 39% female students in the class, which is among the highest in leading business schools in this part of the world.
During the ISB placements 2022 maximum positions offered were by the Consulting industry, IT/ITES/Technology industry, BFSI industry, FMCG/Retail industry and Pharma/Healthcare industry.
The ISB average package for 2022 was INR 34.07 lakhs
ISB average package 2022 reflects an increase of 20.78% compared to the previous year average CTC of INR 28.21 lakhs.
The ISB class of 2022 achieved an approximately 3 times increase as compared to their their pre-ISB packages.
During the ISB placements 2022 a total of 2066 offers were made with every student receiving an average of 2.32 offers.
ISB average package 2022 for different sectors is as below:
Advertisement/ Media sector : INR 32,72,727
BFSI in 2022 : INR 36,82,710
Conglomerate sector : INR 25,04,286
Consulting sector : INR 34,25,089
Technology sector : INR 38,01,875
Urban Mobility sector in 2022 : INR 37,18,519
Pharma/ Biotech sector : INR 31,34,575
IT/ ITES sector : INR 35,15,260
Manufacturing sector in 2022: INR 27,70,000
IT Consulting sector : INR 30,28,571
Education sector : INR 25,92,502
Infrastructure sector : INR 28,00,000
Oil/ Energy sector in 2022 : INR 34,00,000
Transportation/ Logistics sector : INR 36,40,000
Get in touch with an experienced MBA admission consultant at GOALisB for a profile evaluation or application assistance.
Comparing placements for IIM vs ISB over the last few years we find:
ISB PGP average placements for 2021 average: INR 27,13,055
IIMA PGPX placements for 2021 average: ~ INR 28 lacs
IIMB EPGP placements for 2020 averaged : INR 29.88 lacs
IIMC MBAex placements for 2021 averaged : INR 28.75 lacs
The numbers below show the placements at IIM vs ISB in the year 2018 - 19
ISB PGP - INR 25,08,897, Batch size - 884
IIM A PGPX - INR 24,12,774, Batch size - 137
IIM B EPGP - INR 25,74,000, Batch size - 73
IIM C MBAEX - INR 26,98,000, Batch size - 64
The numbers below show the placements at IIM vs ISB in the year 2017 - 18
ISB PGP - INR 22,13,592, Batch size - 873
IIM A PGPX - INR 24,00,000, Batch size - 115
IIM B EPGP - INR 25,74,000, Batch size - 73
IIM C MBAEX - INR 23,67,000, Batch size - 66
The numbers below show the placements at IIM vs ISB in the year 2016 - 17
ISB PGP - INR 20,90,211, Batch size - 903
IIM A PGPX - INR 24,02,908, Batch size - 91
IIM B EPGP - INR 23,60,000, Batch size - 70
IIM C MBAEX - INR 20,14,000, Batch size - 68
The numbers below show the placements at IIM vs ISB in the year 2015 - 16
ISB PGP - INR 22,58,273, Batch size - 813
IIM A PGPX - INR 24,93,000, Batch size - 85
IIM B EPGP - INR 24,90,000, Batch size - 72
IIMC MBAEX - 25,33,000, Batch size - 54
The numbers above give the averages and it is quite evident that they are quite close for IIM vs ISB.
2. Prominent Sectors in Placements at IIM vs ISB differ:
Over the years we have observed with our admits that the one year MBA programs whether IIM vs ISB both have facilitated both role change and sector change for applicants. When we look closely we find the recruitment patterns as follows at IIM vs ISB:
At IIM Executive MBA the largest sector pool recruited was the IT sector, followed by online services, then consulting and then BFSI amongst other sectors which include energy, Pharma, manufacturing, FMCG etc.
In terms of function, the majority placements took place in marketing roles, followed by operations and general management at IIM Executive MBA.
On the other hand at ISB PGP a large proportion of hiring takes place in consulting, followed by e-commerce, FMCG and retail and finance/ financial services.
3. Salary progression in Placements at IIM vs ISB also differs:
The CTC enhancement at ISB for graduates across a range of work experience for the class of 2021 has been observed as below:
For graduates with a work experience of 2 years to 3 years the hike in CTC post an ISB MBA has been recorded at close to 275%.
Graduates with an experience in the range of 5 to 6 years achieved an enhancement of approximately 145% in their CTC post the ISB MBA.
This evaluation of IIM vs ISB might be important for some applicants who are quite sector and role focused in their MBA investment decision.
Industry wise average CTC offered to Co2021 at ISB vs IIM below shows that both the schools are quite close.
BFSI sector: ISB MBA placements average CTC - INR 26 Lacs & IIM Ahmedabad PGPX placements average CTC - INR 28 Lacs
Consulting sector: ISB MBA placements average CTC - INR 24 - 29 Lacs & IIM Ahmedabad PGPX placements average CTC - INR 22 - 25 Lacs
E-commerce sector: ISB MBA placements average CTC - INR 32 Lacs & IIM Ahmedabad PGPX placements average CTC - INR 27 Lacs
Pharma Sector: ISB MBA placements average CTC - INR 27 Lacs & IIM Ahmedabad PGPX placements average CTC- INR 26 Lacs
4. Batch size at IIM vs ISB differs giving a very different learning experience to students:
Amongst the IIM Executive MBA programs, the batch sizes are very different and every student has a different preference - a small batch size or a large batch size.
IIMA PGPX enrols a batch size of 140,
IIMB EPGP usually enrols a batch size of 75 students,
IIMC MBAeX enrols a batch size of 79.
ISB PGP enrols a batch size of close to 900 students.
The applicant must evaluate how they learn best and choose between IIM vs ISB accordingly.
Amongst the ISB vs IIM Executive MBA programs, the batch sizes are very different and every student has a different preference - a small batch size or a large batch size. The applicant must evaluate how they learn best and choose between IIM vs ISB accordingly. The average work experience of the class is also quite different which again adds up to a different cohort composition at IIM vs ISB.
ISB MBA class profile:
No of Seats: ~900
Average Work Ex: 4.6 years
ISB FT RANK 2023 - 39
Women: 37%
GMAT Mid 80% Range: 690-760
GMAT Mean (Mid 80%): 720
GMAT Median (Mid 80%): 710
GRE Mid 80% Range: 322-334
GRE Mean (Mid 80%): 328
GRE Median (Mid 80%)328
Class profile for IIMA PGPX:
No of Seats: 140
Average Work Ex: 7.3 years
Average GMAT score: 710
IIMA FT RANK 2023 - 51
Class profile for IIMB EPGP:
No of Seats: 75
Average Work Ex: 7.5 years
Average GMAT score: 697
IIMB FT RANK 2023 - 52
Class profile for IIMC MBAEX:
No of Seats: 78
Average Work Ex: 8.5 years
Average GMAT score: 697
IIMC FT RANK 2023 - 76
Class profile for IIML IMPX:
No of Seats: 101
Average Work Ex: 8.3 years
IIML FT RANK 2023 - 90
Class profile for IIMI EPGP:
No of Seats: 57
Average Work Ex: 9.1 years
Average GMAT score: 650
IIMI FT RANK 2023 - 89
5. Range of work experience in the class is different at ISB vs IIM which creates a different class room experience:
ISB work experience range: 2 years - 20 years
IIMA PGPX work experience range: 4 years - 19.5 years
IIMB EPGP work experience range: 5 years - 13 years
IIMC MBAEX work experience range: 5 years - 17 years
6. The average work experience of the class is also quite different which again adds up to a different cohort composition at IIM vs ISB:
ISB average work experience: 4.6 years
IIMA PGPX average work experience: 8 years 3 months
IIMB EPGP average work experience: 7.42 years
IIMC MBAEX average work experience: 8.1 years
7. Rankings of the IIM Executive MBA and ISB with respect to International exposure
IIM vs ISB as per the FT Business School Rankings 2022:
If you consider the FT Global MBA rankings 2021, ISB does rank higher than IIM, however the response to IIM vs ISB would be different for every individual.
8. According to FT rankings for Business Schools 2022, in terms of percentage of International Faculty, ISB vs IIM fares as below:
ISB scores: 13 percent,
IIMB scores: 8 percent,
IIMA scores: 2 percent and
IIMC: 3 percent.
9. International career opportunities available to graduates at IIM vs ISB differs:
The International mobility ranks comparison of IIM vs ISB:
ISB in FT rankings 2022: 88
IIMB ranks : 82
IIMA ranks : 72
IMC ranks : 89
IIM vs ISB is a question that we face almost other day and the clear answer is that both the institutes are stalwarts in delivering World class MBA education in India. Beyond that what you make of the education is upto you. In terms of the course content there is hardly a lot of comparison between IIM vs ISB as both enrich the graduates in experience, network, contemporary management education and provide the MBA graduates a sea of opportunities.
10. International rankings of IIM vs. ISB:
The FT MBA ranking 2023 positions 6 Indian schools as leading institutions of education. In all we observe that the MBA programs in India rank the third in terms of a country represented in the ranking.
1. Number of MBA programs in US in the FT MBA ranking 2023 - 46
2. Number of MBA programs in UK in the FT MBA ranking 2023 - 10
3. Number of MBA programs in India in the FT MBA ranking 2023 - 6
The Indian MBA programs that rank in the FT MBA ranking 2023 are:
ISB MBA: FT Rank 2023 is 39
IIM Ahmedabad: FT Rank 2023 is 51
IIM Bangalore: FT Rank 2023 is 52
IIM Calcutta: FT Rank 2023 is 76
IIM Indore: FT Rank 2023 is 89
IIM Lucknow FT Rank 2023 is 90
This is an encouraging number for Indian aspirants, who are comprise a majority of GMAT test takers in the world. In India in 2022, 85,282 GMAT score reports were sent with a mean score of 660 and out of these 70.5% score reports were sent to MBA programs. The mean age of the Indian GMAT score reportees to MBA schools was 26.6 years and the average GMAT score reported to MBA programs was 666. This makes this discussion of IIM vs ISB a very important aspect to be considered by applicants who aspire for pursuing an MBA. We will compare the institutions with respect to their admissions process, curriculum, faculty, career prospects, alumni network, campus life and student life in the paragraphs below.
According to the FT Rankings for MBA programs 2021:
ISB MBA rank : 23
IIM A rank : 48
IIM B rank : 35
IIM C : 44
Similarly, IIM vs. ISB in FT Rankings 2020 were as below:
ISB : 28
IIM A : 61
IIM B : 27
IIM C : 42
If we go further, the IIM vs. ISB in FT Rankings 2019 were:
ISB : 24
IIM A : 47
IIM B : 33
IIM C : 49
The above information reflects that Indian School of Business, IIM A, IIM B, IIM C have programs that feature a few positions apart from each other in the World rankings. Whatever be their rankings year on year it makes sense for applicants looking at pursuing a 1 year MBA in India to apply to all of these provided they fulfil the eligibility criteria.
11. Eligibility for the IIM vs ISB program differs:
ISB MBA programs and Executive MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta are definitely programs befitting professionals with experience. In terms of minimum eligibility criteria for years of work experience for ISB vs IIM executive MBA programs compare as below:
ISB PGP: Minimum of 24 months of work experience.
Executive MBA at IIM Ahmedabad: Minimum 4 years of work experience
Executive MBA at IIM Bangalore: Minimum 5 years of work experience
Executive MBA at IIM Calcutta: Minimum 5 years of work experience
12. Score requirements for the IIM Executive MBA vs the ISB:
If we compare the score requirements for the IIM vs ISB there is a slight difference among the individual schools as below:
ISB: Accepts the GMAT score or the GRE score
IIMA PGPX : accepts the GMAT score or the GRE score
IIMB EPGP : accepts the GMAT score of the GRE score
IIMC MBAEX : accepts only the GMAT score
Average GMAT scores for the Class of 2022 for IIM vs ISB
ISB : 710, GMAT score range 600 to 780
IIMA PGPX : 701
IIMB EPGP: 690, maximum 770
IIMC MBAEX: 685 , maximum 750
Average GRE score for the Class of 2022 for IIM vs ISB
ISB : 328, GRE score range 311 to 335
IIMA PGPX : 323
IIMB EPGP : Not declared
IIMC MBAEX : Not applicable
13. Course components at IIM Executive MBA and ISB PGP:
The curriculum at both the Executive MBA from IIM and ISB PGP are based on a mix of core and elective courses. International exposure, group work, team projects, well established faculty, leadership training - all gear up students for achieving their future career goals.
14. Flagship program status at IIM Executive MBA and ISB PGP:
The ISB PGP is the flagship program at ISB, whereas the two year MBA is the flagship program at IIM.
15. Admission process of the school:
The admission process is relatively similar when we evaluate IIM vs ISB. The basics that one must fulfil are the GMAT score, a set of essays for ISB and IIMA whereas it's an SOP for IIMB and IIMC, 1 recommendation for ISB whereas 2 recommendations for IIM. Once the application is accepted by the school and interview follows which is quite different for each school.
When comparing the admission processes of IIM and ISB, we find that the basic requirements are similar, including a GMAT score and essays or SOPs. However, ISB requires one recommendation while IIM requires two. The interview process for each school differs, with IIM A beginning with an extempore discussion and IIM B and IIM C having different interview sequences. The ISB interview focuses on work experience and the fit of the applicant for the program. Both IIM and ISB evaluate the depth of past work experience, the need for an MBA, and the applicant's post-MBA goals.
Comparing IIM vs ISB according to the admission process:
ISB PGP admissions process:
Minimum work experience: 2 years
Test Score: GMAT or GRE
Application rounds: 3
Essays - 2
Letter of recommendation - 1
Interview round - 1
IIMA PGPX admissions process:
Minimum work experience: 4 years
Test Score: GMAT or GRE
Application rounds: 3
Essays: Only after shortlisting of the form
Letters of recommendation: Nil