Hi Megharaj,

There’s no particular university that provide free seats for MBA. There can be a waiver in fees in terms of scholarships but every university charges some amount for a seat.

The fee structure of any college depends upon the brand of the college. When we are talking about the brand of the B-School, we refer to the rank and category of the B-School. For example, the old IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode and Indore) have more or less a similar fee structure when we compare to different private colleges like, NMIMS, SIBM, SP-Jain and others. The newer IIMs have comparatively a lower fee structure compared to the old IIMs. Thus, in effect when we are referring to the Brand of the B-Schools, their rankings in-effect play a significant role in the fee that they demand for their programs. The gamut of fee structure is quite wide for MBA in India. It begins from INR 22,000 to INR 22,00,000 approx. for a 2-year MBA program. Because of their popularity and brand image, these B-Schools have a very high demand amongst the MBA aspirants and the competition is very severe to get into the best of them. Also, the fee structure doesn’t remain the same for a B-School and it changes and evolves every year. For example, private B-Schools have seen a growth of 5% to 6% on their program fees when compared to the previous year. Even IIMs have increased their fee structure substantially over the course of last 3 to 4 years. The figure of fees which we are talking over here is just the academic fees and it is exclusive of any hostel and other accommodation fees that the student might want to avail if they are studying in a residence-based B-School. But many B-Schools provide attractive scholarships to their meritorious students and thus can provide a sigh of relief.

If we look at the top 20 B-Schools in India, FMS-Delhi stands out as it has the lowest fees amongst all the B-Schools countrywide and is approximately INR 22,000. It has one of the best MBA programs in the country and is recognised a popular institute because of its rich academic and alumni base. It provides a 2-year MBA program to its students. In the similar lines, JBIMS Mumbai offers its flagship MBA program at approximately INR 6 lakhs. ISB – Hyderabad is also one of the most reputed B-Schools in the country and is much recognised for its flagship one-year program that it offers to its students. Its fees is the highest amongst any B-School in the country reaching to approximately INR 25 lakhs. The other private B-Schools like NMIMS-Mumbai, SIBM-Pune, XLRI, XIMB, Great Lakes Chennai have a fee structure of similar lines of approximately INR 19 to INR 20 lakhs for their two-year programs. The IIMs on average have a fee structure of around INR 15 to INR 16 lakhs and the newly born IIMs have an even lower fee structure to approximately around 10 lakhs. If we look at the B-Schools that fall below the top 20 category, they have a comparatively lower fee structure. BIMTECH, IFMR Chennai, TAPMI Manipal, IRMA Anand offer their MBA programs at around INR 10 to INR 12 Lakhs each. If we move further down, we can even find colleges offering their programs in the range of INR 5 Lakhs to even below that. Hence brand of the college supported by its rating in the country matters the most when it comes to deciding their fee structure

The MBA entrance exams are been conducted by various government and private colleges in India to intake students for different programs offered by them. IIMs conduct CAT or Common Admission Test to intake students for their 20 IIMs. Although, the CAT scored is considered by other colleges as well, some colleges do or do not conduct their own entrance exams along with CAT scores. Let me walk you through the various exams and also, the various colleges that accept each exam for their MBA admissions.

Usually, all the exams test the students in the following topics,

• Quantitative Aptitude (QA)
• Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR)
• Verbal and Reading Comprehension (VRC)
• General Awareness
• Decision making

The best rated examination of India, Common Admission Test or CAT is conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM). CAT scores are used for admission by 20 IIMs and various other management institutes across the country. Approximately about two lakh students or more appear for this exam every year.

The second largest management entrance examination in terms of university acceptance is Common Management Admission Test or CMAT. It is taken by roughly 1.5 lakh candidates. It is accepted by more than 500 MBA institutes across the country. The CMAT exam is held in January every year. CMAT is a computer-based exam (held for 180 minutes).

One of the top management entrance exams and a highly sought after exam is Xavier Aptitude Test or XAT. It is a computer-based management aptitude test and is conducted by Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) Jamshedpur. Annually, XAT exam is written by approximately one lakh candidates. Usually, XAT is held on the first Sunday of the year (January). XAT scores are accepted by XLRI, Jamshedpur and more than 100 management institutes.

SNAP is a national-level entrance examination and is conducted by Symbiosis International University. Its scores are primarily used for admission to 15 institutes under Symbiosis International University. SNAP is a computer-based exam and is held for two hours.

NMAT is one of the important and popular MBA entrance exams offered by any private college. It is a computer-based exam, and is held over a 75-day testing window, between the month of October and December. students need to attempt 120 MCQs in 120 minutes. Students can appear for the exam for about three times and the best of three scores will be used for admission.

All the very best!!