No, IIM Calcutta doesn't consider your Graduation marks for its shortlisting.
However, it takes into consideration your graduation stream for the final admission offers. i.e. under the heading of `Academic Diversity`, it awards 2 points to non-engineering degrees.
When compared to the top IIMs, SPJIMR is a rather moderately good B School. Yet the placements and roles offered by the B School are at par with that of IIMs. The major USP of the B School is its profile-based evaluation. This means a certain candidate can make it into SPJIMR even if he was unable to get a high CAT or XAT score of 98-99 percentile provided that his profile is excellent. With the required skills, qualities, and a decent academic record you could get admission and meet not necessarily get a very high CAT score. This gives a wider spectrum for students to showcase their skills other than academics. There are some more key points where SPJIMR fares rather well when compared to IIMs or other B Schools.
Fees: The primary factor that distinguishes SPJIMR from the top B Schools is the moderate fees. SPJIMR PGDM fees for 2 years is ?20.42 Lakhs (Total Fees) while that of top IIMs is above 20 lakhs.
Placements: The entire placement drive is concluded quite fast and is at par with the top IIMs. SPJIMR Completes Final Placements 2023 with 46% Rise in Highest Salary at Rs. 77.8 LPA and 3% Rise in Average Salary at Rs. 33.02 LPA; Accenture, BCG, HUL, Godrej, ITC, KPMG, P&G being the major recruiters.
Batch size: This is an often underestimated aspect when in reality it affects both, placements and the quality of education. SPJIMR batch size is around 300 while that of most IIMs is 350-500. The low batch size results in better bonding between peers and close relations with the faculty.
Location: Located in the Finance capital of India, SPJIMR offers a plethora of advantages. Easy access to CXOs and practitioners gives the learning experience at SPJIMR a practical approach.
Curriculum: The curriculum is unique in the sense that it targets not just the student's IQ but also EQ and creates socially and emotionally aware managers. This unique course curriculum at SPJIMR offers three distinct levels of learning:
Pedagogy: Apart from the regular courses and teaching methodology employed at other premier B Schools, SPJIMR takes five key initiatives in the ‘Non-Classroom Learning’ area which include ADMAP, DOCC, Abhyudaya, PG Lab, and Science of Spirituality.
All these unique aspects make life at SPJIMR a very good experience compared to old IIMs.
There are many major reasons why ISB Hyderabad is not as popular as IIMs among Indian households. Some of them include
All these reasons are strong enough to persuade one against joining ISB Hyderabad and is thus not much popular among Indian households.
The reason why IIMs are popular in contrast to ISB Hyderabad are
So all this makes IIMs much popular in India despite ISB Hyderabad global rankings.
It is subjective because it depends on many factors like your goals, preferences, and any other individual constraints you might have. It is hard to compare as both are among the top B-schools in India but below is a table comparing the two in different aspects;
Parameters |
SPJIMR Mumbai |
IIM Calcutta |
Fees |
INR 20.42 Lakhs |
INR 23 Lakhs |
Highest Salary |
INR 77.8 LPA |
Not out yet |
Median Salary |
INR 32.89 LPA |
INR 33.67 LPA |
Average Salary |
INR 33.02 LPA |
INR 35.07 LPA |
Exams accepted |
CAT/GMAT |
CAT |
Batch Size |
300 |
280 |
Top Recruiters |
Asian Paints, Hindustan Unilever Limited, ITC, Accenture Strategy |
Adobe, Flipkart, Amazon, BCG, Goldman Sachs |
IIM Calcutta has slightly higher tuition costs than SPJIMR Mumbai. Different courses are offered by each business school, and IIMC offers more options than SPJIMR Mumbai.
Although IIM Calcutta has a little higher median income than SPJIMR Mumbai, both institutions' average salaries are on par with those of the top IIMs. While the batch size of IIM Kolkata is not shown in the search results, SPJIMR Mumbai has a comparatively modest batch size.
IIM Calcutta’s MBA Executive is a one-year residential program for executives. The candidates who wish to apply for the course must have more than five years of professional experience. The program is meant for mid-career professionals to enhance their skill sets as they strive to achieve top management positions in their industry.
IIM Calcutta is accredited by AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS: becoming the first Indian management institute to receive triple accreditation from all three major accreditation agencies in the world for management education.
IIM Calcutta is at the 3rd rank in the NIRF India Rankings 2022: Management.
Therefore, if you are a working professional who wants to enhance your skills for top management positions, you should consider an Executive MBA from IIM Calcutta.
The likelihood of a candidate receiving a call from IIMC depends on a number of variables, including academic record, academic diversity, work history, gender diversity, and the evaluation based on categories (EWS, NC-OBC, SC, ST, PWD).
Being from a reserved category will undoubtedly help you, as will your excellent Expected CAT percentile. The required percentage in undergraduate for the SC category is 55%. Therefore, yes, you have an absolutely good chance of getting a call from IIM Calcutta if your real results match the expected results.
It is quite apparent that if you haven’t met people who actually studied in either of these institutions. That’s why this answer is based on my graduation batchmates who successfully managed to secure a seat at IIM Ahmedabad.
Comparing the two IIM Calcutta and Ahmedabad, both the institutions have a big alumni network and claim to be at par. However, that doesn't mean that both are identical or similar because the internal factors matter a lot.
Here are some insights about these IIMs you must have a look at before deciding.
However, in your case, if you want to wait for IIM Bangalore's waitlist to proceed, do check the past years’ records. Check if the waitlists of the past few years have created a huge difference for the waiting candidates. If not, go for any of IIM Calcutta or Ahmedabad without giving a second thought.
Any IIM will do the following if your score is lower or higher than what you indicated on the CAT form: It will be changed if the score is higher, but you must first fill out a form, and the higher percentage will be considered for further selection consideration.
If it is less than what you specified on the CAT form, they will inquire as to why. After hearing your reason, they will change back to the actual percentage by filling out the form with your signature. If it happened by mistake, there will be no problem.
As can be seen, class XII marks receive only 15% of the weightage (whereas the CAT percentile receives a significant (67%) weightage). Furthermore, a 70% in class XII will result in 6/10 points in that section. As a result, a person scoring 80% or higher has an advantage of only 4 points out of 10 in a section with a weightage of only 15%.
As a result, a low class XII score of 70% is not a particularly important factor in shortlisting, and it is easily compensated for by a high CAT percentile.
Congratulations on securing an interview with an IIM! In terms of extra courses or certifications, it depends on the specific program, your interests, and your passion. Some of them are listed below
Basically any course which develops your leadership, communication, marketing, finance skills gives you an edge over other appearing for IIM Calcutta admissions. However, remember that if your resume shows a lot of courses, then you will have to face the consequences in the interview. The panelists of IIM Calcutta are well aware of the fact that candidates do these types of courses just to make their resumes appear better.