I will never suggest you go for IIM Kozhikode over XLRI. Because of the establishment of new IIMs, the impact of its brand has deteriorated. IIM Indore and IIM Kozhikode aren’t at the same level. Apart from IIM ABC, the only good IIM is Lucknow. If your academic records are average then only you can consider XLRI, that too is a great choice. If you are financially weak, then FMS is the one for you.

However, the harsh reality is many companies still prefer IIM students over other B-schools. This partiality results in MBA aspirants flocking to IIMs. IIM's. If you look carefully, XLRI too is an excellent institute and is second only to IIM ABC and FMS. Additionally, those seeking specialization in HR, should not loot beyond XLRI.

So, don’t reject XLRI BM (Jamshedpur) except for IIM A, B, C, and L. One may prefer L over XL because of the IIM tag, else both are similar.

In my opinion, the preference order should be

IIM A=B=C>>L>XLRI>FMS>>IIM I>IIM K

Both IIM Kozhikode and IIT Bombay SJMSOM are excellent institutions with strong reputations. Choosing one over the other usually depends on your personal preferences and career goals.

• IIM Kozhikode is known for its strong MBA program and its focus on management education. The institution has a good reputation in the industry and is considered one of the best management schools in India.
• lIT Bombay SJMSOM, on the other hand, is known for its strong focus on technology and engineering. Although IIT Bombay has a management department, its MBA is technical and lacks the actual touch of MBA from a B-school. 

Look at the table below for necessary data 

If you are interested in management and business, IIM Kozhikode and have no financial constraints, then IIM Kozhikode is a good choice but if money is the issue, the go for IIT Bombay SJMSOM. Ultimately, the decision should be based on your personal interests and career goals.

IIM Ahmedabad is indeed different from IIM B, C, K, and I in many aspects. Some of these aspects are it’s:

• Discipline: when it comes to discipline, IIMA tops the list. The first year is a real-life challenge for students with hundreds of cases to study, group assignments and projects.

• Case pedagogy: This is the highlight of the IIM Ahmedabad curriculum. IIMAs curriculum aligns with that of Harvard Business School. So it focuses more on problem-solving classes.

• Architecture: IIMs pride lies in its heritage architecture. The red bricks surrounding the semicircular arches enhance the campus’ appearance tenfold.

• Crowd: Without any doubt, the cream of students get into IIMA. This is because it has the highest cutoff.

• Faculty: IIMA has top-notch faculty while some of them are IIM Ahmedabad alumni themselves.

IIM Ahmedabad is different from other IIMs in all these aspects. But what really sets it apart is its director Ravi Matthai and his systems cultivating accountability and autonomy.

FMS Delhi is better than IIM Kozhikode. It offers better ROI. According to the recent highlights of FMS Delhi placements, students receive an average CTC of around INR 32.4 LPA. While the highest CTC goes up to INR 58 LPA. 

FMS has a smaller batch size compared to IIM Kozhikode. So, it’s easier for students to get decent placements. FMS is older than IIM Kozhikode and hence has a larger alumni base. 

If you want to pursue a career in operations, NITIE is superior to both IIM K and IIM Indore. Any other specialization is followed by IIM K, IIM I, and NITIE.

NITIE is the best college in India for operations management, but IIMs are unrivaled in terms of culture and rigor.

IIM K is superior to IIM I for two reasons:

• IIM Indore has a large batch size.

• IIM I has a lower level of diversity due to a lower number of work-ex people.

Both colleges have nearly identical fee structures. Top consulting firms such as Mckinsey, EY, and Frost & Sullivan hire from K but not SP Jain. BCG, Accenture Strategy, PWC, Deloitte, KPMG, PRTM, CBC, and others have all visited both. While consulting firms extended 41% of all offers, the median salary increased by 32.5 percent from 2021 to 2022. Consulting emerged as the top recruiting sector at SPJ, with offers extended to 38% of the 238 participants.

In terms of middle office IBD and Wealth Management roles offered by JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Credit Suisse, K clearly outperforms SPJ. However, SPJain had a better scene in corporate finance, with Mondelez, GE, and Vodafone all offering corp fin. In Corporate Banking/Treasury, the number of companies visiting both is equal, with Citi, Yes Bank, ICICI, Axis, IDFC, IndusInd, and others visiting both. JM Financials and Standard Chartered are two brands that do not hire from K for corp banking. For the first time, Deutsche Bank has hired exclusively from K for their corporate banking role, rather than from SP Jain.

IIM K has provided a variety of finance roles, including middle and front-office investment banking, wealth management, corporate banking, and treasury roles, whereas investment banking and wealth management roles are almost nonexistent in SP Jain. They have a higher proportion of corporate finance positions available.

Going forward, with the expected growth and increasing alumni base, IIM K should be clearly a preferred choice over SP Jain for students aspiring to finance and consulting roles.

The minimum qualifying CAT cut-off percentile for IIM Kozhikode admission is 85 for General, 75 for NC-OBC/EWS, 65 for SC, and 55 for ST/PwD candidates.

The minimum CAT Cutoff for IIM Trichy admission is 92 for general, 70 for EWS, 74 for NC-OBC, 54 for SC, and 40 for ST and PwD candidates.

However, it’s important to note that the qualifying CAT cutoff alone is not enough to seek admission to these institutes. One needs to clear the Personal Interview and meet other criteria too.