Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) is a program aimed at students who have passed out of class XII/Higher Secondary or equivalent from schools across India.
IPM is a 5-year program launched in 2011 by IIM Indore. The program has been accredited by the Association of MBAs, London.
Despite its high accreditation, it has some major drawbacks that definitely need to be considered before joining
Fees
The IPM is the most expensive graduation course in all of India. The fees for the first 3 years alone are INR 1500000. If you consider the additional cost and the total fees the approximate fee is INR 3500000.
Future Scope
The program offers a very limited scope. This is because even if you decide to leave after 3 years, you will want to pursue Management itself. But leaving after spending so much on graduation is not easy. Also, people usually leave if they get a call from a better IIM. In that case, why did you even pursue graduation at such a high cost?
Lack of Academic Diversity
Most students who come to IIM for MBAs has diverse background. Some are engineers while some are in Law. But an IPM student has been in the same institution for 5 years pursuing the same course. So they lack the much-coveted academic diversity by the recruiters.
No Specialization
While most MBA students have a specialization in graduation, IPM students have no specialization at all. They have been studying Management right after 12.
Placements
The placement scenario of IPM students is average. The IPM students and freshers whereas the PGP students have work experience. Both batches are put on an equal scale during placements. Obviously, top companies prefer experienced students over freshers.