I know a friend who had cracked ONGC and almost touched 100 percentile in CAT. He decided not to go for ONGC but rather to prepare for CAT. But as luck would have it, she couldn’t make it into IIM A B C.
She did not give up and studied hard for the same and got into IIM Calcutta and graduated in 2016. After a couple of chances, she opened her own company in the conventional manufacturing space.
The conclusion from this experience is that you should forego the IIM Calcutta offers if:
you want immediate monetary gains
you do not want to take risks
you are not interested in entrepreneurship
You should go for IIM Calcutta if:
You are looking for a brand name
A huge IIM L network access
If you want an opportunity to pierce into the corporate management space
If you are interested in entrepreneurship
It depends mainly on your risk undertaking ability and what you want from your job.
My friend is currently pursuing the EGMP program and has a lot to say about it. Although the primary campus of IIM Lucknow is in Lucknow, all the Executive Education Programs are conducted at the Noida Campus which is the secondary campus.
The quality of the curriculum and pedagogy remains the same for the regular PGP courses and EGMP courses. The same learned faculty teaches at both campuses. Even the study material and curriculum are the same.
Moreover, once you have completed the program successfully you will be granted a certificate for the completion from IIM Lucknow with an alumni status. But these programs have no placements. Except for IPMX, all the other Executive Education Programs lack placements.
My friend is very happy with the course content and the quality of education offered. Infact, some of the IIM Lucknow professors are guest lecturers in some of the best B schools in India and abroad.
Placements at IIM Lucknow are better than at IIM Kozhikode. But it seems the placement reports exaggerate the actual figures. Many students remain unplaced at these big B Schools making many questions their credibility.
Particulars |
IIM Lucknow |
IIM Kozhikode |
Number of offers made |
534 |
571 |
Average CTC |
INR 31.03 LPA |
INR 39.2 LPA |
Highest domestic CTC |
INR 58 LPA |
INR 61.5 LPA |
Highest international CTC |
INR 56 LPA |
- |
Median CTC |
INR 29 LPA |
INR 26.5 LPA |
Top Recruiters |
Microsoft, Myntra, Vodafone |
Amazon, Microsoft, Accenture |
Percentage of Students Placed |
100% |
100% |
The above table will help you in comparing the placements of the two IIMs.
Firstly the question is pretty vague as you haven’t mentioned the parameters for comparison between IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow, and FMS Delhi. Yet I have included some factual comparisons between the three.
FMS is the oldest as it was established in 1954, IIM Calcutta in 1961, and IIM Lucknow in 1984.
FMS and IIM Calcutta offer only one MBA program (2 years) whereas IIM Lucknow offers 3 PGP, PGP-ABM, and PGP-SM.
The order for the batch size of the three colleges is IIML>IIMC>FMS Delhi.
Both the IIMs i.e. IIM Calcutta and IIM Lucknow are autonomous institutions where FMS Delhi is a department of the University of Delhi.
Fees for IIM Calcutta: INR 2700000, IIM Lucknow: INR 19.25 Lakhs, FMS Delhi: 1.92 Lakhs
The specialty of IIM Calcutta is finance, FMS Delhi is Marketing and IIM Lucknow is operations.
All this comparison is based on actual facts and not my personal opinion.
IIM Lucknow, Noida campus provides a flagship program in an International Program in Management for Executives (IPMX). It is one year fulltime and residential programs, offered by IIM Lucknow.
In the year 2015, IIM Lucknow started a postgraduate program in Sustainable Management, from its Noida Campus. This Program is equivalent to the PGP courses as the course duration is two years. However, each batch has 20 students.
Courses Offered |
Duration |
Fees |
MBA/PGDM |
2-4 years |
5.5 - 19.25 lakh |
Executive MBA/PGDM |
1-2 years |
13.7 - 23.8 lakh |
FPM |
4 years |
6 lakh |
Certificate |
6 months |
Not Specified |
Besides, IIM Lucknow, Noida campus also provides a part-time course of 21 days, namely, the Working Managers Program (WWP). This course is for working professionals, who are working in Delhi and Noida location. Additionally, some Management Development Programs are also operated from Noida Campus, with a minimum duration, like one or two weeks or on a daily basis.
Frankly, everything falls on how you perceive the "good" you're talking about and what are your expectations from the degree.
Course Curriculum:
If you want to know about the curriculum aspect there, it is pretty much similar to the 2-year program. In such courses, you also must realize that the syllabus covers all the subjects, but in a rush. Plus, if you're someone who prefers learning in-depth, be prepared to be disappointed as they will be taught on a surface-level only.
Faculty:
The one-year-long executive program has the same faculties as the two-year-long program. The pedagogy of the course is also the same.
Also, another thing that you should note is that the campus is in Noida and not in Lucknow.
It actually depends on what you are looking for. Almost all reputed management institutes provide exposure through case competitions, peer learning, etc.
In IIM Lucknow too, you would come across a similar incubator and an entrepreneurship committee cell. You need to join a cell and utilize whatever they provide you with. There you can brainstorm many ideas that can help you learn and understand various aspects that comprise entrepreneurship. These brainstorming sessions will also take place in front of the industrialists who will listen to you and supervise you in any particular event or any competition or even workshops.
If you aspire to become an entrepreneur, join the E-cell, there you will have many chances to pitch in your ideas.