Executive MBA Fees in India: IIM and Top B-School Fees Compared

An executive MBA in India costs anything from the price of a used hatchback to the price of a two-bedroom flat in Indore. The acronym on the certificate is only part of what decides the bill. Format matters more.

Executive MBA Fees 2026-28: IIM, ISB, XLRI and SPJIMR Fee Table

The table below lists 25 programmes for working professionals. Every fee comes from the institute’s own fee page or brochure for the latest batch published. Where an institute says nothing about GST, the table says “GST not stated”. Don’t assume that means GST-free.

Read the format column before the fee column. A 1-year full-time MBA (PGPX, ISB PGP, IIMB EPGP, IPMX) means you quit your job. An Executive MBA (keep your job) runs on weekends or evenings. An online/blended MBA is mostly live online with short campus visits. The executive MBA vs one-year MBA comparison explains the split.

“Fee per month” is the total fee divided by the programme length. It is the number to watch if you are comparing a one-year residential programme with a two-year weekend one.

Some programmes are missing from the table because their current fee isn’t published on an official page that can be checked. They are IIMC MBAEx, IIM Indore’s Mumbai-based PGPMX and KJ Somaiya’s MBA for Working Executives. Aggregator figures for them disagree with each other, and some are for older batches. Check the institute’s own page before you budget for them.

Award and placement support for each programme

Two questions decide whether a fee is fair: what you are actually awarded, and whether the institute helps you find a job afterwards. The table answers both from what each institute publishes. Where the programme page says nothing, the table says so. It doesn’t guess. For the full picture, see executive MBA degree type and alumni status and executive MBA placements and salary.

The pattern is plain. The programmes that make you quit your job run a placement process, and the ones that let you keep it mostly don’t. IIM Amritsar is the only keep-your-job programme in the list that promises anything, and it promises “limited” help.

EMBA Total Cost and Time: Fee as Months of Salary

A fee means more when you set it against your pay. The table below takes the 13 most-searched programmes. It adds the extra charges each institute names, plus an estimate for travel to campus visits. It then shows the all-in cost as months of gross salary at ₹15, ₹25 and ₹40 lakh a year.

Assumptions (ours, not the institutes’): travel is ₹25,000 per campus visit where travel and stay are both extra, and ₹15,000 per visit where the institute includes stay. Weekend and evening programmes on campus assume you live in that city, so travel is ₹0. ISB’s “other costs” line is ISB’s own estimate. Taxes are left out where the institute writes “+ taxes” without a figure. Monthly salary is the annual CTC ÷ 12: ₹1,25,000, ₹2,08,333 and ₹3,33,333. Hours a week are shown only where the institute states them.

Programme	Tuition and other fees (official)	Estimated travel for campus visits (assumption)	All-in cost	Months of salary at ₹15 / ₹25 / ₹40 LPA	Salary given up	Time (officially stated)
ISB PGP	₹40,46,520 + ₹2,25,000 ISB-estimated other costs (laptop, meals)	Not applicable (residential)	₹42,71,520	34.2 / 20.5 / 12.8	12 months	Full-time, 12 months
IIMA PGPX	₹36,20,000 (meals, utilities, immersion extra; not quantified)	Not applicable	₹36,20,000+	29.0 / 17.4 / 10.9	12 months	Full-time, live on campus all year
IIMB EPGP	₹33,68,000 incl. hostel, mess, indicative immersion	Not applicable	₹33,68,000	26.9 / 16.2 / 10.1	12 months	Full-time, 12 months
IIM Indore EPGP	₹26,76,800	Not applicable	₹26,76,800	21.4 / 12.8 / 8.0	12 months	Full-time, 12 months
IIML IPMX	₹26,25,000 (fee + caution money + alumni fee)	Not applicable (immersion airfare at actuals)	₹26,25,000	21.0 / 12.6 / 7.9	12 months	Full-time, 12 months
IIMA MBA-BPGP	₹21,00,000	3 campus modules × ₹25,000 = ₹75,000	₹21,75,000	17.4 / 10.4 / 6.5	None	Live online + 3 campus modules, 2 years
IIMB PGPEM	₹20,21,000 + taxes (fee + deposit)	₹0 (Bengaluru resident)	₹20,21,000 + taxes	16.2 / 9.7 / 6.1	None	Fridays and Saturdays on campus
IIT Delhi EMBA	₹18,80,600	₹0 (Delhi resident)	₹18,80,600	15.0 / 9.0 / 5.6	None	Evening classes on campus from 6:15 pm
IIMK EPGP	₹16,87,000 (fee + welfare and alumni fees)	3 visits × ₹25,000 = ₹75,000	₹17,62,000	14.1 / 8.5 / 5.3	None	About 12 hours a week of class in year one (weekend format); three six-day campus modules
IIM Indore MMS	₹14,00,000	3 modules × ₹25,000 = ₹75,000	₹14,75,000	11.8 / 7.1 / 4.4	None	8–10 sessions of 75 minutes a week (10–12.5 hours); Sat–Sun 9:00–17:15; 16 campus days in 3 modules
IIM Udaipur EMBA	₹14,20,800 (stay at campus modules included)	2 visits × ₹15,000 = ₹30,000	₹14,50,800	11.6 / 7.0 / 4.4	None	About 7 sessions of 90 minutes a week (about 10.5 hours) on Sat–Sun plus two late weekday evenings; two one-week campus modules
IIM Amritsar EMBA	₹12,00,000 (food and stay at campus included)	4 visits × ₹15,000 = ₹60,000	₹12,60,000	10.1 / 6.0 / 3.8	None	750 contact hours over 2 years; virtual classes Fri–Sun; two 5-day campus visits a year
IIMV EMBA	₹11,90,000	2 visits × ₹25,000 = ₹50,000 (30 campus hours a year)	₹12,40,000	9.9 / 6.0 / 3.7	None	740 hours in all; year one Sat 9:00–17:00 and Sun 9:00–15:30

How the months are worked out: all-in cost ÷ monthly salary. For example, IIMK EPGP at ₹25 lakh a year is ₹17,62,000 ÷ ₹2,08,333 = 8.5 months. For the full-time programmes, add the “salary given up” column to the months figure. PGPX at ₹25 lakh is 17.4 months of fees plus 12 months of lost pay, so close to 30 months of salary in all.

The time column matters as much as the money. Ten to fifteen hours of class a week, before reading and assignments, is a second part-time job for two years. The executive MBA class schedule and campus visits guide breaks it down programme by programme.

EMBA Fee Breakup: Tuition, GST, Campus Visits and Other Charges

The headline fee is the part the brochure is proud of. The real cost comes from the lines underneath it.

What the fee usually covers

• Tuition and course material. Every programme in the table includes these.
• Accommodation, at residential programmes only. IIM Ahmedabad’s PGPX fee covers tuition, books, accommodation, library and computing. IIM Indore EPGP covers lodging and boarding. IIM Lucknow IPMX includes a basic single room and food.
• Campus stay, at some blended programmes. IIM Amritsar’s fee includes “cost of food and stay in Amritsar during campus modules”. IIM Udaipur’s EMBA fee includes living expenses during the on-campus modules. ISB PGPpro includes boarding and lodging during campus residencies.

The hidden costs

For a blended programme, assume 5–10% on top of the fee for travel, stay and a working laptop. For a one-year residential programme, the biggest hidden cost is not on any fee page. It is the salary you give up for 12 months.

EMBA Fee Payment Schedule and Instalments

Nobody pays ₹36 lakh in one go unless they want to. Almost every programme splits the fee, and the schedule tells you how much cash you need before the first class.

The pattern is that blended programmes spread the fee over 18–24 months, so most of it can come out of salary. Full-time programmes want 50–100% before the first class, which is why the loan question comes up there.

EMBA Loans, EMI, Section 80E (Section 129) and Scholarships

Education loans with institute tie-ups

The institutes don’t lend you money, but several list banks that have lent to their students:

• IIMA PGPX: Union Bank, Bank of Baroda, IDFC FIRST, HDFC Credila, PNB, SBI and Central Bank of India.
• IIMA BPGP (BA & AI): Bank of Baroda, Axis, PNB and IDFC FIRST.
• ISB PGP and PGPpro: Axis, Bank of Baroda, Canara, Central Bank of India and Credila. Loan checklists are also posted for SBI, Union Bank and PNB.
• IIMB EPGP: the SBI Scholar loan, through SBI’s IIMB branch.
• IIML IPMX: SBI has lent to past batches; the institute says it does not process loans itself.

Interest rates and collateral rules change every quarter, so get them from the bank, not a brochure. On a blended programme paid out of salary, a personal EMI usually isn’t needed. Instalments of ₹2–2.5 lakh a term work out to ₹40,000–₹85,000 a month, as the per-month column shows. The executive MBA loans and EMI guide covers lenders in more detail.

Section 80E (now Section 129): the tax deduction on loan interest

Interest on an education loan taken for your own higher education is deductible in full, with no upper limit. You can claim it for up to eight years, starting from the year you begin repaying. It covers interest only, not principal. The loan must come from a bank, a notified financial institution or an approved charitable institution. Under the Income-tax Act, 2025, this deduction is Section 129, which replaces Section 80E of the 1961 Act. Lenders notified under the old Act stay valid. The deduction applies only if you file under the old tax regime. If you have moved to the new regime, it is worth nothing to you.

Scholarships

• IIMB EPGP: merit scholarships of ₹8 lakh (12 awards), merit-cum-means of ₹6 lakh (7 awards), and ₹4 lakh for the top five during the programme.
• IIMA PGPX: entry scholarships of up to 25% of the single-housing fee.
• ISB PGP: merit, diversity and need-based waivers, which ISB says about a quarter of students receive. ISB PGPpro has an Armed Forces 50% tuition waiver.
• IIML IPMX: the FAQ answers “Is there any scholarship available?” with “NO”.
• IIFT weekend MBA (IB): 50% tuition concession for SC/ST/PwD candidates.

Company sponsorship

Sponsorship is the cheapest money there is, but it often comes with a service bond: stay for a set period after the programme or repay part of the fee. Ask HR for the clawback clause in writing before you accept the offer. Also ask whether the company pays the institute directly or reimburses you per term. If it reimburses you, you carry the cash in the meantime. SPJIMR’s PGEMP, for example, publishes a separate instalment schedule for self-funded candidates. Sponsorship only works if your manager will let you leave on Friday afternoons. A full-time programme’s fee is rarely sponsored unless the company is keeping your job open.

EMBA Fees by Format: Fee Bands Compared

Fee bands

If the lower band is where you are looking, the executive MBA for budget-conscious learners shortlist goes further. The online-heavy end of the market is covered in IIM online and blended MBAs.

Similar programmes outside the main table

The same price spread shows up beyond the main list:

• XIMB EMBA in Business Management: a one-year residential programme. Its 2026 fee table lists a ₹14,00,000 course fee plus development, IT, alumni and deposit charges, about ₹15.5 lakh in all. Residence is charged separately.
• IIT Bombay–Washington University Executive MBA: ₹42 lakh, with “no additional GST” according to Olin Business School’s page. The fee includes meals and lodging on class weekends. It is the most expensive IIT-branded option.
• IIM Udaipur’s one-year MBA in Global Supply Chain Management: ₹24,41,353 including hostel and deposit.

The per-month column changes the ranking. IIMA’s blended BA & AI programme costs ₹87,500 a month, against ₹3.02 lakh a month for PGPX. But PGPX takes you out of work for a year, and the blended programme does not. To see how the formats differ beyond price, read executive MBA vs regular MBA, EPGP vs PGPX and the overview of the one-year MBA in India.

EMBA ROI by Experience Band: 4–6, 8–12 and 15+ Years

Fees only tell you half the story; the other half is what the programme does to your salary. The right format changes with your experience, so the worked examples below go band by band. Each band compares keeping your job with quitting for a one-year MBA. Plug your own figures into the executive MBA ROI calculator.

Assumptions: current CTC is ₹15 lakh (4–6 years), ₹25 lakh (8–12 years) and ₹40 lakh (15+ years). These are round numbers, not survey data. Post-programme salary for the one-year MBAs is the institute’s latest official median. No weekend or blended programme publishes salary data, so their raise is an assumption, stated in the row. If you quit, the comparison salary is your current CTC plus a 10% normal raise. Figures are pre-tax, with no loan interest. Payback is all-in cost ÷ monthly uplift. The 5-year net gain is five years of uplift minus the all-in cost.

Band (current CTC)	Route and programme	All-in cost	Salary after	Yearly uplift	Payback	5-year net gain
4–6 yrs (₹15 lakh)	Keep job: IIM Amritsar EMBA	₹12,60,000 (fee + ₹60,000 assumed travel)	₹18,75,000 (assumed +25%)	₹3,75,000	12,60,000 ÷ 31,250 = 40 months	18,75,000 − 12,60,000 = ₹6,15,000
4–6 yrs (₹15 lakh)	Quit: IIML IPMX	₹41,25,000 (₹26,25,000 fees + ₹15,00,000 salary given up)	₹27,00,000 (Class of 2026 median) vs ₹16,50,000	₹10,50,000	41,25,000 ÷ 87,500 = 47 months	52,50,000 − 41,25,000 = ₹11,25,000
8–12 yrs (₹25 lakh)	Keep job: IIMK EPGP	₹17,62,000 (fees + ₹75,000 assumed travel)	₹30,00,000 (assumed +20%)	₹5,00,000	17,62,000 ÷ 41,667 = 42 months	25,00,000 − 17,62,000 = ₹7,38,000
8–12 yrs (₹25 lakh)	Quit: IIMB EPGP	₹58,68,000 (₹33,68,000 fees + ₹25,00,000 salary given up)	₹36,50,000 (2025-26 median) vs ₹27,50,000	₹9,00,000	58,68,000 ÷ 75,000 = 78 months	45,00,000 − 58,68,000 = −₹13,68,000
15+ yrs (₹40 lakh)	Keep job: IIMB PGPEM	₹20,21,000 + taxes (Bengaluru resident)	₹46,00,000 (assumed +15%)	₹6,00,000	20,21,000 ÷ 50,000 = 40 months	30,00,000 − 20,21,000 = ₹9,79,000
15+ yrs (₹40 lakh)	Keep job: ISB PGPpro	₹43,46,080 (fee incl. GST + ₹3,50,000 assumed travel to residencies)	₹46,00,000 (assumed +15%)	₹6,00,000	43,46,080 ÷ 50,000 = 87 months	30,00,000 − 43,46,080 = −₹13,46,080

What the numbers say:

• 4–6 years. This is the one band where quitting can beat keeping your job on paper. A ₹27 lakh median on a ₹15 lakh base is a big jump. But IPMX wants 4 years minimum, and the median belongs to a batch that is usually more experienced than that. At the bottom of the band you may not get in, or you may land below the median. The keep-job route is safer and pays back in a similar time.
• 8–12 years. At ₹25 lakh, giving up a year’s pay hurts. Even IIMB EPGP’s ₹36.5 lakh median doesn’t earn back ₹58.7 lakh in five years. IIMA PGPX does worse on these assumptions: its ₹32,16,250 median fixed pay gives a yearly uplift of only ₹4,66,250 over ₹27.5 lakh, against an all-in cost above ₹61 lakh. Quit only if you need a real switch of function or industry that your employer won’t give you. Otherwise a blended IIM programme pays back in about 3.5 years.
• 15+ years. At ₹40 lakh, the one-year medians (₹27–36.5 lakh) sit below what you already earn, so quitting makes no sense on salary alone. Even on a keep-job programme, a premium fee needs a sponsor. A ₹20 lakh programme pays back; a ₹40 lakh one doesn’t, unless your employer pays.

A loan claimed under the old tax regime softens all of these a little, through the interest deduction. Employer sponsorship changes the result far more. For band-wise shortlists, see the executive MBA for early-career professionals, executive MBA for mid-career managers and executive MBA for senior leaders guides.

Why Are Executive MBA Fees So High? Worries Answered

Why are executive MBAs so expensive?

Part of it is what is bundled in, and part is what the market will bear. Residential fees include a year of housing and often food: PGPX covers accommodation, and IIMB EPGP’s ₹33.68 lakh includes hostel, mess and a ₹5.5 lakh indicative international immersion. Some fees carry GST, which adds roughly ₹6 lakh to ISB PGPpro. Above all, buyers are working professionals whose employers sometimes pay. Compare the formats: the same IIM brand costs ₹21 lakh blended (IIMA BPGP) and ₹36.2 lakh residential (PGPX). You pay a premium for the campus year and the placement process, not for a different syllabus.

Is the fee worth it with no placements?

Only if you know where the raise will come from. The award and placement table above shows that most keep-your-job programmes offer no placement process. IIMK says outright that “a formal placement assistance scheme is not part of this programme”. IIM Amritsar offers “limited placement assistance on a case to case basis”. So the return has to come from a promotion, a move inside your company, or a job hunt you run yourself, with the IIM name on your CV. If you need a campus process to switch careers, the one-year full-time programmes are built for that. The is an executive MBA worth it guide goes deeper.

What hidden costs should I budget for?

Five, mainly: GST where the fee says “+ taxes”, travel and stay for campus visits, international immersion airfare, meals and utilities at residential programmes, and leave from work for weekday campus modules. For a blended programme, set aside 5–10% on top of the fee. For a full-time programme, the year of salary you give up is usually the biggest single cost.

Can I take a loan, and does Section 80E still apply?

Yes. Banks lend for executive programmes, and several IIMs and ISB list the banks their students have used. The interest deduction that was Section 80E is now Section 129 of the Income-tax Act, 2025: full interest, for up to eight years, from a bank or notified lender, under the old tax regime only. On a blended programme, the instalment schedule usually lets you pay from salary without a loan.

Does a cheaper programme count for less?

Check the award, not the price. IIM Udaipur’s ₹14.2 lakh EMBA awards an MBA degree. ISB’s ₹40.5 lakh PGP is, in ISB’s words, “not a degree programme”. SPJIMR’s PGEMP awards a PGEMP qualification rather than a degree or PGDM. Whether an employer values a name more than a degree type is up to that employer. But you should know which one you are buying.

EMBA Refund Policy by Programme

Refund rules are strict, and they matter most if your company withdraws sponsorship midway. Here is what the institutes publish:

• IIM Amritsar EMBA: “The fee is non-refundable… no fee that has been paid to date will get refunded in any case.”
• IIMV EMBA: if you withdraw before programme registration, the fee is refunded less a ₹1,000 administration charge. Nothing is refunded on or after registration.
• IIM Nagpur EMBA: if you withdraw by the offer-acceptance deadline, you get a full refund less ₹1,000. Nothing is refunded after you register for Terms 1 and 2.
• IIML IPMX: if you withdraw by the announced date, a ₹30,000 processing fee is kept and the rest is refunded. Nothing is refunded after classes start.
• IIM Mumbai PGPEx: if you withdraw after classes start, you get back ₹50,000 (after paying in full) or ₹25,000 (after paying in part).
• IIMA PGPX and BPGP, IIM Indore EPGP, IIM Udaipur EMBA: the commitment fees are non-refundable.
• ISB: the admission fee is “partially refundable as per policy”, and the commitment fee is non-refundable.

The rule of thumb: once the first term starts, assume the money is gone. Pay the commitment fee only when you are sure. Deadlines for each programme are in the executive MBA admission process and deadlines guide.

FAQs

What is the fees of executive MBA?

In India it ranges from about ₹2.6 lakh at FMS Delhi’s evening MBA Executive to ₹40.5 lakh for ISB’s one-year PGP including GST. Most two-year blended programmes from IIMs and top B-schools cost ₹10–17 lakh. Most one-year and 18-month full-time programmes cost ₹24–36 lakh before living costs.

How much does executive MBA cost in India?

Fee plus extras, a blended IIM programme usually comes to ₹13–18 lakh. That includes campus travel and a laptop, and you keep your salary throughout. A one-year residential programme costs ₹26–40 lakh in fees. Add the salary you give up for 12 months, and the true cost is often ₹50–65 lakh.

What is executive MBA fees?

The executive MBA fee is the total programme charge an institute publishes for working professionals. It usually covers tuition, course material and, for residential programmes, accommodation. GST, deposits, alumni fees, campus travel and international immersion are often listed separately, so read the line items, not just the headline.

How much does executive MBA from IIM cost?

The verified 2026-28 and 2027-28 fees run from ₹9.5 lakh (IIM Nagpur) to ₹36.2 lakh (IIMA PGPX). Blended IIM programmes at Amritsar, Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Udaipur, Raipur, Indore and Kozhikode cost ₹11.9–16.9 lakh. Full-time IIM programmes at Lucknow, Indore and Bangalore cost ₹26–34 lakh. Details are in the IIMA PGPX guide.

What is the fees of executive MBA in IIM?

It depends on the format. Full-time one-year IIM programmes cost ₹26 lakh (IIML IPMX) to ₹36.2 lakh (IIMA PGPX), and part-time ones cost ₹20.11 lakh plus taxes (IIMB PGPEM). Two-year blended or weekend programmes are cheaper, at ₹9.5–21 lakh. IIMA’s blended BA & AI programme sits at the top of that range at ₹21 lakh.

What is the cost of executive MBA?

Add four things: the published fee, GST if applicable, travel to campus modules or immersions, and the salary you give up if the programme is full-time. For a working professional on a blended programme, the fee is most of the cost. For a full-time programme, lost salary can match the fee itself. For a broader view of programme types, see the executive MBA in India guide.

Last updated: 29 October 2026