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Best IITs for MBA 2026: Fees, Placements, Selection and Who Should Apply

Kavya Kumar

Oct 11, 2026 · 14 min read · 👁 32

Best IITs for MBA 2026: Fees, Placements, Selection and Who Should Apply

IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur and IIT Roorkee all run CAT-based MBA programmes, and they often sit on the same shortlist as the older IIMs. This comparison covers fees, class size, selection, latest placements, whether non-engineers should apply, and who should pick which, using batch-labelled data.

Why This Comparison Matters

An IIT MBA costs far less than an IIM MBA, but it also pays less. The six IIT programmes charge roughly Rs 10 to 15 lakh in total, against Rs 20.75 to 27.5 lakh at the six older IIMs, while their reported average packages range from about Rs 17 to 28 lakh, against Rs 27 to 37 lakh at those IIMs. The IITs also differ sharply from each other. IIT Bombay's 2026 average is more than 50% above IIT Madras's, and some IIT programmes accept only candidates with an engineering or maths background. The choice deserves a careful look.

How We Picked These Colleges

We did not rank these colleges against each other. We picked the six IITs with established MBA departments that accept CAT. This is not an official ranking. Numbers come from official fee documents where we could read them (IIT Kharagpur's 2026-28 fee schedule) and from education and news coverage for the rest. Where sources disagreed, we say so. Every figure carries its batch or year.

Three cautions apply. First, only IIT Bombay and IIT Madras had 2026 placement data when we checked. For IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur and IIT Roorkee the latest figures are for 2025, and for IIT Kanpur they are older and conflicting, so the placement columns are not from the same year. Second, none of the sources gave selection weightages for most of the six. Third, IIT Delhi, Madras and Roorkee fee figures are reported as tuition or approximate totals, so confirm the full cost with each department.

Quick Comparison Table

Parameter	IIT Delhi (DMS)	IIT Bombay (SJMSOM)	IIT Kharagpur (VGSOM)	IIT Madras (DoMS)	IIT Kanpur (IME)	IIT Roorkee (DoMS)
NIRF 2025 management rank	4	14	12	13	27	22
Total fee	Rs 12 lakh tuition (2026-28) plus hostel, mess and other charges	About Rs 15.16 lakh (as listed; another page says Rs 14.7 lakh)	Rs 13.04 lakh (2026-28, official schedule, incl. Rs 1 lakh immersion programme)	About Rs 11.13 lakh (another page says about Rs 13 lakh)	Conflicting (Rs 2.8 lakh or Rs 5 lakh listed); check the official page	About Rs 10 lakh (another page says Rs 9.6 lakh)
Seats or class size	115 MBA plus 30 MBA Telecom (reported)	126 graduated in 2024-26; 152 seats listed	142 in the 2025 placement process	68 seats (reported)	Not found	95 seats (reported)
Exam accepted	CAT	CAT	CAT	CAT	CAT	CAT
Non-engineers	Accepted (60% bachelor's)	Accepted (60% bachelor's)	Limited (see below)	Accepted (60% bachelor's)	Only with maths background	Only with a master's
Placement batch	2025	2024-26	2025	2026 season	2022-24 (latest found)	2025
Average CTC	Rs 22.52 LPA	Rs 28.16 LPA	Rs 22.75 LPA	Rs 18.3 LPA	Rs 18.20 LPA	Rs 17.91 LPA
Median CTC	Rs 22.5 LPA	Rs 26 LPA	Rs 22.15 LPA	Rs 18 LPA	Rs 19.90 LPA (page does not explain)	Rs 17.64 LPA
Highest CTC	Rs 43.55 LPA	Rs 53.8 LPA	Rs 37.63 LPA	Rs 40 LPA	Rs 24 LPA	Rs 24 LPA

IIT Delhi

Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi

IIT Delhi is the highest-ranked of the six, at 4th in the NIRF 2025 management category, ahead of several IIMs. Its tuition is Rs 12 lakh, and consulting is its largest sector.

Key Specifications	Details
Programmes	Full-time MBA and MBA Telecom; part-time MBA also exists
Fees	Rs 12 lakh tuition for the 2026-28 full-time batch (Rs 3 lakh per semester). Semester charges, hostel seat rent, one-time admission fees and mess are extra. The part-time MBA costs Rs 18 lakh
Seats	115 MBA plus 30 MBA Telecom (reported figure)
Placement batch	2025 (we found no 2026 report)
Placement rate	98%
Average / median CTC	Rs 22.52 LPA / Rs 22.5 LPA (women's average Rs 23.28 LPA)
Highest CTC	Rs 43.55 LPA
Sector split	Strategy and consulting 30.07%, IT 23.78%, sales and marketing 19.58%, finance 10.49%, HR and general management 8.39%, operations 7.69%
Recruiters named	McKinsey, Bain, Accenture Strategy, EY, PwC, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, ITC, Reliance, Flipkart

IIT Bombay

Shailesh J Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay

IIT Bombay posts the highest average and highest package of the six, and it is the only one with a full 2026 report available. It ranks lower on NIRF than Delhi, so the placement numbers and the ranking point in different directions.

Key Specifications	Details
Programme	MBA (SJMSOM)
Fees	About Rs 15.16 lakh (Rs 15,15,500 for General, EWS and OBC-NCL; about Rs 7.16 lakh for SC, ST and PwD). Another source lists Rs 14.7 lakh
Seats	152 listed in admission summaries
Placement batch	MBA 2024-26
Students and recruiters	126 students, all placed (100%); 51 recruiters, 18 of them first-time
Average / median CTC	Rs 28.16 LPA (up 9.18% on the previous year) / Rs 26 LPA
Highest CTC	Rs 53.8 LPA
PPO rate	35.7%
Sector split	Consulting 26%, e-commerce and IT 26%, BFSI and conglomerates 21%, pharma and others 16%, FMCG 11%
Recruiters named	Amazon, Flipkart, Zepto, Deloitte, EY, Kearney, JPMorgan Chase, ICICI Bank, HUL, P&G, Asian Paints

One placement summary shows medians for the top 25%, 50% and 75% of the batch (Rs 33.36, 32.00 and 30.95 LPA) that conflict with the Rs 26 LPA batch median. They appear to be averages of the top slices, so use the Rs 26 LPA figure as the batch median.

IIT Kharagpur

Vinod Gupta School of Management, IIT Kharagpur

VGSOM has the highest consulting share among the IITs that publish a sector split, and it placed 139 of 142 participants in 2025. Its 2026 report had not been released when we checked, so the figures are for 2025.

Key Specifications	Details
Programme	MBA (VGSOM); a separate MHRM with 60 seats is also listed
Fees	Rs 13,03,924 across four semesters for 2026-28 (official schedule). Tuition is Rs 2.5 lakh per semester (Rs 10 lakh in total); the rest is hostel and mess advance charges, one-time fees and a Rs 1 lakh International Immersion Programme fee that is refundable if you skip it. Tuition is waived for SC, ST and PwD students. The schedule is subject to revision
Placement batch	2025 (2026 report not yet out)
Students	142 participated; 139 placed; 36 PPOs
Average / median CTC	Rs 22.75 LPA / Rs 22.15 LPA
Highest CTC	Rs 37.63 LPA
Top 10% / 25% / 50% average	Rs 34.29 LPA / Rs 30.33 LPA / Rs 26.03 LPA
Sector split	Strategy and consulting 45%, operations 20%, analytics 15%, BFSI 11%, sales and marketing 7%
Recruiters named	Accenture, Amazon, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, Morgan Stanley, P&G, Wells Fargo, ITC

IIT Madras

Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras

IIT Madras has the lowest fee among the programmes with 2026 placement data, and an average close to those of Kanpur and Roorkee. It was one of the first IIT management departments to open to non-engineers.

Key Specifications	Details
Programme	MBA (DoMS), with a Tech-MBA track
Fees	About Rs 11.13 lakh as listed; another source gives about Rs 13 lakh
Seats	68 (reported figure)
Placement batch	2026 season
Average / median CTC	Rs 18.3 LPA / Rs 18 LPA
Highest CTC	Rs 40 LPA
Top 10% / 25% average	Rs 31.2 LPA / Rs 25.8 LPA
Recruiters	65+ companies, including Morgan Stanley, Infosys, Cognizant, EY, Accenture, Deloitte, Bank of America, Mastercard, ICICI Bank and Shell
Sector split	Consulting 30%, analytics and IT 17%, marketing and sales 15%, general management 13%, finance 9%, product management 8%

Another source puts the average at Rs 17.9 LPA for an earlier season, so confirm the batch label.

IIT Kanpur

Department of Management Sciences, IIT Kanpur

IIT Kanpur ranks lowest of the six on NIRF 2025 (27th) and has the least reliable public data, so treat its figures as indicative only.

Key Specifications	Details
Programme	MBA (IME / DoMS)
Fees	Sources conflict: Rs 2.8 lakh on one page, about Rs 5 lakh on another. Both look low next to the other IITs, so check the official fee page
Seats	Not found
Placement batch	2022-24 (latest we could read with a batch label)
Average / median CTC	Rs 18.20 LPA / Rs 19.90 LPA (the page does not explain why the median is higher than the average)
Highest CTC	Rs 24 LPA
Recruiters named	EY, KPMG, Deloitte, Infosys, HDFC Bank

An aggregate page lists a different set (average Rs 17.2 LPA, median Rs 16.5 LPA, highest Rs 36 LPA) without a year. We could not reconcile the two.

IIT Roorkee

Department of Management Studies, IIT Roorkee

IIT Roorkee has the lowest fee of the six with a clear number, and its placement figures have been flat for three years.

Key Specifications	Details
Programme	MBA (DoMS)
Fees	About Rs 10 lakh (another page says Rs 9.6 lakh)
Seats	95 (reported figure)
Placement batch	2025
Average / median CTC	Rs 17.91 LPA / Rs 17.64 LPA (2024: Rs 18.30 LPA / Rs 18.50 LPA; 2023: Rs 18.34 LPA / Rs 18.09 LPA)
Highest CTC	Rs 24 LPA (2024: Rs 26 LPA; 2023: Rs 27.94 LPA)
Recruiters named	Accenture, Adani, Deloitte, Cognizant, ICICI Bank, GAIL

Entrance Exams and Selection

All six use CAT. CAT 2026 is on 29 November 2026 for the 2027-29 batch, and CAT registration closed on 15 September 2026, so a candidate who did not register cannot take this cycle. The IITs run their own applications after the CAT results. Based on the last cycle's tentative schedule, IIT Delhi opens applications around November, IIT Bombay, Roorkee and Kanpur around early January, IIT Kharagpur right after the results, and IIT Madras later in the year. Check each department's site for the 2027-29 dates.

IIT	Shortlisting and rounds	Minimum CAT percentile (last cycle, General)	Minimum marks
Delhi	CAT, written test, PI	90 and above	60% for non-engineers (other routes differ; check the brochure)
Bombay	CAT and academics for shortlisting, then written test and PI; CAT and PI carry roughly equal weight in the final composite	90	60%
Kharagpur	CAT, written test, PI	90	60%
Madras	CAT, written test, PI	Not found	60%
Kanpur	CAT, group discussion, PI	80 and above	65%
Roorkee	CAT, written test, PI	90	Not stated

The sources did not give full CAT, academics and work-experience weights for any IIT apart from the Bombay note above, so check each admission policy. These percentiles are the minimum to apply. The percentile that actually gets a call is usually higher, so check the previous year's shortlist cutoffs.

Should Non-Engineers Apply?

Short answer: yes for IIT Delhi, Bombay and Madras if your profile is strong, and mostly no for IIT Kharagpur, Kanpur and Roorkee unless you meet their specific rules.

Where you are eligible. IIT Delhi's non-engineer route needs a bachelor's with 60% (55% for SC and ST). IIT Bombay lists a four-year bachelor's or master's with 60% and states no engineering restriction. IIT Madras admits graduates of any stream with 60%. It opened its MBA to non-engineers many years ago.

Where the door is narrower. IIT Kharagpur's page lists a four-year engineering, technology, pharmacy or medical degree, or a master's in science, economics or commerce with maths or statistics. IIT Kanpur wants engineering or a BSc, MSc or MA Economics with maths, at 65%. IIT Roorkee asks for engineering or a master's in any discipline. One summary says most IIT MBA programmes now admit all backgrounds, but the department rules above are narrower. Verify before you apply.

What to expect if you are admitted. - The batches are small (about 60 to 150 students) and engineer-heavy. When IIT Madras first opened its MBA to non-engineers (2013-15), its department head expected only "a few" to get through. We found no current batch figures for any of the six. Compare this with the older IIMs, where non-engineers are now about half the batch (about 50% at IIM Ahmedabad, 53% at Lucknow and over 55% at Indore in 2025-27). - IIT placements lean toward consulting, IT and analytics, operations and product. Non-engineers do fit the consulting, sales and marketing, finance and HR roles, which make up a large share of offers, but you will be competing with engineers for the analytics and tech-business roles. - The package gap versus the IIMs is large. A non-engineer who gets calls from the older IIMs is likely to do better there on pay, and the batches there are more mixed.

Our view. A non-engineer should apply to IIT Delhi, Bombay or Madras as a backup or as a deliberate choice for a lower fee and a tech-business tilt, not as the primary target if an older IIM is available. If you want sales, marketing or HR roles, check each IIT's sector split first. If you hold an IIM call, the main reason to prefer an IIT is cost.

Which One for Whom

Pick IIT Delhi if you want the best-ranked of the six at a Rs 12 lakh tuition. It suits candidates aiming at consulting or tech-business roles, and it is open to non-engineers.
Pick IIT Bombay if you want the highest average (Rs 28.16 LPA) and a Mumbai base, and you can afford about Rs 15 lakh. It has the strongest verified 2026 data and a PPO rate of 35.7%.
Pick IIT Kharagpur if you want consulting. Strategy and consulting took 45% of offers, and the fee is Rs 13 lakh. Check eligibility first if you are not an engineer.
Pick IIT Madras if you want a Chennai base at about Rs 11 lakh and you are a non-engineer. Its average (Rs 18.3 LPA) is the lowest of the verified 2026 numbers, so compare it with your loan.
Pick IIT Roorkee if fee is the main constraint (about Rs 10 lakh) and you accept an average near Rs 18 lakh that has not risen in three years.
Pick IIT Kanpur only after you confirm the fee and the latest placement report. Public data was too thin and conflicting for us to recommend it.
If you hold calls from several, compare the median, not the highest package, and compare it with the fee you will actually pay.

Return on Investment

A simple way to compare is the ratio of average CTC to total fee, using each college's own figures. IIT Delhi is about 1.88 times (Rs 22.52 LPA against Rs 12 lakh tuition). IIT Bombay is about 1.86 times (Rs 28.16 LPA against about Rs 15.16 lakh). IIT Roorkee is about 1.79 times (Rs 17.91 LPA against about Rs 10 lakh). IIT Kharagpur is about 1.74 times (Rs 22.75 LPA against Rs 13.04 lakh). IIT Madras is about 1.64 times (Rs 18.3 LPA against about Rs 11.13 lakh). These ratios are higher than the older IIMs' (about 1.08 to 1.60 times) because the fees are lower, but the absolute pay is lower too. The ratio ignores forgone salary, taxes, bonuses, hostel and mess costs, and loan interest. Delhi's fee is tuition only, and the placement years differ across colleges, so treat the comparison as indicative.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CAT compulsory for IIT MBA? Yes for all six. One source notes an exception at IIT Madras for IIT graduates with a very high CGPA, so check the current policy.

Which IIT has the lowest fee? IIT Roorkee at about Rs 10 lakh, then IIT Madras at about Rs 11 lakh. IIT Kanpur is listed at much less but the figures conflict.

Which IIT has the highest average package? IIT Bombay, at Rs 28.16 LPA for 2024-26. IIT Kharagpur (Rs 22.75 LPA, 2025) and IIT Delhi (Rs 22.52 LPA, 2025) follow.

Which IIT has the highest single package? IIT Bombay, at Rs 53.8 LPA (2024-26), then IIT Delhi at Rs 43.55 LPA (2025) and IIT Madras at Rs 40 LPA (2026).

Is an IIT MBA better than an IIM MBA? On average pay and class size, the older IIMs are ahead. On fee and ratio of pay to fee, the IITs are ahead. IIT Delhi ranked above IIM Calcutta and IIM Indore in NIRF 2025.

Do I need work experience? Not at most of them, per published eligibility summaries. We did not find the weight it carries at each IIT.

Can I apply to all six? Yes. Each runs its own application, so they do not conflict. Watch the different application windows.

Final Word

The IIT MBAs offer a much lower fee than the older IIMs and a smaller, more technical batch, but their pay is lower and their eligibility rules are stricter. Delhi and Bombay are the strongest of the six, and Madras, Kharagpur and Roorkee are cost-led choices. Fees, seat numbers, selection weightage and placement figures change each year and some numbers differ across sources. Verify every detail on the official department websites and in their latest placement reports before you decide.

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