It’s that time of the year when the final results will be out, and there will be the fortunate few who will face the quandary of “which B-School to join” – thanks to securing multiple ADMITs. The answer to this question is generally easy when there is a perceivable difference in the rating of the institutes involved – but when the colleges are too close to each other in terms of perception as well, the decision making becomes a tad bit confusing. The choice between IIM Indore and IIM Kozhikode is one such quandary that students have faced over the years. In this post I will attempt to answer the question, “Should I join IIM Indore or IIM Kozhikode”.
Student Intake
The usual perception is that IIM Kozhikode is better as it has fewer students to take care of – with fewer students, one would want to believe that IIM Kozhikode would offer more opportunities in terms of both the quantity & quality of placements. However, if you are going to be among the better performers in any of these institutes, this parameter will hardly carry any importance.
Fee
The fees for both the B-Schools stand at Rs 13 Lakhs for the 2 years. So, fees will definitely not be a criteria while choosing among the two colleges.
Student Profile
IIM Indore has a greater proportion of freshers and recent graduates while IIM Kozhikode has a higher proportion of working professionals in their cohort. So, your work experience or lack of it may very well be a factor while deciding which of these B-Schools to join.
Quality of Education: Faculty, Library, Research & Publications
The data shows that there is not much to choose between the two B-Schools in terms of quality of education – you can rest assured about this aspect irrespective of which B-School you choose between the two.
P.S: IIM K’s expenditure on sports and extra-curriculars seems to be significantly greater than that of IIM Indore. So, if you lay a greater weightage to campus activities, you may just choose IIM Kozhikode over IIM Indore:-)
Placement – Statistics
The average salary of IIM K students is comparatively higher than that of IIM I students – probably because of the difference in student intakes. However, it is interesting to note that the average salary of Top 50, 100 & 200 students are almost the same for both institutes. So, if you are among the better student performers in either of the B-Schools, your placement opportunities should be more or less similar. The proportion of students getting pre-placement offers (PPOs) is also almost the same for both the B-Schools.
Major Recruiters: Function-wise
While the recruiter lists for the two B-Schools almost match each other, IIM Indore has a larger proportion of its students joining Finance, IT & General Management and IIM Kozhikode has a higher percentage joining Consulting, Sales & Marketing, Strategy and Operations. Compare the recruiter lists and if you are interested in those specific firms that go to only one of the two institutes – that may be a deciding factor for your final choice.
PS: The list of companies is indicative and as per the placement reports of the respective B-Schools. Please check the individual placement reports for a comprehensive list.
Major Recruiters: Sector-wise
If you wish to work in specific industries post your MBA, you may wish to look at the sector-wise breakup of the placements at the 2 institutes. While IIM Indore has a substantially high number of placements in the BFSI sector, IIM Kozhikode scores in the Consulting & Conglomerate jobs. Both institutes are more or less at par when it comes to other sectors.
Verdict
IIM Kozhikode and IIM Indore are equals on most of the parameters and in the long run choosing either of them will only have a positive impact on your career prospects. You may choose one institute over the other because of the specialization you wish to pursue or the sector you wish to work in. IIM Kozhikode students will swear by the beauty of their campus – IIM Kozhikode has probably one of the best campuses amongst all IIMs. So, if a beautiful campus is one of the parameters you are looking for, then IIM K will be your natural choice:-)
Data Source: NIRF website (www.nirfindia.org), IIM Indore website, IIM Kozhikode Website
Disclaimer: While due care has been taken while compiling this blog – the author advises all aspirants to do their own due diligence before using or acting on the data provided.
IMS VKpedia 
Sir could you also please compare IIFT Delhi with these two, since the 3 belong to more or less the same league.
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Will try to see if I can do the same:-)
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Sir, can you please compare MDI Gurgaon and IIM Kozhikode. Thank you
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Yes I can.. but I believe that the choice is IIM Kozhikode any day:-)
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Sir, if there is a choice between XLRI HR and IIM Indore, then what should I choose? I am a fresher, but had always wanted to go for finance. But will it be feasible in the long run to leave the XLRI brand name?
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Do HR only if you wish to pursue a career in HR…else it would be prudent to join IIM Indore despite missing out on the brand value of XLRI … a tough choice for sure.
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Dear Sir, I have converted IRMA and IIFT K ( WL-14 under NC OBC). I have passion towards marketing. Which is better of the two for marketing ?
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IIFT is the better brand for marketing or otherwise…
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Sir what about new iim as all cannot get the ripen fruit of old iim so please compare new iim (rrrtuk)which to choose among and other private b schools
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Hopefully this should help:
https://vkpedia.in/2016/02/11/new-iims-to-join-or-not-to-join/
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Sir can you please do a comparison between MDI gurgaon and IIM Indore? And which one would you suggest for a career in finance? I am a little concerned because of the huge batch size of Indore.
Thank you!
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As a brand, it is IIM Indore – irrespective of the batch size.
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Hello sir, I’m certain of pursuing a career in marketing. Out of SP Jain (mkting) and IIM Indore, which would be a better choice for me?
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IIM Indore..I am sure the batch size would be your concern – but if you can manage to be in the top 50%ile of the cohort – I don’t think this should be a concern at all.
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Hi Sir,
I have 3 years experience as ERP consultant with a mechanical engineering background. I have some good knowledge on SCM and inclined towards operations. Citing all these I wanted to join NITIE over IIM-K . Please give me your valuable advice.
Thanks,
Sai Srinath
IMS-Hyderabad Student 1EA02963
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Hi Sai…there is no doubt that NITIE is a great brand for Operations and you will not repent joining NITIE…however the IIM tag is something that is useful in the long run and if you need to keep options open as far as specialisation is concerned then IIM K would be a better choice anyday. Check out which companies come to IIM K for the type of roles you are seeking after an MBA – and if IIM K has them all, then IIM K would be my preferred choice.
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Thanks for your reply sir.
I wanted pure supply chain roles in manufacturing companies or e-commerce. Sadly none of the profiles comes to IIM-K.
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Hello Sir. I am an IT engineer with 2 years work experience from JP Morgan in the Technology Sector. I wish to pursue Finance and have been selected for both S.P. Jain and IIM Indore. SP has a clear advantage in terms of batch size but I see that there are some companies which have stopped coming there like Goldman and JP Morgan. In light of all this, which college should I choose?
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I will always recommend IIM Indore…despite the batch size.
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Hi Sir, I have converted IIM Raipur, IIM Udaipur, IIFT Kolkata and NITIE. I am interested in marketing. Please suggest the best among them for marketing career.
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Hello sir, i am converted IIM RAIPUR, KASHIPUR, UDAIPUR, TRICHY, VIZAG, NAGPUR AND ALSO IIT MUMBAI. I have 4yrs of work exprience in a Navratna PSU company.. please suggest me whether to do mba or not.. if yes, then where??
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With 4 years of work experience..IIT Bombay looks a better choice especially if you wish to pursue a career in Operations.
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Sir, I have converted MDi Gurgaon, XIMB, IMI Delhi and IIM Raipur. Which of these would be a better choice for Finance?
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Hi Sneha…MDI Gurgaon seems to be the best choice you have…you may consider IIM Raipur if you prefer an IIM tag:-)
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Sir,
3 years work ex in IT. IIT Madras or IIM Indore Mumbai campus?
Thanks,
IMS student
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Hi Akshaya – Given a choice to wait, I would suggest to wait for a year. If you can’t then you can go for IIM I – Mumbai (it is however not the same experience as IIM I)
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Hi Sir,
I am Mr.Srikanth. I had already done my MBA from GSIB (Gitam school of International business) formerly GIFT (Gitam institute of foreign trade), Vishaka patnam. Post MBA i had the work experience of 6 years) again I thought to do Executive MBA from IIM K to get more weight to my resume. IIM K currently charging 8 Lakhs fee for executive MBA and will be conducted in the evening through interactive learning plat forms facilitated by Time pro. Can you please advice the same.
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Hi…please have a go at the executive programs of IIM A, IIM B and IIM C as well..you can get your profile assessed for these programs by writing to consulting@imsindia.com. They will also advise you on whether the IIM K program can add value to your profile.
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Hello sir !! Thanks for the insight. I am facing a similar problem. I got calls from iim Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow (ABM), and FMS. But didn’t get into as I was more inclined towards working after my graduation. But this year I was not able to clear one sectional cut off for older iims. I did get selected for iift. My profile: 10th – 93%, 12th- 79%, btech from IIT Delhi – 72%, work exp-7mnth (ecommerce sector and Digital marketing profile). Now my question is should I go for IIFT Delhi ( if converted) considering my graduation from IIT Delhi or try cat next year ( it’s really very unpredictable) . Interested in marketing and finance.
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With the limited information about you, I seriously consider taking the CAT again and also explore international education options that can be a real good value add to your current profile.
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Thanks for the repy! I got 84.5%ile in cat 2015 and 84%ile in cat 2016. I belong to SC category. My basic question is should I join IIFT Delhi this year or continue with the job (salary Rs. 50000 pm) and try cat next year.
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If you convert IIFT, go for it:-)
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Given your profile…I would look at the top IIMs or ISB or options abroad…you can mail your resume to consulting@imsindia.com and get it profiled for ISB9and also maybe for options abroad)..if they are positive then waiting for a year will make sense…
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Sir,
I have opportunity in IIM K and IIM I, and I am a fresher . Where I have to go ?? Please help
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Hi Vivek, both will yield similar outcomes in the long run. So, in my opinion, it should not matter which you choose. You can compare companies that visit both campuses and see if you have something there to make you choose one over the other. You can connect with me on vinayak@imsindia.com if you need further counselling.
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