An executive MBA from an IIM comes in three forms: a one-year full-time MBA such as IIM Ahmedabad’s MBA-PGPX (₹36.20 lakh for 2027-28), a two-year weekend or blended MBA you take while working (₹11 lakh to ₹20.11 lakh across the seven we checked), and short online certificate courses. The MBAs need 3 to 6 years of work experience (as of October 2026).
Data as of: October 2026. Every fee and eligibility rule comes from the institute’s own programme page, linked in each row. Where an institute has not published a fee for the coming batch, the fee column says so.
What counts as an executive MBA from IIM?
IIMs use “executive” for three different products, and the difference decides your cost, your time away from work and what you can put on your CV:
| Type | Typical names | Format | Award | Placement support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-year full-time MBA | PGPX, EPGP, MBAEx, IPMX | Residential, you leave your job for about a year | MBA degree at most; IIM Calcutta and IIM Lucknow say degree or diploma status for MBAEx and IPMX is pending with the Ministry | Usually yes |
| Working-professional MBA | PGPEM, PGPWE, PGPMX, PGPBM, EMBA, blended MBA | Two years of weekend, alternate-weekend or live online classes plus campus modules, while you keep your job | MBA degree | Usually no |
| Executive education | Executive programmes, certificate courses, online courses | Weeks to months, often online, often run with an ed-tech partner | Certificate | No |
IIM Bangalore’s own PGPEM FAQ sets out the split for its programmes: the one-year EPGP and the weekend PGPEM both award an MBA, only the EPGP offers placement services, and its Executive General Management Programme is a certificate course with less than half the contact hours of the PGPEM’s core courses and no electives.
One-year full-time executive MBAs at IIMs
These are full MBAs compressed into about 12 months for candidates with several years of work experience. Admission runs mainly on GMAT or GRE, with an essay and interview.
| Programme | Format | Minimum work experience | Tests accepted | Total fee (batch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Ahmedabad MBA-PGPX | One year, full-time, residential; MBA degree; starts in April | 4 years after graduation as on 31 March 2027; minimum age 25 | GMAT or GRE | ₹36.20 lakh with single housing, ₹38.30 lakh with married housing (2027-28), excluding the international immersion |
| IIM Bangalore EPGP | One year, full-time, residential; MBA degree | 5 years (preferably under 12) as on 31 March 2027 | GMAT or GRE (at-home scores not accepted) | ₹33.68 lakh with hostel and mess, ₹32.20 lakh without (2026-27), including an indicative ₹5.50 lakh international immersion |
| IIM Calcutta MBAEx | One year, full-time, residential | 5 years after graduation as on 31 March 2027; 60% in graduation | GMAT only, test-centre scores, at least the 50th percentile | Check the institute page; no fee was published for Batch 21 (2027-28) as of October 2026 |
| IIM Lucknow IPMX | One year, full-time, residential, at the Noida campus | 4 years after graduation as on 31 March 2027 | GMAT or GRE, test-centre scores only | ₹26.00 lakh + ₹20,000 refundable caution + ₹5,000 alumni fee (2027-28), excluding immersion airfare |
| IIM Indore EPGP | One year, full-time, residential | 5 years after graduation by the application deadline | GMAT or GRE (within 5 years) or CAT 2025/2026 | ₹26.77 lakh for Indian nationals (2027-28), including lodging and boarding |
IIM Ahmedabad’s eligibility is on the MBA-PGPX application portal; IIM Calcutta’s is in the MBAEx admissions policy, which gives 600 (GMAT Classic) and 565 (GMAT Focus) as the 50th-percentile scores in the July 2025 concordance tables.
Inclusions differ. IIM Indore’s fee covers lodging and boarding. IIM Bangalore’s total counts an indicative immersion that IIM Ahmedabad’s excludes. Compare all-in cash, not headline numbers, and add a year of lost salary to every row.
Weekend, blended and online MBA from IIM for working professionals
These programmes let you keep your job. Classes run on weekends, alternate weekends or weekday evenings, with short campus modules. Each programme in this table awards an MBA unless the row says otherwise.
| Programme | Format | Minimum work experience | Tests accepted | Total fee (batch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Bangalore PGPEM | Two years; PGPEM classes on Fridays and Saturdays in Bengaluru | 6 years after graduation as on 31 March 2027 | CAT, GMAT, GRE or the IIMB Test | ₹20.11 lakh tuition + ₹10,000 caution, taxes extra (2026-28) |
| IIM Lucknow PGPWE (MBA-WE) | Two years; Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon on alternate weekends at the Noida campus | 3 years after graduation as on 31 March 2027 | CAT 2024/2025, GATE 2025/2026, GMAT, GRE or the PGPWE entrance exam | ₹11.00 lakh + ₹10,000 caution + ₹5,000 alumni fee + taxes (2027-29) |
| IIM Lucknow blended MBA | Two years; live online classes plus on-campus modules at Lucknow | 3 years after graduation | CAT, GMAT or GRE (centre-based, last five years) | ₹14.95 lakh including optional campus accommodation (2025 intake brochure) |
| IIM Kozhikode EPGP | Two years; live interactive classes at TimesPro classroom centres on weekday evenings and weekends, plus three campus modules | 3 years (1,095 days) after graduation | IIMK’s EMAT, or exemption with CAT (75th percentile or above), GMAT (700 or above) or GRE | ₹16.75 lakh (EPGP-19, 2026-28), excluding travel and stay for campus visits |
| IIM Indore PGPMX | Two years; alternate weekends at the Powai, Mumbai campus | 5 years after graduation by the application deadline (30 November 2026 for the January 2027 batch) | GMAT, GRE, CAT 2024/2025 or the IIM Indore Aptitude Test | Check the institute page; the programme-fee page lists payment links only |
| IIM Tiruchirappalli PGPBM | 21 months; in-person classes on Saturdays and Sundays at the Chennai campus | 3 years after the first bachelor’s degree | CAT, GMAT or GRE, or the IIMT Aptitude Test | ₹14.60 lakh including ₹10,000 caution (2027-29) |
| IIM Ranchi MBA (Executive) | Two years; weekend online sessions followed by residential modules each term; the page calls it an Executive Postgraduate Programme in Management | 3 years full-time, with 50% in graduation | Check the institute page | ₹12.50 lakh + ₹10,000 caution + ₹10,000 alumni fee + taxes (2026-28 Winter) |
Executive MBAs at other IIMs
Most other IIMs also run an executive or working-professional MBA, and the CAT 2026 Information Bulletin lists them among programmes that can take CAT scores. We have not checked their fees and formats yet, so open each institute page before you compare:
| IIM | Executive programme named in the CAT 2026 bulletin |
|---|---|
| IIM Amritsar | Executive MBA |
| IIM Bodh Gaya | Executive MBA (EMBA) |
| IIM Jammu | Executive MBA |
| IIM Kashipur | EMBA, EMBA (Analytics) |
| IIM Kozhikode | EPGP Kochi, EPGP-IL |
| IIM Nagpur | E-MBA, Blended MBA for Working Professionals, EMBA in Energy Management |
| IIM Raipur | Executive MBA |
| IIM Rohtak | PGPx, EPGDSM |
| IIM Sambalpur | MBA for Working Professionals |
| IIM Shillong | PGPEX, PGP (WE) |
| IIM Sirmaur | PGPEX-LSM, ExMBA (Artificial Intelligence) |
| IIM Udaipur | Executive MBA (Online) |
| IIM Visakhapatnam | EMBA, PGDMEx |
Is there a fully online MBA from IIM?
Among the programmes we checked, none is fully online. The closest are IIM Lucknow’s blended MBA (live online classes plus campus modules) and IIM Ranchi’s MBA (Executive), which opens each term with weekend online sessions. IIM Kozhikode’s EPGP is live and interactive, but you attend from a TimesPro classroom centre, not from home. Every one of these includes compulsory time on campus.
None of them is a distance or correspondence MBA either: each needs live classes and time on campus. If an advert offers a “100% online MBA from IIM” or an IIM distance MBA, read who awards the credential. Most such offers are certificate courses.
Online IIM courses and certificates
Most IIMs run executive education, including management development programmes (MDPs) for companies: short courses and longer certificate programmes in general management, finance, analytics, marketing, leadership and similar areas. Many are delivered online, often with an ed-tech partner that handles marketing, the platform and payments.
What to check before you pay:
- The award. A certificate of completion is not an MBA. IIM Bangalore puts its own Executive General Management Programme on the certificate side of that line.
- Who teaches. Look for named IIM faculty and the share of live sessions against recorded video.
- Who runs it. Find the programme on the institute’s own website. If it appears only on the partner’s site, ask the IIM’s executive education office to confirm.
- Alumni status and campus time. Some programmes include a short campus module; many give limited or no alumni membership.
Certificates help when you need one skill quickly or when your employer pays. For a career switch or a promotion that asks for an MBA, a degree programme is the safer spend. Course types, platforms and what each certificate is worth are compared in IIM online courses.
Which IIM executive MBA should you choose?
Pick the format before the brand:
- Choose a one-year full-time MBA if you want to change role, industry or city and need campus placements to do it. You give up a year’s salary on top of a ₹26 lakh to ₹38.30 lakh fee, so model the payback in the ROI calculator.
- Choose a weekend or blended MBA if you are happy with your employer or industry and want the degree for growth inside it. These programmes cost less and you keep your salary, but placement support is usually absent. IIM Bangalore says this directly about the PGPEM.
- Choose a certificate for a specific skill, with your employer paying, and no plan to list it as an MBA.
Location matters more than brochures admit for weekend programmes: IIM Bangalore’s PGPEM, IIM Lucknow’s PGPWE (Noida), IIM Indore’s PGPMX (Mumbai) and IIM Trichy’s PGPBM (Chennai) all need you within reach of that campus most weekends for two years.
If you are a fresher or have under three years of work experience, none of these programmes is open to you. Start with the two-year MBA through CAT: how to get into an IIM.
IIM executive MBA eligibility: what most programmes ask for
Across the 12 programmes in the one-year and weekend tables, the pattern is consistent:
- A bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks or equivalent CGPA at most IIMs (45% for SC, ST and PwD candidates at IIM Bangalore and IIM Tiruchirappalli). IIM Calcutta’s MBAEx asks for 60%.
- Full-time work experience after graduation: 3 years for the weekend and blended programmes at Lucknow, Kozhikode, Trichy and Ranchi; 4 years for IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Lucknow’s IPMX; 5 years for IIM Bangalore’s EPGP, IIM Calcutta, IIM Indore’s EPGP and PGPMX; 6 years for IIM Bangalore’s PGPEM. Internships and work done during the degree do not count.
- A test score. One-year MBAs rely on GMAT or GRE, and several accept only test-centre scores. Weekend programmes are more flexible: CAT, GATE or the institute’s own aptitude test often works.
- An essay or statement of purpose, references and an interview. Several programmes add a written test on interview day.
Meeting the minimum makes you eligible. The batch profile on each programme page shows how much experience admitted students actually have, so read it before you apply.
Executive MBA from IIM fees: what is included
The totals above are not like-for-like:
- Accommodation: included at IIM Indore’s EPGP, optional at IIM Bangalore’s EPGP and IIM Lucknow’s blended MBA, and not part of the weekend programmes (you pay your own travel and stay).
- International immersion: included as an indicative amount at IIM Bangalore’s EPGP, excluded at IIM Ahmedabad’s PGPX and IIM Kozhikode’s EPGP, and airfare excluded at IIM Lucknow’s IPMX.
- Taxes: several weekend programmes quote fees plus applicable taxes, so the bill is higher than the headline.
- Instalments: the weekend programmes above spread payment over six to eight instalments; one-year MBAs collect it in fewer, larger payments.
Loans and scholarships work differently for executive programmes than for the CAT-based MBA. IIM Bangalore’s EPGP page lists merit scholarships of ₹8 lakh, ₹6 lakh and ₹4 lakh for a limited number of students. More on financing in IIM scholarships and education loans.
Where to go next
- IIM one year MBA for every full-time one-year programme (PGPX, EPGP, MBAEx, IPMX, PGPEx) with intakes, tests and fees
- How to get into an IIM for the two-year MBA through CAT
Common questions
Can I do an executive MBA from IIM without CAT?
Yes. One-year programmes such as IIM Ahmedabad’s MBA-PGPX and IIM Bangalore’s EPGP admit on GMAT or GRE. Several weekend programmes, including IIM Bangalore’s PGPEM and IIM Tiruchirappalli’s PGPBM, also accept their own aptitude tests.
What is the fee for the IIM Ahmedabad executive MBA (PGPX)?
IIM Ahmedabad lists ₹36.20 lakh for single housing and ₹38.30 lakh for married housing for the 2027-28 MBA-PGPX batch. The fee excludes the international immersion programme and usage-based utilities.
What is the eligibility for an IIM executive MBA?
A bachelor’s degree, usually with 50% marks, plus 3 to 6 years of full-time work experience after graduation depending on the programme, and a GMAT, GRE, CAT or institute test score. IIM Ahmedabad’s PGPX also sets a minimum age of 25.
Is an online MBA from IIM valid?
IIM Lucknow describes its blended MBA, which mixes live online classes with campus modules, as a degree-granting programme that awards an MBA. Short online courses from IIMs award certificates, which are not MBA degrees.
Which is the cheapest executive MBA from IIM?
Among the programmes we checked, IIM Lucknow’s PGPWE at ₹11.00 lakh plus deposits and taxes (2027-29) is the lowest, followed by IIM Ranchi’s MBA (Executive) at ₹12.50 lakh plus deposits and taxes.
Do IIM executive MBAs offer placements?
One-year full-time programmes such as IIM Bangalore’s EPGP offer placement services. Weekend programmes generally do not; IIM Bangalore says its PGPEM provides no placement services.
Is an executive MBA from IIM worth it?
It pays off when it changes your role or pay band: a one-year MBA for a switch, or a weekend MBA for growth with your current employer. A certificate rarely moves pay on its own. Compare total cost, including lost salary, against the realistic salary change before you apply.
What is the difference between PGPX and the regular IIM MBA?
The PGPX is IIM Ahmedabad’s one-year MBA for candidates with at least 4 years of work experience, admitted on GMAT or GRE. The regular MBA (PGP) is a two-year programme for candidates admitted through CAT, many of them freshers.
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