Best IIMs 2026
Scored campus reviews for CAT and IPM shortlists. Start with what you care about most: brand, fees, or fit.
Best IIMs by use case
Use-case picks come from Old IIMs only so brand and placements stay comparable. Treat them as starting points. Full side-by-side write-ups live under Compare.
Old IIMs
Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Kozhikode, and Indore. These six still draw most of the consulting, finance, and general-management recruiters in the IIM system. Sorted below by overall iimHQ 6-Dimension Score.
If you clear multiple Old calls, do not stop at the overall number. Fees and cities differ a lot inside this set. Read the verdicts, then open A vs B, Lucknow vs Kozhikode, or Lucknow vs Mumbai when the choice is concrete.
New IIMs
The 2010–2011 campuses in our New set (Rohtak, Trichy, Udaipur, Ranchi, Raipur, Kashipur, Shillong). Same six dimensions and 0–5 scale as Old. On average, fewer elite recruiters show up; fee vs typical salary and campus fit matter more.
Read this band when an Old convert looks unlikely and you need an honest look at newer campuses on fees, fit, and who actually hires there.
Baby IIMs
The 2015-generation campuses, plus Mumbai’s NITIE heritage path inside our Baby set. Same score scale. Medians, sector mix, and location risk vary more than the label “IIM” suggests, so read the placements and ROI sections before treating any Baby score as interchangeable with an Old campus.
Mumbai especially needs a real side-by-side against Lucknow or other metro options, not a blanket generation stereotype. Start with the review, then Lucknow vs Mumbai if both are live calls.
Shortlist in 20 minutes
After two or three reviews, stop collecting lore and pick a shortlist.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I start on this list?
If you already know what you care about most (brand, finance, fees vs outcomes, campus culture), start with the use-case strip. Otherwise start in Old IIMs, then widen to New and Baby once you know what you will trade. Pick one limit first, read two or three reviews in the same generation, then check them in the compare tool or a campus-vs-campus page before you accept or decline.
Who leads right now, and what do the scores mean?
As of September 2026, IIM Ahmedabad leads the Old set at 4.8 on the published overall. IIM Ahmedabad still wins most brand-first shortlists; IIM Lucknow often wins when fees matter more than the last notch of prestige. Every card opens a full review with a named verdict, dimension scores, and links to official sources. Scores are Anchal Katyal’s editorial judgments on the iimHQ 6-Dimension Score.
Should I only look at Old IIMs?
No. Old IIMs still pull the strongest recruiter brands, but a well-fit New or Baby campus can beat a mismatched Old call on fees, location, or programme shape. Start with Old if brand is non-negotiable. Otherwise shortlist on fit and payback, then use Old vs New to check the hearsay.
Is a higher overall score always the better offer?
Not if the score mix fights your goals. A 4.6 with weak fee math can lose to a 4.3 with stronger ROI if you are debt-sensitive. Read the verdict and the fee/placement sections before treating the overall as a sorting key.
How current is the placement and fee data?
Each review cites the latest official report we verified (institute PDFs, NIRF, official fee pages). The hub itself was refreshed September 2026. Open the individual review for the exact batch year and source links.
Where should I go after reading a few reviews?
Run a side-by-side in the compare tool, then read how to shortlist and fees & ROI. If you already hold two calls, jump straight to the campus-vs-campus compare pages.
Can institutes pay for a higher rank?
No. Scores and order cannot be bought. See the disclosure and methodology for how editorial judgment is applied.