Indian School of Business

Basics

Country

India

City

Hyderabad / Mohali

Campus(es)

Hyderabad and Mohali

Parent university

Indian School of Business (autonomous)

Selected programme

Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP), Class of 2028

Programme type

MBA-equivalent (one-year, full-time)

Credential awarded

PGP certificate (not a degree or diploma)

Format priority tier

Experienced-professional equivalent (tier 1)

Language of instruction

English

Accreditations

AACSB, EQUIS, AMBAWeb, Oct 2026

Research round

Shortlisted (3 Oct 2026)

Alternatives considered and rejected

PGP PRO is 18 months with no entrance test

Selection rationale (full)

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This is the Tier-1 match under the requested priority because it is a one-year MBA-equivalent management programme for applicants with professional experience (minimum 24 months) and GMAT is an admission prerequisite. The tier label reflects the experienced-professional-equivalent branch of the requested priority, not that the format is executive: ISB describes the PGP as full-time and specifically distinguishes it from Executive MBA programmes. ISB’s separate PGP PRO is 18 months and has no entrance test, so it does not provide the requested GMAT route.[94][96]

Timeline and duration

2027 intake

April 2027Inferred

Start date evidence

Inferred from last cycle

Approx. start date

10 Apr 2027

Start details (full)

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The current cycle is PGP Class of 2028. ISB had not published an exact 2027 start date by 3 October 2026. April 2027 is a recent-cycle inference: ISB’s academic calendar shows orientation/ registration in April and the year running through the following April. Confirm the actual 2027 date with ISB.[94][97]

Selected duration

12 months, residential

Duration (months)

12 months

Structure

Terms across two campuses

Duration details (full)

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12 months, full-time and residential, across Hyderabad and Mohali. ISB describes the PGP as comparable in rigour and content to a regular two-year MBA, but explicitly says it is not a degree or diploma; do not present it as an MBA degree.[94][97]

Application window

All deadlines

Round 1: 20 Sept 2026 (closed) Round 2: 6 Dec 2026 Round 3: 17 Jan 2027

Rounds already closed

1 of 3

Next open deadline

Round 2, 6 Dec 2026 (56 days)

GMAT plan

GMAT route

Required (GMAT or GRE)

Alternative tests

GRE

GMAT Focus accepted

Yes (10th Edition or Focus)

Online GMAT accepted

No, test centre only

Score validity

5 years: R2 from 7 Dec 2021, R3 from 18 Jan 2022

Minimum or recommendation

No minimum

Policy details (full)

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For the PGP, GMAT or GRE is a prerequisite; GMAT is accepted, and the current 2027–28 admissions policy expressly accepts GMAT 10th Edition (legacy) or GMAT Focus Edition. Scores must be test-centre based and valid within five years of the application deadline; an official score report must be sent to ISB. ISB states there is no minimum GMAT score. For the 2027–28 cycle, the stated score-date windows are R2: 7 Dec 2021–6 Dec 2026 and R3: 18 Jan 2022–17 Jan 2027. India applicants should use the GMAT route only, as requested.[94][95]

Strategic Focus target

No defensible number; maximise

Basis of target

No defensible target published; maximise

Target round

Round 2, 6 Dec 2026

Sit GMAT by (final attempt)

15 Nov 2026

First attempt by (with retake buffer)

4 Oct 2026 (passed, single attempt only)

Target reasoning (full)

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No defensible ISB-specific numerical Focus target is published: the 719 figure is a cohort average with no edition stated, and the 530–780 range is also scaleunspecified. Do not convert either into a Focus target or cutoff. Aim for the strongest feasible Focus score, while treating any personal numerical prep goal as a strategy, not an ISB admission threshold.[94][95]

Score statistics

Focus average

Web/earlier round: Co'27 Focus mean 669, median 675

Focus evidence (full)

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GMAT Focus Edition is explicitly accepted and GMAT/GRE is required, but ISB publishes no Focus-specific cohort mean, median, or 2027–28 minimum/range in the current admission policy. ISB’s FAQ reports a 530–780 GMAT range for the “current class,” but does not identify the class year or exam edition; it must not be treated as a Focus range. ISB states that there is no minimum score.[94][95]

Legacy average

719 (Co'25, edition not stated)

Legacy range

530 to 780 (scale not stated)

Legacy evidence (full)

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ISB expressly accepts GMAT 10th Edition (legacy) as well as Focus. Its Class of 2025 placement report labels 719 as the cohort’s average GMAT, not a cut-off; that report does not identify the exam edition, so it is safest to treat it as a historical, scale-unspecified cohort average rather than convert it to Focus. The official FAQ’s 530–780 range likewise lacks scale and class-year detail. ISB does not publish a verified cohort median or scale-specific minimum in these sources.[94][95]

Costs

Tuition / programme fee

INR 40.5 L

Tuition in INR (approx)

INR 40.5 L

Fee year

2027-28 (official)

Other compulsory fees

Student expenses about INR 4.5 L (books, laptop, meals, insurance)

What the fee includes

Tuition INR 26.64 L, shared housing INR 2.34 L, admission charges INR 6.45 L

Fee details (full)

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ISB’s published 2027–28 fee schedule (INR; shared accommodation, single-instalment column) totals ₹40,46,520 including GST and the ₹20,000 interest-free refundable security deposit. Components include ₹26,64,000 tuition, ₹2,34,000 shared accommodation (GST-exempt), and admission plus commitment charges of ₹6,45,000 including GST. The schedule separately estimates about ₹4,50,000 in on-campus student expenses: books ₹20,000, laptop ₹75,000, meal plan ₹80,000, other expenses ₹2,25,000 and insurance ₹50,000. Taxes are subject to rates at payment; the school marks other expenses as indicative. Fee schedule is for academic year 2027–28, not a guaranteed final bill.[98]

Living cost estimate

Numbeo Hyderabad INR 33,047/month excl. rent

Health insurance

INR 50,000 (estimate)

Living cost basis (full)

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Hyderabad city benchmark: Numbeo estimated ₹33,047 per month for a single person excluding rent, last updated 2 October 2026. This is a citywide estimate, not an ISB-campus budget; ISB accommodation is separately itemised in the 2027–28 fee schedule, and the figure does not represent Mohali living costs.[98][100]

Estimated total (approx INR)

INR 40.5 L (tuition only)

Scholarships

women's and merit scholarshipsWeb, Oct 2026

Rankings and strengths

FT Global MBA

#12 (FT Global MBA 2026)

Ranking details (full)

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#12 worldwide in the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking 2026 (published 16 February 2026; 100 schools in the table). This is the ranking publisher’s global MBA-table position for ISB, not a claim that the PGP confers an MBA degree.[8]

Known for

Large one-year cohort, strong function and industry switching

Known for (full)

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A selective, intensive one-year residential management programme with Hyderabad and Mohali campuses, a broad experienced-professional cohort and access to a large alumni network. ISB has strong technology, consulting and business-strategy recruiting outcomes, and the Financial Times ranked it #12 worldwide in its 2026 Global MBA table. The ranking label does not change the PGP’s credential: it is not an MBA degree.[8][94]

Class profile

Class size

816 (Co'25)

Average experience

4 years (Co'25); range 2 to 17

Placements and careers

Placement / offers

1,164 offers, 364 companies

Career switching

63% changed industry, 59% function

Top sectors

Technology and consulting lead

Report year

2025-26 report, Co'25

Outcome details (full)

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ISB’s 2025–26 placement report for the Class of 2025 reports 816 students, 364 companies registered and 1,164 job offers; these are offers, not a count of unique students placed. It reports 63% changing industry and 59% changing function. The same report lists a Co’25 average work experience of four years and average GMAT of 719, and a Co’26 experience range of 2–17 years (95 students had six or more years). No salary figure is used here; these outcomes are historical cohort results, not a guarantee for a future candidate.[99]

Eligibility

Degree

Bachelor's degree

Minimum experience

24 months before enrolment

Current employment needed

Not required

Employer sponsorship

Encouraged, not required

Essays

Essays

Interview

Interview

Eligibility details (full)

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The PGP requires at least 24 months of full-time work experience; ISB says this is needed before enrolment. The candidate’s nearly nine years at Accenture should satisfy the experience test even though she resigned in March 2026; published PGP eligibility does not require her to remain employed. ISB’s PGP FAQ says employer sponsorship is encouraged, not compulsory, and sponsored candidates have the same admission criteria and fee. For the separate 18-month PGP PRO, ISB describes a programme for working professionals and says no entrance test is used. Its published pages do not state that a current job or employer sponsorship/endorsement is mandatory, but also do not explicitly confirm that a resigned applicant may apply; she should obtain written confirmation from PGP PRO admissions before relying on that route. PGP PRO is not selected because it has no GMAT route.[94][96]

My profile fit

Fit rank

#5 (India)

Eligibility verdict

Meets published criteria

Experience vs cohort

About 9 yrs vs 4 yr average

Main risks and trade-offs

Not an MBA degree; well above average experience

Why it fits (full)

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Her engineering education and long Accenture Technology India tenure give her a credible technology-to-business pivot story for a full-time, cross-functional programme. The Co’26 profile included candidates with 2–17 years’ experience, so nine years is represented, even though above the four-year cohort average. ISB’s Co’25 report identifies technology and consulting among its leading hiring sectors and reports meaningful function/industry changes, relevant to a move from Senior Analyst work toward product, business strategy, consulting or technology leadership. She can also contribute an Indian engineering and large-scale technology-services perspective to the cohort.[94][96]

Profile fit (earlier round)

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Eligible and plausibly aligned: a B.E. from SVCE/Anna University meets the bachelor’s-degree criterion, and nearly nine years at Accenture greatly exceeds the 24-month work-experience minimum. Technology delivery offers a credible platform for a consulting, product, transformation or broader strategy pivot. She would be older/more experienced than the Co2025 reported averages (age 27, experience 4 years), so must show why a one-year full-time PGP is timely and how she will contribute; ISB also reports senior participants with 6–22 years’ experience. Senior Analyst title alone does not establish leadership, ownership and measurable impact will matter. Age has no stated admission bar.[161][163][165]

Actions to strengthen

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1. Take a test-centre GMAT Focus early enough for a possible retake; the R1 deadline (20 September 2026) has passed, and current PGP deadlines are R2 on 6 December 2026 and R3 on 17 January 2027. Verify current deadlines and score-report handling before submission. 2. Build a quantified Accenture impact narrative: show progression, scope, measurable delivery or customer/business outcomes, and examples of influencing teams or stakeholders beyond the Senior Analyst title. 3. Explain the March 2026 resignation clearly and positively, including what she has done since, why fulltime study is the right next step, and how she will manage the transition financially and professionally. 4. Define a focused post-PGP goal (target function, role level, industry and geography) and connect her technology experience to a plausible business leadership pivot; avoid presenting multiple unrelated goals. 5. Choose a recent former manager or other professional recommender who can give specific examples of leadership, collaboration and impact; sponsorship is not required for the regular PGP. 6. Use the essays and interview to demonstrate self-awareness, learning agility and leadership with concrete examples; include meaningful community or extracurricular contributions, not only work achievements. 7. Refresh quantitative fundamentals and use the GMAT as evidence of academic readiness; accurately report the B.E. transcript and explain any weak marks or unusual academic context without overclaiming.[94][95]

Open questions to confirm

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Research cut-off: 3 October 2026. The PGP is a certificate/programme credential, not an MBA, master’s degree or diploma, and its full-time format differs from PGP PRO. April 2027 is inferred from the recent academic calendar, not confirmed for Class of 2028. ISB’s reported GMAT range and 719 average are not admissions cut-offs and cannot safely be converted to GMAT Focus. The PGP PRO employment/sponsorship rule for a resigned applicant is not expressly settled in the published material; ask that programme’s admissions team if considering it. Fee and cost-of-living figures are dated estimates and exclude variable personal spending beyond the listed items.[94][95]

Full dossier

Indian School of Business (ISB), Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP), Class of 2028, 12-month, full-time residential programme. The award is an ISB PGP certificate/programme credential, not an MBA degree, diploma, or master’s degree.

Earlier research round (29 Sep 2026)

Preserved as history; the revised round above takes precedence.