IIM Ranchi, set up in 2009 and now working from its own campus at Prabandhan Nagar in Ranchi, ranks 18th in the NIRF 2025 Management ranking. It suits CAT takers who are strong in quantitative aptitude, because its published formula gives the QA section far more weight than VARC or DILR, and it also offers specialised MBA tracks in business analytics and human resource management alongside the general MBA.
At a glance
| NIRF 2025 Management rank | 18 (score 62.77) |
| Established | 2009 |
| Type | Indian Institute of Management (Institute of National Importance under the IIM Act, 2017) |
| Location | Prabandhan Nagar, Nayasarai Road, Ranchi, Jharkhand |
| Flagship programme | Master of Business Administration (MBA) |
| Duration | Two years, full-time, residential |
| Sanctioned intake | 380 (2-year PG programmes, NIRF 2025 data for 2023-24) |
| Admission test | CAT, through the Joint Admission Process (JAP 2026) |
| Programme fee | Rs 19.20 lakh for the 2026-28 batch (official fee notice; excludes mess) |
| Median salary | Rs 18.00 lakh a year for the batch graduating in 2023-24 (NIRF 2025 data) |
| Website | iimranchi.ac.in |
About IIM Ranchi
IIM Ranchi's annual report describes it as established in 2009. It now operates from its main campus at Prabandhan Nagar, Nayasarai, on the edge of Ranchi. Like the other IIMs it is governed by the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017, which makes it an Institute of National Importance able to award degrees, and it works under the Ministry of Education.
Its newsletter reports that it recently received AMBA accreditation and debuted in the QS Executive MBA Rankings 2026. In the NIRF 2025 Management ranking it placed 18th with a score of 62.77.
What sets it apart is the range of its two-year degrees: alongside the general MBA it runs CAT-based MBAs in Business Analytics and in Human Resource Management.
Programmes
- MBA: the flagship two-year, full-time programme.
- MBA-BA (Business Analytics): a two-year MBA for candidates with a quantitative background (see eligibility below).
- MBA-HRM (Human Resource Management): a two-year MBA focused on HR.
- IPM (Integrated Programme in Management): a five-year programme admitted through IPMAT.
- MBA (Executive): for working professionals, with summer and winter batches.
- Ph.D. and Executive Ph.D. for research careers.
Admissions and eligibility
IIM Ranchi admits students to the MBA, MBA-BA and MBA-HRM through JAP 2026, a joint process with IIM Kashipur, IIM Raipur and IIM Tiruchirappalli, coordinated by IIM Raipur. You must choose IIM Ranchi in your CAT application and then register on the JAP portal when invited.
The JAP 2026 policy sets these minimum academic criteria: 60% in Class X and Class XII and 50% in graduation for General, EWS and NC-OBC candidates; 55%, 55% and 45% for SC and ST candidates; and 45% in each for PwD candidates. It also sets minimum CAT percentiles for registration (for General candidates, 75 in each section and 90 overall) and requires a positive scaled score in every section. Final-year students may apply using marks to date but must prove they have completed their degree by 30 June 2026.
For the MBA-BA, IIM Ranchi additionally requires a full-time undergraduate degree in engineering, technology, architecture, science, computer applications, mathematics or statistics with at least 60% marks, and the candidate must have studied mathematics, statistics or computer science/applications in their degree.
Reservation follows Government of India rules for central educational institutions.
Selection process
The process for the 2026-28 batch has two stages.
Initial shortlist. IIM Ranchi lists these CAT percentile cut-offs for being considered for the interview process. The institute says they are indicative and that not every eligible candidate will be shortlisted.
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 75 | 75 | 75 | 95.25 |
| EWS | 60 | 60 | 60 | 89 |
| NC-OBC | 60 | 60 | 60 | 88.5 |
| SC | 45 | 45 | 45 | 75 |
| ST | 25 | 25 | 25 | 44 |
| PwD | 25 | 25 | 25 | 30 |
Interviews were in person and common to all JAP institutes.
Final merit list. IIM Ranchi prepares a Consolidated Merit List with these weights:
- CAT: 65%, made up of QA scaled score 35%, VARC scaled score 15% and DILR scaled score 15% (each scaled against the highest score in CAT 2025)
- Profile score: 20%, split into academics 10% and work experience 10%
- Personal interview: 15%
Academic points go to Class X (up to 2), Class XII (up to 4) and graduation (up to 4); for example, graduation marks of 85% or more earn 4 points, and 70% to below 85% earn 2. Work experience earns the full 10 points for more than 24 and up to 36 months, 5 points for more than 12 and up to 24 months or more than 36 and up to 48 months, and nothing at 12 months or less or above 48 months.
After this, female and transgender candidates receive 5 bonus marks in all programmes, and MBA-HRM applicants with two to three years of full-time work experience receive 5 additional marks in the MBA-HRM merit list only.
Fees and financial aid
The fee for the MBA, MBA-HRM and MBA-BA for the 2026-28 batch is Rs 19.20 lakh, excluding mess. It is paid term by term: Rs 3,45,000 for Term 1 (which includes a refundable caution deposit of Rs 20,000 and an alumni fee of Rs 10,000) and Rs 3,15,000 for each of Terms 2 to 6. Mess charges are extra, at Rs 27,000 per term plus 5% GST.
IIM Ranchi runs two scholarship schemes of its own:
- Merit Scholarship: covers 50% of the annual tuition fee. Two students in each year of each programme receive it; in the first year it goes to the two admitted students with the highest CAT percentile, and in the second year to the two with the highest CGPA after Term 3.
- Merit-cum-Means Scholarship: awarded to 25 students a year across programmes, with a parental income cap. The institute puts its total value at around Rs 1 crore a year.
Collateral-free education loans are available through the government's PM-Vidyalaxmi scheme.
Placements
In the NIRF 2025 data, the median salary of placed graduates of the two-year PG programmes was Rs 18.00 lakh a year for the batch graduating in 2023-24, with all 340 graduates in that year placed. The two previous years were Rs 16.50 lakh (2022-23) and Rs 15.46 lakh (2021-22).
The Final Placement Report for the batch of 2024-26 was audited by B. C. Dutta & Co., Chartered Accountants, whose opinion states that it fairly represents the placement outcomes of that batch. For the MBA it reports:
- Median CTC: Rs 18.00 lakh a year
- Average CTC: Rs 19.26 lakh a year
- Highest CTC: Rs 52.50 lakh a year
- Average of the top 25%: Rs 24.90 lakh a year
- PPOs: 21.74% of students, with an average of Rs 19.28 lakh a year
- 77 recruiters, with the largest share of offers from BFSI and fintech (32.07%), followed by manufacturing and IT/ITES
The same report gives a median of Rs 18.00 lakh for the MBA-HRM and Rs 19.13 lakh for the MBA-BA.
Placement figures vary by year and role; read the official report before drawing conclusions.
Campus and student life
The residential main campus is at Prabandhan Nagar on Nayasarai Road. The institute's international relations work includes a Student Exchange Programme, faculty exchange, immersion programmes and partner institutes; its 2022-23 annual report noted memoranda of understanding with ten foreign institutes at that time. Student-run clubs include HiRe, described in the annual report as the pioneer HR club. The final placement report also lists outreach activity such as a management conclave, a start-up conclave and leadership talks by around 70 industry leaders on campus.
How to prepare for IIM Ranchi
IIM Ranchi's formula is unusual: QA alone carries 35% of the final score, more than VARC and DILR combined. If quant is your weaker section, this is the place to invest. Work through targeted ways to improve your CAT quant score and track progress section by section with regular mock analysis.
You still need 75 percentile in VARC and DILR (for General candidates) to be considered, so practise reading comprehension strategy consistently; a narrow miss in one section ends the application.
The profile score rewards graduation marks of 85% or more and 25 to 36 months of work experience. The interview carries 15%; prepare to discuss your academic choices, work and reasons for an MBA, and bring original documents, which are checked on the day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fee for the IIM Ranchi MBA?
For the 2026-28 batch it is Rs 19.20 lakh, excluding mess charges of Rs 27,000 per term plus GST. Check the current notice on the official admissions page.
What is the CAT cut-off for IIM Ranchi?
For the 2026-28 batch, IIM Ranchi's published shortlisting cut-off for General candidates was 75 percentile in each section and 95.25 overall. The institute describes these figures as indicative, and meeting them does not guarantee an interview call.
How are IIM Ranchi placements?
The NIRF 2025 data shows a median of Rs 18.00 lakh a year for the batch graduating in 2023-24. The audited report for the 2024-26 MBA batch also gives a median of Rs 18.00 lakh and an average of Rs 19.26 lakh a year.
Who can apply for the IIM Ranchi MBA in Business Analytics?
You need a full-time undergraduate degree in one of the listed quantitative or technical disciplines with at least 60% marks, including study of mathematics, statistics or computer science/applications.
IIM Ranchi or IIM Trichy?
Both admit through JAP and charge similar fees for 2026-28. IIM Ranchi weights QA heavily within its CAT component, while IIM Tiruchirappalli uses the overall CAT percentile and gives separate weight to gender and academic diversity. Compare the details on our IIM Tiruchirappalli page.
Sources
- NIRF 2025 Management Ranking: rank and score (accessed 22 October 2026)
- NIRF 2025 data submitted by IIM Ranchi (IR-M-S-8904): sanctioned intake, graduates placed and median salary (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Common Admission Criteria for MBA, MBA-BA, MBA-HRM 2026-28, with JAP 2026 Policy: cut-offs, weights, profile scoring, bonus marks, MBA-BA eligibility and minimum eligibility (accessed 22 October 2026)
- MBA/MBA-HRM/MBA-BA 2026-28 Fee Details: fee and mess charges (accessed 22 October 2026)
- IIM Ranchi Admissions page: programmes, PM-Vidyalaxmi loans and scholarship links (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Merit Scholarship Scheme and Merit cum Means Scholarship Scheme: scholarship rules (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Audited Final Placement Report 2025-26, Batch 2024-26: audit opinion and placement statistics (accessed 22 October 2026)
- IIM Ranchi Newsletter Raconteur, Vol 13 No 2: AMBA accreditation and QS Executive MBA ranking debut (accessed 22 October 2026)
- IIM Ranchi Annual Report 2022-23: year of establishment, campus, international MoUs, student clubs (accessed 22 October 2026)
Researched from official sources on 22 October 2026. Admissions policies, fees and placement figures change every year: confirm them on the institute’s website before applying.