The Vinod Gupta School of Management (VGSoM) at IIT Kharagpur was the first school of management in the IIT system, and it ranks 12th in the NIRF 2025 Management ranking. It suits CAT takers with an engineering, technology or quantitative background who want an MBA on a large, fully residential IIT campus. It is one of the few schools to publish its minimum CAT percentiles and full selection formula.
At a glance
| NIRF 2025 Management rank | 12 (score 66.97) |
| Established | 1993 |
| Type | School of management of IIT Kharagpur, an Indian Institute of Technology (Institute of National Importance) |
| Location | IIT Kharagpur campus, Kharagpur, West Bengal |
| Flagship programme | Master of Business Administration (MBA) |
| Duration | Two years (four semesters), full-time, residential |
| Sanctioned intake | 206 (2-year PG programme, NIRF 2025 data for 2023-24) |
| Admission test | CAT (GMAT for overseas applicants, through IIT Kharagpur's International Relations office) |
| Programme fee | About Rs 13.04 lakh for the 2026-28 batch (sum of the four semester totals on the official fee sheet, including hostel charges and a refundable Rs 1 lakh immersion fee) |
| Median salary | Rs 20.65 lakh a year for the batch graduating in 2023-24 (NIRF 2025 data) |
| Website | som.iitkgp.ac.in |
About IIT Kharagpur (VGSoM)
VGSoM began in 1993 as the first school of management within the IIT system. It is named after Vinod Gupta, an IIT Kharagpur graduate of 1967 who founded InfoUSA. According to the school, he gave $2 million in 1993 to set up a business school at IIT Kharagpur modelled on the School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The school draws on IIT Kharagpur's infrastructure, research culture and alumni, and aims to develop managers who understand both technology and its business implications.
In NIRF 2025 it placed 12th in Management with a score of 66.97. Its standout parameter was research and professional practice (78.53), well above most schools near it in the table, along with graduation outcomes (83.82). The NIRF 2025 data lists 270 students in the two-year programme, 80 of them women.
Programmes
VGSoM describes five programmes:
- MBA (flagship): a two-year, full-time, residential programme on the Kharagpur campus.
- Executive MBA: run from IIT Kharagpur's Kolkata campus, mainly for working executives in eastern India.
- Doctoral programme: research degrees in management.
- Dual Degree in Financial Engineering: started in 2009 and offered with the Departments of Mathematics and Humanities and Social Sciences. IIT Kharagpur students earn a B.Tech in their parent department and an M.Tech in Financial Engineering over five years.
- Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics (PGDBA): a two-year, full-time residential diploma offered jointly by IIM Calcutta, IIT Kharagpur and the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. It has its own admission process.
Admissions and eligibility
VGSoM's eligibility for the 2026-28 batch is narrower than at many business schools. You need one of:
- a bachelor's degree of at least four years in engineering, technology or pharmacy (a five-year dual degree counts as equivalent), or
- a master's degree in science, economics or commerce, with mathematics or statistics at bachelor's level.
You also need at least 60% marks or a CGPA of 6.5 out of 10 in the qualifying degree (General, EWS, OBC), or 55% or CGPA 6.0 (SC, ST, PwD). In practice, a three-year BA, B.Com or B.Sc on its own does not meet the criteria.
Final-year students can apply but are admitted provisionally. They must submit proof of completion by 31 May 2026 and final marksheets by 31 October 2026.
Applicants apply on IIT Kharagpur's ERP portal after CAT. The application fee for 2026-28 was Rs 1,600 (General, EWS, OBC) or Rs 800 (SC, ST, PwD). Overseas applicants with GMAT scores apply through IIT Kharagpur's International Relations office.
Selection process
VGSoM publishes a two-stage process. For the 2026-28 batch:
Stage I: shortlisting for the WAT-PI
First, you must meet the school's minimum overall CAT 2025 percentile:
| Category | Minimum overall CAT percentile |
|---|---|
| General / EWS | 90 |
| OBC | 81 |
| SC / ST / PwD | 60 |
Candidates above the minimum are ranked by their overall CAT scaled score (out of 20) plus their Application Rating (AR). All women applicants get an extra 4 marks as a Gender Diversity Factor.
The AR is built from:
- Class X and XII marks, in bands
- undergraduate and postgraduate marks, rated separately for four-year engineering degrees, three-year degrees and master's degrees
- one extra mark for a two-year M.Tech/ME/MS/M.Pharma, and one for a professional qualification (CA, CS, CMA, CFA or FRM)
- work experience after graduation, counted up to 5 February 2026
Work experience earns 3 points at 180 days, rises to 5 points at two years, and then declines gradually for longer experience.
Stage II: final selection (out of 100)
| Component | Weight |
|---|---|
| Application Rating | 20 |
| CAT 2025 VARC | 20 |
| CAT 2025 DILR | 10 |
| CAT 2025 QA | 10 |
| Written Aptitude Test and Personal Interview (WAT-PI) | 40 |
Women applicants receive 10 marks for gender diversity at this stage. Attending the WAT-PI is mandatory. Offers are made on merit within each category.
Fees and financial aid
IIT Kharagpur's official fee sheet for the MBA 2026-28 lists four semester totals for candidates paying full tuition (labelled "GE/PB/PD" on the sheet):
| Semester | Amount |
|---|---|
| 1 | Rs 4,12,981 |
| 2 | Rs 2,96,081 |
| 3 | Rs 2,98,781 |
| 4 | Rs 2,96,081 |
Together these come to about Rs 13.04 lakh. The total includes:
- tuition of Rs 2,50,000 a semester
- hostel charges of Rs 40,031 a semester (mess advance and hall charges)
- caution deposits and one-time fees
- insurance
- an International Immersion Programme fee of Rs 1,00,000 (plus GST if applicable), refunded if you do not take part
Tuition is waived for SC, ST and PwD students. The institute says fees may be revised.
The school's MBA site has a "Fees and Financing" section. We could not confirm the details of any scholarship scheme for this batch, so ask the admissions office about financial support.
Placements
NIRF 2025 data (two-year PG programme)
| Graduating year | Students graduating | Placed | Median salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 97 | 97 | Rs 19.10 lakh |
| 2022-23 | 94 | 94 | Rs 22.06 lakh |
| 2023-24 | 125 | 124 | Rs 20.65 lakh |
Final Placement Report, batch of 2023-25
The report does not say whether it was audited. Highlights:
- 142 students, of whom 139 took part in placements and all 139 were placed.
- 36 students received pre-placement offers.
- Median CTC Rs 22.15 lakh, average Rs 22.75 lakh, highest Rs 37.63 lakh. The top 10% averaged Rs 34.29 lakh.
- By domain: strategy and consulting 45%, operations 20%, analytics 15%, BFSI 11%, sales and marketing 7%.
Recruiters named in the report include Accenture Strategy and Consulting, Deloitte, EY, PwC, Infosys Consulting, ITC, Titan, P&G, Diageo, GSK, ICICI Bank, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Axtria, Cognizant, Wipro, Berger Paints and Havells.
Placement figures vary by year and role; read the official report before drawing conclusions.
Campus and student life
All MBA students must live on campus, in IIT Kharagpur's postgraduate halls of residence with wi-fi in every room. The school's facilities include:
- computer labs with nine Bloomberg terminals
- a school library with the CMIE database
- access to IIT Kharagpur's Central Library
Students can also use IIT Kharagpur's wider campus life:
- the Technology Students' Gymkhana, with indoor and outdoor sports and an international-standard swimming pool
- film, dramatics and music societies
- the B. C. Roy Technology Hospital and a counselling centre
The 2026-28 fee sheet includes an International Immersion Programme, so plan for an overseas component if you take it up.
How to prepare for IIT Kharagpur (VGSoM)
- Check eligibility first. The degree rules exclude most three-year bachelor's graduates without a relevant master's.
- Clear the minimum percentile, then build sectional strength. The final score splits CAT marks 20 for VARC, 10 for DILR and 10 for QA, so verbal ability counts double. Strengthen it with our reading comprehension strategy and the CAT 2026 syllabus guide.
- Practise across all three sections. DILR and QA still decide whether you clear the overall cut-off. Mixed practice on CAT-style questions helps.
- Prepare for the WAT-PI. It carries 40% of the final score. Practise timed writing on business and social topics, and prepare to discuss your engineering or technical background in managerial terms.
No preparation guarantees a shortlist or admission. Rely on the official criteria for your cycle.
Frequently asked questions
What is the IIT Kharagpur MBA fee?
The official 2026-28 fee sheet's four semester totals add up to about Rs 13.04 lakh for candidates paying full tuition. This includes tuition of Rs 2,50,000 a semester, hostel charges and a Rs 1,00,000 International Immersion Programme fee that is refunded if you do not take part. Tuition is waived for SC, ST and PwD students.
What is the VGSoM CAT cut-off?
For 2026-28, VGSoM's published minimum overall CAT 2025 percentiles were 90 (General/EWS), 81 (OBC) and 60 (SC/ST/PwD). These only make you eligible for consideration. The shortlist depends on your CAT scaled score plus your Application Rating.
Can B.Com or BA graduates apply to IIT Kharagpur MBA?
Not with a three-year bachelor's degree alone. The criteria require a four-year engineering, technology or pharmacy degree, or a master's in science, economics or commerce with mathematics or statistics at bachelor's level.
What is the median salary at VGSoM?
The NIRF 2025 data gives a median of Rs 20.65 lakh for the batch graduating in 2023-24. The school's final placement report for the 2023-25 batch gives a median CTC of Rs 22.15 lakh.
VGSoM or another IIT business school?
Compare VGSoM's eligibility rules, fee and selection formula with IIT Bombay SJMSOM, IIT Delhi DMS and IIT Madras DoMS. Each IIT runs its own selection.
Sources
- NIRF 2025 Management Ranking: rank, score and parameter scores (accessed 22 October 2026)
- NIRF 2025 data submitted by IIT Kharagpur (IR-M-U-0573): sanctioned intake, student strength, graduates placed and median salaries (accessed 22 October 2026)
- VGSoM Selection Process 2026-2028: minimum CAT percentiles, Application Rating, final weights and application fee (accessed 22 October 2026)
- VGSoM Eligibility Criteria 2026-28: degree and marks requirements (accessed 22 October 2026)
- IIT Kharagpur Fee Structure for MBA Course (2026-2028): semester-wise fees (accessed 22 October 2026)
- VGSoM Final Placement Report 2023-2025: placement statistics, domains and recruiters (accessed 22 October 2026)
- About VGSoM: history, founding gift and programmes (accessed 22 October 2026)
- VGSoM Student Facilities: residence, labs, library and campus facilities (accessed 22 October 2026)
- VGSoM Dual Degree in Financial Engineering and PGDBA: other programmes (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.