Every year, placement season at the country's top IIMs attracts attention for the biggest salary packages. International offers worth more than Rs 1 crore often dominate the conversation and create the impression that salaries are rising rapidly across the board.
High-Value Offers vs. Reality
However, these high-value offers represent only a small section of the batch. For students trying to understand what they can realistically expect after an MBA, the median salary is often a more useful figure. It reflects the salary earned by the student in the middle of the batch, meaning half the students receive more and half receive less.
Median Salary Data from Six IIMs
The latest placement data from six leading IIMs shows that IIM Calcutta reported the highest median salary for the 2023-25 batch at Rs 35 lakh per annum. IIM Ahmedabad followed with a median salary of Rs 33 lakh, while IIM Bangalore reported Rs 32.61 lakh. IIM Lucknow's median salary stood at Rs 31 lakh, while IIM Kozhikode and IIM Indore reported Rs 27.5 lakh and Rs 27 lakh respectively.
Median Salaries at Leading IIMs
- IIM Calcutta: Rs 35 LPA
- IIM Ahmedabad: Rs 33 LPA
- IIM Bangalore: Rs 32.61 LPA
- IIM Lucknow: Rs 31 LPA
- IIM Kozhikode: Rs 27.5 LPA
- IIM Indore: Rs 27 LPA
Modest Growth Over Three Cycles
While the salary figures remain strong, growth over the past three placement cycles has been relatively modest. The average median salary across the six institutes increased by 3.73 per cent between the 2021-23 and 2023-25 batches. This suggests that despite record highest offers, the earnings of a typical MBA graduate have not risen dramatically in recent years.
Growth in Median Salaries (2021-23 to 2023-25)
- IIM Indore: 9.31% (from Rs 24.7 LPA to Rs 27 LPA)
- IIM Ahmedabad: 6.45%
- IIM Calcutta: 3.95%
- IIM Lucknow: 3.33%
- IIM Kozhikode: 1.85%
- IIM Bangalore: -1.18% (from Rs 33 LPA to Rs 32.61 LPA)
Calcutta, which reported the highest median salary, also saw growth of nearly 4 per cent. Lucknow and Kozhikode recorded smaller increases, while Bangalore was the only institute to report a decline. Its median salary fell from Rs 33 lakh for the 2021-23 batch to Rs 32.61 lakh for the 2023-25 batch, a drop of 1.18 per cent.
Why Median Salary Matters
Median salary is often considered a better indicator than either the highest package or average salary. While a few exceptionally high offers can push average salaries upwards and attract headlines, the median salary provides a clearer picture of what students across the middle of the batch are earning.
MBA aspirants comparing institutes, therefore, shouldn't go by the highest package, but the median salary to understand placement outcomes and what a typical graduate is likely to earn after leaving campus.
