NIRF MBA Rankings 2022: 'Shocking and Surprising' the Theme of Latest B-School Rankings

The list of India's top business schools has been revealed in the NIRF MBA rankings of 2022, and there continue to be some surprises in the latest iteration of this list. For instance, the IITs have truly shown their dominance in the Indian MBA landscape, with six of them featuring amongst India's top-twenty business schools. IIM Trichy and IIM Raipur have outdone their counterparts across various parameters. On the other end, third-generation IIMs find themselves well below expectations. Further, institutes such as SPJIMR, IIFT, IIM Shillong and other so-called 'premier' institutes find themselves at underwhelming positions in the latest rankings. Here's a quick and more comprehensive look into the NIRF MBA rankings of 2022!

IIM ABC at the Top, Six IITs Amongst the Top Twenty, Baby IIMs Down to Dumps | Overall NIRF MBA Rankings 2022

IIMs Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta emerge as India's top MBA colleges, in that order. This is identical to what was seen last year, and the weighted score is also eerily similar.

Significantly, six IITs are amongst India's top twenty MBA colleges. Even more significantly, IIT Delhi has edged out IIMs Kozhikode, Lucknow, Indore and XLRI to become one of India's top five business schools. IIT Madras is amongst the top ten, ahead of SPJIMR, IIFT and only slightly behind XLRI Jamshedpur.

Note - The data in the table below is sortable and can be sorted in ascending/descending order for each of the five parameters, i.e., Teaching & Learning Resources, Research & Professional Practice, Graduation Outcomes, Outreach & Inclusivity, and Perception.

Surprisingly, SPJIMR, IIFT Delhi, IIM Shillong are positioned below most new IIMs. In fact, IIFT is also ranked below the aforementioned six IITs and SIBM Pune, even after improving over last year's rankings.

Amongst the second generation "new" IIMs, IIM Raipur finds itself at the top of the pack while IIM Kashipur is, for three years in a row, the lowest-ranked. But what is even more shocking is that IIM Shillong—considered one of India's leading management institutes—is ranked even lower at 27th, below many IITs, SIBM Pune, NMIMS Mumbai, and slightly ahead of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham and Amity University.

At 34th position, IIM Visakhapatnam best-ranked third generation "baby" IIM, below Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amity University, and ICFAI Hyderabad. At 74th, IIM Bodh Gaya is the worst-ranked baby IIM. This horrific performance is largely due to poor scores in the Research and Professional Practice (RPC) parameter which has an evaluation weightage of 30 percent. But is this a parameter that's valuable to MBA aspirants and b-school employers?

IIM Raipur, IIM Ranchi Outshine Peers, IIFT Delhi Finds Itself At A Dangerously Low Position | Graduation Outcome-Based NIRF MBA Rankings

Graduation outcomes (GO), which includes the percentage of students placed and the median salary offered as the key evaluation parameters, is an important metric to judge a b-school by. Based purely on GO, the NIRF rankings begin to seem more familiar and logical.

In 2022, IIM Ahmedabad, SPJIMR, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, and XLRI Jamshedpur offer the best graduation outcomes for graduating MBA batches. Notably, MDI Gurgaon—at 7th position—is ranked ahead of IIMs LKI, while SIBM Pune is ranked ahead of IIM Indore. Soon-to-be-IIM NITIE Mumbai finds itself amongst the top ten, ahead of 16 IIMs.

Amongst the new IIMs, IIM Raipur offers the best graduation results to its MBA batches, followed closely by IIM Ranchi. Both these institutes feature amongst the top-twenty MBA colleges in India, in terms of opportunities and remuneration. Surprisingly, IIM Udaipur—which has surpassed its counterparts in the 2022 placements season—finds itself at the bottom, ranked 32nd. Shockingly, IIMs Udaipur and Trichy are ranked below even third generation IIMs!

But most astonishing is IIFT Delhi's GO rankings in 2022, with the 'premier' institute featuring below third generation IIMs, SBM-NMIMS, XIMB, FORE, IITs, IMI New Delhi and others. The institute's GO score is marginally better than that of second and third generation IIMs.

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NITIE Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, SPJIMR Amongst The Least Desirable Business Schools | Perception-Based NIRF MBA Rankings 2022

In terms of employer and peer brand perception, the NIRF MBA rankings of 2022 take readers on a roller-coaster ride, as it has for the past few years. To begin with, there emerges a familiar chasm between the top-three "holy trinity" of IIMs and the rest of the pack.

Then, inexplicably, SPJIMR, NITIE, MDI Gurgaon, NMIMS Mumbai, and many IITs find themselves well behind institutes that include Anna University, PSG College of Technology, BIM Trichy, Christ University, and Chandigarh University.

The latest rankings have also revealed that many of the third generation IIMs are seemingly more desirable than second generation IIMs and the IITs. The exception here is IIM Trichy, which is not only ahead of its counterparts but also one of India's most sought-after MBA colleges for education and hiring.

Most of the above conflicts with what can be seen in the latest InsideIIM MBA Rankings of fifty Indian business schools, a rankings system based purely on aspirant brand perception.

The NIRF rankings have been rife with controversy since they first came out. Some have called the rankings framework "laughable" and flawed, while others have lent credence to these rankings that provide valuable context to the hierarchy of education institutes in India.

How reliable do you think are the NIRF MBA rankings of 2022? Are these rankings truly laughable, or do they accurately reflect the true landscape of management education in India? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!