IIRF MBA Rankings 2026: SPJIMR tops private PGDM B-schools; XLRI, MDI in top three

SPJIMR (SP Jain Institute of Management and Research), Mumbai, has secured the top position in the IIRF MBA Rankings 2026 under the category of Best B-Schools (Private) for PGDM General, reaffirming its status as one of India's leading management institutions.

The Mumbai-based institute was followed by XLRI – Xavier Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur, at Rank 2, while MDI (Management Development Institute), Gurugram, secured the third position.

The latest rankings highlight the continued dominance of established PGDM institutions, with business schools from Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala, Goa, West Bengal and Odisha featuring among the country's top-ranked management institutes.

Top institutions maintain their standing

SPJIMR, XLRI and MDI have long been regarded among India's premier management institutions and continue to attract some of the country's most competitive applicants. Their strong performance in the rankings reflects their academic reputation, industry engagement, alumni networks and placement outcomes.

International Management Institute (IMI), New Delhi, secured the fourth position, while IMT Ghaziabad completed the top five.

Strong presence from Delhi-NCR

One of the notable trends in this year's rankings is the strong representation of institutions from the Delhi-NCR region. MDI Gurugram, IMI New Delhi, IMT Ghaziabad and XLRI's Delhi NCR campus all featured among the top-ranked institutions.

The concentration of leading business schools in the region reinforces Delhi-NCR's position as one of India's most prominent management education hubs.

Notable performers in the rankings

Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, and MICA (Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad) shared the sixth position in the rankings.

XLRI Xavier School of Management's Delhi NCR campus secured the seventh rank, while Rajagiri Centre for Business Studies (RCBS), Kochi, and Dr. D. Y. Patil B-School, Pune, jointly occupied the eighth position.

Goa Institute of Management (GIM) and IMT Nagpur shared the ninth rank, while MDI Murshidabad rounded off the top 10 list.

The rankings reflect the geographical diversity of India's management education ecosystem, with institutions from across western, northern, southern and eastern India featuring among the country's leading PGDM providers.

About IIRF

The Indian Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF) evaluates institutions across multiple parameters, including academic reputation, research performance, graduate outcomes and employability, industry engagement, peer perception, institutional development and public perception. The rankings aim to provide students and stakeholders with comparative insights into India's higher education landscape.