Department of Management, BITS Pilani, Pilani

Overview

The Department of Management at BITS Pilani, with a history of more than five decades, is one of the oldest Business Schools in India outside the IIMs. Starting with its flagship MMS program, it is now home to a successful MBA course in Business Analytics, along with other postgraduate and doctoral degree programs in Management. The Outlook MBA rankings in 2020 ranked DoM, BITS Pilani, in the top 10 private Business Schools in India. The Department offers two main programs: MBA (General Management) and PhD in Management. The flagship MBA program at BITS Pilani has a specialization in Data Analytics. It also has a unique structure where students can spend up to six months (one semester) working in a company and gaining industrial exposure. This is an important factor that ensures strong placements, because students have a higher level of confidence and practice knowledge.

MBA (Business Analytics) students of BITS Pilani have enjoyed consistently strong placement statistics. The highest CTC in the most recent season was INR 22 LPA, with the top 50% of students being offered an average salary package of INR 19.9 LPA. 92% of all students were placed, with a majority of them working in the Business and Technology Analyst sector after graduating from BITS. The summer internship program is a primary contributor to the high placement rate: 1 in 3 MBA students received a pre-placement offer. The biggest consulting and finance firms recruit from the Department of Management, BITS Pilani, including HDFC Bank, Accenture, KPMG, Vodafone Idea, Barclays, and Citi.

Highlights

Fees

The various components of the living costs and tuition fees for students of the Department of Management, BITS Pilani, are as follows:

• Tuition Fees: INR 2.45 Lakh per semester (during Year 1).
• Tuition Fees (Summer Term): INR 85,700.
• One Time Fees:
  • Admission Costs: INR 53,900.
  • Students’ Union and Aid Fund: INR 675.
  • Other Advances: INR 24,000 per year.
  • Caution Deposit: INR 3,000 (refundable).
• Living Costs:
  • Hostel Fee: INR 18,800 per semester.
  • Hostel Fee (Summer Term): INR 9,400.
  • Mess and Electricity Advance: INR 10,000 per semester.
  • Additional Practice School Fee: 35% higher than the corresponding semester fee.

Tuition fees for the second year of the MBA program will be 5% higher than those for Year 1.

Admissions

The eligibility criteria for admission to The Department of Management, BITS Pilani, are as follows:

• Applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline, with a minimum duration of three years.
• The aggregate over all semesters of undergraduate degree must exceed 60%.
• All candidates must have studied either Mathematics or Statistics in their school Board Examinations (Standard X and XII).
• All applicants must appear for the Business Analytics Aptitude Test (BAAT) conducted by BITS Pilani.
• Knowledge of a computer programming language is a positive, though it is not mandatory.

The steps in the BITS Pilani MBA admission and application process are:

• Filling up the online application form via the BITS Pilani Admissions Website.
• Attaching soft copies of identity and academic documents to validate the details entered in the application form.
• Appearing for the BAAT entrance examination.
• Students will be shortlisted for the Personal Interview (PI) round based on their performance in the BAAT, subject to fulfillment of the other eligibility criteria.
• The final merit list is prepared based on these criteria:
  • Performance in the BAAT.
  • Personal Interview rating: Communication skills, presence, and consistency with the data submitted in the application.
  • (If Applicable) Performance in the CAT, XAT, or GMAT.
  • (If Applicable) Work Experience.
  • Previous Academic Performance (UG, Standard X, Standard XII).

The approximate dates of the steps in the admission process are:

• Application window: December to February.
• Date of the BAAT test: Early April.
• GD and PI rounds: Mid-April.

Placements

As one of the top MBA colleges in India, the placement highlights  of The Department of Management, BITS Pilani, are as follows: 

• The highest CTC in the most recent placement season was INR 22 LPA.
• The average (mean) and median of the salaries offered were INR 15.9 LPA and INR 17 LPA, respectively.
• The top 50% of students had an average CTC of INR 19.9 LPA.
• 92% of MBA students were successfully placed.
• The primary job roles for which MBA (Business Analytics) students were hired were:
  • 56%: Analyst (Business, Quantitative, Technology Risk).
  • 16%: Supply Chain & Operations.
  • 8%: Data and Regulatory Reporting.
  • 20%: Other roles (e.g. Sales and Marketing).
• Prominent recruiters (both for internships and full time jobs) include EY, HSBC, Finova Capital, Yes Bank, Accenture, KPMG, IBM, and Barclays.
• MBA students of BITS Pilani have access to a unique industrial training semester called Practice School. Unlike the 2-3 month summer internship in other B-Schools, the Practice School lasts six months where students work in companies, with an average stipend of INR 28,000. More than 50 companies, including Cisco and KPMG, take part in the Practice School recruiting and training process.
• There is also a conventional two month summer internship, where blue chip recruiters like ITC Limited, Tata Steel, Toyota, and State Bank of India provide intensive training to MBA students and give pre-placement offers to the best performers.

Cut-Offs

There is only one predetermined cut-off related to the MBA program at BITS Pilani. All applicants must have an aggregate of 60% or higher over the end-semester examinations during their Bachelor's degree. However, there are no cut-offs announced based on the BAAT score; the shortlist of students for the Personal Interview is decided based on the number of students who can be accommodated, and this varies from year to year. Similarly, the final merit list is prepared based on multiple criteria, and the score is not made public.

Faculty & Alumni

The Department of Management, BITS Pilani, is home to 32 full time Faculty members. Out of these, 6 are full Professors, 11 are Associate Professors, 11 are Assistant Professors, and the others are Adjunct Professors, Instructors, off-campus Professors, or Visiting Faculty members. Each of them specializes in one or more fields that are relevant to the specializations offered by the Department of Management, including Management Accounting, Valuation, Financial Modeling, Human Resources, Business Data Analytics, and Operations.

Alumni of the Department of Management, BITS Pilani, are part of the global BITS Alumni Community. There are almost 2 lakh alumni across the world, with more than 7,000 CEOs and 6,000 company founders. In addition to staying connected to the Institute through Echo, the alumni newsletter, they also contribute to the wellbeing of current MBA students through donations to improve the infrastructure available on campus, and mentorship initiatives to improve the corporate readiness of the Department of management.

Scholarships

As in other top MBA colleges in India, there are multiple financial aid options available to students of The Department of Management, BITS Pilani.

1. Merit cum Means (MCN) scholarship: This is awarded to students who have a genuine financial need, in addition to strong academic performance. The thresholds for CGPA and family income (currently INR 8 LPA from all sources) are decided and notified annually. There are three tiers of scholarship amounts as follows:

• 80% tuition fee waiver: Awarded to 3% of students.
• 40% tuition fee reduction: 6% of students.
• 25% scholarship: 12% of students.

2. 100 x 100 girl student scholarship: 100 deserving female candidates across all departments are offered 100% tuition fee waivers, based on academic merit as defined by the quality of the application material and previous academic performance.

3. Udaan Scholarships: These are funded entirely by alumni of BITS Pilani, and take the form of grants to students who represent the Institute in important competitions - for example, startup pitch winners and MBA students who need to relocate abroad temporarily for internships.

Preparation & FAQs

The MBA program at BITS Pilani has a unique entrance test (BAAT) with a focus on Business Analytics. While preparing for this entrance test, students must study the syllabus carefully, as it differs from other MBA aptitude tests like the CAT (primarily in the General Knowledge and Management Aptitude sections). They should also work out 5-10 mock tests before the date of BAAT 2024. Students who wish to study sample questions for BAAT 2024 and BAAT 2025 can find solved papers on the BITS Pilani Admission website.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. Which is the best Business School in Pilani?

The Department of Management, BITS Pilani is one of the best MBA colleges in India, and is a contender for best Business School in Pilani. It is ranked #19 among all Private Business Schools in India, according to the IIRF 2024 ranking list.

Q. Do students who wish to study MBA at any of the three BITS campuses need to submit separate applications?

Students who apply to the Department of Management, BITS Pilani, do not need to apply separately to the other two campuses.

Q. Can international students apply to the MBA program at BITS Pilani?

NRIs and students who are citizens of a country other than India can apply to BITS Pilani under the International Students Admission Scheme; they have to pay higher tuition fees.

Q. What is the last date for editing information in the online application form for the Department of Management, BITS Pilani?

Applicants to the MBA program at BITS Pilani can edit the academic information in their application form before the date on which applications close, even after they submit the form. The link can be found on the BITS Pilani application portal.

Q. What is the Management ranking of BITS Pilani among all Universities in the world?

BITS Pilani is ranked in the 450-500 band among all world Universities in the Business and Management category.

Q. What is the test duration of BAAT 2024?

The Business Analytics Aptitude Test conducted by BITS Pilani has two main sections: Management Aptitude (2 hours) and Analytics Aptitude (1 hour), for a total duration of 3 hours.

Q. Which are the sections within the Management Aptitude test conducted by BITS Pilani within BAAT 2024?

The first part of BAAT 2024 is the Management Aptitude test, and has three sections: Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension, Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude. The syllabus for this part is similar to that in other MBA Aptitude tests.

Q. In which cities will BAAT 2024 be held?

BAAT 2024 will be held in test centers in 15 cities: Lucknow, Delhi, Pilani, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Pune, Patna, Goa, Kolkata, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Coimbatore, Bhopal, and Chennai.