Institute of Excellence in Management Science (IEMS), Hubballi

Overview

The Institute of Excellence in Management Science (IEMS B-School), Hubballi, is a prominent business school located in North Karnataka. Its flagship MBA program is offered with three specializations: Marketing Management, Finance, and Human Resource Management. The technology enabled campus ensures that students have access to state of the art management education principles; in addition, experts are regularly invited for soft skills training sessions. IEMS B-School is an initiative of the Kaizen Eduplus Society, which aims to combine academic excellence and professional excellence to create a unique management education paradigm. The School is affiliated with Karnatak University in Dharwad, which awards its MBA degrees.

The Placement Cell of IEMS B-School works with students to ensure that they are aware of different job opportunities and well trained to succeed in interviews. The highest CTC offered during the most recent placement season was INR 5 LPA, and 100% of graduating MBA students were successfully placed. Prominent recruiters are mostly from the Banking, Financial Services & Insurance sector, and include HDFC Bank, Bandhan Bank, and NJ India Invest.

National tours to prominent industrial locations and important parts of India's cultural heritage allow students of IEMS B-School to keep learning outside the classroom. The campus is located in the industrial region of the Hubli Dharwad twin city area, and allows students to gain inspiration from the corporate organizations located nearby. The extensive campus has ample provision for cultural and sports activities, ensuring that personality development opportunities are available to all students. It also has world class academic facilities, from a well stocked library to extensive conference and meeting rooms.

Highlights

Fees

Half the IEMS B-School intake every year (60 seats) are reserved for Government quota entrants, and the remaining for management quota applicants. The tuition fee for students applying via the Government quota is INR 54,390 per year; this includes examination and registration fees. Students applying directly to IEMS B-School via the management quota must pay higher fees that are decided annually by the Director.

In addition, students who choose to stay on campus must pay the hostel and mess fees, and students who commute to the campus must budget for transportation fees. All students will have to bear the cost of academic materials and shopping for personal items.

Admissions

The eligibility criteria for admission to IEMS B-School are as follows:

• The applicant must hold an undergraduate degree of minimum three years' duration from any recognized University in India or abroad. 
• The candidate must have an aggregate above 50% during his/her Bachelor's degree. This criterion is relaxed to 45% for SC and ST applicants.
• The applicant must have a valid scorecard from any recognized MBA aptitude tests: CAT, XAT, PGCET, KMAT, CMAT, ATMA, MAT, or GMAT.
• Students in the final year of their UG studies may also apply, subject to submission of the final mark sheet before the IEMS MBA classes start.

The application and admission process has the following steps:

• Obtaining the application form - either online, from the IEMS B-School website, or from the office of the School.
• Filling up the application form with personal, academic, and special category details (if applicable).
• Submitting self attested document copies to provide proof of academic performance and entrance test scores. Originals must be presented at the time of admission.
• Paying the application fee.
• The final Personal Interview round is scheduled for candidates who are shortlisted by IEMS B-School.
• After the PI round is completed, the School releases the final merit list, and students who wish to join must confirm their acceptance by paying the first semester’s fees, and completing the academic registration process.

Placements

As one of the top MBA colleges in India, the placement highlights of IEMS B-School are as follows: 

• The highest CTC offered during the most recent placement season was INR 5 LPA to 5 students, by Sangeetha Mobiles Private Limited.
• Other prominent recruiters include HDFC Bank, NJ India Invest, Bandhan Bank, Navadhan Capital, U Learn, Bharat Petroleum, Pradeep IT Global Consulting, and Azvasa Edutech. There is a good mix of established public sector firms, private sector banks, and rapidly growing startups.
• The last four years have seen a consistent record of placement excellence, with 100% of MBA students successfully placed in the 2023 placement season, as compared to 96%, 93%, and 95% in the three previous years.
• In addition to individual pre-placement talks and personal interviews, IEMS B-School also has a unique Job Mela tradition, where representatives of multiple companies visit the campus and interact with students to explain details of their job roles and scout young talent.
• All students must complete a summer internship of minimum duration 60 days; this is facilitated by the Training & Placement Cell in various national organizations and MNCs.
• The Placement Cell organizes six categories of activities to ensure that students are well trained and aware about industry expectations: Team Building Simulations, Role Play Sessions, Group Discussion Training, Aptitude Test Mocks, Management Games, and HR Talks.
• The Cell also coordinates the five step annual recruitment procedure for full time jobs, starting with Pre-Placement Talks, and then including Resume Screening, Aptitude Tests, Group Discussions, and final HR Interviews. It also ensures that offer letters are sent to selected candidates well in time.

Cut-Offs

The MBA program at IEMS B-School requires its applicants to have a minimum aggregate of 50% averaged across all undergraduate semesters. This is relaxed to 45% for reserved category candidates. IEMS B-School does not mandate any entrance test cut-off in advance; all applicants with valid scores may participate in the admission process, though only the top 60 are shortlisted for the Government Quota admission.

Faculty & Alumni

IEMS B-School is home to 13 full time Faculty members. These include the Director, an Emeritus Professor, and 11 Assistant Professors. 3 of the Faculty members hold PhD degrees, and 11 have completed their MBA. Together, they have several decades of experience in administration, industry, and academia. They work closely with the placement team to ensure that the MBA curriculum is geared towards the requirements of the Marketing, Finance, and Human Resources sectors.

More than 1,000 successful alumni are part of the IEMS B-School family. The School maintains strong relations with its alumni to ensure that they assist current students with live projects, internships, and full time employment opportunities. Distinguished alumni are invited to the IEMS campus to conduct interactive sessions, seminars, and workshops, further improving the students' understanding of industry requirements. Finally, alumni are also approached for infrastructure donations to ensure that current students have access to cutting edge facilities.

Scholarships

As in other top MBA colleges in India, there are multiple financial aid options available to students of IEMS B-School. The main academic merit scholarship scheme is based on the annual Kaizen Merit Scholarship Test. This online test is conducted two months after the semester starts for first year MBA students, and successful candidates will be given scholarships up to INR 25,000 (which is almost 50% of the tuition fee for Government Quota candidates). This scholarship is based purely on test performance and not on the previous (UG) academic record or financial need.

Students of IEMS B-School are also free to apply to external private and government agencies for scholarships and education loans. For example, minority and reserved category students can apply for the Karnataka Government Post Graduation Scholarship, which provides tuition fee waivers for meritorious students with family incomes below a certain threshold.

Preparation & FAQs

The primary factor considered while creating the merit list for the MBA program at IEMS B-School is the performance in the student's chosen entrance test. Depending on the exam chosen, students should spend at least 6-12 months preparing through classroom coaching sessions or attempting virtual test series. They should also purchase and attempt mock tests in the months leading up to their chosen examination dates.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. Which is the best Business School in Karnataka?

IEMS B-School is one of the best MBA colleges in India, and is a contender for best Business School in Karnataka. It is ranked #72 among all Private Business Schools in India, according to the IIRF 2024 ranking list.

Q. Which specializations are available to MBA students of IEMS B-School?

MBA students of IEMS B-School can choose from among three specializations: Marketing Management, Finance, and Human Resource Management.

Q. How does IEMS B-School ensure that its MBA students have adequate industrial exposure?

MBA students of IEMS B-School are taken on multiple industrial visits every year, including to operations behemoths like Akshaya Patra, and large cooperative organizations like Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha.

Q. What factors are taken into consideration while admitting students to the MBA program at IEMS B-School?

Six factors are considered while creating the merit list of MBA candidates at IEMS B-School: prior academic performance (UG and Standard 12), MBA entrance test scores, personal interview performance, work experience (if applicable), motivation to study MBA, and extracurricular achievements.

Q. What is the expected exam date of the Karnataka PGCET in 2025?

The Karnataka PGCET examination is expected to be held between July and September 2025, with the application process to the MBA program in IEMS B-School to be completed before early October 2025.

Q. How should students who wish to study MBA at IEMS B-School prepare for the Karnataka PGCET or KMAT?

Aspirants for the Karnataka PGCET or KMAT should attend offline or online MBA test classes for any examination (CAT, XAT, MAT), and work out a sufficient number of mock tests to ensure that they are prepared for the PGCET or KMAT exam format.