Indian Maritime University

Overview

Indian Maritime University (IMU) is one of India’s leading educational and research institutions in the areas of Nautical Engineering, Maritime Law, Oceanography, Search & Rescue, and Transportation of Dangerous Cargoes. It is headquartered in Chennai, but has five other campuses: Mumbai, Kochi, Navi Mumbai, Visakhapatnam, and Kolkata. Its campuses have a rich history of continuing the legacy of earlier maritime colleges and teaching institutions, starting with Training Ship Dufferin in 1927. As one of the apex organizations of its kind in the world, it has been awarded the ISO 9001:2015 certification. The IMU Chennai campus incorporated the National Maritime Academy in 2008. The University has several MoUs with prominent maritime institutions, including 5 foreign higher education institutions (e.g. Admiral Ushakov State Maritime University) and 12 domestic institutions (e.g. Confederation of Indian Industry).

All IMU campuses have strong Placement Cells, with the major companies in Indian and international shipping and logistics hiring graduates of UG and PG programs. Prominent recruiters include Essar, Delta Corp, BSM, NYK Line, PIL, Fleet Management Limited, VR Maritime Services, Thome Group, Dynacom Tankers Management, and MSI. MBA programs across all 6 campuses typically have the highest placement rates, with more than 75% of students receiving at least one job offer.

The different campuses of Indian Maritime University have a vibrant student culture, with events organized throughout the year including TEDx Talks and Tarang, the cultural festival of the Chennai campus. This is a unique mixture of cultural (e.g. dance, debate, fine arts) and sports (tug of war, endurance) activities and competitions.

Highlights

Fees

The academic fees for students of Indian Maritime University have multiple components e.g. tuition fees, examination charges, registration fees, and caution deposits. The fees for various programs are:

• Program Fee: INR 25,000 per year, for all UG and PG courses.
• Tuition Fee:
  • BBA (Logistics, Retailing, and E-Commerce) Semester Fee: INR 25,000 per semester.
  • MS (Research): INR 75,000 per semester.
  • MBA (International Transportation & Logistics Management and Port & Shipping Management): INR 87,500 per semester.
  • PGDME: INR 1,62,500 per semester.
  • All other UG and PG courses (including BSc, BTech, and MTech): INR 1 Lakh per semester.
• PhD Annual Fee: INR 30,000 (full time) per year, or INR 60,000 per year (part time).

About half the programs offered by IMU are residential; students who live on campus must budget for hostel rent, caution deposit, and mess fees every semester. Students who live off campus have lower living costs, but must budget for daily transportation fees to one of the IMU campuses.

Admissions

The eligibility criteria for admission to Indian Maritime University, are as follows:

• UG programs:
  • Applicants must hold a 10+2 pass certificate issued by a recognized Board of Higher Secondary Education.
  • The aggregate in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics in the Board Examination must exceed 60%. The English score must exceed 50%. There is a 5% relaxation for reserved category applicants.
  • Candidates must submit a valid IMU CET score.
  • Applicants must be physically fit, with excellent hearing and eyesight.
  • The minimum age of the student is 17 years. The maximum age for application to BSc, BBA, and BTech programs varies according to the category of application; general category students must not be older than 25 years, OBC (non-creamy layer): 28, and SC and ST students: 30 years. All the maximum ages are relaxed by 2 years for female applicants.
• PG programs:
  • For MTech, applicants must have an undergraduate degree in Mechanical, Naval, Civil, or Architectural Engineering. Students in the final year of such a degree may also apply. MBA candidates can apply with a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline.
  • There is no age restriction; however, physical fitness is an important criterion.
  • The cut-offs for MTech are 60% (based on UG aggregate) for general category students, and 55% for reserved category applicants. The MBA cut-off is 50%.

Students who wish to apply to Indian Maritime University must follow these steps:

• Going through the IMU course brochure to check the eligibility requirements for the program of interest, and verifying that the course is offered in the preferred campus, if any.
• Filling up the IMU CET applicant form, and providing accurate personal and academic history details.
• Choosing the first, second, and third course preferences, if applicable, before paying the examination fee, attaching self-attested documents in support of the details submitted, and completing the application.
• IMU releases a merit list with the students selected for various UG, PG, and research programs; candidates who wish to join must pay the first installment of the program fee and complete the academic registration process.
• If any seats in the BTech program are left vacant after the full process, IMU may admit students directly to the second year of the program (Lateral Entry) through a process that is notified annually.

Placements

As one of the top Universities in India, the placement highlights of Indian Maritime University are as follows: 

• Prominent recruiters include Essar, Delta Corp, BSM, NYK Line, PIL, Fleet Management Limited, VR Maritime Services, Thome Group, Dynacom Tankers Management, MSI, OSM Maritime, International Andromeda Shipping, Seven Islands Shipping, Dockendale, Anglo Eastern, Wilhelmsen, MMSI, and APJ Shipping.
• The placement rates for different courses offered by the University are relatively low, with MBA and BTech students having the highest ratio of students placed to candidates registered with the Placement Cell. The following statistics are for the Chennai campus; the other five locations have similar figures:
  • Diploma in Nautical Science: 43 placed out of 106 graduating students (40%).
  • BSc (students exiting after 2 years): 18 out of 93 (19%).
  • Three year BSc: 7 out of 104 (7%).
  • BTech: 52 out of 69 (75%).
  • MBA: 52 out of 69 (75%).
• Each of the 6 campuses has its own Placement Cell; these bodies establish strong corporate relations, liaise with the other Cells at the other locations, conduct functional training and soft skills enhancement sessions, organize seminars and workshops by distinguished alumni and industry leaders, and provides logistics support to visiting companies to conduct aptitude tests, virtual interviews, group discussion sessions, and personal interviews in person.
• Students also complete industrial training and internship programs before the final year of their degree programs. These are high profile events; for example, 38 cadets of the IMU Kolkata campus attended a 5 day training session on INS Shivaji, a prominent Indian naval station.

Cut-Offs

Applicants to UG programs offered by Indian Maritime University must have a PCM aggregate of 60% in the 10+2 Board Examination, and a score in English above 50%. Applicants to the MTech program must have an overall UG semester examination aggregate above 60%, with no conditions on the English score. Finally, MBA applicants must have a UG aggregate in any discipline above 50%, and a score above 50% in English at every level: Standard 10, Standard 12, and UG. The cut-offs given above are valid for general category applicants; they are relaxed by 5% for reserved category candidates. There is no cut-off announced ahead of time based on the IMU CET score.

Faculty & Alumni

Indian Maritime University has dedicated Professors for each campus. For example, the Chennai campus is home to 20 full time Faculty members. Of these, 7 (35%) are Assistant Professors, 7 (35%) are Associate Professors, 1 is a Professor of Practice, 2 are Lecturers and the remaining 3 (15%) are subject Faculty members. Together, they are able to cover all the subjects required for UG and PG programs offered by the University, from Maritime Engineering to MBA (Naval Logistics). There are also eminent professionals from the maritime industry who are enrolled as visiting Faculty members.

The Alumni Cell of Indian Maritime University has an active web portal that contains the Alumni Directory. This extensive database is organized by passing out year, current job field, location, and experience. This allows ex-students from different batches to quickly find others for professional networking, and also assists current students with finding potential mentors. The Alumni Cell organizes chapter events and annual Alumni Meets in all six campuses. It keeps graduates of the University up to date with happenings on campus, and encourages alumni living in the same cities to meet and network on a regular basis.

Scholarships

There are 10 main scholarship schemes applicable to students of IMU Chennai; the other campuses have similar schemes:

1. MTT Scholarship: The Maritime Training Trust provides INR 1 Lakh to 19 BSc and 19 BTech students; only Indian women seafarers are eligible. It requires a strong academic record; if there are more applicants than seats, the final shortlist will be prepared on the basis of performance in the qualifying examination.

2. E-Pass Scholarship: This is awarded by the Telangana State Government to undergraduate students enrolled at Indian Maritime University, and is associated with an amount of INR 84,500. It aims at assisting students from socially and finally disadvantaged communities.

3. Tamil Nadu SC and ST Scholarship: Eligible students from Tamil Nadu (whether they study at the IMU Chennai campus or any other) will receive full reimbursement of tuition and academic fees, payable in two installments. This is open to both UG and PG students enrolled in professional and non-professional courses.

4. Shipping Corporation of India - Corporate Social Responsibility Scholarships: SCI aims to spend a portion of its annual revenue towards assisting students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds with their college costs. In the most recent year for which data is available, 7 BSc students from the Chennai campus and 2 BTech candidates received this scholarship.

5. Backward Caste and Most Backward Caste Scholarships: This is based on a scheme for Post Matric Scholarships instituted by the Government of Tamil Nadu. This is also open to UG and PG students, with a total of 62 students receiving INR 6.14 Lakh in the most recent academic year.

6. Synergy Scholarships: The Synergy Marine Group aims to increase the overall pool of qualified candidates entering the maritime industry by identifying talented youngsters aged 14 and 15, and funding them when they start their UG studies (BSc or BTech) at IMU.

7. Shankara Merit Scholarships: In the most recent academic year, 2 BTech students received tuition fee scholarships based on academic merit, totalling INR 50,000.

8. TSWREIS Scholarships: These are also awarded by the Telangana State Government to its students enrolled in degrees outside the state. The Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society  carries an annual scholarship of INR 1.1 Lakh or course fee, whichever is lower.

9. Kerala OBC Post Matric Scholarships: Students enrolled in any IMU campus from Chennai who are from the OBC category and whose family income is below the specified limit receive full program fee waivers. In the latest academic year, this amounted to INR 2.25 Lakh for one BTech student at IMU Chennai.

10. Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Center (APEC), Belgium Scholarship: This is similar to an exchange program, but is a short term training. Two students and one accompanying faculty member were funded completely by APEC to participate in a course on Port Environmental Management and Sustainability held online for a month, with a week spent in Belgium. This is an important resume point for selected students; MBA and BTech candidates have been selected in the past.

Preparation & FAQs

Applicants to any of the 6 Indian Maritime University campuses for any UG or PG program must appear for IMU CET 2025. This has a unique format as compared to other entrance tests; it is important that the student familiarizes himself/herself with the exam pattern. It is 3 hours long, and hence tests the stamina of the student, given that there is less than one minute (on average) allotted to each question, with negative marking. Students should attempt multiple mock tests and go through previous years’ IMU CET question papers to understand the difficulty level of the questions asked. For the Mathematics, English, Physics, and Chemistry sections, a thorough understanding of concepts at a Standard 12 level is sufficient; the General Knowledge section requires the candidate to read newspapers and relevant magazines in detail.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. Which is the top University in India?

Indian Maritime University is one of the best Universities in India. It is ranked #29 among the best Universities in India, according to the IIRF 2024 ranking list.

Q. What are the application fees to Indian Maritime University?

The application fees to Indian Maritime University vary according to the level of the program to which the student is applying (undergraduate, postgraduate, or PhD). The application registration fee is INR 1,000 for general category and OBC students, and INR 700 for SC and ST applicants.

Q. What are the expected dates of Indian Maritime University recruitment 2025?

The expected dates, mode of application, and submission deadlines for all part time and full time roles offered by Indian Maritime University in 2025 can be found on its website. This contains details of open positions for regular, contract, and visiting faculty, as well as staff members.

Q. What is the IMU CET 2025 exam pattern?

IMU CET 2025 is expected to be a computer based test, and the number of questions will vary according to the program to which the student has applied. On average, there will be 200 questions, all of which are multiple choice. There will be questions to test the candidate’s knowledge of English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and General Knowledge.

Q. Does IMU offer Diploma programs?

IMU offers a one year Diploma in Nautical Science (DNS) program. This is a full time certificate course; after successful completion, students can appear for the Merchant Navy examination to be selected as Deck Officers and obtain a Certificate of Competency.

Q. What are the expected dates of IMU CET 2025?

IMU CET 2025 is expected to be held in the first or second week of June 2025.