Great Lakes Gurgaon: two programmes with different entry points

Great Lakes Institute of Management’s Gurgaon campus offers two full-time routes with different applicant profiles. The one-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGPM) is designed for experienced candidates; the two-year Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) is presented for fresh graduates and early-career professionals. The institute describes PGPM as a one-year programme and its PGDM as a two-year programme. These are separate applications with different cohort timelines. Applicants should compare the work-experience requirement and score window for the exact programme before paying an application fee, rather than assume that a test accepted for one page is automatically valid for the other.

The campus is described as a seven-acre site in Gurgaon’s corporate hub. Its official campus page places it near Manesar and NH8, with access to business districts in Gurgaon and New Delhi and to IGI Airport. The institution says the Gurgaon campus was established in 2010. Location can be useful when weighing commuting, recruiter events and access to the Delhi-NCR business ecosystem, but proximity does not guarantee an internship, a job interview or a placement outcome. Ask how residential life, travel and programme schedules fit your own needs.

The institute’s site separates its Gurgaon programmes from online study and management-development offerings. This page focuses on the full-time Gurgaon PGPM and PGDM described by the current admissions pages. Confirm that every fee, test window and placement report you compare is for this campus and these full-time cohorts. The main decision is not simply one year versus two: applicants should also consider their experience, opportunity cost, course length, residential expense and the kind of transition they want after graduation.

PGPM 2027-28 admission: experienced applicants

The Gurgaon PGPM admissions page is for the one-year 2027-28 intake. It accepts GMAT tests taken after 1 January 2024, CAT 2025 or 2026, XAT 2026 or 2027, and NMAT scores from 2025 onward. The page says applicants need a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised institution and at least 50% across Class 10, Class 12 and undergraduate studies. It considers candidates with two or more years of work experience, and encourages applicants with two to three years by 30 April 2027 to apply to the one-year flagship programme.

The first cycle deadline shown on the page is 26 November 2026; later cycle dates are not all fixed in the captured page. The page encourages candidates with two to three years of experience by 30 April 2027 to apply to PGPM, while also saying they are eligible to apply for PGDM. The institute says applicants seeking consideration for both PGPM and PGDM must submit the separate programme forms. Each application is assessed against its own criteria, and the admissions panel may recommend an applicant for the programme it considers the better fit. Treat that as an option to explore, not a promise that one application covers both programmes.

The selection description says the school looks at academic performance, personal and professional record, management aptitude and demonstrated competencies. Its score-use notes explain that CAT, XAT and NMAT are used for admissions screening; the testing bodies do not conduct Great Lakes’ academic programmes. The page also says applications are handled online through Great Lakes’ own website and warns that it has not authorised a third party to initiate applications. It states that the institute does not admit through management quota or reservation.

Before applying, match your score test date and edition to the PGPM page, confirm that your academic records meet the listed threshold, and calculate work experience by the date specified there. If you are near the two-year threshold, check the official admissions team’s current interpretation rather than applying an assumed rounding rule. Keep the programme name in your application and offer records, because this one-year route has its own fee page and placement report.

PGDM 2027-29 admission: early-career applicants

The PGDM admissions page identifies the two-year 2027-29 intake. Its Cycle 1 list includes CAT 2025 and 2026 takers and XAT 2026 takers. The page also allows candidates appearing for CAT 2026 or XAT 2027 to apply before their scores are available; it says selected candidates will be interviewed on their profiles in Cycle 1. The current Cycle 1 deadline is 26 November 2026. The later cycle dates in the captured page are shown as to be determined, so do not infer an opening or closing date from a previous intake.

The PGDM page shows a separate online personal-interview stage. Its assessment guidance discusses entrance-test scores, academic performance, work experience and interview performance. The interview is intended to consider suitability for the programme and future management work, including awareness, goals, communication, attitude and personal or professional initiatives. These are the school’s published selection dimensions, not a scoring formula or a guarantee of admission. Review the current cycle page before submitting because the listed score editions and dates are cycle-specific.

Great Lakes’ PGPM page says freshers and candidates with less than 24 months of experience should apply to PGDM. It also describes applicants with two to three years as eligible to apply to either route using separate forms, subject to each programme’s own process. This makes work experience a programme-choice question, not just a résumé detail: compare the length of study and the application criteria before deciding whether the two-year programme fits your career timing.

The admission pages say applications are online and that the institute does not authorise third parties to start applications on its behalf. The PGDM page also states that there is no management-quota or reservation route. Use only the official site for current dates and payment instructions. Save the version of the page you relied on, retain your submission confirmation and ask the admissions office which score deadline applies if your test result arrives after the form deadline.

PGPM fees: 2026-27 published schedule

The PGPM fee page is labelled 2026-27, so its numbers are a historical schedule for that intake, not a confirmed 2027-28 quote. For Indian students it lists ₹12.44 lakh in tuition and ₹6.37 lakh in programme fees, or ₹18.81 lakh in academic fees. Its listed total is ₹22.50 lakh after ₹3.54 lakh for twin-sharing air-conditioned accommodation, a refundable ₹10,000 caution deposit and ₹5,000 alumni subscription. Tuition includes reading materials such as case studies, textbooks and online resources.

The page says the programme is residential and hostel accommodation is mandatory. Twin-sharing air-conditioned accommodation is specified. Vegetarian meals are included in the schedule, while non-vegetarian food costs extra. The page also says students must have their own laptop as per institute specifications. Some housing and catering services may be outsourced, with the institute facilitating and coordinating charges paid to service providers. These details matter because the total includes listed housing and deposit charges but not every personal expense a student may incur.

For planning cash flow, the FAQ says the fee is paid in stages under the institute’s schedule shared with admitted candidates, and that payment timelines are provided after admission confirmation. It mentions education loans as an option, but does not make a loan approval or scholarship award part of the fee quote. The listed refund policy is governed by applicable AICTE norms. Check the current offer and the actual payment calendar for the cycle you enter; do not carry the 2026-27 total into a later offer without confirmation.

When comparing PGPM with the two-year programme, separate tuition and programme charges from accommodation and one-time items. Also include the cost of a laptop, non-vegetarian meals if relevant, travel, loan interest and the income you may give up during a full-time year. These are applicant-specific costs, not extra amounts stated by the institute’s fee table.

PGDM fees: 2026-28 published schedule

The PGDM fee page labels its schedule 2026-28. For Indian students it lists tuition of ₹8.30 lakh and programme fees of ₹5.05 lakh, for ₹13.35 lakh in academic fees. The total listed fee is ₹19.82 lakh, including ₹6.32 lakh for twin-sharing air-conditioned accommodation, a refundable ₹10,000 caution deposit and a ₹5,000 alumni subscription. This is the published 2026-28 schedule, not a confirmed price for the 2027-29 class.

The school says the programme is residential and hostel accommodation is mandatory. It typically provides twin-sharing air-conditioned rooms, while a triple-sharing room may be allocated in the first year depending on availability; the page says the lower charge is refunded on a prorated basis for the applicable terms. Vegetarian meals are included and non-vegetarian meals cost extra. Tuition includes reading material, case studies, textbooks and online resources. The fee notes say a personal laptop and personal travel or miscellaneous expenses are excluded. Housing and catering services may be delivered by service providers, with the institute coordinating them.

The page describes the total as academic fees plus accommodation, refundable deposit and alumni subscription. For a household budget, keep the refundable deposit separate from a recurring expense and ask what would happen if room allocation changes. The payment FAQ says detailed instructions and schedules are shared after offer acceptance; it does not provide a future-cycle instalment calendar here. Its refund statement refers to applicable AICTE norms. Applicants should use their offer documents for binding due dates, refund terms and payment channels.

Compare this two-year budget with the one-year PGPM only after putting both on the same basis: academic fees, mandatory housing, meals, deposit treatment, personal costs and months away from paid work. The two published totals belong to different programme editions, and neither is a forecast for the next intake. Do not treat the difference between them as a fixed price premium or as a direct measure of value.

PGPM placement outcomes: Class of 2026

Great Lakes publishes a separate PGPM Class of 2026 report. It lists average CTC of ₹16.2 lakh and highest CTC of ₹34.5 lakh. The report describes the highest result as coming from a top global consulting firm and says average post-MBA CTC was 2.6 times the average incoming CTC. It also names roles such as consultant, business-transformation lead, decision-analytics consultant, associate product manager, product analyst, assistant brand manager and operations manager.

The report’s industry mix gives useful context for the headline averages: IT/ITES accounted for 41% of offers, consulting 30%, and analytics 11%. By function, analytics represented 21%, functional consulting 17%, business consulting 11%, and marketing and sales 11%; other listed areas include digital consulting, strategy, product management and operations. The report says more than 15 new recruiters participated and identifies a wider set of consulting, technology, analytics, manufacturing, logistics and healthcare employers. Those details describe the school’s reported Class of 2026 activity, not a forecast of which firms will recruit the next class. The report notes that CTC includes fixed, variable and other benefit components, so a headline figure should not be read as fixed monthly pay.

CTC is not the same as fixed take-home salary. The report says its CTC measure includes fixed, variable and other benefits. The public summary reviewed for this page does not provide a median or a graduating-versus-placed denominator, so it cannot establish a placement rate or the distribution of individual offers. The 2.6x comparison is the institute’s average post-MBA versus average incoming CTC statement; it is not an individual salary increase or a net return after tuition and living costs.

Ask for the exact cohort definition, number of students seeking placements, number placed, median fixed pay, variable-pay share and role-level breakdown before comparing a headline average with another school’s result. Use the PGPM report for the one-year cohort, and do not transfer its outcomes to the PGDM class.

PGDM placement outcomes: Class of 2026

The PGDM Class of 2026 report lists average CTC of ₹12.1 lakh per annum and highest CTC of ₹24 lakh per annum. It names functions including finance, consulting, technology, analytics, sales and marketing, project management, strategy and business development. Examples of roles include corporate strategy, product manager, business consultant in financial services, techno-functional consultant, portfolio-management senior analyst, customer-success manager, solution advisor and programme manager.

Its industry summary says IT/ITES represented 28%, BFSI and fintech 23%, and business consulting 17%, among other sectors. The report also names recruiters from banking, consulting, technology, automotive and consumer businesses. Its notes say CTC includes fixed, variable and other benefit components. The institute describes the result as its highest placement outcome, but the published summary reviewed here does not show a comparable placed-versus-graduating denominator or a median. Treat the figures as programme-specific reported outcomes rather than a guarantee for an applicant or a placement rate.

The PGDM and PGPM results should not be blended: the one-year PGPM draws experienced applicants while the two-year PGDM serves a different entry profile. Even within PGDM, compare only reports that use compatible cohort definitions and pay components. The public summary reviewed here does not show enough denominator or distribution detail to establish a like-for-like year-on-year outcome.

For a practical comparison, ask the placement office for cohort size, eligibility for placement support, number seeking work, number placed, median fixed compensation and the share of total CTC that is variable or benefits. Compare those answers with total programme cost and the likely time before you return to full-time earnings. A high offer is an outlier, not the expected outcome for each student.

Approval, accreditation and institution-reported ranking

The Gurgaon accreditation page describes several recognitions with different scopes. It says Great Lakes Gurgaon has AACSB accreditation and AMBA Development Network accreditation for its one-year PGPM and two-year PGDM. The same page says the two-year full-time PGDM has National Board of Accreditation (NBA) accreditation, and that Great Lakes Gurgaon is approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). It says the two-year PGDM is approved by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) as equivalent to an MBA. These are not interchangeable labels: check the programme name and the body behind each recognition, and do not infer that an equivalence statement turns the PGDM into a university-awarded degree.

The page also reports that Great Lakes Gurgaon is ranked 50th in NIRF 2025 Management. This is presented as an institution-reported statement on its accreditation page; this article does not independently transcribe the rank from the NIRF table. Rank comparisons should preserve publisher, category and edition. A school may appear in a different category or ranking system with a different position, so compare like with like rather than combining unrelated ranks.

Before accepting an offer, confirm the current AICTE approval and the accreditation status that applies to the exact programme and duration. Read the current disclosure and offer terms, and verify the official awarding body, credential title, campus and programme. Accreditation and ranking are useful context, but they do not answer whether the one-year experienced-candidate route or the two-year early-career route fits your goals, budget and preferred learning environment.