IIM Lucknow is a management institute with a portfolio that spans full-time MBA programmes, working-executive and executive routes, and doctoral study. The practical first step is to identify the programme and campus that fit your experience and goals: its full-time MBA routes and several executive programmes have different admissions rules, schedules and fee scopes. This guide uses IIML’s latest verified material available on 4 November 2026. Several figures below belong to prior batches or the 2024-25 report year; they are identified as historical rather than carried into a future intake. (IIM Lucknow programme listings)

Programmes and campus choices

The flagship full-time route is IIM Lucknow’s MBA, formerly described in institutional material as the Post Graduate Programme (PGP). The institute also lists the MBA in Agribusiness Management (MBA-ABM) and MBA in Sustainable Management (MBA-SM). These are not merely alternate labels for the same course: IIML publishes separate admissions and fee provisions for MBA-ABM and MBA-SM, and the CAT-2025 admission policy uses programme-specific shortlist components and thresholds. A student interested in agribusiness or sustainability should read that programme’s eligibility, curriculum and cost documents rather than assume the flagship MBA details apply unchanged. (IIML MBA and MBA-ABM · MBA-SM · 2026-28 admission policy)

IIML also offers programmes for applicants with substantial work experience. The Post Graduate Programme in Management for Working Executives (PGPWE) is a two-year route at the Noida Campus. Its published 2027-29 application process accepts several test routes and requires at least three years of full-time post-qualification work experience by 31 March 2027. The International Programme in Management for Executives (IPMX) is a separate one-year, residential executive programme at Noida. IIML’s programme page describes a distinct admission path and 2027-28 fee schedule for IPMX. These routes are not substitutes for the flagship CAT-based MBA application: their intended applicants, tests and calendars differ. (PGPWE admissions and schedule · IPMX programme and admissions)

IIM Lucknow also maintains the Fellow Programme in Management (FPM), its doctoral route. Before applying, compare the current programme page for research areas, eligibility, financial support and application dates; the MBA application process does not establish FPM requirements. Campus matters as well. The Lucknow and Noida campuses serve different programme routes, and the institute’s pages describe campus-specific facilities. Do not assume a facility, accommodation arrangement or commute at one campus is available to students at the other. IIML’s official campus and facilities pages give conflicting acreage figures for Lucknow, so this overview does not state a campus-area number. (IIML doctoral programme information · Lucknow campus · Noida campus)

Admissions: distinguish the current executive window from the prior full-time policy

For the flagship MBA, MBA-ABM and MBA-SM, the latest full-time policy located in the reviewed official material is for the 2026-28 batch and uses CAT 2025. It sets programme- and category-specific minimum sectional and overall percentiles for consideration at the first shortlisting stage. Those minima are not final admission cutoffs, guaranteed interview calls, or a prediction for CAT 2026 or CAT 2027. The policy then uses separate composite and post-interview scoring stages; the component weights differ between MBA/MBA-SM and MBA-ABM. Read the exact policy before using a score threshold, and wait for IIML’s next batch-specific policy before treating an old rule as current. (IIML CAT-2025 admission policy, batch 2026-28)

The 2027-29 PGPWE route has a currently posted application schedule. Phase 2 is listed through 31 December 2026 at 5:00 PM IST, with the entrance test in January 2027, shortlist in January, interviews and selection in February, and programme start in the first week of April. IIML marks the schedule tentative, and a separate paragraph on the programme page contains a conflicting past date for the second application round. The schedule, FAQ and application form agree on 31 December; applicants should verify the live form before paying. PGPWE requires a bachelor’s degree with at least 50% or equivalent CGPA and three years of eligible post-qualification work experience by 31 March 2027. Test options include GMAT/GRE, specified CAT and GATE years, or the IIML entrance test; the page says it does not publish a fixed minimum score. (PGPWE page and application form · PGPWE application form)

This route distinction affects preparation. A CAT applicant to the full-time MBA should monitor IIML’s policy for the intended batch, confirm the correct programme and category, and keep sectional and overall performance separate. A PGPWE candidate should check whether their work history meets IIML’s post-qualification definition, which tests are valid for the chosen phase, and whether the score remains valid through the application deadline. An IPMX applicant should use the executive programme page and its own instructions. A published CAT threshold from one batch cannot answer eligibility or selection questions for these other routes.

Fees: compare each schedule on its own terms

IIML’s official documents show different schedules for the full-time MBA/ MBA-ABM, MBA-SM, PGPWE and IPMX. The clearest full-time MBA and MBA-ABM schedule located is for batch 2026-28, not a confirmed price for a later flagship intake. It totals ₹20.50 lakh in scheduled Fee A across two years, plus a ₹20,000 refundable deposit and ₹5,000 alumni fee. The schedule says mess is charged separately at actual cost each term. MBA-SM has its own 2026-28 schedule and includes additional programme-specific costs, including an international immersion estimate; students should not replace that document with the PGP/PGP-ABM table. (Official PGP and PGP-ABM fee schedule, batch 2026-28 · MBA-SM fee schedule)

The published PGPWE schedule for 2027-29 lists ₹11 lakh, with caution money, alumni fee, class-day refreshments and an approximately ₹4.50 lakh international immersion cost accounted for separately. PGPWE is non-residential; accommodation at Noida may be available on request and subject to availability and prevailing rates. The IPMX 2027-28 page lists ₹26 lakh, with a refundable caution amount and alumni fee on top; airfare for international immersion is separate. Its schedule says later instalment dates are tentative. These figures are route- and batch-specific, so they should not be added together or used as a generic “IIM Lucknow MBA fee.” (PGPWE fee and payment details · IPMX fees and payment details)

For a useful cost comparison, distinguish the academic fee from refundable deposits, food, travel, optional accommodation and immersion expenses. Ask which items are included in the offer’s total, when each instalment is due, and what the withdrawal policy says before making a payment. The official MBA page describes need-based financial assistance and separately points applicants to national and state scholarship channels. The sources reviewed here do not establish a current award amount, income cutoff or deadline that applies across all programmes. Check the relevant programme office and current scholarship notice rather than relying on older web summaries. (IIML MBA page and financial-assistance information)

Placements: a combined PGP and PGP-ABM report, not an individual forecast

IIML’s Final Placement Report 2024-25 covers the 39th PGP batch and 20th PGP-ABM batch. It lists 604 offers while the batch profile shows 583 students. The report does not say that 604 offers represent 604 people placed, and the summary does not give a denominator for students seeking placement. It is therefore not sound to divide offers by batch size and label the result a placement rate. The scope also matters: the headline figures are for the combined PGP/PGP-ABM cycle, not MBA-SM, PGPWE or IPMX. (IIM Lucknow Final Placement Report 2024-25, pp. 3-5)

For that combined 2024-25 cycle, the report gives a mean salary of ₹32.3 lakh per annum and a median of ₹31 lakh. The highest domestic figure is ₹75 lakh and the international figure is ₹65 lakh. These measures answer different questions: the median describes the centre of the reported distribution, the mean can move with higher values, and the two highs represent upper-end outcomes rather than typical offers. The report does not give programme-specific breakdowns for these four headline numbers or the number of international offers. For that reason, treat the figures as a dated batch summary rather than a salary expectation for a new student. (IIML Final Placement Report 2024-25)

The report’s function chart displays consulting at 38%, general management 21%, finance 15%, IT/technology/analytics/product 14%, sales and marketing 8%, and operations 3%. The displayed values sum to 99%, consistent with rounding; underlying counts are not printed alongside the chart. Domain-specific mean CTC values range from ₹28.2 lakh in sales and marketing to ₹36.6 lakh in consulting, but IIML does not show sample sizes for those group means in the report pages reviewed. They are descriptive results for that cycle, not guarantees, and should not be confused with the overall cohort mean or with access to a particular role. The placement report itself is the best source for evaluating these numbers; its pages show the programme grouping and denominator omissions described above.

Rankings and accreditation: keep publisher, programme and year attached

In NIRF 2025’s Management category, IIM Lucknow reported rank 5 and a score of 77.97, compared with rank 7 in NIRF 2024. The institute’s announcement lists the 2025 component scores under Teaching, Learning and Resources, Research and Professional Practice, Graduation Outcomes, Outreach and Inclusivity, and Perception. This is an institution/category result, not a PGP or IPMX ranking. The announcement says the results were released on 4 September 2025. (IIM Lucknow NIRF 2025 announcement)

IIML’s 2024-25 annual report also lists international programme results: PGP was 55th in the Financial Times Masters in Management ranking for 2024-25, and IPMX was 71st in the FT Global MBA ranking for that year. It gives earlier year comparisons for both series. The Chairman’s message in the same report describes IIM Lucknow as #57 in the FT Masters in Management Ranking 2025, while the rankings page gives PGP #55. The report does not explain the difference, so both statements should remain attributed to their respective passages rather than collapsed into one definitive figure. For QS, the annual report says PGP was in the 111-120 band in 2024-25 and among the top 10 management programmes in Asia in the QS Business Master’s Rankings 2025. The sources reviewed do not supply an exact position inside either QS result. (IIM Lucknow Annual Report 2024-25 · Rankings page)

Accreditation is a separate question from ranking. IIM Lucknow’s annual report describes the institute as accredited by AMBA and AACSB and notes a positive EFMD eligibility decision in 2023 alongside an expected EQUIS review in mid-2025. That passage does not confirm the review outcome. On the evidence cited here, it is appropriate to report the two named accreditations and the report’s historical EFMD/EQUIS note, but not to repeat an unsupported “Triple Crown” claim. Applicants who care about accreditation status should check the accrediting bodies and current institute pages for the latest decision. (IIM Lucknow Annual Report 2024-25)

Campus, financial support and choosing a route

IIML’s programme and campus pages place the main full-time MBA routes at Lucknow and several executive offerings at Noida. The campus pages are the right place to check location-specific facilities, transport and accommodation before applying; this overview does not repeat unverified claims about hostel quality, library hours, sports access or student culture. Even the official site’s Lucknow acreage figures differ between campus pages, so the precise area remains unresolved in the material reviewed. Applicants should confirm the facilities that matter to them with the campus and programme rather than infer them from a general institute profile. (IIM Lucknow campus information · IIML facilities)

A good comparison starts with your intended role and the route built for your profile. A CAT applicant considering MBA, MBA-ABM or MBA-SM should compare curriculum and eligibility, then budget against the exact batch schedule. A professional with several years of work experience should compare PGPWE and IPMX separately: one is a two-year working-executive programme with several listed test options and a live 2027-29 application phase; the other is a one-year residential executive route with its own fee and calendar. A research applicant should use FPM’s current department and funding information. Across all routes, treat ranking and placement data as historical evidence with a defined programme and cohort, not as a promise about an individual result.

Before committing, verify the current application form, batch policy, fee schedule, refund terms, scholarship notice and campus-specific arrangements directly with IIM Lucknow. The linked pages and reports above establish what IIML published for their named dates and cohorts; they do not guarantee that the next admission cycle will use the same scores, dates or costs.