NIBM-National Institute of Bank Management, Pune

Overview

The National Institute of Bank Management (NIBM), Pune, is the most renowned financial management education and research institution in India. It was established in 1969 by the Reserve Bank of India. The Governor of the RBI oversees the flagship education degree (PGDM) offered by NIBM, in addition to its research activities and the 150 training programs run by the Institute for senior executives in the Banking & Financial Services industry. The PGDM program was established in 2003 as the Post Graduate Diploma in Banking and Finance, and took its current form in 2013.

PGDM students of the National Institute of Bank Management, Pune, enjoy the support of the strong Placement Cell. For example, the highest package offered during the most recent placement season was INR 23.5 LPA. All 120 students in the graduating batch were successfully placed. The average package is also among the highest for MBA programs in India, at INR 15.22 LPA. The top 10% of students had an average salary above INR 22 LPA. 25 companies participated in the final placement process, with 80% from the Banking & Financial Services Sector, and the rest from the IT and Management Consulting industries.

NIBM is an Institute of international repute, with more than 3,500 professionals from 250 companies in developing countries benefiting from the executive training programs organized at the 62 acre campus every year. The PGDM program is completely residential, with multiple hostels and apartment units catering to all the personal and extracurricular needs of the students.

Highlights

Fees

The total fee for PGDM students of NIBM (including academic fees and living costs) is INR 16 Lakh for the full two year program. The components of this amount are:

• Academic fee (including tuition, IT infrastructure, library costs, and examination fees): INR 6.86 LPA. The first and fourth terms (trimesters) have academic fees of INR 2.66 Lakh, and the other four have INR 2.1 Lakh as the academic fee.
• Hostel fees: INR 1.08 LPA. Every term has the same hostel fee: INR 36,000.
• Alumni fees: INR 12,000 for the two year course (INR 2,000 per term).

The hostel fees listed above do not include mess costs. Medical insurance is included. All students must pay a security deposit of INR 12,000 at the time of admission, and a mess deposit of INR 8,000. Both these amounts are refundable at the time of graduation subject to the good conduct of the student.

Admissions

The eligibility criteria for admission to The National Institute of Bank Management, Pune, are as follows:

• The candidate must have completed a UG degree from a recognized University, with a duration of at least three years.
• The applicant must have an aggregate of at least 50% (or equivalent CGPA) throughout their undergraduate degree. This is relaxed to 45% for SC/ST and PwD applicants. If the degree is not yet completed at the time of application, a provisional certificate may be submitted.
• The student must submit a valid Common Admission Test (CAT) score. Other entrance test scores are also accepted e.g. GMAT, GRE, CMAT, and XAT.

The steps in the admission procedure include:

• Filling up the online application form on the NIBM website. The window for this is open for 4 months: from December to March.
• Uploading the required documents (academic transcripts and Entrance Test scorecards).
• After receiving all applications, the Institute contacts the shortlisted students for the final phase of the selection process.
• The Oral Communication Test (OCT) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds are conducted online. In the former, candidates must speak at length on a given topic. The latter is an examination of their previous academic and work achievements, in addition to the motivation for joining NIBM.
• The final merit list is prepared based on the overall performance, and candidates have two weeks from the date of receipt of the offer to confirm their acceptance by paying the first installment of the tuition fees.

The various parts of the evaluation process have the following weightages while deciding the final merit list:

• Entrance test score (CAT, GMAT, GRE, XAT, or CMAT): 35%.
• Academic performance (UG primarily): 25%.
• Personal Interview performance: 25%.
• Verbal communication test: 10%.
• Work experience and extracurricular achievements: 5%.

Placements

As one of the top MBA colleges in India, the placement highlights  of The National Institute of Bank Management, Pune, are as follows: 

• 100% of all students were placed; this has been a consistent record since the inception of the PGDM program in 2003.
• 25 different companies participated in the final placement process, with 20% consulting firms, 52% Banks, and 28% NBFCs.
• 35 of the 120 students who received job offers accepted their PPOs from summer internships.
• The highest package offered was INR 23.5 LPA. The mean and median salaries offered were INR 15.22 LPA and INR 15 LPA, respectively.
• The average packages for various percentile ranges were as follows:
  • Top 10%: INR 22.44 LPA.
  • Top 25%: INR 21.09 LPA.
  • Top 50%: INR 18.25 LPA.
  • Top 75%: INR 16.87 LPA.
• Some prominent recruiters include Barclays, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Fullerton India, HDFC Bank, HSBC, Protiviti, Natwest Group, Cognizant, CSB Bank, Edelweiss, and Airtel Payments Bank.

Cut-Offs

The main PGDM entrance test cut-off while shortlisting candidates for the Personal Interview round is based on the CAT (or equivalent) percentile score:

• General Category candidates: The cut-off is a percentile score of 75.
• OBC (non-creamy layer): 65.
• SC: 60.
• ST: 50.
• Persons with Disabilities: 50.
• Applicants from Economically Weaker Sections (EWS): 65.

Faculty & Alumni

The National Institute of Bank Management, Pune, is home to 28 full time Faculty members. Most of them hold PhD and/or MBA degrees. Together, the Assistant and Associate Professors specialize in four areas: Finance, Human Resource Management, Information Technology, and International Banking & Finance. There are also adjunct faculty members who are very senior industry professionals who have contributed substantially to India’s financial systems.

The Alumni Network of the National Institute of Bank Management comprises senior managers at many of the world’s most respected financial institutions. The online portal coordinates all the Network’s activities, including alumni-student mentorship programs, Alum Melange (the annual alumni meet on campus), networking events in other cities, talks by distinguished alumni, valediction ceremonies for superannuating professors, and industry summits. These events are organized in both online and offline modes, and offer a great way for graduates of the NIBM PGDM program all over the world to stay connected with the Institute and its current students.

Scholarships

As in other top MBA colleges in India, there are multiple financial aid options available to students of The National Institute of Bank Management, Pune. Given that NIBM students have an average of 15 months’ work experience, the emphasis is mostly on loans rather than on scholarships. Some examples include:

1. Scholarships: These are designed to support brilliant students from financially disadvantaged families. Merit cum Means scholarships are awarded to a certain number of students at the time of admission, based on the documents submitted with the application.

2. Education Loans: The largest public sector banks, including State Bank of India and Canara Bank, offer loans to students of NIBM on preferential terms.

Preparation & FAQs

The admission process to NIBM Pune is highly competitive, and applicants must devote sufficient time to preparation in parallel with their full time jobs. The first phase is CAT preparation. This should ideally be done through a six or twelve month classroom part time program, with multiple mock tests and sample papers to ensure readiness. For the Personal interview (PI) round, applicants must ensure that they can adequately speak about their academic history, show off their communication skills, display adequate finance knowledge, and show that they can reliably take part in group assignments.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. Which is the best Business School in Pune?

The National Institute of Bank Management, Pune, is one of the best MBA colleges in India, and is a contender for best Business School in Pune. It is ranked #27 among all Public Business Schools in India, according to the IIRF 2024 ranking list.

Q. What is the deadline for application to the National Institute of Bank Management, Pune?

Applicants to the PGDM program at NIBM must submit their online application between December 1 and March 20 of the year in which they wish to join the course.

Q. Which are the student clubs run by PGDM students at the National Institute of Bank Management, Pune?

The three main student clubs at NIBM Pune are VittArth (an economic and financial forum to share and disseminate knowledge about the Banking & Financial Services Sector), KONSULT (the Consulting Club driven by students), and Vittnivesh (a student-driven investment fund designed to teach students to manage financial assets).

Q. Which are the main student festivals at NIBM Pune?

The PGDM students of NIBM Pune organize four annual festivals: Colloquium (the academic festival featuring keynote talks and technical paper presentations on the finance sector), Adhikosh (the cultural and technical festival), Josh (the annual sports festival), and Vishleshan (the prestigious bimonthly talk series).

Q. Which are the student committees at the National Institute of Bank Management, Pune?

The PGDM students of NIBM Pune form ten student committees for smooth regulation of campus life, including the Alumni Relations Committee, the Sports Committee, the Placement (Corporate Relations) Committee, the Sports Committee, the Media and PR Committee, and the Entrepreneurship Cell.