Does it break your heart too when you are asked to choose between the bests? A major yes is what everyone has to say. A lot of times, there’s a constant mismatch in deciding amongst the educational institutes. Some get through it and some get with it!

The case is no less when it comes to choosing between FMS and IIM, two big business schools for MBA. The major deciding factors where students get confused are mainly; value, curriculum, infrastructure and other facilities, admission criteria’s, fee structure, placements and whatnot. Clubbing all these factors together, this blog has 5 pointers to look upon and will help you decide better and wiser by the end of it, surely!

Existence and Value

Talking of the first and the foremost point that is the establishment and the value attached to IIMs and FMS. FMS was established in the year 1954 and is working as a public institute of Delhi University since then. On the other hand, the first IIM was established in the year 1961 and was established in Calcutta and Ahmedabad in the same year. So, clearly, FMS has a little more experience in the management industry.

Coming to the value aspect, as everyone is aware that IIMs have become an epitome of management education, the value meter is quite more towards the same. FMS is also a well-known institute but lacks the value which IIM has.

Fee Structure

The fee structure is one aspect which holds the major difference in both the business schools. Being one of the most vital factors, the majority of the admissions depend on the same. The fee structure of IIMs varies from one to the other, depending on the brand value. The highest fee charged is INR 28 lakhs by IIM Ahmedabad followed by Calcutta and Bangalore. Winning with a clear view is FMS on the other hand, which has an annual fee of INR 10,480 annually for MBA- full-time and INR 50,000 (on average) for MBA- Executive. It is extremely less than IIM’s charge and offers an equally compatible curriculum with feasibility.

Faculty and Programs

The programs offered by both the institutes are more or less the same. Another point to be proud of is that the faculty of both the business institutes are masters in their own field. FMS Delhi being at the heart of Delhi University’s north campus gets access to all the related faculties as well from varied departments and colleges and so does the students. IIM on the other side has a more learning approach. Most of the professors there were and are active in worldwide publications and seminars which help the students gain an overall perspective of both the worlds, i.e. nationally and internationally.

Admission Procedures

Admission procedure of both the colleges is almost the same. Besides all the similarities of having a bachelors’ degree, appearing for the personal interview and CAT 2019 score, IIM also conducts WAT which is a Writing Ability Test whereas FMS does not conduct this. FMS has a Group discussion, popularly known as GD as one of the selection criteria’s which IIM’s doesn’t have.

Overall the admission process is straight forward and has no complexities. What matters is the high cut off which is of major concern for every prospective student! The CAT cutoff for both old IIMs and FMS is 99 percentile.

Exposure and Placements

Coming to the most crucial and vital part which comes first in the minds of the students, exposure and placements. The exposure quotient is to a greater extent more in the IIM’s as compared to the FMS. IIM’s holds conventions and inter-college/universities competitions which gives an overall practical perspective to all the students. And everyone is quite aware of the fact that alumni of these prestigious institutes such as Raghuram Rajan, Chetan Bhagat, etc. are world-renowned personalities and deliver their speeches and talk sessions at the campus events.

Next up are the placements. The average placement package offered by the IIM’s is of 15-16 LPA (approx.) FMS (Faculty of Management Studies), on the other hand, is equally competitive with an offering of 23.20 LPA which has increased from the last year. But the point to note is that the maximum salary package in FMS has dipped down from 54 to 48 LPA from last year.

Companies which come for the placements are aces in their own sectors and offer an A-class profile. Companies such as KPMG, Airtel, Adani, Google, Deloitte, and the list goes on and on. This clearly shows that students have the greatest scope to grab the opportunity as and when it happens.

The Final Verdict

It goes without saying that ‘what suits you’ is the best decision for you. If your pocket is ready to pay in lakhs for MBA of course with an ace education, the IIM is for you. On the other shore, if you are someone who is wandering to go for an institute which offers premium quality education within your pocket, then FMS is surely the one for you.

Both the institutes have grate placements, brand value, infrastructure and on the whole, the admission processes are also not too tedious. One extra point to IIM’s for having too many of them in different states, this makes more way for students to get into the world of IIM with less fee and same supreme education. Lastly, wither of them is a great B-school and will provide you with an amazing future, ahead!