Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode

How is Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode ranked in 2026?

Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode is ranked 3rd in the NIRF Management category (its most recent national ranking, NIRF 2025, score 79.85), and it broke into the global top 100 with rank #78 in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 for Business and Management Studies (score 71.50). These two figures define IIM Kozhikode's standing as of 2026: a consolidated top-three position among Indian B-schools and a fresh entry into the worldwide elite for management studies. NIRF 2026 rankings had not been released as of June 2026, so the NIRF 2025 rank of 3 remains the institute's latest official national position. Across recruiter-facing rankings, IIM Kozhikode also holds #5 in India Today MBA 2025 (score 86.00) and #6 in QS India MBA 2025 (score 78.90), confirming that its strong national reputation now carries international weight.

Year-Wise Rankings

The table below consolidates every verified ranking for Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode across 2024, 2025 and 2026, drawn from four ranking bodies: NIRF, QS Business and Management Studies, QS India MBA, and India Today MBA. It answers the core question an aspirant asks, namely "where exactly does IIM Kozhikode sit, and in which list?" Read it by ranking body first, then compare the rank and score across years to see whether the institute is rising or holding. Every figure is attributed to the exact year and body that published it.

The clearest takeaway is improvement on every front. IIM Kozhikode moved from NIRF Management #6 in 2024 to #3 in 2025, climbed from India Today MBA #6 in 2024 to #5 in 2025, and rose from QS India MBA #7 in 2024 to #6 in 2025, before capping the run with its first-ever top-100 global placement at QS #78 in 2026. For an applicant, this means the institute is not coasting on legacy reputation; its rank is actively tightening toward the very top of Indian management education.

Ranking Trajectory of Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode

Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode's trajectory is one of steady, multi-list ascent rather than a single lucky jump. In the NIRF Management category, the institute held #6 in 2024 (score 82.60) and then advanced three places to #3 in 2025 (score 79.85), a position it has now retained, with IIM Ahmedabad at #1 and IIM Bangalore at #2 forming the rest of the top three. As of June 2026 the NIRF 2026 list had not been published, so this #3 stands as IIM Kozhikode's current national standing.

The international story is even more striking. In QS India MBA, IIM Kozhikode improved from #7 in 2024 (score 78.10) to #6 in 2025 (score 78.90). Then, in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 for Business and Management Studies, the institute entered the global top 100 at #78 with a score of 71.50, a sharp leap from the 141st position it held in the previous global cycle. India Today MBA echoes the same upward signal, with the rank firming from #6 in 2024 (score 85.20) to #5 in 2025 (score 86.00). Taken together, the trajectory signals that IIM Kozhikode's gains in research output, perception and graduate outcomes are being recognised simultaneously by domestic and global evaluators, which is the strongest kind of momentum an MBA aspirant can look for.

How Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode Compares

Against its closest peers, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode sits firmly inside the top tier of Indian management institutes. In NIRF Management 2025 the verified top three are IIM Ahmedabad at #1, IIM Bangalore at #2, and IIM Kozhikode at #3 (score 79.85), which places Kozhikode ahead of every other IIM and B-school below it in that list. The table below positions IIM Kozhikode within that NIRF Management 2025 top three so the relative gap is easy to read.

What this means for an applicant is concrete: only two institutions in the country, IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore, are ranked above IIM Kozhikode in NIRF Management 2025. On the global stage, IIM Kozhikode's QS Business and Management Studies #78 in 2026 marks it as one of the few Indian B-schools inside the worldwide top 100 for the subject. The combined picture is a school comfortably in the national top three that is now competing for international visibility rather than just domestic prestige.