Indian School of Business

Latest Admission Updates (2026)

As of June 2026, applications for the Indian School of Business (ISB) flagship Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP), the institute's one-year MBA-equivalent, are running on a three-round, rolling cycle for the Class of 2028 intake (programme begins April 2027). Below are the most recent confirmed updates an ISB aspirant must act on.

• Round 1 application deadline - 20 September 2026 (the single most important upcoming deadline; applying in Round 1 gives the best access to ISB merit scholarships).
• Round 1 application window currently open - the online portal for each round opens roughly two months before that round's deadline, so the Round 1 form is live from approximately July 2026.
• Round 2 application deadline - 6 December 2026. Any application submitted after 20 September 2026 automatically rolls into Round 2 consideration.
• Round 3 application deadline - 17 January 2027. Applications submitted after 6 December 2026 shift to Round 3; ISB will not accept PGP applications for the Class of 2028 after 17 January 2027.
• GMAT/GRE scores: a valid GMAT or GRE test-centre score is mandatory; unofficial scores may be submitted at application stage if the test was taken on or before that round's deadline.
• Fellow Programme in Management (FPM) 2026 cycle: the FPM application window ran from 15 October 2025 to 30 January 2026, with interviews held in March 2026.

The key takeaway: ISB does not run a single national entrance exam with one date; it accepts GMAT/GRE scores year-round and admits in rolling rounds. Aim to submit in Round 1 (by 20 September 2026) because competition is identical across rounds but scholarship and financing access favours early applicants. Lock in your GMAT/GRE before the round deadline you are targeting.

Indian School of Business Admission 2026: Eligibility Criteria

ISB's eligibility rules are programme-specific and revolve around two things almost no other Indian B-school weighs so heavily: a competitive GMAT/GRE score and significant full-time work experience. The table below sets out, programme by programme, exactly what the Indian School of Business expects from a 2026 applicant, the minimum academic threshold, and which entrance test it accepts. This answers the most common pre-application question: "Am I even eligible to apply to ISB?" Read each row against your own profile - the work-experience bar is the most frequent reason applicants are filtered out before review.

The crucial trend for 2026: the PGP demands at least 24 months of work experience, while the Executive MBA tracks are explicitly for mid-to-senior professionals (5 years for PGP PRO, 10 years for PGP MAX). Fresh graduates with under two years of experience should instead look at the PGP YL (Young Leaders) route rather than the standard PGP. Before applying, confirm your bachelor's degree is from a recognised university and that your GMAT/GRE (where required) is valid as of your target round deadline. If you fall short on work experience, defer your application by a cycle rather than apply ineligibly.

Course-Wise Admission Status

Because ISB admits in rolling rounds rather than a single annual window, "status" here reflects whether a programme is currently accepting applications as of June 2026 and the mode of admission. The table below shows, per programme, the live application status, the approximate intake/seats, the study mode, and the accepted test. This directly answers "Is ISB admission open right now and how many seats are there?" Note that ISB does not publish a fixed sanctioned-seat number the way government institutes do; the PGP cohort size is the best available proxy.

The practical takeaway as of June 2026: the PGP and both Executive MBA tracks are open and accepting applications, while the FPM doctoral cycle has closed and reopens around October 2026 for the next year. The PGP Class of 2026 had roughly 826 students, so plan for a large but highly competitive cohort. If you want the full-time MBA, act on the 20 September 2026 Round 1 deadline; if you are a senior professional, the PGP PRO/MAX tracks remain the no-GMAT route into ISB.

Application Fees

It is vital to separate two very different ISB payments: the small, non-refundable application processing fee you pay to submit the online form, versus the institute's large tuition/programme fee paid only after you accept an admission offer. The table below lists the application fee for each reservation category on its own row. Important context: ISB is a private, standalone institution and does not operate India's reservation-based fee structure, so the application fee is a single flat amount that does not differ by General, EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST or PwD status. For transparency the fee is shown for every category, with year-wise figures where they differ by round.

Two things every ISB applicant must internalise: first, the application processing fee is tiny (₹5,000 for Rounds 1 and 2, rising to ₹7,000 for the late Round 3) and is paid to ISB at submission; the GMAT/GRE exam fee is separate and paid to the conducting body (GMAC/ETS). Second, the institute's tuition is in a completely different league - the PGP programme fee for 2026-27 is ₹38,67,160 (inclusive of GST, shared accommodation), and the institute's admission/commitment fee on accepting an offer is ₹3,00,000 plus 18% GST (about ₹3,54,000). Apply in Round 1 to save ₹2,000 on the processing fee and to maximise scholarship eligibility against that large tuition figure.

Entrance Exam Requirements

ISB does not conduct its own entrance test; instead, this college accepts the GMAT and GRE (and CAT/JRF for the FPM doctoral track). Because GMAT and GRE are computer-adaptive tests offered on-demand throughout the year at test centres and online, there is no single "2026 exam date" - you book a slot to suit your target round. The table below maps each accepted exam to the relevant programme, clarifies the on-demand exam timing, and gives the score band that is genuinely competitive at ISB. This answers the high-intent query "What GMAT/GRE score do I need for ISB?"

The standout takeaway: for the PGP, target a GMAT Focus score around 685 or higher (the Class of 2026 averaged 669, with admits ranging from 555 to 765) or a GRE near 325-327. Because the exams are on-demand, schedule your test at least three to four weeks before your chosen round deadline (20 September 2026 for Round 1) to leave room for a retake. Senior professionals applying to PGP PRO or PGP MAX skip the test entirely - their selection rests on experience and interviews.

Cutoff Analysis (2024-2026)

Unlike government institutes, ISB does not publish category-wise closing ranks, because admissions are holistic and not reservation-based - there is no centralised merit list or category cut-off. The meaningful "cutoff" at ISB is the GMAT/GRE score band of admitted students, which functions as the de facto bar. The table below tracks the PGP class GMAT profile across recent admission cycles so you can see where the competitive line sits and how it has moved. This answers "What is the ISB GMAT cutoff and is it rising?"

The trend is one of stability at a high level rather than dramatic year-on-year movement: ISB's average GMAT Focus score sits around 669 (roughly 720 on the legacy scale), and that band has held steady across the 2024-25 and 2025-26 cycles. The reason it does not spike is ISB's holistic model - strong work experience, leadership and essays can offset a score slightly below average, while a high score alone does not guarantee admission. For the Class of 2028, treat 685+ (Focus) or 327 (GRE) as a comfortable target, but invest equally in your application essays and interview, since there is no pure score-based cut-off.

Counselling Process

ISB has no centralised counselling or seat-allotment authority like CAT-based institutes; admission is a direct, holistic, multi-stage process managed by ISB's own admissions team. The step-by-step flow for the PGP Class of 2028 is:

1. Online registration and application - create an account on the ISB application portal (Round 1 open from ~July 2026) and complete the form, essays, and academic details.
2. Submit GMAT/GRE score and documents - upload your valid test score (unofficial accepted if taken before the round deadline), transcripts, and resume; pay the application fee (₹5,000 for Rounds 1 and 2).
3. Application deadline - submit before your round closes (Round 1: 20 September 2026; Round 2: 6 December 2026; Round 3: 17 January 2027).
4. Application review and shortlisting - ISB's admissions committee evaluates academics, GMAT/GRE, work experience, leadership and essays holistically.
5. Personal interview - shortlisted candidates are invited for an interview (panel of ISB faculty/admissions/alumni), typically a few weeks after the round deadline.
6. Admission decision - offers, waitlists, or rejections are released round-wise.
7. Offer acceptance and fee payment - admitted students confirm their seat by paying the admission/commitment fee of ₹3,00,000 plus 18% GST, followed by the balance programme fee per the payment schedule.
8. Document verification and enrolment - final verification of originals before the programme begins in April 2027.

Important Dates (2026)

This master calendar consolidates every canonical milestone of the ISB PGP 2026 admission cycle into one place so you can plan backwards from your target round. Because ISB accepts on-demand GMAT/GRE scores rather than running its own exam, several events that exist for national entrance tests (admit card, answer key, single exam date, centralised seat allotment) do not apply in the conventional sense - these are marked accordingly rather than omitted. Read each event with its status and map it against your own GMAT/GRE booking and round choice.

The most important deadlines to circle as of June 2026 are the three PGP round closes - 20 September 2026, 6 December 2026 and 17 January 2027 - with Round 1 being the strategic choice for scholarships. Remember that ISB's process is round-based and holistic rather than an exam-then-counselling pipeline, so your real "deadline" is having a competitive GMAT/GRE in hand before your chosen round closes. Once admitted, secure your seat promptly with the ₹3,00,000 plus GST commitment fee, then prepare original documents for verification ahead of the April 2027 start.