IIM Rohtak and IIM Ranchi are second generation IIMs, established in 2009.
IIM Rohtak launched its IPM programme in 2019 and was the second IIM (after Indore) to do so. This year, IIM Rohtak admitted its third batch of the programme. Whereas IIM Ranchi launched its IPM programme in 2021, and has started with the first batch. Let check out this IPM Rohtak vs IPM Ranchi article.
IPM Rohtak VS IPM Ranchi
NIRF Ranking
IN 2020, IIM Ranchi ranked 20 with a composite score of 55.97 and IIM Rohtak ranked 21 with a composite score of 55.91.
Whereas in 2021, IIM Ranchi ranked 21 with a composite score of 58.26 (higher than 2020) and IIM Rohtak ranked 28 with a composite score of 55.40.
Placements
We will be analyzing the median placement as it gives a better idea than average. This is because the average figure gets skewed towards the higher side because of some exceptionally high packages or international packages (when converted to INR). Whereas the median communicates that 50% of the batch can expect a figure better than the median.
IIM Ranchi’s median placement is 14.55 LPA (derived from averaging both MBA and MBA-HR) and IIM Rohtak’s median placement is 13.5 LPA.
IIM Ranchi offers international placements whereas IIM Rohtak offers only domestic placements (at least for now). In this case, IIM Ranchi placements will be a better option for someone wishing to gain international exposure right after completing their MBA. But if you are someone who is only concerned about domestic placements, one thing to keep in mind is that the median figure at IIM Rohtak is solely based on the domestic placements whereas the median figure at IIM Ranchi is taken after including the international packages.
IPM Experience
In 2021, IIM Rohtak admitted its third batch of IPM whereas IIM Ranchi admitted its first batch. This difference of two years in terms of experience is quite significant, at least in the initial years.
This is because over the past two years, IIM Rohtak has had enough time to analyze what works for their programme and what does not, making room for improvement both in terms of the curriculum and other academic-non academic processes. So, it is safe to say that the IPM programme at IIM Rohtak has stabilized enough for students’ comfort and understanding.
Whereas IIM Ranchi will take a few years to analyze and improve and reach this level of stability.
Permanent Campus
IIM Ranchi has been operating from its transit campus for over a decade now. The permanent campus is under construction, and certain administration offices have already moved. A few hostel buildings are almost ready, but they are not enough to accommodate all the programmes, and hence students will be moving into the permanent campus in phases.
Talking about the transit campus, the students stay at the Khelgaon hostel and classes are held at Suchana Bhawan. Shuttle buses are provided to commute between the two. All the IIM campus facilities are made available to the students in the transit campus.
We can hope that the second batch of IPM Ranchi will get to directly move in the permanent campus.
On the other hand, IIM Rohtak moved into its permanent campus in 2018. So, IIM Rohtak is ahead of IIM Ranchi in terms of its Phase-1 construction by 3 years. Phase-1 construction basically means that the important buildings like academic block, faculty housing, sports facilities, mess building, student hostels and other necessary infrastructure is in place, but it will take some time for the entire campus to come together.
Connectivity
Ranchi is the capital of Jharkhand, and hence is well connected. The permanent campus too is only a few kilometers from the airport. Therefore, it might be easier for companies or other business units to reach IIM Ranchi, giving it preference over IIM Rohtak, whose campus is a few hours’ drive from Delhi.
But since Rohtak is surrounded by cities like Gurugram (IT hub and commercial capital of Haryana), Delhi and Noida which house several MNCs, roping in companies might be easier for IIM Rohtak.
IPM Curriculum
When the curriculum published on the websites of the two institutes are compared, it can be seen that IPM Rohtak introduces the business and management aspects right from the first term and incorporates other courses like philosophy, business law and statistics in the first year.
On the other hand, IPM Ranchi has adopted a neutral approach in the first year, and covers courses like Indian Literature, Natural Sciences, Communication Skills and others that are not management specific but are drawn from different academic streams. IPM Ranchi gets into the business and management aspects in the second year, and courses like philosophy, business law, statistics and others are taught then.
Also, by comparing the volume of the syllabus, it can be seen that IPM Rohtak is more rigorous than IIM Ranchi IPM, at least for the first two years. This is evident from the fact that IPM Rohtak covers 7 courses in one term, whereas IPM Ranchi covers only 5.
Selection Process
IIM Rohtak conducts its own examination to shortlist students for further rounds. IPMAT Rohtak tests students on quantitative ability, logical reasoning and verbal ability.
IIM Ranchi, whereas, initially decided to rely on SAT score for its admission criteria but later decided to accept IPMAT Indore score too, in light of the Covid pandemic. But since this was the first year, the selection process might change the next year in this regard, but nothing can be surely said.
Apart from this, for both the institutes, the further selection process comprises of a Written Ability Test and a Personal Interview. The past academics (10th and 12th) also have a certain weightage in the final decision.
Conclusion
While both the institutes have their own pros and cons, they are almost at par with one another. While preparing, one should aim for both the institutes. The question of deciding which one is better should only come into the picture if one has received offer letters from both the institutes.
In that case, it is advised that one considers these factors, and talks to their potential seniors in these institutes and then draws an inference with regards to their priorities.
