- Read the median before the average, and the average before the highest package. The highest figure describes one student, not the batch.
- Check the denominator. A placed share can be out of the batch, out of students who appeared, or out of those who sought placement.
- Check what the CTC includes and which programme, batch and campus the figures cover. These details change the numbers more than the college does.
- Divide the median package by the total programme fee to compare colleges fairly. A college with a lower package can still be the better value.
How to read MBA placement report numbers comes down to this: look at the median package first, then the average, then the highest, and check who is counted in each. A report is a summary of one batch of students who took part in placements, so the numbers are only as useful as the definitions behind them.
This post works through real figures from published reports, with the batch year given each time, and ends with a checklist you can use on any report. Always open the college's own report for the batch you are considering.
Average, median and highest: what each tells you
- Average (mean): total pay divided by the number of students placed. A few very large offers lift it.
- Median: the middle figure. Half the placed students earned this much or less, so it describes a typical student better.
- Highest: one offer, to one student. It says what the best case looked like, nothing about the batch.
When the average sits well above the median, a small group is pulling it up. When the two are close, pay is more evenly spread.
How to read MBA placement report figures: a worked example
IIFT's final placement highlights for the 2023-25 batch give an average of Rs 31.3 lakh and a median of Rs 26 lakh, with a highest domestic CTC of Rs 72 lakh across 135 recruiters. The table shows what each figure means.
| Figure | Value | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Median | Rs 26 lakh | Half the placed students earned this or less. |
| Average | Rs 31.3 lakh | About 20 percent above the median, so large offers lift it. |
| Highest domestic CTC | Rs 72 lakh | About 2.8 times the median. One offer. |
| Recruiters | 135 | Companies, not offers. Ask how the report defines them. |
Plan on the median. For IIM Nagpur's 2024-26 batch the highest CTC of Rs 73.18 lakh is about 4.5 times its Rs 16.32 lakh median, and the gap between the average of Rs 18.08 lakh and the median is much smaller.
Placed share and its denominator
A placed percentage is meaningless until you know what it is divided by. FMS Delhi's 2024-26 report states 287 placed of 304 students who appeared, in a batch of 307, with 3 on a placement holiday. That is 94.4 percent of those who appeared and 93.5 percent of the batch.
IIM Ahmedabad's 2026 report covers 402 eligible students, of whom 392 sought placement and accepted offers. On the eligible base that is 97.5 percent. On the base of students who sought placement it is 100 percent.
PPOs, offers and recruiters count
A pre-placement offer (PPO) is an offer made after a summer internship. IIM Indore's 2024-26 report lists 158 PPOs, 27 percent of its offers. A large PPO share means many offers were fixed before the final placement process began.
Offers are not students. IIM Lucknow's report mentions more than 580 offers for 559 students. Recruiters also vary in meaning. FORE's report overview says 142 companies recruited, while its highlights page says 206 visited. A company that visited is not a company that hired.
Sector mix and role mix
Two colleges with the same median can offer different work. IIM Calcutta's 2024-26 report shows consulting at 38 percent of its split, while IIM Nagpur's shows IT/ITES at 30.6 percent and consulting at 10.1 percent.
Check the basis too. Some splits are shares of offers, some of students and some of companies. SIBM Bengaluru's split is the share of companies, so it cannot be set beside a split of offers.
Batch year, programme and one-year versus two-year
- Batch year: the newest final report may be older than you expect. IIFT's latest final highlights are for 2023-25, and IIM Kozhikode's are for 2023-25.
- Programme and scope: XLRI's report combines two programmes across two campuses, covering 576 students. IMI's covers all PGDM programmes combined. MDI's average and median are for its flagship PGDM, but its highest CTC and recruiter count are institute-wide.
- CTC basis: IIM Ahmedabad's 2026 report gives a median of Rs 37 lakh on a maximum-earning-potential basis and Rs 32.5 lakh on a guaranteed-cash basis. IIM Tiruchirappalli's mean is Rs 18.0 lakh with ESOPs and Rs 17.5 lakh without.
- Interim versus final: IIM Tiruchirappalli's PGPM figures are an unaudited interim report as on 20 April 2026, with 357 placed of 398 registered. Wait for the audited report.
- One year versus two years: ISB's one-year programme and a two-year IIM cost different amounts of salary given up. Do not read the packages as equal.
Fee adjustment: package per rupee of fee
Divide the median package by the total programme fee. The result is a rough measure of value. The MBA fees and placements table lists fees and packages for every programme with published figures, and highest package MBA colleges ranks by average.
| College | Total programme fee (batch) | Median package (batch) | Median divided by fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Lucknow | Rs 20.75 lakh (2026-28) | Rs 32.9 lakh (2024-26) | 1.59 |
| IIFT Delhi / Kolkata | Rs 19.73 lakh (2026-28) | Rs 26 lakh (2023-25) | 1.32 |
| IMT Ghaziabad | Rs 22.85 lakh (2026-28) | Rs 16.5 lakh (2025-26) | 0.72 |
The fee and package batches differ, so treat the ratios as a guide. For payback in years, use the MBA ROI calculator.
A one-page checklist
- Which batch and programme does the report cover, and is it final or interim?
- What does the CTC include? Check for ESOPs, joining bonus or variable pay.
- What are the median, average and highest, and how far apart are they?
- What is the placed share, and what is it divided by?
- How many offers came as PPOs?
- What does the recruiter count mean: visited, participated or hired?
- What is the sector and role mix, and is it by offers, students or companies?
- Is the highest CTC domestic or international?
- Is the report audited, and do the web page and the report agree?
- What is the median per rupee of fee?