- Programme data shows four formats: weekend on campus, online with campus time, fully online and part-time. The differences that bite are campus days, attendance rules and travel, not the label.
- IIM Mumbai's weekend MBA-PGPM runs on Saturdays and Sundays at Powai and penalises attendance below 75%. Check the current rule before you apply.
- Online programmes with campus time range from 10 to 14 days over two years at IIT Jodhpur to 47 days over 7 modules at Great Lakes. Travel and stay are extra or not stated.
- Fully online MBAs list headline fees of about Rs 1.6 to 2.1 lakh, mostly with no experience minimum, and none promises placement.
- No programme page checked states weekly study hours. Ask for the timetable and the last batch's workload in writing.
The weekend executive MBA vs online MBA question is mostly about campus days, attendance rules and travel, not about the label on the format. A weekend programme takes your Saturdays and Sundays and needs you near the campus. A fully online one needs no travel but gives up the in-person cohort. Between them sit online programmes with campus modules, from 10 to 47 days on campus.
This post compares the formats using programme data as listed on 3 November 2026 (IIM Mumbai pages on 2 November) and ends with a worksheet to count your hours, travel and leave. IIM Mumbai's and IIT Jodhpur's executive MBAs need two or more years of work experience.
Weekend executive MBA vs online MBA: four formats, four time budgets
| Format | Examples in the data | Time pattern | What constrains you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekend on campus | IIM Mumbai MBA-PGPM (2 years); Executive MBA in Wealth Management (1 year) | Saturdays and Sundays at the Powai campus | Attendance rule; a weekly trip if you live outside Mumbai |
| Live virtual with centres | IIM Mumbai MBA-ePGPM (2 years) | Live online, with centres in Pune, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad | Fixed live sessions |
| Online with campus modules | IIT Jodhpur Executive MBA, NMIMS CDOE Working Executive, Great Lakes PGXPM, BITS Pilani WILP, IIM Mumbai MBA-BPGP (blended) | Online classes plus campus blocks | Leave days, travel and stay |
| Fully online | NMIMS CDOE Online, Amity, LPU, SRM, JAIN, VIT, Amrita, UPES | Online; JAIN and Amrita state live weekend classes | Self-discipline; no in-person cohort |
| Part-time | CHRIST MBA (Executive), Bengaluru (2 years) | Flexible class days, not fixed weekends | Must work in Bengaluru; commute |
Weekend on campus: what the attendance rule asks of you
IIM Mumbai's weekend MBA-PGPM holds classes on Saturdays and Sundays at the Powai campus for two years. The programme penalises attendance below 75%: 65 to 75% lowers the grade by one level, and below 50% gives an F and bars the exam. The Executive MBA in Wealth Management is a one-year, weekend, on-campus, non-residential programme. Check the current rule on the programme page.
The data does not give total contact hours. Ask admissions for the timetable and the hours per term. This format suits people who live within reach of Mumbai, or can travel every weekend, and whose work rarely claims weekends.
Live online with campus modules: what 'campus' costs
- IIT Jodhpur: two mandatory campus immersions of 5 to 7 days each over two years, so 10 to 14 days. Accommodation and food are extra.
- Great Lakes PGXPM: 47 days on campus over 7 modules in 18 months, about 2.6 days a month on average. Boarding and lodging are extra.
- BITS Pilani WILP: exam travel and campus-immersion stay are not in the fee.
- NMIMS CDOE Working Executive: live online classes plus a campus immersion. Travel and stay are not stated.
Fully online: what you give up
The fully online MBAs in the data list headline fees of about Rs 1.6 to 2.1 lakh before extras. Most state no work-experience minimum and no entrance test, and none promises placement. JAIN and Amrita say classes are live on weekends. The other pages do not say whether classes are live or recorded.
What you give up is the in-person cohort and the campus network. Online and full-time programmes also differ in how employers read them. No outcome data on file compares them, so ask for the batch profile and alumni details.
Part-time: the commute test
CHRIST's MBA (Executive) in Bengaluru is a 24-month part-time programme with flexible class days and no fixed weekends. The applicant must be working in Bengaluru. The data does not give class timings, so get the timetable first.
Then run the commute test. Add door-to-door travel time for each class to the class hours, and multiply by the classes a week. If that total plus your study hours does not fit your week with room for work peaks, the format fails whatever the fee.
Programme table by format
| Programme | Format | Length | Campus time | Headline fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIM Mumbai MBA-PGPM | Weekend, Powai | 24 months | Every weekend | Rs 18 lakh (19 module-wise) |
| IIM Mumbai Executive MBA (Wealth Management) | Weekend, non-residential | 12 months | Every weekend | Rs 15 lakh |
| IIM Mumbai MBA-ePGPM | Live virtual | 24 months | Centres in five cities | Rs 14.5 lakh (15 module-wise) |
| IIT Jodhpur Executive MBA | Online, 2 immersions | 24 months | 5 to 7 days, twice | Rs 9.15 lakh |
| Great Lakes PGXPM | Online with campus time | 18 months | 47 days, 7 modules | Rs 13.4 lakh |
| NMIMS CDOE Working Executive | Online with campus time | 24 months | Immersion, days not stated | Rs 4 lakh (4.5 staged) |
| BITS Pilani WILP MBA | Online with campus time | 24 months | Not stated; exam travel | Rs 3.124 lakh |
| CHRIST MBA (Executive) | Part-time | 24 months | Flexible class days, Bengaluru | Rs 6.8 lakh |
| NMIMS CDOE MBA (Online) | Online | 24 months | None stated | Rs 1.96 lakh |
Fees are headline figures. Taxes, instalment premiums and extras differ by programme. The ROI calculator turns a fee into a payback estimate.
Matching format to your job and city
- Live in Mumbai, weekends mostly free: the weekend format fits. Check the attendance rule against your travel calendar.
- Live elsewhere, with a steady weekday schedule and leave to spare: online with campus modules. Count the leave first.
- Frequent travel or irregular hours: a fully online programme. Ask whether sessions are live or recorded and whether attendance is marked.
- Bengaluru-based and wanting classes in person: CHRIST's part-time programme, which requires you to work in the city.
- Outside the big metros: the live virtual MBA-ePGPM lists centres only in five cities, so check access.
These are matching rules, not recommendations. The MBA without CAT tool shows which programmes are open at your experience.
A worksheet: hours, travel and leave
- Write class hours per week from the sample timetable.
- Add study hours per week. Ask what the last batch needed and add your own estimate.
- Add travel hours per week: the commute or the weekend trip.
- Compare the total with your free hours, and keep a margin.
- Divide campus days by years to get campus days a year. Add travel days for each visit and compare with your leave balance.
- Cash cost: campus days times stay and food per day, plus travel per visit. Add it to the fee.
- Total campus days: 2 x 5 = 10 at the low end, 2 x 7 = 14 at the high end.
- Over two years that averages 5 to 7 days a year.
- Add your travel days, each way, for each immersion.
Answer: 5 to 7 days a year on average, plus travel days.