India’s leading business schools continue to attract significant attention from recruiters, with top-tier institutions like the Indian Institutes of Management of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad and Mohali, and XLRI Jamshedpur reporting complete placement success according to Business Today. With some of the world’s most coveted firms competing to hire their graduates, the question is: Who is snapping up this talent and why?

Consulting and IT dominate recruitment

Management consultancy remains a major draw for recruiters. McKinsey & Company emerges as the top employer at the Indian School of Business and IIM-Ahmedabad, while Accenture has led hiring at IIM-Calcutta and IIM-Bangalore. Boston Consulting Group also ranks among the top three recruiters across several schools according to LinkedIn data. Companies continue to seek candidates with structured problem-solving, analytical thinking, and the ability to translate complex data into actionable business insights, according to Navveen Balani, LinkedIn Top Voice and generative artificial intelligence leader.Beyond consulting, IT Services and Global Capability Centres, along with Banking and Financial Services, together account for up to 80% of recruitment in some of the top 50 business schools according to Business Today. While sectors such as analytics, product management, fast-moving consumer goods, and e-commerce featured more prominently in previous years, demand remains concentrated around these core areas.

Salaries reflect reputation and credibility

The highest average salary package among top B-schools was reported by IIM-Bangalore at ₹35.92 lakh per annum, while NMIMS Mumbai recorded ₹25.13 lakh according to the management education portal of MBA Universe. Select recruiters continue to offer packages crossing the ₹1 crore mark. IIM-Lucknow, for instance, saw a company in the product and analytics domain offer ₹1.23 crore per annum to a student this year, as reported by Business Today. These numbers underscore the premium placed on graduates from reputed institutions.

New recruiters and global exposure

The credibility of established schools attracts new players. Indian School of Business and IIM-Kozhikode welcomed over 70 new companies each this year, reflecting a willingness among recruiters to tap into fresh talent pools. Despite geopolitical uncertainties, global recessions, trade disputes, and the rising impact of artificial intelligence on productivity, multinational corporations have largely maintained their recruitment efforts in India according to The Wall Street Journal, cited by Business Today.

Diversity and shifting applicant profiles

Corporate focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion is reshaping campus recruitment. IMT Ghaziabad and Indian School of Business report higher average salaries for female students compared to male students, highlighting the value placed on gender-balanced cohorts, according to Business Today. Across the country, executive MBA programmes are seeing an influx of mid-career professionals from sectors such as IT, fintech, healthcare, engineering, and entrepreneurship. IIM Ahmedabad’s MBA-PGPX programme recorded a 45% increase in female enrolments, while ISB’s PGP MAX continues to attract candidates seeking strategic and product-oriented roles according to The Economic Times.

A steady demand for talent

For recruiters, the combination of academic rigor, work experience, and the ability to adapt to ambiguous situations remains critical. Professor Viswanath Pingali, Chairperson of the Placement Committee at IIM-Ahmedabad, emphasizes that corporates continue to trust top schools despite global and domestic uncertainties. Likewise, Professor Himanshu Rai, Director of IIM-Indore, notes that students’ success across sectors underscores the relevance of Indian B-schools in cultivating talent prepared for complex business challenges, according to Business Today.

The takeaway

India’s top business schools continue to be fertile grounds for recruiters seeking analytical, adaptable, and strategically minded professionals. While salary growth may be modest, the combination of strong institutional reputation, diverse applicant profiles, and targeted corporate engagement ensures that graduates remain in high demand. For the companies snapping up talent this year, the message is clear: In a volatile corporate landscape, graduates from India’s leading B-schools offer both competence and credibility.