IIMA Hikes PGP Fee to Rs 22 Lakh, PGPX fee Also Up By 5%

The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has announced a hike in the fee of its 2-year Post Graduate Program (PGP) in management for 2018-20 to Rs 22 lakh from the earlier 21 lakh and a 5% increase in the fee for the 1-year Post Graduate Program for Executives (PGPX).

IIMA director Erol D’Souza said the decision to raise the fees on account of inflation, was taken at a meeting of the Board of Directors on March 24. The previous such hike was last year when the PGP fees went up from 19.5 lakh in 2016 to Rs 21 lakh. Prof. D’Souza was talking to reporters on the sidelines of the 53^rd annual convocation at IIMA.

Chief guest Janmejaya Sinha, chairman, Boston Consulting Group – Asia Pacific, delivering the convocation address, advised the graduates to build on one’s strengths rather than spend the life trying to fix the weaknesses.

“Enhance your strengths. Be the best that you can be in the areas that you are good. Contain your weaknesses to acceptable levels but don’t try and make your weaknesses into strength,” he added.

“The increasing gender balance in the graduating class indicates women are rising much faster than men in acquiring high levels of specialization in management education at IIMA,” FPM Chairperson Prof Amit Garg said.

They should not fall into the victimhood trap and waste time complaining. He sought to remind the students that empathy is an important leadership quality. “Empathy is important when leading, train yourself from the start,” he added.

On controlling stress and anxiety, he said once they learn to convert anxiety into actions under their control, such feelings would dissipate and one would feel more balanced and in control.

Meanwhile, in another development, IIM Ahmedabad has registered an increase in female graduates opting for Fellow Programme in Management (FPM). The ratio of female-male graduates has increased to 50:50 for the 2018 batch from 25:75 for the 2017 batch.

The number was lower in the 2016 batch with only 10% women in the class. The increase in female graduates making it to the FPM batch signals the shift towards creating equal spaces towards progress and development for both women and men.

“The increasing gender balance in the graduating class indicates women are rising much faster than men in acquiring high levels of specialization in management education at IIMA,” FPM Chairperson Prof Amit Garg said.

In the 2018 batch out of 16 graduates, 8 are men and an equal number are women. The number was skewed in favour of men in 2017 with 14 male graduates and 4 female. In 2016, the number was still less with 11 male and 1 female graduate in a class of 12.