IIM Placement Data: Is Consulting Still King in 2025?

Consulting and Finance Hold Strong at IIMs

For years, consulting firms and financial institutions have queued up at the campuses of India's premier Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) to snap up the best graduating talent. The most recent placement data shared by several IIMs confirms that this trend has not reversed — but the landscape is quietly evolving.

Across flagship two-year Post Graduate Programmes in Management (PGP), consulting and finance together continue to account for the largest share of offers. Strategy consulting majors — including global management consultancies — remain among the highest-paying recruiters, while investment banks, private equity funds, and BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance) firms fill out the finance cluster.

Technology and New-Age Sectors Make Inroads

What the numbers also show is a meaningful rise in offers from technology companies, product-management roles, and startups operating in fintech, edtech, and climate-tech spaces. Several IIMs have reported that general management and operations roles from manufacturing and infrastructure conglomerates have also bounced back strongly post-pandemic, reflecting India's industrial growth story.

Roles linked to analytics, artificial intelligence, and data science — often sitting at the intersection of tech and consulting — are increasingly listed as distinct categories in placement reports, signalling that recruiters themselves are restructuring job families.

What the Sector Breakdown Suggests

• Consulting remains the single largest sector by number of offers at most top IIMs.
• Finance (including BFSI and investment banking) is a close second, with strong lateral hiring from global banks.
• Technology firms — both product and services — have grown their IIM hiring footprints year-on-year.
• General management roles from core-sector companies are recovering and offer competitive compensation.
• Sustainability, ESG advisory, and public-policy roles are emerging as niche but growing categories.

Average and Median Salaries Reflect Demand

While individual IIMs release their own placement reports at different times and formats, the broader picture drawn from disclosed data shows that consulting and finance roles command the highest average domestic packages, often leading median salary figures at campuses such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Kozhikode, and IIM Lucknow. Technology product firms, particularly those offering roles in the United States, continue to headline international offer lists.

Students and aspirants preparing for CAT 2025 should note that the diversity of roles at IIMs has expanded, meaning a strong MBA from a top IIM opens doors well beyond the traditional consulting or banking track.

What Aspiring MBA Students Should Take Away

Career counsellors advise students not to choose an IIM purely on the basis of one sector's dominance. The breadth of recruiters, alumni networks, and the specific strengths of each campus matter equally. Candidates interested in finance may weigh IIM Calcutta's historically strong finance placements, while those eyeing consulting may look at the full-time recruiter lists of IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore.

For comprehensive IIM admission guidance, eligibility criteria, and the latest CAT updates, visit CollegeUnify's IIM section.

Source: News18 — IIM Placement Analysis