This is a first of a series where JAM evaluates educational institutions in the private sector.

You see the ads in the papers almost everyday. They claim to be one of the 10 best B-schools in India, and in some ‘fields’ even BETTER than the IIMs. We wanted to be doubly sure, so we did a little asking around, and here’s what we found out! There are many questions that come to mind when one glances at IIPM’s full page advertisements. Will it REALLY be beneficial to my career if I complete IIPM’s MBA program? Can all of these promises made be backed up by facts? And will I get a suitable return on my investment?

“The truth is out there” they say. And with that thought in mind, we went fact-finding.

- Arjun Ravi

THE RANKINGS:
“IIPM - One of the Top 10 B-Schools in India”
“Ranked #4 in Industry Interface (Ahead of 3 IIMs)”
“Ranked #7 in International Linkages (Ahead of 2 IIMs)”
“Ranked #8 in Extra-curricular activities (Ahead of 6 IIMs)”
- as advertised by IIPM in Times of India, dt May 16, 2005

This “data” is from the Outlook-C fore rankings 2003. IIPM Delhi was ranked 17th in the overall list of the Top 50 B-schools. No other branch of IIPM made it to this list. But that’s not the only thing surprising about it.

A brief visit to the webpage of the list on www.indiabschools.com (a website run by C fore, the research agency which put together the list for Outlook) will give you this information - “IIPM has been removed from ranking as we received serious complaints about the veracity of information given by them.”

So how can IIPM continue using these rankings, AFTER they’ve been removed from them? We asked Premchand Palety, CEO, C Fore and this is what he said, “Most of their (IIPM’s) advertisements are false and overstate facts. The action has to be taken by some regulatory body related to false advertisements.”

THE CAMPUS:
“The 8 Wi-Fi IIPM Towers in India which are modern architectural wonders equipped with air-conditioned classrooms, auditoriums huge state-of-the-art computer dromes and well stocked libraries. The IIPM campus gives students a completely international feel with its beautifully landscaped surroundings, an unique blend of old English architecture with modern exteriors and has facilities like swimming pool, mini golf, billiards, etc.”

We visited IIPM’s Mumbai campus in Bandra, posing as prospective students. The ‘campus’ is a four-storied building, with some parking area around it. There is a small ‘canteen’ section that can seat, at the most, around 10 students. We entered the air conditioned reception area that was bustling with activity in the limited space available. But you’re left wondering - where in this one tiny building can they be hiding that swimming pool they promised in the ads?

We also checked out the campus in Delhi’s Qutab Institutional Area. There too we couldn’t find a swimming pool, mini golf course or billiards table. Again, there wasn’t any “old English architecture”. The building tower resembled any other office complex in Delhi. There was no Wi-Fi on campus, or in the library. The librarian didn’t even know what Wi-Fi was!

However, there is ONE campus for second year students in Delhi’s Chhatarpur area which has a swimming pool.

THE FEES:
“FREE study tour to EUROPE for 2 weeks inclusive of industry visits for all IIPM, India students.”
“FREE LAPTOPS for all IIPM, India students.”

At what price does this education come for? Well it depends on what year you took it.

MBA students of batch ‘02-04 paid Rs 2.75 lakh as fees.
Students who will pass out in 2006 paid Rs 4.25 lakh.
Those joining the batch 2005-07) will pay Rs 4.86 lakh.
Students of the combined BBS/MBA program pay Rs 7.5 lakhs for a combined three year programme. These are the students who go to Europe on the free study tour. MBA students have to pay an additional Rs 50,000.

Incidentally, it is only from this year on that students will be provided free laptops.

Just to make sure, we asked students from IIPM’s Mumbai campus who had passed out already, AND those who are currently taking the MBA program. NONE of them have attended lecturers by professors from foreign universities. From what we gather though, the students seem satisfied with the college’s permanent teaching staff.