FMS Delhi Faculty of Management Studies, New Delhi

Rather than asking which is better IIMA or FMS you should be asking what is better for you.

My friend is an IIM Ahmedabad pass out. She had got offers from IIM Calcutta, Lucknow, and FMS as well. Yet she chose IIMA because it was her dream college. One year into IIMA she realized some major shortcomings. 

• The case pedagogy here is overhyped and not at par with global B Schools.
• The professors don’t teach you much, but rather keep you busy through assignments and quizzes.
• No practical learning of concepts as the curriculum was very obsolete in today’s world of business.

The only significant feature here is its excellent placement. This is also the reason why it attracts so much crowd. But this fantasy is also short-lived. As soon as you land a job, you have to start paying back the excessive loan for years. For instance, you land a package with CTC 20 LPA. The in-hand salary would be around 1 lakh and the EMI standing at the end of every month would be 50000. After reducing EMI and personal expenses you get little for yourself for several years despite your hard work. Despite graduating you will be stuck in the same life for years.

Now considering FMS it has the following merits that make it a tad bit better than IIM Ahmedabad

• Very low fees in comparison to IIM Ahmedabad 
• Since you don’t have to take a loan you feel a sense of freedom to take up the course of your choice.

Your batchmates from FMS will be enjoying life, and fulfilling their dreams and you will be still stuck in the same circle of paying back loans. So the brand value is just not enough. I don’t think spending 20 lakhs on any Indian B School is worth it.

I would strongly assert that FMS is way ahead of XLRI. I have mentioned a few strong points that support my opinion. Before I begin, let me enlighten you on the fact that this answer is based on thorough research and reviews of graduates of respective B Schools.

Fees

• The major USP of FMS is its average fees with the best placements. FMS has an overall fee of around INR 2 lakhs for MBA and gives tough competition to the fees of XLRI which stands at INR 23.60 lakhs. 
• Anyone with common sense would prefer 2 lakhs over 23 Lakhs especially when the ROI is equally good or even better. You can live a stress-free life after your MBA with no burden or repaying a heavy loan.

Industry Acceptance

• Let me clear the very common misconception that IIMs tags are preferred over anything by most companies. Well, FMS graduates have an equal demand and are in no way lower than an IIM graduates.
• XLRI is the best choice when it comes to MBA-HRM. Most companies that offer HR roles prefer XLRI graduates even over IIMs.

Placements

• FMS has made its high ROI known all over the world. It constantly hosts 100% placements. It has distinguished its identity as one of the highest ROI-producing B-schools globally. FMS Delhi's highest package stood at INR 1.23 CPA whereas the average package stood at INR 34.1 LPA and the median package stood at INR 31 LPA. 97% of offers were made above INR 20 LPA. A total of 27% of students were placed in the Consulting Sector and there was a 19% Increase in the number of students placed in the BFSI Sector compared to the last year.
• XLRI placement scenario is outstanding. In its recent placement drive, XLRI recorded 100% Placement with the highest offer at INR 1.1 Crore. It offers a high ROI where the average placement package stands above INR. 24 LPA, while the general cost for its PGDM program is around INR. 11 LPA.

While both excel in placements, it’s the extremely low fees at FMS that make the ROI amazing.

Overall I would say that FMS is a clear winner when compared to XLRI