IRMA: A hidden gem.

This course is eligible for any graduate from a recognized institution including both freshers and candidates with work-ex. Minimum of 15 years of education is required with 50% or above (45% for SC/ST/PWD) percent in graduation. Academic diversity advantage is given (2% weightage) for candidates from agriculture or agriculture-allied backgrounds. From last two years, selection process is changed which is as follows: 1. CAT/XAT cutoff (35%) 2. Written Ability Test (5%) 3. Personal Interview (35%) 4. Academic performance (5%): 10th and 12th each 1.5% + Graduation 2% 5. Work ex (5%) 6. Gender/Academic/Regional/Sports Diversity (15%) You can apply for admission through the link provided in the official IRMA website. Fees for gen/obc is 2000 and for SC/ST/Pwd is 1000. The application form has been released and last date for 2023 admissions is 31st December 2022.

I chose this course because it aligns with my background (BSc Hons. agriculture) and with my long term goals. During my UG I've worked on a startup with my senior and got to know that PGDM RM of IRMA will be the best course in terms of theoretical and practical knowledge in order to achieve long-term goals. A total of 270 students are divided into 4 sections very intelligently by maintaining diversity in each section and same is followed with hostel room allottment. There are three semester in each year and a special 8 credit village fieldwork segment in first year. In the second year there is Summer Internship Segment (8 credits). Elective courses are offered in term III to term VI. Faculty has qualifications from institutions such as IITs, Michigan State University, etc.

There is a special SIS (Summer Internship Summary) segment during the second year of the course. For PRM 42 batch, a total of 450 offers were made with 1.7 lakh highest stipend. The mean stipend of SIS was 62 thousand and 50 thousand was the median stipend.

Irma follows the trend of 100% placements in organizations such as Amul, ITC, ICICI bank, YES bank, Godrej LOUD, TATA Trusts, Godrej agrovet, Tolaram Group, etc. Total number of offers made were 431 for a batch of 251 participants in 2022. There were 19 participants who got pre-placement offers (PPO) before campus placements.

Coming to the fee structure, let me provide you with the details of the first year of 2022-2024 session. Tuition Fees (including internet services, library, and hostel fees) is around 6 lakh. Adding deposits and other charges, it will cost around 8.5 lakh. Various scholarships such as merit based scholarship (around 20 students), IDFC first bank scholarship (3 students) and SC/ST scholarships (3-4 students), and some other scholarships are also given.

The first thing I loved about IRMA on the very first day I entered was the lush green campus with well-built architecture. The aesthetics of campus was pleasing to the eyes and the administration is serious about its maintenance also. There are students from 24 different states which creates cultural and ethnic diversity. Students are responsible for organizing cultural fests and events such as Milaap, TedX, Anand run, Onam, etc. Various clubs and committees are responsible for organizing these events successfully. If you are interested in extra curricular activities you can join clubs (20+) such as: Lhaasya (dance), Reflexion (Photography), Nishadya (Marketing), Arthasya (Finance), IDCC (Consultacy), iSEC (Entrepreneurship) and many others.

Hostels are compulsory for all the students, as it is a residential course. There are around 15 blocks for the PGDRM batch and rooms are allotted by the college authority only. They try to maintain multiformity and allot rooms in such a way that your neighbors are from different backgrounds. Hostel rooms are well equipped with basic amenities such as a bed, mattress, pillow, table lamp, bookshelf, cupboard, lan connection, wifi, etc. Laundry facility is also available twice a week for each block. Mess food is one thing where you've to adjust a little, as they've to take into consideration the preferences of students from different regions of India.

Process for admission in 2022-2024 batch included CAT/XAT percentile, written ability test, personal interview, and other diversity factors. WAT topic can vary from general awareness topic to any abstract (subjective) such as "What should you be proud of". One can self prepare for these rounds or can also take coaching from platforms such as Unacademy, TIME, Topmytest, Career Launcher, etc. For PI and WAT I took topymytest course.