The Post Graduate Program in Management for Executives (PGPX) was introduced by IIM Ahmedabad (IIMA) in 2006 and has become one of the top one-year MBA programs in India. The program is known for its academic rigor and student-driven pedagogy. With a focus on international experience, the program attracts top talent from across the globe from diverse cultures, profiles and geographies.
The IIMA PGPX is one of the few programs in India where the majority of the class has over 8 years of work experience and hence, it becomes the top choice for experienced executives. While the PGPX is ranked at 48 in the 2021 FT Global MBA Rankings, it received a lot of interest for its 2020-21 admissions cycle last year.
IIMA PGPX recently announced its admissions process and deadlines for the 2021 (2022 intake), i.e. the IIMA PGPX Class of 2023. Here are all the details:
IIMA PGPX Deadlines
In 2020, IIMA announced the stage 1 and stage 2 results a few days before the scheduled date. Also, the essay submission timeline was reduced to 3 days. This ended-up coinciding with application submission and interview timelines of other top B-schools such as Indian School of Business (ISB), IIM Calcutta’s MBAEx and IIMB’s EPGP. Below are the IIMA PGPX application deadlines for the 2022 intake
| ` | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
| Stage 1: Application & Shortlist | |||
| Application Open | June 21, 2021 | Sep 3, 2021 | Oct 14, 2021 |
| Application Close | Aug 23, 2021 | Oct 4, 2021 | Dec 6, 2021 |
| Shortlist | Aug 31, 2021 | Oct 11, 2021 | Dec 13, 2021 |
| Essay Submission | Aug 31-Sep 5, 2021 | Oct 11-17, 2021 | Dec 13-16, 2021 |
| Stage 2: Personal Interviews* | |||
| Zoom Interviews | Sep 18-19, 2021 | Oct 30-31, 2021 | Jan 1-2, 2022 |
| Final Selection | |||
| Offers & Waitlist | Oct 21, 2021 | Nov 29, 2021 | Jan 10, 2022 |
| * All dates are subject to change, if required. Only shortlisted candidates will be informed by e-mail, with all relevant details. | |||
IIMA PGPX Eligibility
· A Bachelor’s degree / equivalent in any discipline (minimum 15 years of study as per India’s education system)
· Minimum age of 25 as on March 31, 2022
· A valid GMAT/GRE score, i.e. exam should be taken within 5 years of the application deadline date of each round. For the 2021 / 2022 admissions, the earliest acceptable dates are August 24, 2016 for Round 1, October 5, 2016 for Round 2, and December 7, 2016 for Round 3
· Minimum 4 years of full-time work experience after completion of graduation on March 31, 2022
IIMA PGPX Admissions Process
IIMA PGPX’s admissions process is slightly different from the other MBA programs across the globe. It consists of two stages:
1) Stage 1
a) A fairly detailed application form which contains details about the candidate’s current & past job responsibilities and achievements, education, certifications and details of international work experience, if applicable.
b) Once shortlisted based on the above, the candidates are required to submit 3 essays on specific topics (which change for each round) within 3 to 5 days
2) Stage 2
a) The shortlisted candidates (based on 1a above) are also interviewed by a panel of IIMA faculty members where the focus is on professional background, quality of experience, career progression, leadership potential and knowledge of the environment around us
Based on the stage 1 and stage 2 performance, the results would be announced within 15- 30 days after the interview.
You may like to read our previous blog post on IIM A PGPX interview questions and tips.
Even though the essay topics aren’t announced until the shortlist is out, it is important to have basic frameworks and introspection in place as soon as you submit the application. While the questions may change, the topics range around the two basic questions, i.e. ‘why you?’ and ‘why IIMA PGPX?’.
We’ll share more details around how to approach each stage of the IIMA PGPX admissions process in subsequent blogs / videos.
Feel free to reach out to us on [email protected] in case of any questions.
The author is an IIMA PGPX alumnus.
