FAQs
General
PGPM refers to the Great Lakes full time one year flagship residential Post Graduate Program in Management for candidates with 2+ years of work experience.
The one year PGPM is designed for professionals with a minimum of 2 years full time work experience and looking to gain general management competencies for accelerating their career growth. Exceptional candidates with more than 21 months of experience may also be considered. It leverages the fact that the candidates already have certain expertise, maturity level and exposure to professional work environments. It is quite attractive for professionals who do not want to take a 2 year break from work for various personal and professional reasons.
The one year format is very common in Europe and other parts of the world. One-year programs are more rigorous than two year programs. In terms of the number of classroom hours, there won't be a significant difference between a two year course and a one year course. Generally, there are no holidays between terms. Working executives would rather be away from work just for a year instead of 2 years. Also the one-year program enables students to start working a year earlier.
One year PGPM is more suited for aspirants with quality pre-MBA work experience. A one year program lets you get back to work within a year and in the second year you work, earn and gain valuable post-MBA experience.
As a very simplistic example, we can consider the case of a candidate with expected post-MBA salary of INR 12 lakhs and fees of INR 16 lakhs. The total adjusted outgo of the one year MBA candidate (at the end of the second year) is 16 - 12 = 4 lakhs while that of the 2 year candidate (again at the end of the second year) is 16 lakhs (Ignoring smaller variables like summer internship stipend, increment at the end of the second year for the one year candidate, taxes, etc.). So when the end result may be similar, a one year program typically has significantly higher ROI due to the lower total opportunity cost. Apart from purely financial benefits, saving valuable time is a very important benefit of the one year program. Further one is likely to find a more experienced and mature peer group in a one year program.
Given that the duration of the program is compressed in one year, the PGPM is demanding and intense with limited off days and no significant breaks through the year. Having said this, the program is specifically designed for professionals leveraging their experience and one can cope up with the rigor of PGPM with some discipline and hard work. In fact, many Alumni have stated that the need to manage classes, projects, assignments, work-outs, sports and other personal recreation activities have helped them master the skill of time management and prioritization.
Great Lakes PGPM is a full-time one-year Post Graduate Program in Management for candidates with at least 24 months of full time work experience (21+ months for exceptional candidates). The one year Great Lakes PGPM is uniquely designed to deliver a complete general management education incorporating customer-centricity, meritocracy and corporate ethics in an accelerated one year format. With mentoring from world class faculty, cutting edge curriculum, perspectives from thought leaders and rich peer learning, the PGPM prepares students to be Business Ready from Day one.
Specializations are offered in 5 areas:
- Marketing
- Finance
- Operations/IT
- OB/HR/Strategy & General Management
- AIMLAB
MOUs with various other institutes are mainly for sharing resources, which helps students in getting better exposure. It is a platform for both the institutes involved to formally share knowledge, for mutual benefit.
Great Lakes has an excellent mix of Indian and International faculty. Our visiting professors are acclaimed academicians, researchers and experts from Industry. The faculty for the one-year PGPM include faculty from Great Lakes, Chennai, as well as a number of visiting faculty from leading business schools in India and abroad.
Details of the fee structure for one Year PGPM are available here
The fee payment schedule is given along with the admission offer letter. The fee is payable over a few installments after the acceptance of the offer and before the commencement of the program. Given the short duration, one is advised to plan their financial resources in advance. Those planning on applying to loans can check about the typical requirements and keep the necessary documents ready. This would make it hassle free for the candidates once they get the offer letter.
Yes, students can avail loans at competitive terms from leading Education loan providers such as Bank of Baroda, Auxilo, Axis Bank, ICICI, SBI, HDFC Credila & IDFC,. The preferential terms offered for Great Lakes, Chennai are the same as offered for other leading business schools.
Yes. Applicants are encouraged to get themselves sponsored by their employers. One Year MBA program is ideally suited for candidates seeking sabbatical/ sponsorship from their companies as it allows them to join back work in a shorter duration of one year compared to the two year programs.
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, offers scholarships in two categories for its PGPM students - Dr. Bala V. Balachandran Scholarships, and Diversity & Merit Based Scholarships. The Dr. Bala V. Balachandran Scholarship is awarded to outstanding students with a waiver of Tution Fees out of the total PGPM fees along with mentorship opportunities with CXOs and exceptional Alumni, and networking opportunities. The Diversity & Merit based scholarship encourages diversity of background and gender, and overall merit, and is awarded to up to 40 students from the Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 intake. Click here to know more about the scholarships offered for the Great Lakes PGPM.
Yes, the PGPM is approved by AICTE.
As per AICTE norms, the one year program management program (PGPM) is classified as Post Graduate Certificate in Management (PGCM) and students would be awarded with the same at the end of the program
Eligibility Criteria
The minimum full time work experience to apply for the course is 24 months by 30 April 2025. Professionals with an exceptional track record having 21+ months of experience can also be considered.
Candidates with 2-3 years of work experience by 30th April 2025 are encouraged to apply for the One Year Flagship PGPM. However, they are also eligible to apply for the Two year PGDM.
In case an eligible candidate would like to apply for both the programs, they may do so by filling the application forms for both PGPM and PGDM separately. Candidates will be evaluated based on the respective program’s admission criteria. The admissions panel may also recommend the candidates for a specific program based on the assessment and program fit.
You can only re-apply in next admissions season. Re-applying in the same admissions season (in consequtive Cycles) is not permitted. If you have an improved score to submit, you can update it against the same application on your application dashboard as and when the respective entrance test results are declared.
No. Only graduates can apply to the PGPM program.
Internship or part time work experience is not considered. Only full time work experience after graduation is considered.
Yes, provided the experience is full-time experience.
Entrance Test
GMAT is the Graduate Management Admission Test conducted by Graduate Management Admission Council and is a globally recognized test for admission to business schools. For more information on GMAT please visit their official web site http://www.mba.com/india/the-gmat-exam/about-the-gmat-exam.aspx
CAT is the Common Admissions Test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management for admissions to their Post Graduate Program. For More information please visit - https://iimcat.ac.in
GMAT scores taken on or after 1st Jan 2022 will be considered for admission. Candidates have to report their GMAT scores officially to the institute through GMAC in case an admission offer is made. The official score must reach Great Lakes before the candidate joins the program. Candidates applying on the basis of their CAT score must note that only the scores for CAT 2023 and CAT 2024 will be accepted. Candidates applying on the basis of their XAT score must note that only the scores for XAT 2024 and XAT 2025 will be accepted. Candidates applying on the basis of their NMAT score must note that NMAT 2023 and NMAT 2024 will be accepted.
Our GMAT-ETS code number is V49-FX-40. You have to report your GMAT score officially to the institute through GMAC, if you are applying with GMAT score.
Great Lakes follows thorough profile based evaluations, including academic record, work experience, SOP, etc., along with entrance scores in order to get the best out of the applicants. Therefore, there are no hard cut-offs for entrance scores and slightly lower scores than the desired range can also get through with good profiles and performance in the subsequent parts of the selection process post application.
Considering 80-85% of the students in-class, desired entrance ranges would be:
- CAT, XAT: 85-98 percentile
- GMAT: 600-760 percentile
- NMAT: 200+ marks
We do not have any sectional cut offs for CAT/GMAT/XAT/NMAT.
No. The CAT/GMAT/XAT/NMAT score cannot be waived under any circumstances.
We encourage reporting all the scores you have. If more than one score is reported, we will automatically consider your best score for the admissions process.
Yes, you can. However, the official score report should be produced to Great Lakes during the interview sessions.
A TOEFL/IELTS score is required only for non-Indian students who did not have ENGLISH as the primary language of instruction during their undergraduate studies.
Admission Procedure
The PGPM caters to professionals with professional experience and we try to evaluate candidates in a holistic manner and not just rely on aptitude test or academic scores that many schools emphasize on. The aptitude test scores are important at the interview shortlisting stage but have limited weightage as far as the final selection is concerned. We seek to evaluate the quality of work experience, professional and personal achievements, demonstrated leadership and team skills, aptitude and attitude. We also seek candidates who can add value to the class in terms of peer learning and diversity.
In terms of the process, we have eliminated the Group Discussion component since we felt that it was adding incrementally limited value to the whole selection process. Instead our panelists can devote the extra time for a deeper assessment during the personal interview. As part of the Interview process, we also have the analytical writing test which does help in evaluating both the written communication skills and the thought process of the candidates.
Yes. You can apply online by making a payment through any Credit card/ Debit Card. Alternatively you can purchase the key (required to unlock the online application) from IMS centers, Great Lakes City office and the Campus.
Admissions to Great Lakes programs are carried out only through the online application available on www.greatlakes.edu.in. Great Lakes Institute of Management has not authorized any third party to initiate applications on its behalf.
Great Lakes Institute of Management does not admit students under Management Quota or any other form of reservation. Any third party organization or individual offering management quota seats for Great Lakes programs would be fraudulent and applicants are requested not to approach such organizations or individuals.
Students from other streams can also apply for the course. The candidate should hold a Bachelor's degree or equivalent from a recognized university (Minimum of 15 years of study).
No. You can complete the online application in multiple sessions. The changes will have to be saved every time the application is updated. You need to submit the application once complete. You can’t make any changes after the application is submitted.
No it is not required.
Great Lakes PGPM application is a two-step process consisting of Registration and Submission. While you can start your application anytime you need to submit it before the relevant applicable deadline to be considered in the specific cycle.
One needs to submit the application in Cycle 1 if s/he has last year’s scores i.e. CAT 2023/2024, XAT 2024/2025 and GMAT taken after 1st Jan. 2022. Applicants who have CAT 2023/2024, XAT 2024/2025 and GMAT (taken after 1st Dec. 2022) scores need to submit the scores through the dashboard as soon as the results are declared or apply for the respective cycle running at the time the results are declared.
In terms of the selection process there is no preference given to applicants in any cycle and there is similar probability of getting selected. However, applicants submitting in Cycle 1 get some extra time to plan their finances, personal commitments and exit from companies better as they get an admit offer by end of December.
Re-applying in consequtive cycles is not permitted. However, if you do not get an offer after appearing for the interview and have managed to achieve a significant value-adding change in your profile after that - such as an improved test score or a promotion/new job/workplace achievement, you can update it against your existing application. Entrance scores can be updated on the application dashboard as and when the respective test results are out. Other changes to your profiles can be shared over email (admissions@greatlakes.edu.in) and we will consider your application for the current/upcoming cycle. Improved GMAT scores can also be communicated via email. These profile updates can also be done for both situations - not getting a PI call and not getting an admissions offer.
We consider CAT 2023/2024, XAT 2024/2025, NMAT 2023/2024 and GMAT Scores taken after Jan 1st, 2022.
It is at your discretion - However, if more than one score is reported, we will consider your best score for the admissions process.
No
Details of the interviews and final admissions are available at "Key Dates" page.
Details of the PI are available at "Key Dates" page. The venue in each center will be intimated to you through e-mail.
For each cycle, results would be announced within (tentatively) 3 weeks from the last date of PI's for that cycle.
Course Commencement, Refund policy and post admissions queries
No. Our waiting list movement will be severely impaired if we give individual flexibility to students, irrespective of the genuineness of their demand. Please ensure to stick to the payment deadlines. Please keep a scanned copy of your demand draft with you (or screen shot of payment details in the case of online transactions) such that in the case of non-receipt due to postal delays or for any other reasons beyond your control, you have the backup document supporting you.
You have to pay the installment amounts by the due dates. On receipt of the bank loan, the excess amount paid will be refunded.
Our refund policy is as per AICTE norms.
Great Lakes does not have a policy of deferred admissions. If, for some reason, you are not able to make it this year, then you have to go through the process of applying and qualifying next year. If you are called for PI for the next year, then an e-mail mentioning that you were an admit in the previous year will fetch some brownie points.
Reservations
No. We do not. Great Lakes encourages applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and follows a fair selection process based solely on overall merit, achievements and performance during the AWT and PI.
Yes
Placements
Great Lakes has an excellent placement record. The objective of Career Services office is to provide high quality opportunities to students and fully leverage access to diverse industries in the country. Placements at both campuses are driven by the Great Lakes Career Services Office. Marquee recruiters across IT/ ITES, Consulting, Analytics, E-Commerce, etc. visit the campus. While the Career Services Office helps in bringing ample opportunities on campus, it is the student’s responsibility to convert the interview.
Average CTC offered to the Class of 2024 was INR 17.3 Lakhs
Click here to access placement report of PGPM Chennai.
As per the current placement policy, students on Sabbatical can apply to all companies which are NOT in the same industry as the company from which they have a sabbatical. Eg: If you are on sabbatical from TCS, you cannot apply for any other IT company but are eligible to apply for companies in other industries like Consulting, E-Commerce, etc. This policy respects the trust of the companies offering sabbaticals as well as ensures that students wanting a career shift can do so. Further students always have the option of not taking sabbatical if they do not want to have any constraints.
Recommendations
Applicants have to provide the details/official e-mail id’s of the recommenders while filling the application form. The recommendation letters will be collected from the final selected candidates’ recommenders in an online format at a later date.
Recommenders should ideally be superiors in your organization(s) or professionals you have worked with or persons of high standing in society who would be able to provide an objective feedback about your professional achievements. We prefer professional recommendations because they are more relevant in terms of judging your professional capabilities. However, we also accept academic recommendations if it is from very senior faculty from your college.
No. The recommendation can be by any professor who has taught or guided you in your graduate program.
Yes. The admission form will not accept public domain email addresses such as gmail, yahoo etc.
The recommenders will be emailed a username and password that they can use to login to our website in order to complete the recommendation process.
Yes
Yes
Campus and Facilities
The campus is located on the East Coast Road, 9 kms from Mahabalipuram en route to Pondicherry.
Yes, Great Lakes is a fully residential campus and hostel accommodation is mandatory.
Married Accommodation Hostel is available inside the campus.
To reach campus, Click Here
You can visit the campus with a prior appointment with the admissions team. To register, please send an email to admissions@greatlakes.edu.in
