IIM Guwahati and IIM Shillong are the only IIMs in the North-East. Both run a two-year full-time residential MBA. Both admit through CAT alone.

IIM Shillong opened in 2007. Its PGP 2024-26 batch averaged INR 27.03 LPA. Every student in that batch was placed.

IIM Guwahati was inaugurated on February 14, 2026. Its first MBA batch started in July 2026. Its first placement season falls in 2028.

Fees split the two sharply. IIM Guwahati lists INR 18 Lakh against INR 26,18,000 at IIM Shillong. IIM Guwahati also runs no interview round.

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IIM Guwahati vs IIM Shillong: Which Northeast IIM Should You Choose in 2027

IIM Guwahati vs IIM Shillong: Quick Comparison 2027

The table below covers the parameters students weigh most.

Parameter IIM Guwahati IIM Shillong
Year established 2026 2007
Mentor institute IIM Ahmedabad Runs independently
MBA batch size (latest) 70 393
Total fee payable INR 19,23,000 INR 26,18,000
Selection rounds CAT score, academics, work experience CAT score plus Personal Interview
Average CTC (latest batch) First placement season in 2028 INR 27.03 LPA
Campus Transit campus, Tech City, Bongora Umsawli, 120 acres

Official details sit on iimg.ac.in and iimshillong.ac.in.

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Rankings and Accreditation Compared

Only IIM Shillong has a NIRF record so far. It stood at rank 38 in NIRF 2025 Management. Its score that year was 57.70.

Year NIRF Management Rank Score
2025 38 57.70
2024 24 60.49
2023 26 59.12

The rank slipped 14 places between 2024 and 2025. Teaching and graduation-outcome scores stayed strong. Research is the weakest of the five heads, at 28.99.

Ranks can be checked on nirfindia.org.

IIM Shillong also holds AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA-BGA accreditation. Few Indian business schools hold all three.

NIRF ranks institutes that have graduating cohorts. The first IIM Guwahati batch finishes in 2028.

MBA Fees Compared

IIM Guwahati is the cheaper campus by a wide margin. The gap across two years is about INR 6.95 Lakh.

Fee Head IIM Guwahati IIM Shillong
Acceptance or registration fee INR 50,000 INR 90,000
Tuition and hostel INR 17,50,000 Charged across six terms
Mess advance INR 18,000 per term Built into each term fee
Total payable INR 19,23,000 INR 26,18,000

The INR 18 Lakh headline fee covers tuition and accommodation. Food is billed separately as a mess advance. A refundable caution deposit of INR 15,000 is also payable.

IIM Shillong charges INR 90,000 upfront, then six term instalments. Term 1 is INR 3,63,000. Each later term is INR 4,33,000.

Travel is the hidden cost at Shillong. The campus is about 120 km from the Guwahati airport. Students describe those trips as a recurring expense.

IIM Shillong lists a Need Base Financial Assistance scheme. SC candidates can also use the Top Class Scholarship. Education loans run through PM-Vidyalaxmi.

Both fee tables are official. See the IIM Shillong finances page and the IIM Guwahati academics page.

Admission Criteria and CAT Cutoff for 2027 Entry

Both institutes take the 2027-29 batch through CAT 2026. Registration ran from August 3 to September 15, 2026. IIM Indore conducts the exam on November 29, 2026.

The criteria below are from the latest published cycle. Criteria for the 2027-29 batch are expected around December 2026.

Selection Element IIM Guwahati IIM Shillong
Minimum CAT, General 85 overall and 75 sectional 75 in each section
Personal Interview Not conducted 40% weightage
CAT weight in final score 65% 40%
Academics and work experience 35% 10%
Gender diversity score Not applied 10%

Guwahati Percentile Gates by Category

IIM Guwahati screens on an overall and a sectional percentile. Candidates also need positive marks in all three sections.

Category Overall Percentile Sectional Percentile
General and EWS 85 75
NC-OBC 80 70
SC 75 65
ST 65 55

PwD candidates get a 10 percentile relaxation on both counts. The rule set sits on the IIM Guwahati admission process page.

Check: IIM Shillong Placement 

Shillong Percentile Gates by Category

IIM Shillong screens only on sectional percentiles. NC-OBC candidates fall under the Others group there.

Category Percentile Needed in VARC, DILR and QA
Others and EWS 75
SC 60
ST 50
DA 50

Example: An NC-OBC candidate scores 82 overall and 72 in QA. That profile clears the IIM Guwahati gate. The same profile misses IIM Shillong, which needs 75 everywhere.

Work experience is scored differently too. IIM Shillong awards its top score at 18 to 24 months. IIM Guwahati rewards a longer stint, at 36 to 60 months.

The Shillong rules sit in its PGP admission process document.

MBA Placements Compared

IIM Shillong published a full report for the PGP 2024-26 batch. The headline numbers are below.

Placement Metric PGP 2024-26
Students placed 393 (100%)
Highest CTC INR 71.50 LPA
Average CTC INR 27.03 LPA
Median CTC INR 26.00 LPA
Top 10% average INR 43.26 LPA
Recruiters 147
Pre-placement offers 102

Consulting took the largest share of the batch. The single highest offer came from IT and analytics.

Domain Share of Batch Highest CTC
Consulting 30% INR 46.87 LPA
Finance 25% INR 44.00 LPA
Sales and Marketing 18% INR 42.50 LPA
IT and Analytics 14% INR 71.50 LPA
General Management 8% INR 44.80 LPA
HR and Operations 5% INR 30.60 LPA

Women made up 45% of that batch. The full report sits on the IIM Shillong website.

IIM Guwahati is still building its career services function. Its first MBA batch of 70 students finishes in 2028.

A small cohort means more recruiter attention per student. There is no past average to anchor expectations.

Campus Location and Industry Access

IIM Guwahati runs from a transit campus at Tech City, Bongora. It sits a ten-minute drive from the Guwahati airport. The permanent campus is planned at Marabhita, near Palasbari.

IIM Shillong sits at Umsawli on a 120-acre campus. Recruiters and guest speakers reach it by road from Guwahati. That distance is the biggest practical difference between the two.

Guwahati is the largest business centre in the North-East. Proximity helps with live projects and short internships. Shillong offers a quieter residential setting instead.

What Students Say About Studying at Each Campus?

Distance From the City

Students at IIM Shillong describe the campus as scenic but cut off. The nearest market sits a few kilometres from the gate. Trips to and from Guwahati add up over two years.

Hostels and Daily Life

Students at IIM Shillong report single-occupancy rooms after the first year. Many also describe hostel blocks sitting away from the academic block. IIM Guwahati lists furnished hostel blocks with dining at its transit campus.

The Gap Between Average and Actual Offers

Students consistently point out that an average hides the spread. The official report puts the top 50% average at INR 30.51 LPA. Offers below the median sit well under the headline figure.

Joining a First Batch

Aspirants weighing IIM Guwahati raise the absence of seniors and alumni. A first batch has no placement precedent to show recruiters. Students describe the trade-off as a cheaper degree against an untested record.

Facilities in the Formative Years

IIM Guwahati states that campus services are still scaling. Library holdings, sports and hostel policy are expanding batch by batch. A settled 120-acre campus weighs against a transit one here.

Which Northeast IIM Is Better in 2027?

IIM Shillong is the safer pick on outcomes. It has a published placement record, a NIRF rank and triple accreditation. It also costs about INR 6.95 Lakh more, before travel.

IIM Guwahati is the cheaper and simpler entry. It skips the interview and sets lower sectional gates. Its placement record begins only in 2028.

Example: A candidate holds calls from both and wants consulting or finance. IIM Shillong sent 55% of its last batch into those domains. That candidate gains more from the older campus today.

Candidates below 75 in one section fare better at IIM Guwahati. Cost-sensitive candidates targeting the North-East market also gain there. Both sit under the same IIM Act and award an MBA.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ques. Does IIM Guwahati conduct a Written Ability Test (WAT) or Personal Interview (PI) for MBA admissions?

Ans. As per the latest admission policy, IIM Guwahati does not conduct a Written Ability Test (WAT) or Personal Interview (PI) for its flagship MBA programme. Final selection is based on CAT performance and other admission criteria notified by the institute. However, IIM Guwahati reserves the right to revise its admission process in future admission cycles.

Ques. Do candidates need to select IIM Guwahati while filling out the CAT application form?

Ans. No. Candidates do not need to specifically select IIM Guwahati in the CAT application form. The institute independently considers all CAT test-takers who satisfy its eligibility and shortlisting criteria. Therefore, not choosing IIM Guwahati during CAT registration does not affect your chances of being considered.

Ques. Does IIM Guwahati accept GMAT scores, and does IIM Shillong?

Ans. IIM Guwahati accepts only CAT scores for admission to its flagship MBA programme and does not consider GMAT scores. IIM Shillong also uses CAT for domestic applicants, while GMAT scores are accepted only from eligible overseas or international candidates under the institute's admission policy.

Ques. What is the category-wise seat distribution at IIM Guwahati for the MBA programme?

Ans. For the latest admission cycle, IIM Guwahati offers 70 MBA seats, distributed as follows: General: 28 seats, NC-OBC: 19 seats, SC: 11 seats, EWS: 7 seats, ST: 5 seats. Additionally, three seats are reserved for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) within the respective category allocations, as per Government of India reservation norms.

Ques. What scholarships and financial assistance are available at IIM Shillong?

Ans. IIM Shillong offers Need-Based Financial Assistance (NBFA) to eligible students from economically weaker backgrounds. In addition, students belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categories can apply for various Central Government scholarships through the National Scholarship Portal (scholarships.gov.in), subject to eligibility conditions.

Ques. How much work experience is preferred for MBA admissions at IIM Guwahati and IIM Shillong?

Ans. Both institutes award additional marks for relevant work experience, but the weightage differs. IIM Shillong gives the highest score to candidates with 18–24 months of full-time work experience, while IIM Guwahati provides maximum work experience points to candidates with 36–60 months of experience. However, fresh graduates with strong CAT scores and academic records are also eligible for admission.

Ques. Which institute mentors IIM Guwahati?

Ans. IIM Ahmedabad serves as the mentor institute for IIM Guwahati. It has played a significant role in establishing the institute by providing academic guidance, assisting with governance, curriculum development, faculty recruitment, and institutional best practices during the initial years.

Ques. When will IIM Guwahati and IIM Shillong release their MBA admission criteria for the 2027–29 batch?

Ans. Both IIM Guwahati and IIM Shillong are expected to publish their detailed MBA admission policies for the 2027–29 batch after the CAT 2026 notification and examination process. Based on previous admission cycles, the official admission criteria are likely to be released around December 2026, although the exact dates will be announced by the respective institutes.