Content Curator | Updated on - Mar 23, 2026

The Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) in Business Design & Innovation is a 2-year full-time postgraduate program offered by WeSchool Bangalore, designed to develop managers with design thinking capabilities and innovation mindset. The program combines general management education with specialized focus on business design, innovation, and entrepreneurship. With a total fee of ‚Çπ14.04 Lakhs for 2 years, the program is popular among graduates seeking to become business innovators and design thinkers who can drive organizational transformation and create customer-centric solutions.

Admission Status and Timeline:

Admissions for the PGDM Business Design & Innovation program are currently open for the 2026-28 batch. Phase 1 applications are being accepted with a deadline of January 23, 2026, and Phase 2 applications will open from February 19, 2026, with a deadline of March 20, 2026. Group Discussions and Personal Interviews are scheduled for February-March 2026. Merit lists will be released in March and May 2026 for respective phases. The program commences in July 2026 for the new batch.

Key Points:

Unique focus on design thinking and business innovation as core competencies
First B-School in India to offer Business Design specialization (since 2010)
Experiential learning through 5-6 real-life business design and innovation projects
Intake of 30 students ensuring personalized attention and peer learning
Strong emphasis on cross-disciplinary collaboration and problem-solving
Access to innovation labs, prototyping facilities, and design studios
Diverse batch composition with 54% freshers and 46% experienced professionals

Official Link:

Go To Website

Highlights
Fees
Admission
Scholarships
Placements
Cutoff
Ranking
FAQs

Welingkar Bangalore Latest Updates and News

30 Mar, 2026 Welingkar Bangalore Phase 2 MBA PI Calls 2026 are out. Check Shortlist Status. GD/PI is scheduled for Apr 4, 5, and 11, 2026. View Details.

12 Mar, 2026 ATMA 2026 (May session) Registration is open till April 21, 2026, for admission to MBA, MMS, PGDM & MCA programs. The Exam will be held on May 3, 2026. Read more.

Welingkar Bangalore Important Events

PGDM2

WeSchool PGDM (Business Design) Fees

The PGDM Business Design & Innovation program charges a total fee of ‚Çπ14.04 Lakhs for the entire 2-year duration. The program fee includes tuition, academic materials, and access to all campus facilities. Hostel accommodation is mandatory for Bangalore campus students, with additional charges. The fee structure is designed to provide value through industry-aligned education and strong placement support.

Fee Structure

Fee Component	Amount (INR)
Tuition Fee (Per Annum)	7,00,000
Library Deposit (Refundable)	4,000
Hostel Fee (Per Annum - Mandatory)	1,60,000
Hostel Deposit (Refundable)	10,000
Total Fees (2 Years)	14,04,000

Tuition fees are subject to change.
Hostel accommodation is mandatory for Bangalore campus students.
Library deposit and hostel deposit are refundable.
Payment can be made in installments.
Education loans are available through ICICI Bank, Bank of Baroda, Saraswat Bank, and HDFC Bank.
TFW (Tuition Fee Waiver) scheme available for students with annual family income up to ‚Çπ Lakhs (up to 5% of intake).

Fee Structure 2025 (As per website)-

WeSchool PGDM (Business Design) Admission 2026

The PGDM Business Design & Innovation program follows a profile-based selection process that evaluates academic performance, entrance exam scores, work experience, and personal attributes. Candidates must have valid scores from CAT (2025), XAT (2026), ATMA (Feb 2026), CMAT (2026), or GMAT (2023 onwards). The selection process assigns 40% weightage to entrance test percentile, 15% to academics, 40% to interview performance, and 5% to extracurricular activities.

Admission Timeline and Key Dates

Event	Date
Phase 1 Application Start	October 18, 2025
Phase 1 Application Deadline	January 23, 2026
Phase 1 GA/PI Shortlist	End of January 2026
Phase 1 GA/PI Dates	February 2-15, 2026
Phase 1 Merit List	March 2026
Phase 2 Application Start	February 19, 2026
Phase 2 Application Deadline	March 20, 2026
Phase 2 GA/PI Shortlist	April 2026
Phase 2 GA/PI Dates	April 18-30, 2026
Phase 2 Merit List	May 2026
Program Commencement	July 2026

Entrance Exam Dates

Exam	Registration Start	Registration End	Exam Date	Result Date
CAT 2025	August 1, 2026	September 20, 2026	November 30, 2026	December 24, 2026
XAT 2026	July 10, 2025	December 5, 2025	January 4, 2026	January 16, 2026
CMAT 2026	October 17, 2025	November 24, 2025	January 25, 2026	February 13, 2026

The dates mentioned above are tentative and subject to change.

Eligibility Criteria

Bachelor's degree from a recognized university with minimum 50% marks
Valid score in CAT (2025), XAT (2026), ATMA (Feb 2026), CMAT (2026), or GMAT (2023 onwards)
Entrance exam cutoff: 70 percentile across CAT/XAT/GMAT/ATMA/CMAT for Business Design specialization

Admission Process

Submit online application with academic documents and entrance exam score
Shortlisting based on entrance exam percentile and academic profile
Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GDPI)
Final merit list based on composite score (entrance exam 35%, academics 15%, interview 45%, extracurriculars 5%)
Admission confirmation upon selection

Welingkar Bangalore: Students' Opinion

AI-Generated Summary based on 4 Reviews

The PGDM Business Design & Innovation course at Welingkar Institute, offered on the Bangalore campus, involves an admission process that includes an entrance test like CMAT, alongside a Creativity Test, Group Discussion, and Personal Interview. The course is recognized for its excellent faculty, many of whom are experienced professionals from the industry, and is known for its strong brand and placement record. The total course fee is around Rs. 15 lakhs, including Rs.

10.4 lakhs for tuition and Rs. 90,000 annually for hostel accommodation, which is mandatory in the first year. Payment can be made via demand drafts, NEFT, RTGS, or cheques, and education loans are available to students through banks. The college boasts a placement rate of approximately 90% before April, with an average salary package of about 6.5 LPA. Companies like IBM, ICICI Bank, and Accenture participate in the placement process, with many students securing roles in the IT industry.

Although the pandemic affected some internships, the college provides these opportunities to all students, with typical stipends around 10,000 INR. Scholarships are limited, with a full fee waiver available to only one student, and no direct loan facilities are provided by the college.

By Collegedunia’s Personal AI

WeSchool PGDM (Business Design) Scholarships 2026

WeSchool Bangalore offers scholarship opportunities for meritorious candidates in the PGDM Business Design & Innovation program. Scholarships are primarily merit-based and awarded to candidates demonstrating exceptional academic performance and entrance exam scores.

Scholarship Details

Scholarship Type	Eligibility	Amount	Application Deadline
Merit Scholarship	80 percentile and above in entrance exam	Up to 25% fee waiver	During admission process
EWS Scholarship	Economically Weaker Section (Annual income up to ‚Çπ Lakhs)	Tuition fee waiver	During admission process
Performance Scholarship	Top performers in GDPI	Up to 15% fee waiver	During admission process

Scholarship amounts are subject to availability and merit evaluation.
Candidates must maintain 75% attendance and minimum academic performance to retain scholarship benefits.
TFW scheme provides tuition fee waiver for eligible candidates from economically weaker sections.

WeSchool PGDM (Business Design) Placement 2026

The PGDM Business Design & Innovation program has demonstrated strong placement outcomes with excellent industry recognition. The 2023-25 batch achieved an average domestic salary of ‚Çπ9.98 Lakhs per annum with a highest salary of ‚Çπ12.18 Lakhs. The 2021-23 batch recorded an average salary of ‚Çπ10.20 Lakhs with a highest salary of ‚Çπ11.40 Lakhs. The program attracts leading recruiters from diverse sectors including retail, FMCG, IT, finance, and consulting.

Placement Statistics (2023-25 Batch)

Metric	Value
Average Domestic Salary	‚Çπ9.98 Lakhs p.a.
Highest Salary	‚Çπ12.18 Lakhs p.a.
Total Companies Visited	358
New Companies	227
Placement Rate	100%

Key Recruiters: BigBasket, Cafe Coffee Day, Gujarat Borosil, Harman International, HDFC Bank, IBM, ICICI Bank, ICICI Securities, Infosys Technologies, Mukunda Foods, Natural Remedies, Quess Corp, Randstad, Raymond, Reliance Jio

Career Opportunities: Assistant Manager (QSR), Business Analyst, Deputy Manager, Executive (Market Support, Brand, Business Development), Management Trainee (BDM), Market Development Executive, Sales Manager, Team Manager, Wealth Manager

Welingkar Bangalore PGDM Business Design Ranking

Collegedunia Ranking

#90 out of 372 in India 2025

Do you think the Rankings are wrong ? Report Here

WeSchool PGDM (Business Design) FAQs

Ques. What makes the PGDM Business Design & Innovation program unique?

Ans. The program is India's first B-School specialization in Business Design, launched in 2010. It uniquely combines general management education with design thinking and innovation focus. Students work on 5-6 real-life business design projects, gaining hands-on experience in need identification, concept development, prototyping, and business model creation. This practical approach sets it apart from traditional MBA programs.

Ques. Is work experience required for admission?

Ans. No, work experience is not mandatory. The program welcomes both freshers (54% of the batch) and experienced professionals (46% of the batch). However, candidates must have a valid entrance exam score (CAT, XAT, CMAT, ATMA, or GMAT) and meet the minimum 50% marks in graduation requirement.

Ques. What is the placement scenario for Business Design graduates?

Ans. The program has a 100% placement rate with strong average salaries around ‚Çπ10 Lakhs per annum. Graduates secure roles across diverse sectors including retail, FMCG, IT, finance, and consulting. Many graduates move into innovation-focused roles, business analyst positions, or management trainee programs in leading organizations.

Ques. How does the Business Design specialization differ from general PGDM?

Ans. The Business Design specialization has a specific focus on design thinking, innovation, and entrepreneurship. While general PGDM covers all functional areas, Business Design emphasizes creative problem-solving, prototyping, and business model innovation. The program includes dedicated courses on design processes, UX/UI design, and business creation.

Ques. Are there any entrance exam requirements?

Ans. Yes, candidates must have valid scores from CAT (2025), XAT (2026), ATMA (Feb 2026), CMAT (2026), or GMAT (2023 onwards). The minimum cutoff for Business Design specialization is 70 percentile across these entrance tests. WeSchool conducts its own selection process and does not rely on IIM or other exam conducting bodies for admission decisions.

Ques. What is the class profile of Business Design students?

Ans. The batch is diverse with 54% freshers and 46% experienced professionals. Educational backgrounds include 22% engineers, 24% commerce graduates, 17% science graduates, 14% BBA graduates, and others. The batch has representation from all regions of India (East 19%, West 24%, North 12%, South 22%, Central 11%) with 75% students under 24 years of age and 57% male, 30% female composition.

Course Finder

Search from 20K+ Courses and 35+ Streams

Why To Join Welingkar Bangalore - Reviews & Rating

2.1

(4 Verified Reviews)

Write a College Review

& Win Monthly Prizes Up to ₹1 Lakh/-*

5(58%)

4(26%)

3(5%)

2(0%)

1(11%)

Academic

4.3

Faculty

4.2

Infrastructure

3.8

Accommodation

3.7

Social Life

3.9

Placement

3.9

Most Popular Tags

Reset All Filter

Brijesh Beriwala

3.2Helpful

PGDM, Business Design

Reviewed on Jul 21, 2020

College Review

Fees and Financial Aid:

No, I didn't apply for any scholarship. The scholarship was given to only one student with full fee waiver.

Report

Prerna Gupta

3.8Helpful

PGDM, Business Design

Reviewed on Jul 15, 2020(Enrolled 2019)

Review about WeSchool

Fees and Financial Aid:

No i paid whole fees by my parent's financial help. No college is not providing any sort of scholarship.

Report

Prerna Gupta

3.8Helpful

PGDM, Business Design

Reviewed on May 21, 2020

HONEST REVIEW

Fees and Financial Aid:

No, I didn't opted for any type of scholarship or any sort of loan. No financial aid was taken from anywhere.

Report

Uday Chandak

3.9Helpful

PGDM, Business Design

Reviewed on Nov 21, 2016

Uday Chandak's Review On Prin. L.N. Welingkar Institute Of Management Development & Research- [WeSchool], Bangalore

Fees and Financial Aid:

I don't think so welingkar provide loan facility directly. But you could easily get an educational loan from any nationalised bank if you show them offer letter and other details.

Report

Do you think the data is wrong ? Report Here