Subrato Chatterjee Content Writer
Content Writer | Updated On - Oct 31, 2025
India’s premier business-school rankings for 2026 reveal the leading institutions across private, public and distance-learning segments.

The latest Outlook-ICARE Rankings 2026 have once again mapped the landscape of business education in India, identifying standout institutions in four categories: private B-schools, public B-schools, private open & distance learning, and public open & distance learning.
From legacy IIMs to fast-rising online providers, this ranking showcases who is excelling in faculty strength, research, employability and inclusiveness.
Top Private B-Schools – Outlook ICARE Rankings 2026
Here are the leading private business schools in India based on the latest Outlook ICARE Rankings 2026.
| Rank | Institution | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | XLRI – Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur | Jharkhand |
| 2 | Management Development Institute, Gurgaon | Haryana |
| 3 | Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai | Tamil Nadu |
| 4 | Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad | Uttar Pradesh |
| 5 | T. A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal | Karnataka |
| 6 | Xavier Institute of Management, XIM University, Bhubaneswar | Odisha |
| 7 | Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai | Tamil Nadu |
| 8 | SRM Faculty of Management, SRMIST, Kattankulathur | Tamil Nadu |
| 9 | LM Thapar School of Management, Dera Bassi (TIET Patiala) | Punjab |
| 10 | Jindal Global Business School, Sonipat | Haryana |
Top Public B-Schools – Outlook ICARE Rankings 2026
India’s premier government-run management institutes ranked for academic excellence and industry readiness.
| Rank | Institution | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IIM Ahmedabad | Gujarat |
| 2 | IIM Bangalore | Karnataka |
| 3 | IIM Calcutta | West Bengal |
| 4 | IIM Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh |
| 5 | IIM Indore | Madhya Pradesh |
| 6 | IIM Ranchi | Jharkhand |
| 7 | DMS IIT Madras, Chennai | Tamil Nadu |
| 8 | IIFT New Delhi | Delhi |
| 9 | IIM Sambalpur | Odisha |
| 10 | Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai | Maharashtra |
Top Private Distance / Online MBA Programs – 2026
These are the top-ranked private institutions offering online and distance MBA programs.
| Rank | Institution | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL), Pune | Maharashtra |
| 2 | Amity University Online, Noida | Uttar Pradesh |
| 3 | NMIMS Global Access School for Continuing Education, Mumbai | Maharashtra |
| 4 | ICFAI University, Tripura | Tripura |
| 5 | IMT-CDL, Ghaziabad | Uttar Pradesh |
| 6 | IMT Ghaziabad | Uttar Pradesh |
| 7 | Manipal University Online, Jaipur | Rajasthan |
| 8 | Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar | Punjab |
| 9 | MIT School of Distance Education (MITSDE), Pune | Maharashtra |
| 10 | Welingkar Institute of Management (WeSchool), Mumbai | Maharashtra |
Top Public Distance / Online MBA Programs – 2026
Public universities leading in accessible and flexible management education.
| Rank | Institution | State |
| 1 | IGNOU, New Delhi | Delhi |
| 2 | Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi | Karnataka |
| 3 | Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University, Hyderabad | Telangana |
| 4 | Netaji Subhas Open University, Kolkata | West Bengal |
| 5 | YCMOU, Nashik | Maharashtra |
| 6 | Karnataka State Open University, Mysore | Karnataka |
| 7 | Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai | Tamil Nadu |
| 8 | University of Madras – IDE, Chennai | Tamil Nadu |
| 9 | Osmania University, Hyderabad | Telangana |
| 10 | Annamalai University, Annamalainagar | Tamil Nadu |
For students preparing for MBA or management programs, these rankings provide a credible snapshot of institutional strength across categories.
Also Read: List of NIRF RANKED Management Colleges in India Based on 2025 Ranking


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