FAQs

PGDM refers to the Great Lakes' fulltime two year residential Post Graduate Diploma in Management for candidates with 0-36 months of work experience.

Specializations are offered in 5 areas:

• Marketing
• Finance
• Operations
• AIMLA
• General Management

Yes. The PGDM program is approved by AICTE.

As per AICTE norms,the 2 year management program is classified as Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM).

MOUs with various other institutes are mainly for sharing resources, which help students in getting better exposure. It is a platform for both the institutes involved to formally share knowledge, for mutual benefit.

Great Lakes' core faculty consists of academicians and industry experts of with experience in teaching at top business schools in India and abroad. Many of them have their academic qualification from IITs and other leading Institutions. Further Faculty in the Great Lakes, Gurgaon and Great Lakes, Chennai are shared Great Lakes resources, many of whom teach in both locations. The details can be found in the faculty section

Details of the fee structure are available at here

Yes, students can avail loans at competitive terms from leading Education loan providers such as Axis Bank, HDFC Credila & Avanse. 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.

Yes. We provide twin sharing accommodation for students. Residence on campus is compulsory.

We do not provide scholarships. We have tie-ups with banks and financial institutions for loans whose details are provided.

The PGDM at Great Lakes, Gurgaon, is similar to the PGDM at Chennai and has the same course structure. It is a 2 year Management program for candidates with less than 36 months of work experience.

While the PGDM at Gurgaon offers the same high quality academic experience that Great Lakes has built a reputation for, a unique advantage of pursuing the program at the Gurgaon campus is the excellent opportunity to interact with companies and network with senior industry professionals. The Gurgaon campus already has a fantastic industry lecture series that enriches learning with perspectives from industry thought leaders and also helps develop valuable professional relationships.

The PGDM offered by Great Lakes, Chennai and Great Lakes, Gurgaon has similar structure, faculty, class profile, other core program elements, and career services team. However, students may have preferences based on geographical location, cultural environment, class size, access to specific industries, facilities, expenses, etc. For instance, the Gurgaon campus has a significant interface with a large number of rapidly growing E-Commerce companies based in the NCR region and may be ideally suited for students seeking to explore opportunities in this area over and above the other areas common to both Great Lakes, Gurgaon and Great Lakes, Chennai.

Freshers and candidates with less than 36 months of work-experience by 30th June 2025 ONLY are eligible to apply. (Candidates with 24+ months of work - experience can also apply for the Great Lakes PGPM program. Candidates with 36+ months of work experience can only apply for PGPM).

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.

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 ([email protected]) 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.

Candidates in the final year of Graduation can apply provided they have the proof of graduation and marksheet by 30th June.

Internship or part time work experience is not considered. Only full time work experience is considered.

Yes, provided the experience is full-time experience.

The 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.

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.

We do not have sectional cut offs for CAT/GMAT/XAT

At Great Lakes, we do not have fixed cutoffs and any minimum scores (or 'Safe Scores') are decided on after the completion of the application process and review of the overall applicant pool. Since the applicant pool varies in number and quality every year, the Safe Scores may vary as well. As a broad indicator based on the past experience, a 80+ percentile in XAT/CAT, 580+ score in GMAT would be considered suitable subject to meeting other criteria. This is however an indicative score and if we find candidates with an exceptionally strong profile with a slightly lower score, we may still consider the application. On the other hand we may reject a candidate with a high aptitude test score but with a poor track record in other areas. So while the test scores are important, we emphasize more on selecting well-rounded candidates with a strong overall track record.

Yes, you can. However, the official score report should be produced to Great Lakes during the interview sessions.

No. The CAT/GMAT/XAT score cannot be waived under any circumstances.

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.

Great Lakes gives importance to the overall performance of an individual rather than excellence in a single field. We look at the candidate's past academic records, work experience, recommendations and essays (collected at the interview location). In addition, performance in GMAT/CAT/XAT and during the Personal Interview are considered while evaluating applicants.

Yes. You can apply online by making a payment through any credit/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.

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.

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.

No it is not required.

We consider CAT 2023/2024, XAT 2024/2025 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" section of the admissions page.

Details of the interviews and final admissions are available at "Key Dates" section of the admissions 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. 

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. Please approach M/s Bank of Baroda, HDFC CREDILA, AVANSE, AXIS BANK, SBI for your bank loan. They offer an immediate sanction.

Our refund policy is as per AICTE norms. All refund requests will be processed only after commencement of the program.

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.

No. We do not. Great Lakes encourages applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds

Yes.

Great Lakes has an excellent placement record since inception. However, we do not guarantee a job at the end of the program. The onus of converting the opportunity into an offer lies on the student.

Average CTC offered to the Class of 2024 was INR 11.7 Lakhs. For more details, you can access the placement report here.

For the internship report, please visit here.

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

Great Lakes, Gurgaon is a fully residential campus. It’s a 7.2 acre campus which is located just off NH8 close to Manesar and is easily accessible from the corporate hubs of Gurgaon and the Delhi IGI Airport.

Yes, Great Lakes is a fully residential campus and hostel accommodation is mandatory for both the academic years.

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 [email protected]