Can I get a full scholarship for IIM Executive MBA if I have a strong GMAT score and 10+ years of work experience?

Question

Divakshi Arora · Accepted Answer

A full scholarship for IIM Executive MBA programs like IIM Ahmedabad PGPX or IIM Bangalore EPGP is extremely rare, even with a high GMAT score and 10+ years of work experience. These programs mainly offer partial scholarships, with awards typically ranging from ₹2&ndash;7 lakhs.
IIM Ahmedabad provides a need-based scholarship that considers family income, dependents, and loan burden, but full tuition waivers are almost never granted. In 2024, less than 25% of the batch received aid, and none received full coverage.
No internal full scholarships are formally listed by IIMs. However, a few students have managed to secure external funding through corporate sponsorships, CSR-based fellowships, or state government schemes&mdash;but these are highly case-specific and not tied to IIM.
So while a strong profile improves your odds of partial aid, planning for the full cost is necessary unless there's external support already in place.

P Sinha · Answer

Strong GMAT score and over 10 years of experience definitely help, but getting a full scholarship for an IIM Executive MBA is nearly unheard of.
Programs like IIM Bangalore EPGP and IIM Ahmedabad PGPX offer partial scholarships, generally worth ₹3&ndash;6 lakhs. These are based on financial need or merit, but full tuition coverage is not something IIMs publicly offer.
That said, in rare cases, full tuition has been covered unofficially through a combination of institute aid and external sources. Some candidates from government, social sector, or CSR-backed firms have received full support through employer sponsorship or state funding. These cases are few and depend heavily on individual circumstances.
For most applicants, even with a GMAT above 730 and strong leadership history, partial support is the norm. It's best to budget for the full fee and treat any scholarship as a supplement&mdash;not the primary funding source.