- Three On-Campus Immersion Sessions in the first year enabling interactive learning and direct engagement with IIM Bodh Gaya faculty.
- Collaborative Learning Opportunities with senior leaders and top executives from diverse industries, fostering practice-oriented research insights.
- Foreign Immersion offering global research exposure, industry visits abroad, and networking with executive scholars from partner international institutions.
IIMBG RAT Fee: Rs. 1200/-
Date of start of Application: 13th December 2025
Last Date of Application: 7th April 2026
During the first year of the Executive PhD Programme, scholars are required to complete the coursework, comprising of introductory courses in management and PhD level courses which includes area specific and research methodology related courses. The introductory management courses will be conducted along with the Executive MBA (E-MBA) programme, providing scholars with exposure to core management concepts and postgraduate-level academic rigor.
Further Years
Upon successful completion of the mandatory coursework in the first year, the scholar is required to appear for a Comprehensive Examination and Viva-voice, which assesses preparedness for independent doctoral research.
After successfully clearing the Comprehensive Examination and Viva-voice, the scholar shall constitute a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) in consultation with faculty members from area of specialization.
Following the formation of the TAC, the scholar is required to present and defend the thesis proposal.
As part of the programme requirements, scholars will also participate in a Foreign Immersion Module which is mandatory, designed to provide exposure to international academic environments, research practices, and global scholarly engagement.
The last steps of the programme are Thesis Submission and Defense.
The Executive Ph.D. Program in Management is a part-time, non-residential programme. Scholars are ordinarily expected to complete the programme within four years. An extension of up to two additional years may be granted, subject to the condition that the total duration of the programme does not exceed six years.
The total programme fee for the students who fulfil all the requirements of the programme in time, the total programme fee works out to be INR 7,00,000.
Payment Schedule
The fee schedule for Executive Ph.D. in Management
| Year | Amount | Detail | Last Date of Payment* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commitment fee # | INR 50,000 | (At the time of accepting admission offer) | April, 2026 |
| Year 1 | INR 2,00,000 | Program Fee 1st Installment | April, 2026 |
| Year 2 ** | INR 2,00,000 | Program Fee 2nd Installment | April, 2027 |
| Year 3 | INR 2,00,000 | Program Fee 3rd Installment | April, 2028 |
| Year 4 | INR 1,00,000 | Program Fee 4th Installment | April, 2029 |
*Exact dates will be announced later.
**Year 2: Foreign Immersion fee which is mandatory would be charged as per actuals.
# Applicants accepting admission offers must pay a commitment fee of INR 50000, which will later be adjusted against the refundable caution deposit and Alumni fee.
Note:
At the time of giving an offer of admission to an applicant, a last date of withdrawal will also be announced. Any withdrawal from the program by that date will attract INR 1,000/- as a processing fee and the remaining amount will be refunded. If the withdrawal request comes after the date of withdrawal, no money will be refunded. After joining the program, all paid fee instalment amounts are non-refundable.
*
This document outlines the admission process of IIM Bodh Gaya for its Ph.D. for Working Professionals Programme for the Academic Year (AY) 2026 intake. IIM Bodh Gaya reserves the right to revise or update any part of this policy, including eligibility criteria, evaluation standards, and cut-offs, at any stage until the completion of the admission cycle.
Minimum eligibility criteria for applying to Executive Ph.D. in Management for the Academic Year: 2026- 27 are as mentioned below:
Education Qualifications:
Applicants must hold one of the following degrees/qualifications:
A master’s degree, with at least 60% marks.
OR
A professional qualification such as CA, ICWA/CMA, or CS with at least 60% marks.
OR
A four-year/eight-semester bachelor’s degree in engineering/architecture with at least 6.5 CGPA (65%) or equivalent.
Notes:
The percentage will be calculated as per the rules of the respective University/Institution. For CGPA, conversion to percentage must follow the institution’s certified procedure. In the absence of such a procedure, equivalence will be established as (CGPA/Maximum CGPA) × 100.
A 5% relaxation is available for candidates from SC, ST, and PwD categories.
Age Limit and Work Experience
The upper age limit is 55 years.
Candidates must have at least 5 years of full-time, post-qualification work experience in Government, PSUs, research organizations (DSIR approved), autonomous bodies, educational institutions, or the private sector.
The upper age limit is relaxed for 5 years for SC/ST/PWD and 3 years for NC-OBC.
Qualifying Examinations (Any one of the following)
Candidates with valid CAT/GRE/GMAT/GATE/UGC-NET scores (within the last three years from the final date of application submission) may apply.
International applicants (NRIs/foreign nationals) may submit GRE/GMAT scores.
Those without such scores must appear for the IIM Bodh Gaya Research Admission Test (IIMBG-RAT).
Minimum percentile/qualification requirements (tentative):
| Category | CAT (Sec/Overall) | GRE/GMAT (Sec/Overall) | GATE | JRF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 70 / 80 | 70 / 80 | Qualified | Qualified |
| NC-OBC | 65 / 75 | 65 / 75 | Qualified | Qualified |
| EWS | 65 / 75 | 65 / 75 | Qualified | Qualified |
| SC | 55 / 65 | 55 / 65 | Qualified | Qualified |
| ST | 55 / 65 | 55 / 65 | Qualified | Qualified |
| PwD | 55 / 65 | 55 / 65 | Qualified | Qualified |
(Verbal and Quantitative sections considered for CAT/GRE/GMAT. Only relevant GATE subjects accepted.)