Admission Process

What B Schools look for in MBA Candidates?

Profile-based Early Interview Process:

Academic Abilities

Leadership Potential

Integrity and Ethical Values

Diversity of Experience

Application Guidelines

Essay

Evaluation Process

Scholarships

Diversity & Merit Scholarships

Dr. Bala V Balachandran Merit Scholarship

PGPM

Program Page | Financials | Placements | FAQs

Key Dates

At Great Lakes, we seek experienced professionals from diverse backgrounds with demonstrated track record of real world performance in business management and ability to lead as we aim to build a community of empathetic business leaders. As a top ranked business management school we continue to innovate business education to add value, not only to our candidates but also to our corporate stakeholders and society as a whole. This is reflected both in selection process and pedagogy of our One Year MBA Program. The admission process is based on a comprehensive evaluation of the candidates on multiple dimensions encompassing personal and professional track record, academic performance, management aptitude and demonstrated competencies.

Eligibility

Valid CAT^*/GMAT^x/XAT⁺ scores. For PGPM admission process 2025-26, Great Lakes Institute of Management will accept scores of GMAT taken after 1^st January 2022, CAT taken in 2023/2024, or XAT taken in 2024/2025.
NMAT^# 2023 onwards scores will additionally be accepted for PGPM 2025-26. You can enter scores from multiple attempts. Only the best score will be considered for your admissions.
A Bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized institution
Candidates with 2 to 10 years of work experience are considered.
Candidates with 2-3 years of work experience by 30th April 2025 are encouraged to apply for the One Year Flagship PGPM. 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.
Freshers and candidates with experience lesser than 24 months strictly may apply to the Great Lakes PGDM Program
Candidates with family business experience, or belonging to business families and planning to join the business after their MBA, can enroll for the PGPM - Family Business & Entrepreneurship program

*Great Lakes uses CAT scores only for screening applications for admissions and IIMs have no role in the conduct of Great Lakes academic programs.

+Great Lakes is not an associate institute of XLRI and uses XAT scores only for screening applicants for admission. XLRI has no role to play in the conduct of any of Great Lakes programs.

^xAll editions of GMAT - Classic, Focus and Online will be accepted.

#Great Lakes uses NMAT scores only for screening applications for admissions and NMIMS has no role in the conduct of Great Lakes academic programs.

Admission Process for 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.

Mr. Gautam Lakhamraju, Admissions Director talks with Unacademy about what MBA colleges like us look for in MBA candidates and also shares tips on approaching and preparing for admissions.

Great Lakes will conduct early interviews for PGPM Admission Process 2025 wherein applicants who have registered for MBA entrance exams - GMAT/CAT/XAT/NMAT but are yet to get the results would be shortlisted and interviewed along with candidates with scores basis the strength of their profiles.These profile based early interview candidates would be considered for final offer post submissions of scores once the test results are declared and submitted.

The profile based early interview process has been introduced to enable students with a strong demonstrated track record to apply early and subsequently get their result early. Given that the one year PGPM program starts early and the results are only available by end of February, the early Interview process aims to give students additional time to prepare for the start of the program.

Eg. Students taking CAT 2023 and shortlisted for the early interview process are likely to get their CAT scores in Jan 1^st/^2nd week and can get the final result by the end of January. They get the results 3 months before the start of the program as compared to 2 months after Cycle 2 results.

Following factors would be evaluated for the Profile-based Early Interviews:

Academics
Work Experience
Awards & Achievements

The final offer would consider other inputs as well, including Interview evaluation, Essays, Diversity and merit within the interviewed candidates.

For any queries regarding the Profile-based early interview, write to admissions@greatlakes.edu.in

What we look for?

Standardized test scores(GMAT/CAT/XAT/NMAT), School, College and University scores

Proven leadership capacity at Work, College or School level

Virtues that form the foundation for any leader

How can you contribute to the Great Lakes community during and after the MBA program

Candidates meeting the eligibility criteria can apply to Great Lakes Institute of Management by completing an online form
Candidates can choose to apply by any of the following methods:
Visit the website www.greatlakes.edu.in and fill in the online application form after making a payment of INR 2,000. Candidates have the option of either applying to Great Lakes, Chennai and Great Lakes, Gurgaon campuses separately or for both the campuses through the common application form by selecting the appropriate option in the registration form
The eventual application process is online for all candidates
Candidates have to provide the official email-id of the recommender. The recommendation letter will be collected from the final selected students' recommenders and it must be submitted online
All your queries regarding admission process can be sent to us at admissions@greatlakes.edu.in

Admissions Journey

Online Application
Initial Screening & PI invite
AWT & Personal Interview
Final Shortlisting
Initial Fee Payment
Admission Offer Acceptance
Admission Offer Roll Out
Course Registration
Orientation
Course Commencement

The application essay is an integral part of our PGPM admission process applications and help us understand you better; who you are, what motivates you, what are your career aspirations and how you will fit in to the Great Lakes community.

As a part of the application process we have mandatory 1 essay:

What are your personal qualities which you think make you suitable to be a part of the Class of 2026-27?

This essay delves into what you would bring to the class as an individual. The PGPM Program at Great Lakes receives large number of applications from promising candidates every year and while selecting the candidates, it is important for us to understand how you will add value to the class and enrich the experience of your peers. You can utilize this essay to highlight qualities about you that have not been captured in the form, quantify them with real examples from your professional, academic and personal life and make your case to prove that you are a right fit candidate for the program.

Applicants are evaluated based on GMAT/CAT/XAT/NMAT scores, past academic performance, essays, work experience and performance in the 2 interview rounds. The selection process builds in a criterion that facilitates evaluating each applicant on:

a) Academic Abilities: The program at Great Lakes is highly demanding and intense; candidates with consistent academic background and an ability to sustain pressure make the shortlist

b) Standardized Test Scores: To eliminate inconsistencies between colleges and universities at the Undergraduate level, Great Lakes considers GMAT, CAT, XAT or NMAT scores in the overall assessment

c) Video Interview and Personal Interview: The AI-proctored video interview before the final PI will test a candidate for their thought process and communication skills. Shortlisted candidates from this round will go to the final PI process which aims to determine the suitability of the candidate for the program and as a future management professional. Candidates are assessed on a number of parameters including general and business awareness, clarity of goals, attitude, people skills, communication skills, personal and extra-curricular/professional initiatives, etc.

d) Rank Holders: The program gives a clear advantage / brownie points to College / University rank holders.

e) Integrity and Ethical Values: Great Lakes emphasize on integrity and values including originality.

f) Diversity of Background: At Great Lakes, diversity in background facilitates peer learning which provides a diverse and comprehensive learning experience. We will actively try to bring an academic diversity into the PGPM classroom.

The above conditions / clauses / terms can be reviewed by the Institute from time to time. Hence, the prospective candidate is encouraged to visit the Great Lakes website at www.greatlakes.edu.in for regular updates.

All your queries regarding admission process can be sent to us at admissions@greatlakes.edu.in.

Great Lakes is offering diversity and merit scholarships to one year PGPM students to encourage diversity of perspectives and commitment to excellence. A total of 40 diversity and merit based scholarships worth Rs.5 lakhs each will be awarded for the incoming PGPM cohort and minimum of 30% of the scholarships would be for female students. Candidates will be shortlisted based on their application form, essays and interview assessment and there is no separate application process. Selected candidates will be intimated on the award of scholarship through email post confirmation of their admission acceptance and enrolment to the program at least one month before program commencement.

Eligibility Criteria

All GMAT Takers [GMAT 2022 | GMAT 2023 & GMAT 2024 (taken on or before 1^st December, 2024)]
All CAT 2023 takers
All XAT 2024 takers
All NMAT 2023 & NMAT 2024 takers
Candidates appearing for CAT 2024 | XAT 2025 or GMAT (taken on or before 31^st Jan, 2025) can also apply in Cycle 1 and submit their forms pending the availability of their scores. Selected candidates will be interviewed basis their profiles in Cycle 1. Learn more about Profile Based Early Interviews in Cycle 1.

Application Deadline

1^st December, 2024

Personal Interview (PI)

Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai: 22^nd & 23^rd, December 2024

Final Offers

Offers sent to shortlisted candidates

The Dr. Bala V Balachandran Merit Scholarship has been instituted in memory of Dr. Bala V Balachandran (1937-2021), Founder, Great Lakes Institute of Management. The scholarship seeks to recognize candidates with exceptional potential and demonstrated track record and encourage their pursuit of excellence at Great Lakes. The Dr. Bala V Balachandran Merit Scholarships constitute full Tuition Fee waiver (view tuition fee component) and access to mentorship from CXOs as well as high achieving alumni giving them an invaluable learning experience and networking opportunities.

CLICK HERE to know more about the Legacy of Dr. Bala V Balachandran.

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