ISB PGPpro: Executive MBA at ISB – A complete guide

Nanda Das, Director – Genpact, ISB PGPpro alum class of 2019 said “You perish when you stop growing intellectually. To be the first where knowledge is being shared is the key to stay relevant, continue to grow and sharpen yourself.” 

There comes a time in everyone’s career path when you feel you are no longer learning anything new or know the latest economic trends. Upgrading your leadership skills is also an important quality no matter how many years of work experience you possess. The best solution to this is pursuing an MBA. It is an optimum way to upgrade your leadership skills, gain knowledge on the latest economic trends and be ahead in the competitive world.

PGPpro at ISB is one such MBA program for mid-career working professionals. It is an executive MBA program structured in a way that you can balance professional life and upskilling.

What is PGPpro?

PGPpro is a Post Graduate Program in Management for working professionals which focuses on strategy and leadership insights with one additional area of specialization in either Finance or Marketing.

This is the first program at ISB which is offered outside the ISB campus. It has a hybrid learning model. Major component of the program is classroom learning and a part is also conducted in online mode.

You don’t have to shift to Hyderabad or Mohali to pursue this program. Only two weeks of the program are conducted at the ISB campuses (first and last week)  and the remaining classes are conducted on the weekends at four locations in India. It has also one international immersion in an Asian country.

Before discussing further, let’s first understand what are the advantages of pursuing this executive MBA (PGPPRO) at ISB.

Advantages of PGPpro

1. World class faculty – 200+ visiting faculty from top B-schools
2. Contemporary curriculum and pedagogy
3. No opportunity cost as you can continue to work
4. With 12500+ alumni network and peer group you get an opportunity to expand your business network
5. More convenient as you don’t have to attend the classroom session only at ISB campuses

Program Location 

The program is conducted at four locations.

Bangalore – Hotel Sheraton Grand

Delhi – Westin Gurugram

Mumbai –  Indian School of Design and Innovation in Lower Parel

Hyderabad – ISB campus

Contact Details

Address: PGPpro Admissions Office, Indian School of Business, Gachibowli, Hyderabad – 500111.

Phone: +917036031777

Email:  pgppro@isb.edu

ISB PGPpro – Duration of the program

PGPpro is conducted for a duration of 18 months.

The program starts in January for Bangalore and Mumbai, in July for Delhi and Hyderabad.

Classes are held on alternate weekends – Friday & Saturday or Saturday & Sunday. These weekend classes are conducted online and offline alternatively.

ISB PGPpro program timeline

The PGPpro program starts and ends with one week campus residency at one of the campuses. Here is the program structure and calendar for Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad.

Program calendar of ISB PGPpro

Location	Orientation week (Hyderabad campus)	Alternate weekend classes	International Immersion	Final term (Mohali campus)
Bangalore	January 14-20, 2022	February 18, 2022 – January 29, 2023	February 19-25, 2023	June 11-17, 2023
Mumbai	January 14-20, 2022	February 18, 2022 – January 29, 2023	February 19-25, 2023	June 11-17, 2023
Delhi	July 22-29, 2022	August 13, 2022 – October 15, 2023	October 28 – November 3, 2023	December 16-24, 2023
Hyderabad	July 22-29, 2022	August 13, 2022 – October 15, 2023	October 28 – November 3, 2023	December 16-24, 2023

Eligibility criteria

PGPpro is for working professionals and business owners with 5+ years of work experience.

To apply to this program you need to have a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any discipline.

I know what you must be wondering! Are there any test requirements for applying to this program? No, you don’t need any test score (GMAT/GRE) for applying to the PGPpro.

However, you will not be eligible to apply to this program if you have less than 5 years of experience as of 1st January 2022 for the Bengaluru and Mumbai locations and as of 1st July 2022 for the Delhi and Hyderabad locations.

This may further raise questions 

• Does everyone who apply for the PGPpro get admission?
• How does the admissions committee shortlist the candidates? 

Let’s discuss further.

PGPpro – Selection criteria

Only the candidates who have strong academic ability, exceptional managerial experience, and superior interpersonal skills are selected for the ISB PGPpro.

Your profile will be evaluated based on

1. Academic performance
2. Interpersonal skills
3. Communication skills
4. Leadership qualities
5. Professional achievements
6. Interview performance

Now that you know how the candidates are shortlisted, let’s check the class profile of PGPPRO to analyze your strengths and weaknesses. But before that let’s also check the info sessions conducted by ISB.

ISB PGPpro admission events

To know more about the program you can attend the admission events conducted by ISB every Wednesday throughout the year. You can also clarify your doubts about everything related to  PGPPRO through the Q&A sessions.

Click here to register for the ISB PGPpro info sessions conducted by ISB.

Class profile

The PGPpro at ISB has a diverse class profile with candidates of different disciplines like engineers, marketers, doctors and defense persons. 

• IT services - 18%
• IT products - 13%
• Biotech, pharma and healthcare - 11%
• Consulting - 9%
• Finance - 8%
• Real estate - 4%
• Telecommunications - 4%
• Others - 34%

• Women - 30%
• Non-engineers - 46%
• 10+ Functional representation
• 15+ Industry representation
• Average work experience - 10 years
• Average age - 36

If you are confident that your profile is strong enough to convince the admissions committee, go ahead and start preparing to apply for the PGPPRO. If you feel you need to put more effort on your weakness to build a strong profile, start working on it.

Still confused? We are here to help you. 

Get a free profile evaluation now from former ISB Admission Officers. We also help through the application process and interview preparation services.

ISB PGPpro Application Deadline

Here are the deadlines to apply to the PGPPRO. Bookmark this page to use it later once you have worked on your profile building.

	Program location	Round 1 early decision	Round 1	Round 2
PGPPRO	Mumbai & Bangalore	May 29, 2022	July 31, 2022	September 25, 2022
PGPPRO	Hyderabad & Delhi	November 20, 2022	Jan 29, 2023	TBA

Application fee

The application fee for ISB PGPpro is INR 5,000 for new applicants and INR 1,000 for re-applicants. GST is included in this fee.

ISB PGPpro fees and scholarship

The total fees for the ISB PGPpro is INR 30,46,000 excluding GST. Here is the detailed breakdown of the fees

Particulars	Amount (in INR)
Admission fee	3,00,000
Tuition fee	26,86,000
Security deposit	20,000
Alumni fund contribution	25,000
Lifetime use of library and recreation center	15,000
Total	30,46,000

Everyone who applies to ISB will be considered for the Merit scholarship. But if you want to avail the need based scholarship, you need to check the criteria and indicate it in the application along with a support essay. If eligible you can avail upto 50% scholarship on tuition fees.

Scholarship Essay

In the essay, you need to provide details on how you meet the scholarship criteria, what will be your contribution to the program and why you are eligible for the scholarship. The essay has a limit of 250 words. We have provided a detailed analysis of the scholarship essay in the further section.

Here are the criteria to avail scholarship for PGPpro:

• Demonstrates financial need
• Community-minded and socially responsible
• Strong academic and professional profile
• Demonstrates leadership skills
• Potential for future exceptional performance 
• Potential to become an excellent ambassador for ISB as a student and as a member of the alumni network
• Entrepreneurs
• Women Leaders and professionals
• Spouse of PGPpro alumnus
• Defense Personnel 
• Children and Spouse of Martyrs

ISB PGPpro admission process

There are three steps in the admission process of the ISB PGPpro.

Step 1: Online application

You have to fill out and submit the application online. Make sure you save and review each section before submitting it. 

Apply now for PGPPRO 2023 intake.

You have to scan and submit the following documents along with the application.

1.  Academic certificates

• Bachelor’s degree certificate
• Marksheet or Transcripts of class 12th and all semesters

2. Passport (first and last page)
3. Color photograph

You also have to submit professional evaluations in the prescribed format from the recent manager. If you are self-employed you must get the evaluation from your customers or vendors. 

Step 2: Interview invite

Once shortlisted you will be invited for a face-to-face interview with the admissions representative or alumni.

Step 3: Final decision

You will receive an admission decision within 4 weeks of completing the interview process. If selected you have to pay the admission fee within 10 days to reserve your place in the program.

ISB PGPpro Essays

The PGPpro Application requires applicants to answer a Main Essay, a Scholarship Essay, and an Additional Information Essay, which is optional. Following are the respective essay questions:

Main Essay 

One of the intrinsic values at the Indian School of Business is “to develop principled, future leaders who improve lives around the world…" Please discuss how you will contribute towards this mission citing examples from your past work experience and activities? 400 words Max

Scholarship Essay 

Why should the Admissions Committee offer you over other qualified candidates? (250 words max)

Additional Information (Optional) 

Additional Information: Kindly share information that you feel is relevant for the Admissions Committee to be aware. For example: current or past gaps in education or employment, professional achievements, awards or other information relevant to your application. (250 words max)

Role Description

In addition to these essays, applicants are also required to provide a 300-word statement that describes each role they have been in:

Describe the department/organizational unit for which you are responsible. Relate it to the whole organization in terms of size, scope, and autonomy of responsibility. What human resources, budget, and capital investment are you responsible for? (Maximum 300 words)

For detailed ISB PGPpro essay analysis and tips from the team of ISBmantra, check this article - ISB PGPpro Essay Analysis.

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