FORE School of Management (FORE Delhi)

FORE School of Management (FORE Delhi), located in New Delhi, is a self-financed private management institute operating under the Foundation for Organisational Research and Education (FORE). The FORE Society was incorporated in 1981, while FORE School of Management was established in New Delhi in 1992. The institute focuses on management education, research, training and consultancy and offers full-time postgraduate management programmes along with doctoral and executive programmes.

The flagship programme relevant to most MBA aspirants is the two-year full-time Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM). The PGDM is designed as a broad management programme combining foundational courses with elective-based specialisation. During the first year, students study core management subjects, while electives begin from the later terms and allow students to develop proficiency in chosen academic areas.

For the 2026-28 admission cycle, FORE accepted CAT 2025, XAT 2026 and eligible GMAT scores for its PGDM admissions. Candidates required a bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification with at least 50% aggregate marks. Students appearing for their final-year degree examination in 2026 could also apply subject to meeting the institute's specified conditions and producing proof of graduation within the prescribed deadline.

FORE's admission process is not based on an officially declared single CAT percentile cutoff for final admission. Candidates are shortlisted using CAT/XAT/GMAT scores, followed by a Personal Interview. The final selection framework for the 2026-28 batch assigned 35% weight to CAT/XAT/GMAT score, 25% to the Personal Interview, 22% to past academic performance, 10% to work experience, 5% to regional diversity and 3% to gender diversity. The institute also publishes the median and maximum entrance percentiles of admitted students, but these figures should not be confused with a formal cutoff.

The PGDM curriculum covers areas including communication, economics and business policy, finance and accounting, marketing, organisational behaviour and human resources, information systems and analytics, operations and decision sciences, international business and strategy. FORE states that its PGDM permits dual specialisation, allowing students to develop proficiency in up to two areas subject to the programme's academic requirements.

For the 2026 admission cycle, the official programme fee for the PGDM was ₹23.24 lakh for the two-year programme under the self-sponsored category. A separate one-time registration fee of ₹23,000 was payable in addition to the programme fee. The programme fee includes tuition and several academic and student-service components, including examination fees, library resources, books and reading material, IT services and the complimentary International Immersion Programme.

FORE's latest officially available placement report is for 2025. For the PGDM course, the reported average salary was ₹16.80 LPA and the highest salary was ₹29.00 LPA, with a median salary of ₹15.20 LPA. These course-specific figures are preferable when describing the flagship PGDM rather than using consolidated figures across FORE's different PGDM programmes.

In the NIRF 2025 Management ranking, FORE School of Management was placed at #59 nationally. Its official recognition and accreditation information lists AICTE approval, NBA accreditation for the PGDM and AIU equivalence of its PGDM to an MBA. FORE also holds SAQS accreditation through September 2028.

FORE Delhi's main campus is in Qutub Institutional Area in South Delhi. The institute's official mandatory disclosure identifies it as a self-financed private institute and a standalone institute with no affiliating university. The official sources reviewed do not disclose a verified current campus area in acres, so no campus-size estimate should be used.

FORE School of Management's 2026-28 admission cycle was based on CAT 2025, XAT 2026 and eligible GMAT scores. The institute published an admission timeline in its 2025-26 information brochure specifically for the Batch 2026-28. Because the institute expresses several milestones in weeks rather than exact calendar dates, applicants should use the published week-based schedule rather than assuming a specific day.

The application process for the 2026-28 batch was scheduled to open in the first week of October 2025. FORE instructed candidates to apply online through its admissions portal. The application fee depended on the number of programmes selected: ₹1,500 plus applicable 18% GST for one programme, ₹2,000 for two programmes, ₹2,500 for three programmes and ₹3,000 for four programmes.

The entrance-examination stage was based on CAT, XAT or GMAT. For the 2026-28 PGDM cycle, candidates could use CAT 2025 or XAT 2026 scores, while the institute also accepted a valid GMAT score from a test taken between 1 January 2024 and 31 May 2026. This means that the relevant examination dates were controlled by the respective examination authorities rather than FORE alone.

FORE's first institute-level milestone after the entrance examinations was shortlisting based on examination scores. The official admission brochure scheduled this shortlisting for the second week of January 2026. Candidates were shortlisted on the basis of CAT/XAT/GMAT scores for the subsequent selection process.

The selection process was scheduled for the third week of January and February 2026. FORE's current admission FAQ describes the selection process as involving shortlisting followed by a Personal Interview. The institute's 2026 selection framework also specifies the relative importance of examination score, PI, academic performance, work experience, regional diversity and gender diversity.

Admission offers to selected candidates were scheduled to be announced from the third week of March 2026. At approximately the same stage, FORE planned to communicate Letters of Intent to waitlisted candidates. Fee payment for offer acceptance and subsequent waitlist movement was scheduled from the first week of April 2026.

Admission confirmation and document verification followed the offer stage. Candidates who received provisional admission had to satisfy the institute's document and eligibility requirements. For candidates appearing in their final-year degree examination in 2026, FORE required proof of having passed graduation by 1 October 2026, together with the required minimum aggregate marks.

The academic session for the 2026-28 batch was scheduled to commence from June 2026. The brochure describes the commencement date as tentative, so students should distinguish the published tentative academic-start period from a fixed confirmed calendar date.

A useful timeline for FORE Delhi admission 2026 is therefore: application opening in the first week of October 2025; entrance-score-based shortlisting in the second week of January 2026; selection process during the third week of January and February 2026; admission offers from the third week of March 2026; fee payment and waitlist movement from the first week of April 2026; and academic-session commencement from June 2026.

For students preparing for a future FORE admission cycle, these dates should not automatically be carried forward to the next batch. The institute can revise application deadlines, selection dates, accepted-score windows and academic commencement dates. The latest official admission brochure should always be treated as the controlling source for a new admission year.

FORE School of Management offers several postgraduate management programmes, but the two-year full-time PGDM is the main general-management programme and the appropriate flagship course for students searching for FORE Delhi MBA or PGDM admission.

PGDM

The Post Graduate Diploma in Management is a two-year, full-time programme. The first year is structured around core management courses, while elective courses begin from the later terms. The curriculum combines foundational management knowledge with functional and technology-oriented subjects.

The current PGDM curriculum includes courses in managerial communication, managerial economics, financial accounting, marketing and consumer insights, organisational behaviour and human resources, data analytics and AI fundamentals, corporate finance, macroeconomic policy, emerging technologies, strategic entrepreneurship, operations, international business and strategic management.

FORE follows a dual-specialisation model in the PGDM. Students can develop proficiency in up to two areas of specialisation, subject to the programme's academic requirements. The academic areas associated with the PGDM include Communication, Economics and Business Policy, Finance and Accounting, Information Systems and Analytics, Marketing, Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource, Operations Management and Decision Sciences, International Business and Strategy.

The PGDM has an official intake of 300 seats for the two-year full-time programme. This should not be confused with the combined intake of FORE's other PGDM programmes.

PGDM in International Business

FORE also offers a separate two-year full-time PGDM in International Business (PGDM-IB). This programme has an international-business orientation and allows dual specialisation, with International Business forming the programme-specific specialisation requirement.

PGDM in Financial Management

The PGDM in Financial Management (PGDM-FM) is another separate two-year programme. It focuses more specifically on finance while retaining the institute's broader management curriculum. Students can undertake dual specialisation, with Finance forming the programme-specific specialisation requirement.

PGDM in Big Data Analytics

FORE also offers the two-year PGDM in Big Data Analytics (PGDM-BDA). The institute's current AICTE approval information states that the BDA programme is offered at the Gurugram off-campus, rather than the New Delhi campus. Its curriculum includes business analytics, emerging technologies and other management subjects.

These programmes should not be merged when comparing fees, admission criteria, seats or placement statistics. The flagship New Delhi PGDM has its own 300-seat intake and general-management curriculum, while PGDM-IB, PGDM-FM and PGDM-BDA are separate programmes.

For students preparing through CAT, the flagship PGDM is particularly relevant because FORE's 2026-28 admissions accepted CAT 2025 along with XAT 2026 and eligible GMAT scores. A bachelor's degree with at least 50% aggregate marks was required, with final-year candidates also permitted to apply subject to the institute's conditions.

FORE's current curriculum also reflects increasing emphasis on technology and analytics. Subjects such as Data Analytics & AI Fundamentals, Emerging Technologies: AI, Cloud & Digital Platforms and other analytics-oriented electives are incorporated into the programme. These courses form part of the academic curriculum and should not automatically be treated as separate degree specialisations.

Therefore, students researching FORE School of Management courses should distinguish between the flagship PGDM and the institute's specialised PGDM programmes. The New Delhi PGDM is the broad management programme with a 300-seat intake and dual-specialisation structure, while International Business, Financial Management and Big Data Analytics are separately defined programmes with their own academic focus.

FORE School of Management admission to the two-year full-time PGDM is an entrance-based process. For the 2026-28 batch, the institute accepted CAT 2025, XAT 2026 and eligible GMAT scores. The selection process involved examination-score-based shortlisting followed by a Personal Interview and evaluation of academic and other profile factors.

1. Check Eligibility

Candidates needed a bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification involving at least three years of education after 10+2. For the 2026-28 cycle, the minimum graduation requirement was 50% aggregate marks. Candidates appearing for their final-year degree examination in 2026 could also apply, subject to completing graduation and submitting the required proof within FORE's specified deadline.

2. Take an Accepted Entrance Examination

The main accepted examinations for the 2026-28 PGDM cycle were CAT 2025, XAT 2026 and GMAT. Candidates could use a valid GMAT score from a test taken between 1 January 2024 and 31 May 2026.

CAT is the primary exam keyword for students researching FORE Delhi admission because CAT is one of the institute's officially accepted examinations. However, FORE does not restrict PGDM admission exclusively to CAT candidates.

3. Apply to FORE

Candidates submit the application through the institute's online admission process and select the programmes for which they want to be considered. The 2026 application fee varied according to the number of programmes selected and was quoted exclusive of 18% GST.

4. Shortlisting

FORE's 2026 admission procedure states that candidates are shortlisted on the basis of CAT/XAT/GMAT scores. The institute does not publish a single current fixed CAT percentile as a guaranteed admission cutoff for the 2026-28 batch.

The 2025-27 admission brochure published the median CAT percentile of admitted PGDM students as 86.85 and the maximum as 97.03. These figures describe the admitted cohort and should not be confused with a formal cutoff.

5. Personal Interview

Shortlisted candidates proceed to the Personal Interview stage. The institute's 2026-28 selection framework assigns 25% weight to PI performance.

6. Final Selection

The final selection framework proposed for the 2026-28 batch assigned 35% to CAT/XAT/GMAT score, 25% to Personal Interview, 22% to past academic performance, 10% to work experience, 5% to regional diversity and 3% to gender diversity.

Past academic performance includes Class 10, Class 12 and graduation. For graduation, the institute's published framework also provides an additional component for candidates with a STEM background within the academic-performance calculation.

7. Offer and Confirmation

Selected candidates receive admission offers, while waitlisted candidates can receive Letters of Intent depending on subsequent movement. Candidates must complete the required fee payment and document-verification formalities to confirm admission.

FORE states that admissions take place on merit and that there is no management quota. The institute also provides means-cum-merit and other scholarship/financial-aid mechanisms for eligible students, subject to the applicable conditions.

Students should therefore distinguish three different concepts when researching the FORE CAT cutoff: the minimum eligibility requirement of 50% graduation marks, the examination score used for shortlisting, and the actual profile of candidates ultimately admitted. A published median CAT percentile is not the same as a formal cutoff.

For future admission cycles, the selection weights and accepted-score windows should be checked again because FORE explicitly notes that selection criteria may be added or removed as considered appropriate by the institute. The 2026-28 criteria should not automatically be assumed to apply to a later batch.

FORE School of Management's official fee structure for the 2026 admission cycle lists ₹23.24 lakh as the programme fee for the two-year PGDM under the self-sponsored category. For simple annual comparison, this corresponds to ₹11.62 lakh per year, although FORE officially charges and presents the amount as a two-year programme fee rather than as a separate annual tuition fee.

The official 2026 admission brochure states that the programme fee includes tuition fee, examination fee, extra and co-curricular activities, library resources, books and reading material and IT services. It also includes a complimentary International Immersion Programme for students, subject to the programme conditions specified by the institute.

In addition to the ₹23.24 lakh programme fee, a one-time registration fee of ₹23,000 is payable. The registration fee itself contains multiple components. These include ₹5,000 as a refundable security deposit, ₹3,000 as refundable library security, ₹2,500 towards journal subscription for two years, ₹5,000 towards medical insurance with personal accident policy for two years and ₹7,500 towards student activities charges.

Therefore, the simple two-year total of the published programme fee plus the one-time registration fee is ₹23.47 lakh. This is different from the ₹23.24 lakh programme fee itself. Students comparing FORE Delhi fees with other management institutes should make sure that the registration components are not accidentally treated as tuition.

The 2026 brochure also lists a company-sponsored category fee of ₹27.8375 lakh for the programme. Students applying under the ordinary self-sponsored category should use the ₹23.24 lakh programme fee unless they specifically fall under the company-sponsored category.

FORE also offers financial assistance. Its official scholarship information describes a Means-cum-Merit Scholarship for eligible first- and second-year students. The scholarship can include a full tuition-fee waiver subject to the applicable means and merit criteria. The institute also offers merit scholarships and a means scholarship, with eligibility conditions based on academic performance and financial circumstances.

For students from Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and the eight North-Eastern states listed by FORE, the institute's published 2026 brochure provides a 10% waiver in tuition fees, subject to the stated domicile conditions.

Hostel expenditure should be considered separately from the official PGDM programme fee. FORE's New Delhi campus does not operate as a conventional residential campus with an included hostel charge in the published PGDM programme fee. The institute provides leased hostel facilities in the vicinity, and accommodation charges therefore depend on the facility and room arrangement selected by students.

Students researching FORE School of Management MBA fees should remember that FORE offers PGDM rather than a university MBA degree. The institute states that its PGDM programmes are recognised as equivalent to an MBA through Association of Indian Universities (AIU) equivalence.

For CAT applicants, the entrance-examination cost is separate from FORE's programme fee. CAT registration, travel for selection activities, personal expenses and any applicable accommodation or living expenses should not be added to the official PGDM fee as though they were institute tuition charges.

The most useful 2026 fee figure for the flagship programme is therefore ₹23.24 lakh for the two-year self-sponsored PGDM, or ₹11.62 lakh per year as an annual equivalent. Adding the one-time ₹23,000 registration fee gives ₹23.47 lakh before any separate accommodation, living expenses or other costs.

The latest officially available FORE School of Management placement report is the 2025 placement report. For the flagship Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM), the reported average salary was ₹16.80 LPA, the highest salary was ₹29.00 LPA and the median salary was ₹15.20 LPA.

These figures should be distinguished from consolidated placement figures covering FORE's PGDM, PGDM in International Business, PGDM in Financial Management and PGDM in Big Data Analytics. When the objective is to describe the flagship PGDM, the course-specific placement figures are more appropriate than simply quoting an institute-wide figure without identifying the programme.

The 2025 placement cycle covered recruitment across several business sectors. The reported offer distribution included BFSI, IT/ITES, management research and consulting, FMCG/FMCD/automobile and manufacturing, along with other sectors. BFSI represented the largest sectoral share of offers at 33%, while IT/ITES and management research and consulting each accounted for 23% in the reported overall placement distribution.

The placement process at FORE is managed through the FORE Career Division. The institute describes a structured recruitment process involving company invitations, student applications, pre-placement talks, selection processes and final employment offers. Companies recruit students across different specialisations and work-experience backgrounds.

Recruiters associated with the 2025 placement cycle included organisations from banking and financial services, consulting, technology, FMCG, automobile, manufacturing and other sectors. Examples reported in the placement information include ICICI Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Mercedes-Benz, Kia India, Asian Paints, Nestlé and other corporate employers.

The latest placement data also records 138 recruiting companies across the reported 2025 placement cycle, including 45 new recruiters. The placement process recorded 49 PPO/PPI outcomes. These figures provide context about recruiter participation but should not be interpreted as a placement percentage unless the institute officially reports a programme-specific placement rate.

The salary figures are particularly relevant for students comparing FORE School of Management placements. The ₹16.80 LPA average salary represents the mean reported compensation for the PGDM course in the 2025 placement data, while the ₹15.20 LPA median indicates the middle point of the reported salary distribution. The ₹29.00 LPA highest salary represents the highest reported compensation figure for the PGDM placement data.

FORE's 2025-27 batch profile also shows the breadth of student backgrounds entering its programmes. Students come from areas including engineering, commerce, science, arts and other educational backgrounds, while the institute's placement process recruits across multiple sectors and functional roles.

Summer internships form another important component of the management programme. FORE describes its Summer Internship Programme as an integral part of the PGDM curriculum, conducted after the first year. Students undertake internships across sectors such as consulting, FMCG, BFSI, IT, e-commerce and manufacturing.

Placement figures should always be read together with their batch and programme labels. The 2025 placement data is the latest available placement cycle identified on FORE's official website, while later 2026 placement information should only be used once the institute publishes a verified placement report.

For students searching for the FORE School of Management average package, the latest verified PGDM figure is ₹16.80 LPA. For the highest package, the corresponding verified PGDM figure is ₹29.00 LPA. The median package is ₹15.20 LPA. These figures provide a more precise picture of the flagship PGDM than combining unrelated programmes or using historical placement figures from earlier batches.