Mumbai: For the first time, postgraduate diploma in management (PGDM) courses in the state will come under govt regulation. A recent notification issued by the state govt has brought admissions to these courses under a centralised entrance exam conducted by the state’s CET cell. The fees charged by these management institutes will also be regulated by Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA).Institutions such as LN Welingkar, NL Dalmia, Chetana’s Institute of Management and Research, SIES and MET offer PGDM courses across multiple specialisations. These courses, which are equivalent to MBA/MMS, have so far been offered by management institutes that operated autonomously, with the freedom to conduct their own admissions and determine course fees. There are nearly 70 institutes in the state offering PGDM courses approved by All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), with a combined intake of around 15,000 seats. Many of these courses are run by standalone management institutions. While some institutions also offer an MBA/MMS programme, a few focus only on PGDM courses. The fees are usually higher than MBA/MMS programmes offered by private institutions in the state and above Rs 15 lakh in many cases for the entire duration of the course. A state govt official said PGDM courses are by definition professional courses, are regulated by AICTE and should, therefore, have been included in Maharashtra Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admissions) and Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2015. “There is no reason for excluding such institutes. We have already issued a notification to bring them under these two regulatory bodies from 2027-28,” said the official. The official said such institutions were initially kept outside the regulatory framework on technical grounds related to the duration of the courses. An official from one of the institutions said the move would curtail their ability to grow into world-class management institutes. “There are over 300 such standalone institutions in the country and many are doing exceptionally well because of the autonomy they enjoy. The fees approved by FRA for MBA/MMS programmes are barely adequate and may not be sufficient to provide quality education, attract good faculty and invest in the resources required to build world-class management institutes. Even most IIMs charge fees of over Rs 20 lakh.” Another institute official said private and foreign universities operating in the country attract faculty by offering competitive salaries. “A few institutes have discontinued their MBA programmes to focus exclusively on PGDM because of the flexibility and autonomy it offers. Such regulatory controls may not help the institutions in the long term and are likely to be challenged.”
