India’s premier business schools are witnessing a sharp rise in students from non-engineering backgrounds, marking a break from decades of engineering dominance, according to a Times of India report.
At the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore, over 55% of students in the flagship Master of Business Administration (MBA) batch for 2025-27 come from fields such as commerce, humanities, economics, and arts. IIM Lucknow follows with nearly 53%, while IIM Ahmedabad’s latest batch is about 50% non-engineers.
IIM Indore Director Himanshu Rai said the share of non-engineers has steadily increased over five years; from about 41% in 2021-23 to 55% now. “In the 2025-27 postgraduate programme, there are 179 women and 91 men from non-engineering streams, outnumbering engineers,” he noted.
Experts attribute the change to a deliberate push for diversity and evolving corporate needs, with greater emphasis on skills like critical thinking, creativity, and communication. At IIM Ahmedabad, the proportion of non-engineers rose from 33% to 50% in three years. Director Bharat Bhasker said the institute began introducing academic categories a decade ago to ensure diversity.
IIM Lucknow reported that 268 of 507 students in its 2025-27 batch are from non-engineering backgrounds, with commerce courses drawing the most interest. The trend signals a redefinition of management education in line with a changing job market.
