PGDM vs online MBA: which one is actually a degree?

9 of the 11 universities in our catalog award an MBA degree (1 of them offers a PG Diploma too); 2 award only a PG Diploma. The table shows exactly what you graduate with at each.

2 min read · every figure is computed from our catalog and the lists we reproduce and links to the page that shows it

What is the difference between a PGDM and an MBA?

An MBA is a master's degree, and only a body with degree-granting powers can award it — a university set up by a central or state Act, an institution deemed to be a university under the UGC Act, or an institution such as the IIMs that has its own Act. For the online mode the university must additionally be entitled by the UGC's Distance Education Bureau (UGC-DEB).

A PGDM or Post Graduate Diploma is a diploma, not a degree. It is awarded by the institution itself, is often shorter and cheaper, and can be an excellent way into a subject. But where a job, a promotion rule or a further course says "master's degree", a diploma may not be accepted — and that is the one thing to settle before you pay.

Which online universities award a degree, and which a diploma?

Straight from each university's catalog: Amity, DY Patil, LPU, Manipal Jaipur, NMIMS, Shoolini, Sikkim Manipal, Symbiosis SSODL award an MBA degree; IMT CDL and Symbiosis SCDL award a PG Diploma; Parul offers both.

UniversityYou graduate withUGC-DEB entitledFee range
AmityMBAYes₹2,07,000 – ₹4,13,000
DY PatilMBAYes₹1,75,000
IMT CDLPG DiplomaYes₹1,10,000 – ₹1,60,000
LPUMBAYes₹1,46,240
Manipal JaipurMBAYes₹1,80,000
NMIMSMBAYes₹1,96,000 – ₹4,00,000
ParulMBA / PG DiplomaYes₹90,000
ShooliniMBAYes₹1,58,000
Sikkim ManipalMBAYes₹1,20,000
Symbiosis SCDLPG DiplomaNo₹76,000 – ₹90,000
Symbiosis SSODLMBAYes₹3,70,000

How do you check for yourself?

Two checks. First, the credential on the specialization's own page — every page on this site states it. Second, the UGC-DEB entitled list: if the university is not on it, do not treat its online degree as recognised until the university shows you its UGC-DEB entitlement letter for that programme. Our entitled-and-banned page reproduces both UGC lists and is searchable by name and state.

Questions people ask

No. An MBA is a degree; a PGDM is a diploma awarded by the institution itself. AIU has granted equivalence to some AICTE-approved PGDM programmes, programme by programme — check whether the one you are considering is among them.