GetMyUni's Verdict on XLRI Jamshedpur

Parvathy Krishnakumar

“Popular among the big names in the industry, XLRI Jamshedpur has strong placement rates with prestigious recruiters. Even so, the latest segregation of students has caused it to come across as a regressive space for young minds.”

XLRI Jamshedpur is one of the oldest B-schools in the country, with a legacy of over 7 decades. The quality of education and brand value of the institute is at par with the IIMs. Although the name of the institute is not as common, XLRI Jamshedpur is highly reputed among industry personnel.

As admission to the institute is based on the competitive exam, XAT, only the qualified candidates are selected for different programs offered. Hence, the quality of the student crowd at XLRI is assured. 

Alongside a strong academic background, students also have the opportunity to pursue their interests through the multiple events conducted on campus. As most of the committees are student-led, the institute helps the aspirants with the overall development of leadership and communication skills.

However, the recent segregation policy of students implemented by the administration was not very welcomed by the students. This policy restricts students from entering the opposite gender’s hostels, leaving them no space to work together. Hence, the students have mentioned the regressive thoughts of the admin, who decided to separate the students from each other based on their gender.

Table of Contents

• Wide Range of Management Courses
• Costly Courses
• Prime Level Quality of Education
• Multi-Faceted Infrastructure
• Segregated Hostels
• Wholesome Campus Life
• Guaranteed Placements
• Overall Impression of XLRI Jamshedpur

Wide Range of Management Courses

Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur, offers plenty of Management courses in different disciplines. The institute is mainly focused on providing higher education in the field through Post Graduate Diploma programs. In addition to the on-campus courses, the institute also has opened up the possibility of acquiring postgraduate degrees online.

Aspirants have the option to pursue their higher studies in the field of their choice online from different parts of the world. The institute has individual schools and departments focusing on one particular field. 

The primary course offered at the School of Business is the institute is Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management. Additionally, students with a minimum of 5 years of experience in different fields like Automobile, Manufacturing, IT, etc., have the option to pursue an 18-month PGDM (GM) program, which is a full-time, residential course.

Additionally, the aspirants have the choice to pursue the XLRI-Rutgers Double Masters Program in the field of Supply Chain Management and Supply Chain Analytics in collaboration with Rutgers Business School, US. XLRI is in charge of providing PGDM in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, and Rutgers provides an MS degree in Supply Chain Analytics. The institute also offers Corporate Programs to those who intend to study different fields while working as executives.

Costly Courses

When compared to its contemporaries, the course fees for each program offered at XLRI Jamshedpur are expensive for the entire 2-years. Nonetheless, to make it easier for students from all backgrounds to be a part of the institute, they offer several scholarship programs based on the student’s merit and other factors. 

Prime Level Quality of Education

Although the institute has a few qualified professors, the overall educational quality of the institute can be improved. This has also been sighted by students in various online search portals. Nevertheless, the faculty members at XLRI are highly educated and experts in their respective fields.

The faculties are very approachable, and there happens to be competition to choose their electives. As the institute is known for assisting budding entrepreneurs, the professors play an important role in helping the students set up their ventures with proper guidance.

Besides having experienced, full-time professors, the institute also invites industry personnel to conduct guest lectures and seminars, which helps the students obtain real-world knowledge and application of concepts in an interactive atmosphere.

The institute also has visiting professors for research programs who are highly educated with doctoral degrees from reputed universities across the globe. XLRI attempts to keep its curriculum updated and execute innovative teaching methods for its students.

Multi-Faceted Infrastructure

Although the institute infrastructure is smaller than the A-level institutes of the country, XLRI consists of all the essential facilities and amenities required to enhance the student experience. An active committee is present on the campus who are in charge of addressing the issues related to the infrastructure as well. The major resources included in XLRI infrastructure are elaborated below.

Established in 1949, the XLRI library is considered to be the heart of the institute, with a vast collection of resources related to labour relations, Management and related topics. The library caters to all the information requirements of the students, faculty and researchers equally. The library is automated using the Liberty software to make it more accessible.

XLRI has several computing resources included in its infrastructure, such as Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the campus, the latest servers and workstations to facilitate students with a holistic learning experience. 

XLRI gives equal importance to sports facilities by providing specific fields and courts where students can play and practice their favourite games and sports. To help students have an interdisciplinary research experience, XLRI has incorporated a behavioural lab where students and teachers have the opportunity to discuss about human rights and other such topics.

Segregated Hostels

The students pursuing residential programs at the institute are provided with housing facilities through four hostels, which include over 400 rooms. Each hostel has a separate pathway leading to the college campus. The hostels comprise a clean mess where students are hygienically served timely meals.

The hostels available at XLRI Jamshedpur are as follows.

• Fr. Enright Men’s Residence
• St.Thomas Men’s Residence
• Mother Teresa Women’s Residence
• Nilima Acharji Women’s Residence.

Recently, the administration implemented segregation between the men’s and women’s hostels, which caused a major issue among the students. As the Management program curriculum involves several group projects and assignments, most of the institutes allow students to enter the opposite gender’s hostels to enable them with enough space to complete their assignments.

Therefore, the hostel segregation left the students of XLRI with no space to have discussions. This was seen as a major regressive action from the side of the administration. Few students have also shared their opinions on the same on various online sharing portals.

Wholesome Campus Life

Besides opening a big window for its students in terms of academics, XLRI also has an exceptional campus culture. Due to the small batch sizes, all students, regardless of their batches, are familiar with each other.

The seniors are often seen helping their juniors with different matters. However, mobility is restricted, which makes it difficult for the students to interact with others at their convenience. Nonetheless, the campus is always active, with numerous activities and events hosted by the student-led committees of the institute. 

Students are recommended to have a steady plan for their academics as managing to spend time studying and participating in extracurricular activities can become tedious due to the highly demanding curriculums. 

As admission to the institute is solely based on the competitive entrance exam, the students at XLRI are extremely talented, which enables others to challenge themselves and push through to reach their maximum potential. 

The institute was founded by Jesuit Fathers. Hence, they give great importance to serving society through social initiatives. Students are often taken to different rural areas and interact with less fortunate families, which enables them to understand all types of families and their difficulties. This helps in the overall development of the students, not only in terms of academics but also in becoming better citizens. 

Although the students have the liberty to choose their interests, some strict rules and regulations must be followed. The strict rule of not entering the opposite gender’s hostel is one of the most frowned-upon policies. Otherwise, students have enough freedom to move freely through the campus.

Several centres are part of the campus to focus on different aspects, such as ecology, Business Ethics, Spirituality, and so on. The centres that are part of the XLRI campus are as follows.

• Fr. Arrupe Centre for Ecology and Sustainability
• Financial Market Centre
• Centre for Human Resource Development
• Centre for Logistics and SCM
• Centre for Peace and Justice
• XLRI JRD Tata Foundation in Business Ethics
• Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusive Leadership
• Center for Public Policy and Public Affairs
• XLRI Centre for Spirituality.

In addition to that, the institute has a strong sports culture where students have the space to practice their games and participate in several competitions. The co-curricular activities also include cultural events, tech fests, conclaves, etc.

The campus has a high-security system that assures the safety and security of residential students. Experienced security guards are present in all locations, especially in the hostel premises.

Diversity in Campus

Keeping aside the recent segregation, all students are treated as equals regardless of their gender, caste, creed, and economic status. The only factor that distinguishes the students is their academic capacity.

The Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusive Leadership ensures that all students have the space and opportunity to showcase their talents and evolve into being the best in their respective fields. With equal opportunities in internships and academic programs, there is no disparity.

The campus is very diverse, with students from different parts of the country. Festivals of each culture are celebrated on the campus, which also gives students exposure to various cultures and traditions. 

Dress Code

XLRI does not have a set uniform, but the students are expected to abide by the dress code of wearing formal clothes as it is a B-school. There are no restrictions on clothes in the hostels.

Guaranteed Placements

The huge network of alumni from the institute is a great source of placements for the graduates of XLRI Jamshedpur. Furthermore, the brand value of the institute entices prestigious companies and organizations to recruit more students from XLRI, which results in 100% placement opportunities. The limited batch size of the courses is beneficial for its students as the competition level for placement is much smaller than the other B-schools.

According to the past year's placement report, the median salary packages offered to PGDM BM and HRM graduates were at INR 30 LPA, with the top 10th percentile average at INR 57.7 LPA. Companies from different sectors, like Consulting, e-commerce, Gaming, Real Estate, Pharma, and others, have recruited students from the institute.

Overall Impression of XLRI Jamshedpur

Although the institute is very popular in the industry of Management, the recent segregation has caused an issue among the aspirants as it comes across as a regressive educational atmosphere, where the other institutes are implementing new patterns to make the campuses more inclusive and open-minded. Yet, the institute has managed to remain in the top 10 list of B-schools in the country with its quality education and high placement rate.

The pros and cons of studying at XLRI Jamshedpur are tabulated below for reference.

*Source: xlrijamshedpur Instagram