Kamal Ghorui
IIM Ahmedabad PGP 2026 batch: The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad has completed the final placement process for its Post Graduate Programme (PGP) Class of 2026 with 100 percent placement across 26 cohorts. Recruiters from consulting, finance, technology, and other sectors participated in the process.The placement cycle began with the lateral placement process held from January 5 to 15, 2026. This phase was meant for students with prior work experience and focused on middle and senior management roles. It was followed by the final placement process conducted through a cluster-cohort system.
How the process was organised
Under the cluster-cohort model, firms were grouped based on industry and invited across different clusters. Students were allowed to apply to firms in later clusters even after securing an offer through what the institute calls dream applications. More than 150 such applications were made during the process.This structure determines how opportunities are distributed across cohorts and how students move between roles before finalising their offers.
Consulting firms lead hiring
The consulting cohort accounted for a large share of offers. Boston Consulting Group made 33 offers, the highest in this cohort. McKinsey & Company made 21 offers, while Bain & Company made 20 offers.Other consulting firms that participated include Accenture Strategy, Deloitte Consulting India, KPMG India, PwC India, and EY-Parthenon.
Participation across sectors
The placement process also saw participation from firms in investment banking and markets, private equity, consumer goods, enterprise technology, and healthcare. In the investment banking cohort, Goldman Sachs led with 6 offers, followed by Citibank with 4 offers, according to the press release.The private equity, venture capital and asset management cohort recorded a 45 percent increase in offers. Firms such as Blackstone, General Atlantic, and Temasek were among the participants.Several other cohorts also recorded an increase in the number of offers, including analytics and information technology consulting, consumer services, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, and renewable energy.
Lateral placements and new recruiters
In the lateral placement process, FinIQ Consulting made 15 offers, while NTT Data made 14 offers.New recruiters were also added across sectors during this cycle, indicating continued expansion of the recruiter base, according to the press release.The 2026 placement cycle shows continued demand from consulting firms, alongside participation from a wide range of sectors. The structure of the process and the spread of recruiters shows how hiring is being organised across cohorts and roles.
