FORE School of Management: Admission 2027, Courses, Fees, Placements, Cutoff & Rankings

FORE School of Management has run executive-education and management-development programmes for working professionals for over three decades. It runs these alongside its full-time PGDM batches, per FORE's own published record. FORE's stated mission is to develop "socially responsible future business leaders with a global perspective". That is FORE's own language. It comes from its published vision and mission statement, not admissions marketing.

That mission sits inside a standalone, AICTE-approved private business school with no affiliating university. The FORE Society, a non-profit body registered in 1981, runs the school. FORE opened its Delhi campus in 1992, in Qutub Institutional Area, South Delhi.

FORE Delhi does not accept diploma holders and it runs no management quota. Every seat goes on merit, decided by CAT, XAT or GMAT score, a personal interview and past academic record.

The total PGDM programme fee for the 2026-28 batch is ₹23,24,000 for the self-sponsored category. That figure comes from FORE's own FORE fee structure and payment schedule. Add the one-time ₹23,000 registration fee and the all-in cost comes to about ₹23.47 lakh. FORE's latest placement report is the Placement Report 2026, for the batch of 2024-26. It records a median CTC of ₹16.2 lakh and an average CTC of ₹16.52 lakh. That means the total two-year fee is about 1.4 years of median pay. This is the number every applicant comparing FORE against other Delhi NCR PGDM colleges needs to see. See it before signing an offer letter, not after.

FORE suits a candidate who already has a CAT, XAT or GMAT percentile in FORE's qualifying band. That band is 80 percentile CAT for the flagship PGDM, and lower for PGDM(IB), PGDM(FM) and PGDM(BDA). FORE also suits someone who wants a Delhi NCR campus with a stable three-year run of qualifying cutoffs. And it suits a family comfortable funding roughly ₹23.5 lakh against a median outcome near ₹16 lakh.

A candidate chasing the headline ₹26.45 lakh figure should look closer before applying. So should a family that cannot absorb the gap between fee and typical placement without a scholarship or loan. Both should check the FORE scholarship options and run the numbers first.

FORE ranks 59 in NIRF 2025 Management, the latest list on nirfindia.org. NBA's letter of 3 July 2026 accredits PGDM, PGDM(IB) and PGDM(BDA) through 31 December 2028. PGDM(FM) was accredited till 30 June 2026, and FORE shows no renewal. FORE also holds SAQS accreditation and AACSB membership. Each of these carries a real scope, not a blanket claim. The FORE Rankings page sets out exactly what each one covers.

What do you get for the FORE PGDM fees? You get two years of tuition, a complimentary International Immersion Programme at a partner school abroad, and exam fees. Library, books and IT services are included too, per FORE's own fee structure. Hostel, mess and most one-time deposits sit outside this figure.

Who should choose FORE, and who should check twice? A candidate with a CAT percentile at or above 80, for the flagship PGDM, should shortlist FORE. This fits someone who wants a Delhi NCR campus and values the fixed, merit-only admission process. A candidate relying on an education loan should run one calculation first. Model the gap between the ₹23.47 lakh fee and a realistic ₹16 lakh starting salary before applying.

FORE runs four two-year, AICTE-approved PGDM programmes. It also runs PGDM(HHM), PGDM(WP) and a Fellow Programme. The flagship PGDM has 360 seats in New Delhi on FORE's admission portal. PGDM(IB) (International Business) and PGDM(FM) (Financial Management) run 60 and 180 seats respectively, also in Delhi. PGDM(BDA) (Big Data Analytics) is offered exclusively at the Gurugram campus, with 120 seats. FORE's Mandatory Disclosure lists PGDM at 300 and PGDM(IB) at 120, as the courses page explains. All four charge the same ₹23,24,000 self-sponsored fee for the 2026-28 batch.

Are the FORE fees charged every year? No, the ₹23,24,000 figure is the total for the full two years, not a per-year charge. It excludes the ₹23,000 one-time registration fee and hostel costs too. See the full FORE course wise fee break-up for the year-wise schedule.

Does FORE Have a Student Exchange Programme?

Yes. FORE runs a Student Exchange Programme (SEP), and students spend one term of three months at a foreign partner institution. The term is normally in January to March. Selected students pass a screening at FORE, get a scholarship grant of ₹1,00,000 and have the host institution's programme fee waived. FORE says partner institutions also send a few students to FORE for the same term. FORE's Student Exchange Programme page does not state the eligibility rules or the credit transfer rules.

FORE announced that ten students joined the exchange at Rennes School of Business, France, from January to April 2024.

FORE's admission runs entirely on merit: a CAT, XAT or GMAT score, a personal interview, and academic record. There is no management quota. The final selection weighs the entrance score at 35% and the personal interview at 25%. Past academic performance carries 22%, work experience 10%, regional diversity 5% and gender diversity 3%. That is per FORE's published 2026-28 selection criteria.

For the 2026-28 batch, applications opened the first week of October 2025. Shortlisting ran the second week of January 2026. The selection process, a written assessment and interview, ran across January-February 2026. FORE has not published the 2027-29 application dates. FORE's PGDM page asks for CAT 2026, XAT 2027 or a GMAT score. The GMAT test must fall between 1 January 2025 and 31 January 2027. The full step-by-step process, with exact 2026-28 dates as a working reference, sits on the FORE admission process page.

FORE's Placement Report 2026, for the Batch of 2024-26, records three headline figures. The median CTC was ₹16.20 LPA and the average CTC was ₹16.52 LPA. The highest CTC was ₹26.45 LPA. The batch had 720 students across the four PGDM programmes. FORE's report does not give a placed count. The highest offer is about 1.6 times the median, a narrow spread. That makes the median a fair number to plan a budget around. The average is within 2% of the median, so a few high offers do not lift it. 142 companies recruited from this batch. Consumer, Manufacturing & Logistics had the most recruiters, at 45. Banking, financial services and insurance paid the highest offer. Full sector and recruiter detail sits on the FORE placement report.

FORE says it gave scholarships of more than ₹3 crore in AY 2024-25. Its Scholarships page lists six routes:

• Merit: a full first-year tuition waiver for 12 top rankers, by first-year CGPA.
• FORElite 95+: a 100% tuition waiver for the top 25 candidates with CAT 95 percentile or above.
• Means: a 100% tuition waiver for 24 students a year. Family income must be below ₹12 lakh and CGPA 7.00 or more.
• Saksham: a 100% tuition waiver for SC, ST and OBC (non-creamy) students with family income below ₹8 lakh.
• J&K, Ladakh and North-East waiver: a 10% tuition waiver for students domiciled in those regions.
• Dean's List and FSM Fellowship: a merit certificate and a sponsored International Immersion Programme Plus.

Full eligibility and renewal conditions sit on the FORE scholarship page.

FORE accepts CAT (conducted by the IIMs), XAT (conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur) and GMAT. A candidate needs only one of the three. There is no requirement to sit all of them. For the 2026-28 cycle, an eligible GMAT score was any test taken between 1 January 2024 and 31 January 2026. For the 2027 intake, FORE's PGDM page names CAT 2026 and XAT 2027. It accepts a GMAT test taken between 1 January 2025 and 31 January 2027. The PGDM (Working Professionals) route additionally accepts CMAT, GRE and FORE's own FAT (FORE Aptitude Test).

Which FORE entrance exam does your course need? All four two-year PGDM programmes accept CAT, XAT or GMAT on equal footing. FORE does not weight one exam above another in the shortlisting formula.

FORE's Delhi campus, "Adhitam Kendra", sits in Qutub Institutional Area. The library holds more than 15,500 volumes, 72 print journals and magazines and 11 national newspapers. It seats over 120 readers. It offers databases such as Bloomberg, CMIE ProwessIQ, ProQuest One Business, EBSCO Business Source Premier and Emerald. The campus has a 1,500 Mbps dedicated leased line and Wi-Fi. It has a computer lab with 55 computers and an AI lab with 37 high-end systems. A Bloomberg Finance Lab gives hands-on access to the Bloomberg Terminal. A second campus in Gurugram Sector 32 hosts PGDM(BDA), PGDM(HHM) and PGDM(WP). FORE has 74 full-time faculty, and 70% of them come from IIMs or IITs. The faculty-student ratio is 1:19.

What Do Students Say About FORE?

Students rate FORE 4.4 out of 5 on Google. On Reddit, they like the South Delhi location and the marketing roles, and they question the large batch, the fee against placements and the small campus.

What Do Students Say About the Batch Size and Culture at FORE?

Students say the batch has grown since 2024, and most worry that a bigger batch means more competition for good roles.

What This Means for You

What Do Students Say About Placements at FORE?

Students say your placement result depends on your rank in the batch, and many question how close the published average is to what most students get.

What This Means for You

Is the Gurugram Campus Treated the Same as Delhi, According to Students?

Students say both campuses share one placement process, but the Gurugram campus is far from Delhi events and has less campus life.

What This Means for You

The FORE courses page lists which programmes run on which campus.

What Do Students Say About the Campus and Infrastructure of FORE?

Students describe a small campus with little campus life. Some Google reviewers still call it clean, green and well kept.

What This Means for You

What Do Students Say About the Hostel and Food at FORE?

Students say FORE has no hostel of its own, so most outstation students stay in tied-up or private rooms nearby.

What This Means for You

What Do Students Say About the Courses, Specialisations and Faculty at FORE?

Students say teaching quality changes from one faculty member to another, and they see your own profile as more important than the specialisation.

What This Means for You

How Do Students Compare FORE With Other Colleges?

Students place FORE among second-tier private B-schools. Many prefer TAPMI, IMI Delhi or GIM for campus life or return on fee, while FORE is seen as stronger for marketing and Delhi location.

What This Means for You

What Do Students Say About the FORE Location and City?

Students and Google reviewers like the South Delhi location, and Delhi-based students say living at home saves a large amount.

What This Means for You

What Do Students Say About FORE Fees Against Value?

Students say the fee is the biggest worry, especially for those taking a loan, while a few say return on fee is too narrow a way to judge FORE.

What This Means for You

What Do Applicants Say About the FORE Waitlist and Interview?

Applicants say the interview is usually polite, and many doubt how far the waitlist moves.

What This Means for You

What Are the Pros and Cons of FORE According to Student Reviews?

Students praise the location, the shared placement process and marketing roles. They flag the large batch, the small campus and the fee against placements.

How Were These FORE Reviews Chosen?

Is FORE Worth It? Who It Suits and Who It Does Not

FORE suits Delhi NCR students who aim for marketing, HR or finance roles, can stay in the top third of the batch and are not borrowing heavily. It suits others less, as the lists below show.