IIMs charge anywhere between ₹21–25 lakh for an MBA. And here’s the irony they’re government institutions, Institutes of National Importance.

No IIT, DU, JNU, or even AIIMS demands this kind of fee. Not for undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral education combined. So why are IIMs built on public land and supported by public money charging fees comparable to private B-schools?

And no, I’m not “poor enough” to qualify for full scholarships. I’m also not “rich enough” to pay this without taking on years of debt. If I take an education loan, the risk is real. What if I don’t land a ₹25 LPA job? What if I end up with a ₹12 LPA role in a metro, juggling rent, taxes, EMIs, and basic living costs?

At some point, this stops being about merit and starts being about financial survivability. Why has access to quality education in India become either a privilege for the wealthy or a high-stakes lottery for the rest? It’s frustrating. It’s deeply unfair. And strangely, no one wants to talk about it.