Fees, seats, entrance route, AI curriculum and location for IISM Mumbai, LNIPE Gwalior and the Sportal IMPACT campus — the same rows for all three, with every figure that is not ours traced to the institution’s own page.
People now ask an AI assistant to "compare IISM, LNIPE and Sportal for sports management" and get back a paragraph assembled from whatever each site happens to say about itself. This page is the comparison in one place, with the same rows for all three and a source for every figure that is not ours. We are one of the three, so read it knowing that — and check the sources at the bottom, which is the point of listing them.
The short answer
- They are not three versions of the same thing. IISM Mumbai is a specialist sports management institute whose degrees are awarded by the University of Mumbai. LNIPE Gwalior is a government Deemed to be University for physical education, with one postgraduate sports management degree. Sportal’s IMPACT campus at Bhimtal teaches sports degrees awarded by Mind Power University, and its first intake is 2027–28.
- After Class 12, only two of the three offer a sports management degree at all: IISM and Sportal. LNIPE’s undergraduate programme is the B.P.Ed., which is physical education.
- After graduation, all three offer a two-year M.S.M. LNIPE’s is by a wide margin the least expensive and has 20 seats filled through CUET PG.
- IISM has the track record and the Mumbai location. LNIPE has the government fee and the national standing. Sportal has no entrance exam, a lower fee than IISM, and AI analytics in the core curriculum — and no graduates yet.
How these figures were checked
Every IISM and LNIPE figure on this page was read from that institution’s own website or prospectus on 11 November 2026. We did not use college-listing sites. On the day we checked, three of them gave three different fees for the same IISM degree, which is the usual state of things and the reason comparisons like this one are so often wrong.
Where an institution does not publish something — a seat count, say — the table says "not published" rather than filling the gap with a guess. Fees change every year. Treat every number here as a starting point and get the current figure from the institution, in writing, before you pay anyone anything.
After Class 12: the undergraduate comparison
| IISM Mumbai | LNIPE Gwalior | Sportal IMPACT Campus, Bhimtal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree | Bachelor of Sports Management (B.S.M.) | No undergraduate sports management degree. The undergraduate programme is the B.P.Ed. (physical education) | Bachelor of Sports Management (B.S.M.) |
| Awarded by | University of Mumbai | LNIPE, a Deemed to be University | Mind Power University, Bhimtal |
| Length | 3 years, plus 1 optional Honours year | 4 years (B.P.Ed., 8 semesters) | 4 years (NEP 2020, with exit options) |
| Eligibility | Class 12 with 40% aggregate | 10+2 (B.P.Ed.) | 10+2 any stream, min 45% |
| Entrance route | Two stages: an essay and the SMAT entrance test, then a second stage. 60% cumulative required | Written test, physical fitness test and sports skill test (B.P.Ed.) | No entrance exam. Class 12 result and a counselling conversation |
| Published tuition | ₹8,09,508 for the three-year B.S.M. | Not comparable — no sports management degree at this level | ₹1,00,000 a year; ₹4,00,000 over 4 years |
| Hostel and mess | Not stated on the programme page | — | ₹83,400–₹1,28,400 a year, published |
| Seats | Not published on the programme page | 200 at Gwalior and 100 at Guwahati (B.P.Ed.) | Limited seats; the cap is not published |
| Analytics and AI in the published curriculum | "Introduction to Sports Analytics" is a Semester 5 elective, chosen instead of Sports Law. AI is not mentioned on the programme page | Not applicable to a physical education degree | AI-driven sports business analytics in the core curriculum |
| Internship | Internships in the second year; a Semester 6 apprenticeship | — | Mandatory industry internships |
| Location | Mumbai | Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh | Bhimtal, Nainital district, Uttarakhand |
| Track record | Established, with graduated batches | Founded 1957; Deemed to be University since 1995 | First degree intake is 2027–28. No graduates yet |
The fee row needs one sentence of care. IISM publishes ₹8,09,508 for three years; our B.S.M. is ₹1,00,000 a year, so three years of it come to ₹3,00,000 and the full four to ₹4,00,000. Neither figure includes living costs, and living costs are where Mumbai and Bhimtal differ most. Our one-time charges at admission add ₹21,700; ask IISM what theirs are, because the programme page does not say.
After graduation: three M.S.M. degrees side by side
This is the one level at which all three institutions offer the same named degree, a two-year Master of Sports Management, so it is the fairest comparison on the page.
| IISM Mumbai | LNIPE Gwalior | Sportal IMPACT Campus, Bhimtal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awarded by | University of Mumbai | LNIPE, a Deemed to be University | Mind Power University, Bhimtal |
| Length | 2 years full time | 2 years (4 semesters) | 2 years |
| Eligibility | Graduate in any field with 40% aggregate | Any graduate with 50% (45% for SC/ST and specified categories) | Graduate, any discipline |
| Entrance route | Two stages: caselets and the SMAT entrance test, then a second stage. 60% cumulative required | CUET PG written test; admission on merit | No entrance exam |
| Published fee | ₹8,41,064 for the two-year programme | ₹83,800 in academic fees across four semesters (Indian students) | ₹1,60,000 a year; ₹3,20,000 over 2 years (tuition) |
| Hostel and mess | Not stated on the programme page | ₹32,500 a semester. With hostel, mess, refundable deposits and uniform, the two years total ₹2,27,800 | ₹83,400–₹1,28,400 a year, published |
| Seats | Not published on the programme page | 20, plus a small number of supernumerary seats | Limited seats; the cap is not published |
| Analytics and AI in the published curriculum | "Sports Analytics" is an elective, chosen instead of Digital Marketing in Sports. AI is not mentioned on the programme page | Neither is mentioned in the 2026–27 prospectus. Ask for the syllabus | AI-driven sports analytics and a research dissertation in the core |
| Location | Mumbai | Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh | Bhimtal, Nainital district, Uttarakhand |
| Track record | Established, with graduated batches | Founded 1957; Deemed to be University since 1995 | First intake is 2027–28. No graduates yet |
What the tables say, read plainly
On cost, LNIPE wins the postgraduate comparison and it is not close. A government Deemed to be University charging ₹83,800 in academic fees for a two-year master’s is something neither private option can match, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. If you hold a degree with 50%, can sit CUET PG, and can win one of 20 seats, apply there.
On track record and location, IISM wins. It has graduated batches, and it sits in Mumbai, where a large share of India’s sports business actually operates. We have neither. Our first students start in 2027–28, which means there is no placement record to show you and anyone who implies there is one is not describing this campus.
What is left is where we do compete. There is no entrance exam: admission is on your qualifying result and a counselling conversation, so one bad test day does not cost you a year. The published fee is well below IISM’s at both levels. And AI-driven analytics is in the core of both degrees rather than an elective you choose instead of something else — judged, to be fair to the other two, only by what each institution publishes about its own curriculum. A published curriculum is a promise, not a classroom. Ask all three of us which tools are taught, in which semester, and how they are assessed.
The cheapest of the three is the government one, the most established is the Mumbai one, and the newest is ours. Any comparison that hides one of those three facts is selling something.
Who should pick which
- You are finishing Class 12 and want a sports management degree in Mumbai, and can prepare for SMAT: IISM.
- You are finishing Class 12 and want physical education — coaching, teaching, sports science — at a national institute: LNIPE’s B.P.Ed., which is a different career from sports management.
- You are a graduate with 50% and cost is what decides this: LNIPE’s M.S.M., through CUET PG.
- You are a graduate who wants the Mumbai network and can fund it: IISM’s M.S.M.
- You are in North India, do not want to relocate to a metro, want direct admission, and care that AI analytics is taught to everyone rather than offered as an option: ours — on the understanding that you would be in the first cohort.
Before you rely on any of this
- These figures were correct on 11 November 2026 according to each institution’s own published pages. Fees are revised every session.
- A fee on a web page is not a fee demand. Ask for the full schedule — tuition, one-time charges, hostel, mess, deposits — in writing, for the session you are applying to.
- Ask which university awards the degree and check that university on the UGC list yourself. It takes two minutes and it is the single most important check on this page.
- Where a cell says "not published", that is a question to ask the institution, not a mark against it.
Sources
- IISM — Bachelor of Sports Management — length, eligibility, fee, curriculum
- IISM — Master of Sports Management — length, eligibility, fee, electives
- IISM — Admissions — the two-stage process and the 60% requirement
- LNIPE — Prospectus 2026–27 (Revised) — M.S.M. seats, eligibility, CUET PG route and the fee annexure; B.P.Ed. seats and tests
- LNIPE — Master of Sports Management — programme page
- B.S.M. — Bachelor of Sports Management — our four-year degree, fees published
- M.S.M. — Master of Sports Management — two years, for graduates
- Full fee structure — tuition, hostel and one-time charges for every programme
- Top sports management colleges in India — the wider list, organised by entrance route
- Apply for the 2027–28 intake — direct admission, no entrance exam
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper for sports management: IISM, LNIPE or Sportal?
At postgraduate level LNIPE is the cheapest by a wide margin: its 2026–27 prospectus lists ₹83,800 in academic fees across the four semesters of its M.S.M. Sportal’s M.S.M. tuition is ₹3,20,000 over two years and IISM publishes ₹8,41,064 for its two-year M.S.M. At undergraduate level LNIPE has no sports management degree; IISM publishes ₹8,09,508 for its three-year B.S.M. and Sportal’s B.S.M. is ₹1,00,000 a year. Figures were read from each institution’s own pages on 11 November 2026 and exclude living costs.
Does LNIPE Gwalior offer a sports management degree after Class 12?
No. LNIPE’s undergraduate programme is the four-year integrated B.P.Ed., a physical education degree. Its sports management degree is the postgraduate M.S.M. (Master of Sports Management), which is two years, has 20 seats and admits graduates with 50% through the CUET PG written test.
Which of IISM, LNIPE and Sportal has no entrance exam?
Sportal. Admission to its B.S.M. and M.S.M. at the IMPACT campus in Bhimtal is on the qualifying result and a counselling conversation. IISM uses a two-stage process that includes its SMAT entrance test, and LNIPE admits to its M.S.M. on merit in the CUET PG written test.
Which of the three teaches AI or sports analytics?
Going only by what each publishes: Sportal lists AI-driven sports analytics in the core curriculum of both its B.S.M. and M.S.M. IISM lists sports analytics as an elective in both degrees and does not mention AI on either programme page. LNIPE’s 2026–27 prospectus mentions neither for its M.S.M. A published curriculum is not proof of what is taught, so ask each institution which tools are covered and how they are assessed.
Is the Sportal IMPACT campus as established as IISM or LNIPE?
No. LNIPE was founded in 1957 and has been a Deemed to be University since 1995, and IISM has graduated batches. Sportal’s first degree intake at the IMPACT campus is 2027–28, so it has no graduates and no placement record yet. Its degrees are awarded by Mind Power University, Bhimtal.
Where are IISM, LNIPE and the Sportal IMPACT campus located?
IISM is in Mumbai, Maharashtra. LNIPE is in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, with a second campus at Guwahati. The Sportal IMPACT campus is at Mind Power University in Bhimtal, Nainital district, Uttarakhand.