The Indian Institutes of Management were established in response to the growing need that was felt for nurturing professional managers who could efficiently manage India’s growing industries. They were established with the objectives of providing high quality management education and assisting the industry through research and consulting services

IIM Ahmedabad was the second IIM to be set up in the country. It was established on 16 December 1961 as an autonomous body with the active collaboration of the Government of India, the Government of Gujarat and the industry. Eminent physicist Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, a native of Ahmedabad, played a pivotal role in setting up the Institute. Later on he went on to serve as the Institute’s Honorary Director for the first 3 years of its existence.Prominent management educator Ravi J. Matthai and several other Ahmedabad-based industrialists also played a major role in its creation.^[19]

The Institute was established in collaboration with Harvard Business School. This collaboration greatly influenced IIMA’s approach to education, as the Institute took up the case method of pedagogy which was pioneered by Harvard Business School.

IIM-A is the only Indian institute listed by The Economist in its 2012 Full-time B-school ranking, at #56, rising 22 ranks from 2011 when the institute was ranked at #78. The Financial Times Global B-School Rankings ranked IIM Ahmedabad's PGPX programme at No. 11, whereas its Global MBA rankings also ranked the institute at #11. In the QS Global 200 Business Schools Report it was ranked No. 2 in the Asia-Pacific region for 2012 In India, it was ranked first by the Hindustan Times India's top 50 business schools of 2011, by the 2012 edition of CNBC-TV18's Top B-Schools in India and by the Business Today 50 best business schools of 2012. The Post Graduate Program in Agribusiness Management was ranked first (globally) by Eduniversal, in the field of "Agribusiness / Food Industry Management".