India among top 5 MBA destinations now: Study

New Delhi: Good news for Indian B-schools, as the country comes among the top five preferred study destinations worldwide, ahead of countries like Hong Kong, Germany, Singapore, Netherlands and Australia.
Moreover, a new study revealed that during the decision making process for selection of B-school criteria, quality of faculty, job placement, programme type and fee structure matter more than the rankings for aspiring management graduates.
According to the study by Graduate Management Admission Council which conducts the GMAT for admission to 6,100 graduate business and management programs worldwide, rankings don't feature in top five consideration criteria for actually selecting a program and a study destination.
The number of B-school aspirants seeking to study outside their country of citizenship has increased from 40% in 2010 to 52%. India features among the top five destinations, while the leader's (the US), popularity decreased from 73% of prospective students in 2010 to 66% in 2014. Two-thirds (66%) of prospective students across the globe, however, still prefer the US, followed by the UK (6%), Canada (5%), France (3%), India (3%), Hong Kong (2%), Germany (2%), Singapore (2%), Netherlands (2%) and Australia (1%).
The four main reasons prospective students prefer to study outside their country of residence include a desire for an international career, the welcoming nature of the study destination, English-language development, and word-of-mouth recommendation.
Though the survey does show that published rankings have an influence in candidates' school consideration, it places rankings overall as the third most consulted information resource for prospective students after school websites and friends and family.
"Given the degree to which school rankings dominate the discussion, it is interesting that as their decision making progresses, students themselves say that rankings fall in importance," said Gregg Schoenfeld, GMAC's director of Management Education Research. An especially interesting finding focuses on aspiring entrepreneurs, with 28% of survey respondents indicating that they plan to start their own businesses compared with 19% just five years ago.

The survey also indicates that even as business school portfolios of master's programs continue to diversify, MBA remains the degree most often considered by prospective students. MBA programs are exclusively considered by half (52%) of prospective students, globally. And 65% of prospective students pursue graduate management education to increase their job opportunities.

Financial issues remain the most prominent reservation among all prospective students; 48% of candidates say attending business school requires a lot of money and 44% are hesitant about taking on a large financial debt. However, both these figures have declined since 2010.

More News
JEE Main 2027 Registration Relief: NTA Permits NRI Candidates to Use Passports as Identity Proof
JEE Main 2027 Registration Relief: NTA Permits NRI Candidates to Use Passports as Identity Proof NEW DELHI — In a major relief for overseas engineering aspirants, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially allowed Non-Resident Indian (NR...
BPSC Announces Sports Department Exam Results
BPSC Announces Sports Department Exam Results PATNA — The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has officially announced the written examination results for various posts under the Sports Department, Government of Bihar. Published under Adver...
CAT 2026 Hall Ticket Released: Download Link Activated at iimcat.ac.in, Check Exam Pattern & Guidelines
CAT 2026 Hall Ticket Released: Download Link Activated at iimcat.ac.in, Check Exam Pattern & Guidelines New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) has officially released the CAT 2026 Admit Card today on its official website. Candi...
NEET-PG 2027 To Follow Rank-Based System
NEET-PG 2027 To Follow Rank-Based System A 12-member expert committee has recommended a transition from the current percentile-based qualifying system for NEET-PG and NEET-SS to a rank-based merit system for postgraduate medical admissions. This rec...
BITS Pilani Doubles Tuition-Blind Admissions Scheme: 100% Fee Waiver Extended to Top 1,000 BITSAT Rankers
BITS Pilani Doubles Tuition-Blind Admissions Scheme: 100% Fee Waiver Extended to Top 1,000 BITSAT Rankers PILANI — In a major move aimed at democratizing elite higher education and attracting premier STEM talent, the Birla Institute of Technol...
Mohan Babu University Hosts Mohana Mantra 2026, Bringing Together 25,000 Students from 100+ Institutions
Mohan Babu University Hosts Mohana Mantra 2026, Bringing Together 25,000 Students from 100+ Institutions The two-day national techno-cultural festival in Tirupati featured an AWS-backed hackathon, technology challenges, live musical performances and...
Uttar Pradesh Preliminary Eligibility Test Provisional Answer Key Released
Uttar Pradesh Preliminary Eligibility Test Provisional Answer Key Released The Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC) has officially released the provisional answer keys for the Preliminary Eligibility Test (PET) 2026, an e...
UGC NET Dec 2026 Correction Window Activated: Step-by-Step Guide to Edit Application Details
UGC NET Dec 2026 Correction Window Activated: Step-by-Step Guide to Edit Application Details The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially opened the application form correction window for the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Tes...
CLAT 2027 Registration Deadline Extended To November 7
CLAT 2027 Registration Deadline Extended To November 7 In a major relief for thousands of prospective law students, the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) has officially extended the registration deadline for the Common Law Admission Tes...
Major Relief for Aspirants: NTA Allows Fresh JEE Main 2027 Applications Amid Form Errors
Major Relief for Aspirants: NTA Allows Fresh JEE Main 2027 Applications Amid Form Errors; Check Guidelines and Deadlines New Delhi: In a critical update for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2027 candidates, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has...