Mangement

MBA in India vs. MBA abroad

|Is it worth it to opt for a B-School abroad, considering the huge expenditure involved? A look at the pros and cons. |

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FOREIGN SETTING: At the S. P. Jain Center of Management, which has campuses abroad.

Management education in India is booming. There are over 1,250 approved business schools, 1,25,000 full-time and 1,00,000 distance MBA students and 1,30,000 MBA aspirants taking the Common Admission Test every year.

The end-users, the recruiters seem to be facing a constant supply crunch, and are always on the lookout for the talent graduating from the top B-schools. Thus the MBA is a valuable commodity that insures a quick return on investment.

With the burgeoning of the Indian economy and the growth of India's middle-class, more Indians than ever before are able to afford brand name American degrees. While foreign applications to American B-schools have dropped with visa restrictions post-9/11, applications from Indian students are increasing.

Coupled with this is the fact that many of the foreign (Indian) MBAs plan to return to India after graduation - a complete reversal of the brain-drain in the 70s and 80s.With increasingly larger number of aspirants looking at MBA abroad; what are the pros and cons of an MBA in India vs. MBA abroad? Is it worthwhile to get an MBA abroad?

This decision depends on a number of factors and ultimately has to come from you. We present these factors before you, on making this vital decision.

Assess the cost

The cost is of course the bottom-line. For the average Indian, a foreign MBA is very expensive; at the least an MBA degree abroad would cost you around Rs.10 lakhs to Rs.15 lakhs.

Normally an MBA from the top tier schools in the U.S. will cost you around Rs.25 lakhs to Rs.35 lakhs. Given the exorbitant expenditure (assuming that you are not getting any scholarship, as getting aid for an MBA programme is difficult) is it worth it? Look at the resources at your...