GMAT opens desi business school gates
Cost, growing reputation of Indian institutes are big factors
HYDERABAD: Business school aspirants in India are increasingly using GMAT scores to gain admissions into local B-schools, rather than seek admissions in the United States.
According to official statistics, only about half of those who appear for GMAT immigrate to the US, while the remaining study in India or in B-schools in Asian countries like Singapore.
About 18 per cent of students who write GMAT use the scores for admissions in India, in institutions like the Hyderabad based Indian School of Business. Their numbers have only been increasing.
GMAT is conducted by the US-based Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) throughout the year. According to a study by GMAC, admissions using GMAT scores within India have risen to 18 per cent in 2013 from 16 per cent in 2009.
Indian students’ applications to B-schools in Singapore using GMAT scores also rose from 6 per cent in 2009 to 8 per cent in 2013.
The number of Indian students who attempt the GMAT is also steadily rising with 23,315 test takers this year compared to 18,843 in 2010.
Ashish Gandhi, an aviation engineer and ISB aspirant said programmes in Indian schools are also competitive.
“It is not just the IIMs and XLRIs anymore. Other B-schools are also growing in stature and reputation and a lot of them only take GMAT. Earlier, many used to write the CAT, but that is shifting to GMAT now,” he added.