After CAT, now is the time to apply to top B-schools

With the end of CAT 2013 Online Registration today, the focus of Aspirants now shifts to Applying to Top B schools where Admission 2014 Application process has begun. Application process to many of the leading B-schools like MDI, IMT, IMI will end as early as October 15.

While registration for CAT 2013 exam ends on 26 September, 2013, the sale of voucher will close today. Computer based CAT 2013 exam will be held in a 20 days window from 16 October to 11th November 2013. The registration process for NMAT, another prominent MBA exam for admission into Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai will also end today.

This article brings before you the list of Top B Schools across the country where Application process for Admission 2014-16 has begun. Application process to many of the leading B-schools like MDI, IMT, IMI will end as early as October 15.

The CAT score accepting top B-schools which have opened their applications include MDI, SPJIMR, IMT Ghaziabad, IMI Delhi, XIMB, IRMA, LIBA Chennai, XISS Ranchi, etc.

To help you cut- down your options and to give you a proper analysis of all the B schools, we provide key information of each top B school where application process for Session 2014-16 has started. Many institutes, especially the top B schools, may appear to have similar brand or reputation but upon closer inspection you will find various differences which set each of them apart in terms of quality of education, faculties, industry exposure, campus life, etc.

They key information includes Faculty strength (both Core and visiting faculty), Fee structure, Total Seats and Key dates.

By when can you apply? The top few B-schools like MDI, IMT and IMI will end their application process as early as October 15. The next set of leading B-schools like SPJIMR and XIMB will close the applications by end of November. If you are confident of getting a 90+ Percentile or more in CAT 2013, it will be a good idea to choose to apply to a few of these B-schools now. They are unlikely to extend their application deadlines.

How much is the fee? While an MBA degree offers you enormous growth opportunities, some of the MBA programmes are also among the costliest study options. Therefore, you need to make informed choice on your B-school options depending on your affordability. If you are aiming to get into a top B-school, be ready to prepare for funding your MBA as it costs more than Rs 10 lakh. However a few select B-schools have lower fees. The top PGDM B-schools like MDI, IMI and IMT all cost more than Rs 12 lakhs, putting them in the same league as IIMs. Amongst the B-schools we studied, the fee for IMT Ghaziabad is the highest with Rs.15 lakh.

However fee for IRMA is just Rs. 4.17 lakh and for XIMB is Rs. 6.6. lakh.

Most MBA students fund their MBAs with bank loan, so it may be a good idea to start looking up the details on bank websites.

Do I have a good chance to get in? As you can see from the table below, leading B-schools offer around 200 seats for their full time MBA/PGDM programmes. The table below shows the total seats available in these leading B schools across their 2 year full time specialization courses including marketing, HR, Finance, International Business, etc.

As per the table, IMT Ghaziabad leads the count with a total no: of 448 seats while XISS Ranchi is the next leading with 330 seats altogether. However, IRMA has the lowest number of seats in the table with a total of 105 seats for their 2 years full time PGDM/MAB course.

Faculty: While choosing a B-school, you should look at the quality of education you will receive as it builds the base for your career ahead. Strength of the faculty and their experience, industry exposure decides the quality of B school. The size & quality of full time faculty should also be the key criteria while you look into the quality part of your desired MBA programme.

MDI Gurgaon, IMT Ghaziabad and IMI Delhi will close down their application before 15th October i.e. start of the CAT 2013 exam.
So act now and fill the Application form for Session 2014 in your desired B school.

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