MBA abroad vs MBA India

India a giant educational hub with capacity of providing education to more than 250 million people has over 5000 Business Schools and Institution with capacity of providing more than 5 Lakhs MBA seats in a country of 1.3 billon population. As this seems to be a low number, people often assume all MBA grads end up getting well-paying jobs while the reality is harsh. Among all these only 8% of the MBA grads are employable. The reason behind this low number is poor quality of educational infrastructures and faculties in most of the Business schools. Even their placement statistics are pathetic leading to the average salary as low as Rs 10000-12000.

So, the question arise where should I pursue MBA? In India or Abroad.

Comparison

Here is the detailed comparison of pursuing MBA in India vs MBA abroad. The comparison is made on the basis of Placement, Cost of study, entrance exam, salary etc. Hope this will help you to make sound decisions that can benefit your career and investment in long run.

Entrance Exam for colleges in India vs Abroad

In India, the entrance exam is generally taken through Common Admission Test (CAT). Top colleges like IIMs accept the CAT score as well GMAT scores and other low credibility colleges may have their own question models similar to that of CAT or GMAT. Once the candidates pass this written test, they are then followed by Group discussion and Personal Interview. There are a lot of such popular entrance exams such as XAT, NMAT that are acceptable by various business schools in India. But make sure to go through the website to check which test is required or acceptable by that particular B-school.

On other hand, in order to enroll for MBA at foreign B-School one must have to appear for GRE or GMAT as stated by the B-schools. These tests are conducted on a rolling basis and provides the students a convenience of picking the exam dates with a nominal fee of around $230.

Cost associated for study and accommodation.

Every aspirants need to go through a deep analysis of cost associated for doing MBA. This is the major factor that determine where he/she has capacity to enroll. Getting an MBA degree is quite cheaper in India as compared to countries like US, Canada, UK and anywhere in Europe. In India MBA costs around few Lakhs to 30 lakhs depending on the credibility of colleges such as IIM and ISB. But looking at the placement statistics the ROI (Return on Investment) is very low except for high ranked IIM programs with an average salary in the range of 20 Lakhs Rupees.  For the one-year MBA programs for executives which is offered by IMS and ISB be the basic tuition fee would be in the range of 20 to 30 lakh however to this figure we also need to add taxes accommodation charges cost of meals books and course material which could take the total to around 35 lakhs or even higher depending on the program you choose.

International Programs especially the good ones can be expensive the cost of living, traveling, and related expenses push the cost higher. The tuition fees for two-year MBA programs in the US can vary from around 90 thousand dollars to 140 thousand dollars depending on the university you are applying. To in Indian rupees that is about 60 lakhs to a Crore. One-year programs would cause slightly less in the range of 55 thousand to 80 thousand dollars that's roughly 40 - 45 lakh rupees to this you need to add the cost of living, medical insurance, books and transportation. The cost of living would be lesser for the one-year programs the cost would also vary depending on the city you live.

Work Experience Requirement

Many Indian B-schools accept fresh grads with little or no work experience. Although many higher ranked B-schools like IIM, ISB etc. do offer admissions to many aspirants with good work experience. Having a good work experience will give a top-notch profile look but that may not be necessary in context to India though it gives advantage to satisfy for interviewer for the question like “WHY MBA?”.

On other hand, majority of universities in abroad prefer candidates with minimum of 2-3 years of work experience mandatory. Top universities do not admit fresh Grads for MBA. So, in order to pursue MBA abroad you need to maintain a profile with minimum of 2 years of work experience. Some universities may wave the work experience criteria if the overall candidate profile includes involvement of extracurricular activities, hackathon, participation in various event and social works. In other word you must have a heavy profile apart for academic’s achievement.

Personality enhancement and Networking

Having to study in abroad gives the advantage to make global networking. You meet people from all over the world that assist you in identifying and networking with the right employers or the future entrepreneurs with a common mindset. This help you to figure out what are your chances and odds of securing employment at the end of your MBA journey. Studying abroad gives you the exposure to a new culture, language, and a new lifestyle. You get a chance to interact with people around the world and helps you to look at the problem from different perspective providing a door with various ample opportunities. This is something that you will lack in India. You may have opportunities in India, but you will miss the global outreach and chance to enhance your personality to look different in the group.

Course structure

You can see the course structure of your program in your university’s website. The subjects may seem to be similar but there are many differences associated with the teaching level and techniques. Majority of Indian B-schools focuses on theoretical approach while the universities in abroad mainly consist of practical approach. In abroad the students are given various case studies of various entities and are asked to review those. This helps to develop the mind of the student regarding how to apply something that they have learned theoretically into actual business practices. There are some B-schools in India that has adopted the same technique but due to inexperience faculty and lack of teaching infrastructure they lack somewhere behind.

Placement Opportunities

This is something that every aspirant pursuing MBA seeks the outmost. The placement stats of many B-schools in India are pathetic with the number going as low as Rs10000-12000. During their graduation, the students must sit for placement and are trained for cracking the interviews. Many companies ranging from startups to well renowned companies like Google and Microsoft comes to hire the students. But the top-class companies like Google and Microsoft always seeks for top universities with the average package ranging around 25-30 Lakhs per annum. Yes, toppers at some reputed colleges get multiple offers with very handsome salary. But in overall not all the MBA grads enjoy these privileges, as only 5% of total MBA grads in India enjoy good salary.

But the placement process in abroad works quite differently. The B-schools in abroad does not guarantee a job. Students must put effort and reach out to their dream companies to land a cushy job. The faculties and network made during the graduation helps them to reach their destination job. The average post MBA salary could range from 85 thousand to 120 thousand dollars. In Indian rupees that's 60 to 85 lakh rupees. Some of the reputed programmes can help you land a well-paying job which would put you in an excellent position in terms of ROI. A substandard B-school in India or abroad may offer an admit with minimum entry requirements but such a degree would neither add value to your profile nor would it impress potential recruiters. You need to look out for various parameters including the brand, reputation, college infrastructure, placement statistics, and alumni feedback before you shortlist your country and list of B-schools.

Table Summary

The table below will help you to understand this briefly:

Parameters	MBA in India	MBA Abroad
Entrance Exam	CAT, GMAT, IIFT, XAT, SNAP etc.	GMAT, GRE
Course Fee	Between Rs 4lakhs – 25 lakhs	Between 25 lakhs – 70 lakhs
Work experience	Not required	Minimum of 2 years
Average Salary	Between Rs 5 lakhs – 25 lakhs	Between 30 lakhs to a Crore

Note: Above figure is an estimate and may vary from college to college. The figure is taken in an average so the number might go very down and high.