AICTE wants common date for B-school admissions

The decision follows reports of MBA seats lying vacant.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is working on a uniform admissions timetable for all management institutions, following reports of seats lying vacant at various colleges.

However, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) will continue with their own admissions schedule and not be bound by the AICTE directive, because they are outside the council's purview.

At a recent meeting convened by the Board of Management Studies - the AICTE arm that is responsible for management education in India - it was decided that B-schools will be asked to follow a uniform timetable for admissions.

"We were alarmed after reviewing the present situation of vacant seats across B-schools. The problem here is that many colleges have their admissions deadline early to woo students. But many students who join these institutions leave for better colleges later. This leaves a lot of seats vacant and un-used," a key member at the meeting, told Business Standard.

"Thus we have decided to bring all institutes under a common admissions date to ensure that students do not feel the pressure of applying to multiple institutes and the seats are not vacant," he said.

For instance, while in Karnataka around 14,500 MBA seats are lying vacant, Gujarat has around 3,000 seats which are vacant. In Maharashtra, around 6,350 seats have not found takers.

"The government has given permission to everyone who wanted to start an institute. Permission was even given to new institutes for the one-year executive post-graduate programme in management, which requires experience of five years for entry. Besides, with Common Entrance Tests in many states being held late and having several rounds, students keep hopping from one institute to the other. Some students have decided not to join second or third level institutions, if they do not get admission to a first grade institution," said a director of a Mumbai-based B-school.

According to a Mumbai-based career counselor, institutes are admitting many graduates who have not appeared for entrance tests. "Seats are vacant, and who ever is willing to pay the fee, is admitted. You can't only blame these institutes. AICTE is also to be blamed for giving sundry approvals," he added. During January to March 2010, AICTE received 459 applications for opening technical institutes, including management colleges, in Maharashtra. It approved 157 applications.

Over half the number of applications were for management institutions and the remaining for engineering, medical and integrated colleges.

AICTE, this year had received 2,176 applications from various states and individuals to open technical institutes.