ISB's one-year management course sees higher competition

Interest for admission to the course also increased due to strong placements with the Class of 2016, which received a record 1,149 offers

Competition to get into the one-year Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) was intense at the Indian School of Business (ISB) this year with the school seeing a 28 percent increase in applications compared to the previous year.

The School has admitted record number of students to the PGP Class of 2017 across its two campuses in Hyderabad and Mohali making it the largest class at any management school in India offering a one-year programme. ISB's PGP has seen the fastest growth over the years from a class size of just 128 students in 2002 to 905 now.

Announcing the closure of the admissions cycle and on-boarding of students for the Class of 2017, Dishan Kamdar, Deputy Dean, Programmes at ISB said, "ISB continues to attract the best of experienced professionals from across the world wanting to join the flagship programme to improve their growth prospects. As a result our selectivity ratio is comparable to that of top global B-Schools giving us the choice of diverse profiles. The increase in the number of applications this year is testimony to the strong ISB brand and the world class education and learning we impart."

Over the last one year, ISB has focused efforts to engage more closely with prospective applicants. The increased interest from potential students was also a result of the Master Class series ahead of the admissions season led by ISB faculty and one-on-one interaction opportunities with alumni that allowed aspirants to get a first-hand experience of the quality of teaching and learning available at ISB.

Interest for admission into ISB also increased on account of a strong placements season earlier in the year with the Class of 2016, which graduated in April, receiving a record 1149 offers. The students witnessed an increase of 128 percent in their pay packages on average when compared to what they were drawing before joining ISB.

Consolidating on its strong position, ISB has decided to start accepting GRE scores as a part of its admissions criteria applications for those who wish to join the Class of 2018. The institute also plans to expand its international connect to attract potential students from Africa and the ASEAN region, as a part of its larger strategy to enhance the international diversity, ISB said.