US top B-school destination for Indian students in 2011
The United States is the top study destination for Indian students who took the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) in 2011, for a management qualification.
According to the mba.com Prospective Students Survey, released by the Graduate Management Admission Council, 55% of Indian examinees sent their score reports to US-based management institutes.
The US receives only 35% of interest from non-domestic talent. Of this, 21% students come from India and 30% from China while 49% students come from other countries.
"Reputation of a country's educational system was the most cited reason for choosing a specific destination. Prospective students intending to study in the US cited better career preparation, whereas improved chances for an international career was cited for non-US destinations. Notably, affordability was cited among respondents selecting Canada, Singapore, and India," the report said.
Fifteen per cent of Indian examinees sent their scores to institutes in India, while 10% students prefer the UK for management studies, 7% and 5% prefer Singapore and France, respectively.
Among all prospective students surveyed, 55% indicated that they are only interested in attending an MBA programme (this has remained steady over the last three years), while 18% of prospective students are only considering a specialised master's programme, up from 13% in 2009.
"Prospective students have more information and more options with programme choice than ever before," said Dave Wilson, president and CEO of GMAC. "But as the dark economic clouds continue to dissipate, the challenge of meeting the financial costs of a graduate management programme is very much on their minds," he added.
Fewer respondents cited economic reservations as a constraint to pursuing a graduate management degree compared with three years ago. Yet, when choosing a specific programme to apply to, financial considerations have become more important.
Potential students say they will rely more on personal savings and family support than on loans, grants and other aid.
The survey includes responses from 16,000 people who registered on mba.com in 2011.
GMAC is a non-profit education organisation of leading graduate business schools and owner of the GMAT used by almost 5,400 graduate business and management programmes worldwide.