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India: IIMs seek more foreign students

India’s prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) business schools are seeking to improve their facilities, faculty and marketing to attract more foreign students. The move comes as the Indian government proposes to change the law to allow IIMs to deliver internationally accredited MBA degrees, instead of their own diplomas.
April 2 2013
1 Min Read

India’s prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) business schools are seeking to improve their facilities, faculty and marketing to attract more foreign students. The move comes as the Indian government proposes to change the law to allow IIMs to deliver internationally-accredited MBA degrees, instead of their own diplomas – a move sure to boost their overseas appeal.

The Economic Times claimed a series of IIM recruitment roadshows overseas were planned. It added, “To cater to international students, the IIMs plan to upgrade residential facilities and the standards of faculty and academics, particularly at the new IIMs… The Human Resource Development ministry is keen to set up a 300-crore fund (US$6 million) to attract world-class faculty to the newer IIMs.”

Established by India’s first post-independence Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, IIM’s now number 13 across India and chart highly in global business schools rankings (with the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad often ranked in the top 10). However, they welcome relatively few international students and mainly those on short-term exchanges.

Offering the MBA is sure to give them more traction overseas given the qualification’s popularity worldwide. Paul Marshall, CEO of the Association of Business Schools, UK, told The PIE News last year that about one in three of all international students in the UK took business and management.

A recent study from US News found that some American business schools recruited as much as 75% of their cohorts from abroad.

More internationalised IIMs will help India as it grows as a business management education hub, and its “B-schools” increasingly seek international accreditation.

The Indian School of Business, ranked 34th by the FT, was accredited by the Association to Advance Colligate Schools of Business in 2011, while SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, ranked 68 in 2012, is accredited by the Association of MBAs.

Find MBA Blog has written that international accreditation “will enable Indian B-schools to strengthen their global standing and raise the quality of Indian education”.

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