45% Dip in MBA Degree Registrations in 4 Years

Source: Times of India | February 17, 2014

MUMBAI: In the last four years, the demand for an MBA degree in Maharashtra has dipped drastically—around 45%—with only around 53,000 candidates registering for the 2014-15 state common entrance test for admission to management colleges. In 2011-12, around 96,000 candidates had registered for the MH-CET for admission to MBA/MMS institutes. Experts attribute the decline in number of registrations to the slow economy globally. However, experts believe that this year’s registrations depict a slightly better picture compared with last year’s—though there is no data available to substantiate it. In 2013-14, admissions to MBA/MMS colleges in the state were done based on scores in common management admission test (CMAT), which was conducted by the All India Council for Technical Education. As CMAT was conducted thrice for these admissions, data on the number of students who had registered from Maharashtra alone are not available with the directorate of technical education (DTE).

But in 2013-14, the DTE had received applications from only 20,757 eligible candidates, which was the lowest since 2010 for over 45,000 seats in the state. Fearing a repeat of last year, the state government had decided to revert to its own CET this academic year. However, the response was still “not as good as it was before the CMAT”. As the last day of registrations has been extended up to Monday, officials expect the number to rise by 2,000.

“Of the 53,000 candidates, who will take the MH-CET this year, the number of eligible candidates will definitely be much more than last year’s—20,757. This year, there will be no group discussions and personal interviews, so more students might qualify. It is a hopeful trend for the students, B-schools and the industry,” said Apoorva Palkar, president of the Association of Indian Management Schools. She added that the biggest challenge for students this year is the introduction of the online MH-CET.

“The state is conducting CET only for 65% of the total seats; the rest of the seats are filled on the basis of other entrance exams, such as CAT and CMAT. Over 53,000 registrations for close to 30,000 seats are not bad,” said Dayanand Meshram, joint director of DTE.

Palkar said that in 2008, there were 15 registrations for every one seat, but now the ratio is slightly above 1:1, which is worrisome. However, she said the numbers are already on the uptick. Increase in the number of seats has also contributed to the poor ratio.

A state official said that the placement scenario is also not as good as it was two years ago. “After spending a lot of money on the course, students expect a decent placement offer,” said the official.

TCS Insights: Over the last four years, the number of Indian students in Maharashtra registering in programs to pursue an MBA has decreased by 45%. However, recent numbers are thought to be on the rise due to the recent changes in the application process. Through the removal of one-on-one interviews and group activities, students should have an improved opportunity to successfully apply to the MBA program of their choice.

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