How To Select Non-IIM Colleges After CAT

Every MBA college, whether an IIM or a Non-IIM, offers admissions only through their respective selection process, which is usually based on the entrance exam scores and personality assessment tests. Personality assessments are conducted in the form of Essay Writing (WAT) , Personal Interviews (PI) and Group Discussions (GD), etc. India’s top Non-IIM B-Schools accept the scores from CAT, XAT, CMAT, MAT, SNAP, ATMA, and GMAT for admissions.

Many Non-IIMs are ranked at par with the IIMs and are no less than IIMs with respect to curriculum, project, assignment, internships, learning experience, and infrastructure. Selecting the right B-School is an extremely important decision for an MBA aspirant. If you are trying for an MBA admission based on a good CAT score, landing a good management college will not be difficult.

Many top MBA colleges give IIMs a race for their ranks. Out of all the promising MBA institutes, select the institute that caters to your personality and your post-MBA goals. Your passion and interests must be the first and foremost drive while choosing an MBA program for you.

What to consider while selecting a Non-IIM college?

Since new management institutes are showing up every year, here is some light on what to consider while narrowing down your list of Non-IIM business schools.

• Faculty & Learning Experience
  B-schools publish their faculty profile on their website. Look for professional experience, academic qualification, research/publications, and Industry engagements of the teaching staff. Try to avoid the B-school if the details of the faculty could not be found anywhere.  Core faculty determines the learning experience and passable mentorship of the institute.
• Student’s Background and Diversity
  A lot of input goes into modelling the career and personality of a student. The Classroom is not the only point of learning, peers and the diversity of the classroom, contribute a lot towards promotion and healthy competition when they are academically inclined. Choose your Non-IIM MBA wisely where you can come together with best of the professionals and people with diverse backgrounds.
• Government Recognition, Accreditation, and Ranking
  Accreditations and Recognitions ensure the quality of MBA education. These are a surety that the program is meticulously tested and students can be rest assured that they will get the highest return on their MBA investment.
  – AMBA, AACSB, and EQUIS are the three top international accrediting bodies.
  – MBA degree programs are offered by UGC and PGDM is offered by the AICTE.
  – Top 2 National Accreditations are, National Board of Accreditation (NBA), National Assessment & Accreditation on Council (NAAC)
  
  Rankings help in resolving which MBA Colleges are better than the others. The creditability and track record of the ranking agency is also important for a piece of reliable advice. NIRF, Indian Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF), Business Today, Outlook B-School Rankings are among a few dependable Ranking organisations.
  
• Courses and Specialisations
  If you wish to do MBA, then you need to choose a specialisation and the institute accordingly. The two types of programs offered for MBA are General Management Program (GMP) and Specialisation-based Program (SP). GMP offers flexibility to choose any sector, allows diversification, and thus the better placement opportunities as compared to SP. E.g. XLRI, MICA, TISS, etc. provide programmes that cater to a specific sector or specialises in one area.
• Course Fee, Scholarships, and Financial Aid
  A better ROI is an outcome of a moderate fee structure and a good placement. Compare the fee structures of various institutes and study their curriculum and learning process. Take into account, the total fee and expenses for 2 years of MBA, tuition fee, expenses on a laptop, boarding & lodging expenses, study material, etc. for arriving at the total cost of the MBA program. Some B-schools justify their ROI even with a high fee structure (Rs. 20 to 25 lacs for 2 years) e.g. IIMs, but one of the country’s top Non-IIM FMS-Delhi charges only about Rs. 2 lacs for the whole program.
• Internship and Placement Record
  Which institutes have the best Placements and who are the top recruiters? The answers to these questions fetch a lot of information about the overall performance and reputation of an MBA institute. Institutes with high placement rates are ranked among the top B-schools in India. It is advisable to check the authenticity of the placement rates stated by the B-Schools on their portals.
  Look at the detailed placement rates, average salaries and the highest salary offer, number of companies associated with the campus, and summer internships.
• Legacy & Alumni Base
  The alumni base is a good indicator of the institutes’ reputation and performance. Alumni also help to build a good career path and global network. Look at the top B-Schools like FMS Delhi, which possesses a 60 years legacy and its alumni are spread around the world. The legacy builds a vicious circle of getting the candidates placed well year after year. Hence, a good alumni network reflects its position on placements.
• Infrastructure
  Last but not the least, a well-equipped classroom, auditorium, library, and other infrastructure facilities must be checked before you make a decision. A good infrastructure contributes a great deal towards a good learning environment.

Eligibility Criteria for Non-IIMs

• With a graduation aggregate of 50% marks, it is possible to achieve admission into a Non-IIM institute.
• An MBA program from IITs requires at least 60% aggregate marks in graduation.
• There are other MBA institutes that do not publish any cut-off marks for admissions but they may have their own selection criteria for admissions. MBA applications are usually assessed on the basis of a candidate’s entrance exam score, academic score, academic diversity, leadership quality, confidence, analytical ability, and work experience, etc. Work experience can be an added advantage for the candidate.

List of A Few Top Non-IIM Colleges

Here are a few top-ranked Non-IIM colleges that accept CAT scorecard:

To Sum Up

An IIM or Non-IIM does not really matter and the aspirants mustn’t get stressed. Take it as a pleasant experience, try on different hats and make efforts to know yourself better, to make the right decision. Manage your expectations and choose an institute where you can utilize your skills, gain new skills, and position yourself better to shape a better version of yourself.

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