MBA Admission@ Application trend in B-schools: Where is the deadline!

Nov. 22, 2012 - PRLog -- The admission process at the top and mid-level B-schools have begun from August, right after the announcement of CAT 2012 and XAT 2013. Barring the IIMs and MDI Gurgaon, other B-schools are still receiving applications. The deadlines of the application processes are getting flexible and stretched owing to the slow pace of the process.

Although the CAT 2012 exam is over, the application process has not gathered momentum.  This has resulted in extension of the deadline or an already-stretched application window or no application deadline at all.

Over the last few years, B-schools have become accustomed to a rolling admission process. While B-schools across the top and mid rung maintained a stringent deadline till four years back, for the past two years, the application process did not really have a deadline.

Apart from a few B-schools like MDI, IMI Delhi and FORE School of Management, whose last dates of application were in October and November, the rest of the B-schools like XLRI Jamshedpur, LIBA Chennai, TAPMI Manipal, etc have deliberately kept a relatively large window of application of three-four months to give aspirants enough time to apply.

While MDI Gurgaon, which is the only private B-School to maintain the given timeline, others with an early deadline, like IMI Delhi and FORE School of Management, have already extended it.  

IMI Delhi’s last date of application was October 9, 2012. Although the application process is over now, the B-School has informed that the process may re-open after the CAT 2012 results are declared. Dr Pritam Singh, director-general, IMI, said: “This year, we may allow one more opportunity to aspirants to apply for our institute once the CAT results are out. Given an opportunity, many candidates are likely to apply for the institute once the CAT results are out in the second week of January,” said Dr Singh.

FORE School of Management, New Delhi, has extended the application process till December 10, 2012, while the original deadline was November 12, 2012. When asked about the trend of the admission process so far, Dr. Sanghamitra Buddhapriya, admission chairperson of the B-School, mentioned that the application trend is on par with that of the last year in spite of the rising number of registration in CAT 2012. “So far, the trend is similar to the last year in terms of number. We have extended the last date of application till December 10 to give more scope to candidates.”

Even though it has been almost three months since the admission notifications have been announced and the application process has started, B-schools are finding it to be a slow beginning. Commenting on the slow start to the season, Prof Chowdari Prasad, admission chairperson, TAPMI Manipal, mentioned, “The process of receiving applications has not yet been picked up. We have seen a slow start. We are hoping for a better show after results of CAT 2012 and XAT 2013 are declared. The results are expected in mid-January.” The last date to apply for TAPMI Manipal is January 15, 2013.

The factors which attribute to the cold start of the admission process will be discussed in upcoming articles of the series.

Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more on MBA Admission 2013-15.