Today there are nearly a 1000 institutes in India that offer an MBA program thus leaving the student with a mind-boggling number of options. This confusion is only compounded by the vast options of specializations but also the number of B-Schools which have mushroomed across the country.

So how do you ensure that you know the right schools to apply to? The following basic criteria should come in handy:

 Infrastructure
 Faculty
 Industry Interaction
 Exchange Programs
 Placement record

Infrastructure is the resources and facilities that an institute has at its disposal. It consists of basic factors like campus area, number of classrooms, access to computers, a well-stocked library, location of the college, hostel facilities etc. Additionally facilities like Wi-Fi connectivity and Inter-classroom conference facilities would be of importance to gain the edge.

The quality of the faculty is often a clear indication of the learning imparted at the institute. The main factor to be kept in mind is the right mix of the number of permanent faculty and the visiting faculty. For the permanent faculty factors like relevant industry and teaching experience would count while for the visiting faculty the industry they work with currently, their position in it and the type of management institutes they visit would count.

The level of Industry Interaction is the key to gaining practical inputs for the student. This would not only ensure a high standard of visiting faculty but would also help a student in terms of summer placements thus making it a critical factor in grading the institute.

Exchange programs, which are common at the top B-Schools of the country, expose the students to the international arena, offering insights into a global trade environment and business practices.

The placement record finally determines the college’s true worth in the industry. Past few year’s statistics give a good idea about the type of companies visiting the college, the average salaries offered to the students, the number of foreign placements and the like. It would be wise to understand that a good placement record is a result of all the above factors put together and not a standalone factor.