BI Norwegian Business School
exchange and student recruitment in India
Exchange
• Three exchange partners:
• Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
• Management Development Institute Gurgoan
• Institute of Management Technology Ghaziabad
• 5-10 students per year
• Challenges:
• Academic calendar – Indian students arrive too late and leave too
early
• Finances
• Culture shock
• Demanding programmes in India
Why recruit in India?
• Second biggest exporter of students (China #1)
• For various reasons Indian students are beginning to move away
from traditional destinations like Australia and UK
• English language proficiency
• Good quality students – contribution to international
classroom
• Huge interest in business studies at master level
• 205,000 CAT (Common Admission Test) takers in 2011
• Most prestigious schools in India (IIM) have 2700 seats available
per year
BI India recruitment campaign
• Started in 2008/2009
• No fairs but information meetings in hotels
• Main focus on master programmes
• But also bachelor programmes
• Major urban centers: Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad,
Chennai, and most recently Pune
• Local consultant/agent
Local help paves the way
And the agent/consultant
Helps you adapt to local traditions
Why consultant/agent?
• Indian students are used to the concept of educational
agents and actually expect it
• According to British Council more than 40% of Indian students use
agents
• Local follow up of students is a great advantage
• More effective and cheaper
• Consultant model secures commitment
• Long-term relationship
• Costs!
Results (master programmes)
2010
2011
2012
Info meetings
100-120
120-140
120-140
applications
34
51
38
Accept
14
22
14
Rejects
18
33
30
Students
5
14
3
(first and second
priority)
(first priority)
Evaluation
• Mismatch between background of students and study
programmes at BI
• Vast majority of indian applying to business programmes have an
engineering background
• Bridging programme?
• Campaign needs to be refocused on students with a
business background
• Build relationships with colleges/universities that have
undergraduate programmes in business/commerce etc
• Alumni are important
• ’Placement’ is extremely important
• Internships!
• Cooperation with Norwegian companies that are active in India
• ’GSU liste’ is major obstacle for recruitment at bachelor
level
Threat: GSU liste?
• All India Senior School Certificate (Standard 12) issued
by CBSE + 1 year university education or
• Indian School Certificate (ISC Standard 12) issued by
CISCE + 1 year university education or
• Higher Secondary Certificate issued by State Secondary
School Boards + 1 year university education or
• Pre-University Examination Certificate + 1 year
university education or Intermediate Examination
Certificate + 1 year university education
Meanwhile in Denmark
• All India Senior School Certificate (AISSC) from Central Board of
Secondary Education (CBSE) + 1 year of higher education studies or
equivalent supplementary studies.
=>A higher educational institution might within the institution’s
discretion admit candidates with an All India Senior School
Certificate (AISSC) passed with minimum 65%.
• Indian School Certificate (ISC) from Council for the Indian School
Certificate (CISCE) + 1 year of higher education studies or equivalent
supplementary studies.
=>A higher educational institution might within the institution’s
discretion admit candidates with an Indian School Certificate
(ISC) passed with minimum 65%.
• Higher Secondary Certificate or equivalent from other boards:
=>An educational higher institution might within the institution’s
discretion admit candidates with a Higher Secondary Certificate
passed with minimum 85%.
Status GSU liste
• The use of the list is binding for admissions to first-cycle
studies pursuant to the Act relating to Universities and
University Colleges of 1 April 2005. (FOR-2007-01-31173).
• The use of the list is guiding for admissions to secondand third-cycle studies, subject-specific recognition and
general recognition.
GSU liste and admission to Master
• Most UG programmes in arts, commerce, science in India
are of three-year duration (engineering, technology: four
years)
• Binding application of GSU liste to master admission will
lead to demand of extra year of university education for
three year bachelor programmes and further complicate
recruitment to masterlevel studies in arts,business,
science
My favourite hotel in India