Student exchange programs: A brief introduction
Raghav has recently completed BBA from a prestigious institute. On the last day in college, he is sitting in the canteen with two of his best friends on campus, Lynda and James. Lynda and James are foreign exchange students who have often described to Raghav how their time in India has been a great learning experience for them. They got to experience a new culture, meet new people, and learn far more than they could learn from books and classes. Raghav plans to pursue MBA and owing to the experience of James and Lynda; even he wants to get into a college which offered student exchange programs. However, Raghav is not sure which MBA colleges in India have the best student exchange programs. Raghav is not the only one who is unsure about this. There are a lot of students who are not unaware of such opportunities.
A post graduate degree is not just about studying in the class but about getting exposed to new experiences. Most MBA colleges in India promote summer internship programs, but students often find internship placements within India. Exposure to a foreign country and culture can be significant catalysts for the development of your career. The experience gained in the summer internship programs contribute to the building of a management perspective. Exchange programs can make a huge difference in defining the success of your career. Just like Lynda and James, if you have considered an exchange program, you should know which Institutes in India offer the best student exchange programs.
How have we come up with this list?
We have referred to the rankings of MBA colleges in India in two of the best magazines: Outlook India’s 100 best B-school and Business Line business school ranking. The top 12 colleges from the list have been mentioned below:
Business line business school ranking 2015-16
Outlook India’s 100 best B-school
Now let us look at the student exchange programs that the top MBA colleges in India have to offer.
IIM-Ahmedabad
IIM-A is the top college in both the ratings we considered. The student exchange program of IIM-A is incredibly vibrant. IIM-A has 79 partner Universities across the world which send and receive exchange students from the IIM-A. IIM-A provides an excellent opportunity to learn as well as experience new cultures.
Praqtical fact file: few of IIM-A partner universities out of 79
| Asia | Asian Institute of Management, Makati City, Philippines
Asian Institute of Technology, Pathumthani, Thailand |
| Australia | Australian Graduate School of Management, Sydney
The University of Melbourne, Australia |
| Europe | Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg, Denmark
EDHEC, Cedex, France |
| North America | Stern School of Business, NYU, New York
The Anderson School at UCLA, Los Angeles |
| South America | Universidad De Lo8 Andes School of Management, Bogota, Colombia
Universidad ESAN9 Peru |
| Canada | McGill University, Montreal
Sauder School Of Business, Vancouver |
| South Africa | University of Capetown, South Africa
Gordon Institute of Business, Johannesburg |
| New Zealand | University of Otago, New Zealand |
| Dual Degree Programs | ESSEC, Cedex, France |
| The University of Bocconi, Milano, Italy | |
| HEC School of Management, Paris, France | |
| European Business School (EBS), Oestrich-Winkel, Germany | |
| University of Cologne, Germany | |
| ESCP Europe |
IIM-Calcutta
IIM-C is the 2nd best B-school in India per both the rankings. The PGP program provides the opportunity to spend a term at a partner university with which the college has a MoU. IIM-C has a tie up with 83 international institutes across the world.
Praqtical fact file: few of the partner institutes of IIM-C
| Europe | The London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
Copenhagen Business School, Denmark |
| Asia Pacific | The University of Sydney Business School, Australia
Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management, China |
| America | Fundacao Getulio Vargas, Brazilian School of Public and Business Administration, Brazil
Ivey Business School, Canada |
XLRI, Jamshedpur
XLRI is one of the best B-schools in India. It is 3rd best as per the Outlook magazine. Below is the list of foreign Universities which have tie-ups with XLRI for student exchange programs:
| The United States of America | AB Freeman School of Business
Tulane University Weatherhead School of Management Case Western Reserve University Darden School of Business University of Virginia Carlson School of Management University of Minnesota |
| Europe | ALBA Graduate Business School, Greece
Audencia Nantes School of Management, France Bordeaux Business School, France EM Lyon Business School, France Grenoble Ecole de Management, France IESEG School of Management, France Malardalen University, Sweden ESADE Business School, Spain Universiteit Antwerpen Management School, Belgium University of Gdansk, Poland Muenster School of Business Administration and Economics, Germany University of Muenster, Germany |
| Australia | Graduate School of Management, La Trobe University |
| South East Asia | Asian Institute of Management, Manila
Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok |
IIM Bangalore
IIM-B is the 3rd best institute according to Business Line rating. IIM-B offers an excellent student exchange program and has partnered with more than 50 Universities across the world. Some of them are as follows:
- Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne, Australia
- Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
- Warsaw School of Economics, Poland
- London Business School, University of London, UK
- Yale School of Management, USA
- And much more
Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi
FMS is one of the top B-schools in India. FMS offers numerous collaborative and exchange programs in various institutions across the world. Some of the tie-ups by the Institute are:
Foreign Exchange Programs
- Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan.
- IAE de Lyon Business School of the Universite Jean Moulin of France.
- Indo-Korean Youth Exchange Program, Ajou University, South Korea.
IIM Kozhikode
IIM-K is one of the top B-schools in India and offers great student exchange programs. IIM-K have partnered with universities across the globe, some of which are:
- MAYS Business School, Texas A & M University, USA
- Jonkoping International Business School, Sweden
- Plymouth University, UK
- Leeds University Business School, UK
- Audencia Nantes School of Management, France
IIM Lucknow
IIM- L is also one of the best B-schools in India and enjoys the 5th position in the Business line rankings. IIM-L offers excellent student exchange programs owing to their international association and tie-ups with numerous universities across the globe, some of which are as follows:
| Europe | Universite Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
Copenhagen Business School, Denmark ESSEC Business School, France Ecole de Management, France Universite Jean Moulin, France REIMS School of Management, France ESCP-EAP, European School of Management, France European Business School, Germany Leipzig School of Management, Germany ESADE Business School, Spain Jonkoping International Business School, Sweden The university of St. Gallen, Switzerland |
| USA | George Mason University
University of Connecticut Kelly School of Business |
| Canada | Brock University
Carleton University Michael G Degroote School of Business |
| China | Beijing Jiaotong University |
Praqtical Look:
The ranking showed top 10 B-school based on various parameters like placement, faculty, infrastructure, industry exposure, ROI, etc. But MBA is not just about these. Taking up a term in a new country is moving out of your comfort zone. You can experience a new culture and meet new people. Moreover, the challenges you face in a foreign country and the way you resolve the issues teach you valuable life lessons. The exchange program isn’t a year in your life; it’s a lifetime in a year.
Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below.