ISB tops the global list with 229 % increase in the pre to post salary

Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, or ISB as it is popularly known, recently became the center of attraction when it topped the Financial Times’s Global list in the domain of pre-to-post salary, with a 229% increase in 2024. The overall rank of 31st position among the global business schools is overhauled by the news that ISB tops the global list with 229% increase in the pre to post-salary segment. An MBA is often considered a degree that can enhance career prospects and increase the salary manyfold. In this regard, the pre and post-salary jump of 229% that the post-graduate candidates witnessed is flabbergasting. ISB, not only topped the list of pre-to-post salary but also topped the list of overall ranking among the Indian B-Schools. Among the other Indian B-Schools IIM Ahmedabad (41) and IIM Bangalore (47) is in the top 50 in the overall ranking.

Business School Rankings 2024 by Financial Times: Ranked as per Pre to Post salary increase.

In the global business school ranking 2024, conducted by the Financial Times, if one ranks the B-School, taking into consideration how much salary has increased in the pre-and-post scenario of doing an MBA from that institution. It would be worth noting that along with ISB, another 2 Indian institutes XLRI ( increased by 178%) and IIM Bangalore (increased by 169%) are among the top 10 global institutions.

The 229% increase in the salaries accrued by the students of the ISB, can be compared with the other top-notch institutions. ISB‘s giant leap to become the front-runner meant that they have left institutions like Harvard, Wharton Stanford behind. Compared to the Indian Business School’s 229% increase in salaries, Harvard witnessed a 112 % rise in post-MBA salaries while that is 121%, 117%, and 127% in cases of Wharton, Stanford, and Columbia respectively.

ISB Tops the Global List in Pre to Post Salary: Reasons Behind

Talking about the reasons why ISB has gradually improved its rank over the last three years, Ramabhadran Thirumalai, the deputy dean of the academic program has charted out several factors behind its improvement -

• ISB has appointed several new faculty members to develop their academic credentials in the last few years. This includes the 18 faculty members they included in their various departments in 2018-2019.

• The appointment and involvement of the global faculty have become much easier in recent days and these developments have helped the Indian School of Business to increase the quality of its courses.

• The career advancement team of the Indian School of Business was able to bring new companies for the placement drive. This not only helped to solve the hiring issues but also put the institution in the higher ranks regarding placements as well in the Financial Times’s global list of Financial Times.

• The involvement of foreign students has helped to evolve the ranking system

• The better Alumni network as well as alumni engagement and Career services has helped ISB to gain this prestigious designation.

Indian School of Business (ISB): Salary after MBA and The Placements

In this context let's look at some of the aspects of the placement scenarios of the ISB that have attracted so many words and discussions in the media.

• The placement offered by the companies, to the students, includes the likes of Accenture, Adani Group, Apple, Facebook, Flipkart, McKinsey and Company, Nestle India, Aditya Birla Group, Amazon, and Ernst and Young.

• The placement process in the ISB includes a pre-placement process, aptitude test, group discussion, and personal interview.

• Compared to the placement drive of last year, when 324 companies made 1609 offers including 31 international ones, the numbers of companies that took interest in the students of ISB rose to 405 in 2024. This helped the ISB to gain the top spot, regarding the increase in post-MBA salaries with 229%, the highest among the 100 B-schools on the global list, prepared by Financial Times.

• This year companies like McKinsey, Nagaroo, and Navi Technologies hired over 20 students each, as 80% of the cohort secured packages of around INR 35 LPA.

• Now if one looks at the participation of women in this regard to get a comprehensive idea, of how inclusive ISB is, it would be evident from the figure as well. Collaborative efforts from the different sectors of the institution like the Women in Business Club and Career Advancement led to the better mentorship of women participants. The 2024 cohort has almost 40% women and secured offers from the MNCs

• In 2024 there has been a surge in leadership roles across sectors. The positions that were offered in the ISB requirement drive, by the recruiters, include the role of Chief of Staff, Manager, CEO, and Entrepreneur-in-Residence.