However, the draw of the West is not because of the big buck alone. The highly competitive and tough MBA entrance examinations in India are one of the prime reasons why many consider GMAT an easier bet. “Even a student with 98 percentile fails to find a place in the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) as well as other premium institutes in India because of their high expectations. But a good score at the GMAT and fluency in English can get a candidate into any top university abroad. However, there should be a finance back-up in place as it’s a costly affair,” says Jyotsna Obham education counselor and owner of Education Forum International. The international exposure that comes with studying abroad often proves to be handy while trying for a foreign assignment.

After getting his degree in software engineering, Denzil D’sa wants to join an international university. His eyes are set on universities like Wharton and Harvard. He says, “An internationally recognised degree is widely accepted. And it’s given that it will give more weightage to the resume.”

Work experience can give an edge to those aspiring to get into such universities. Karan Gupta, another educational counselor and CEO of KGC says, “To get into the top institutes, two to three years of work experience is mandatory.”

There are more reasons to move to a foreign campus. Shalabh Kumar (23), who has worked for two years with a MNC dealing with finances as a senior manager, says, “In my next job I would like to retain my current position. That’s possible only if I do an MBA course from abroad. Otherwise, I might have to join as a fresher.”

Foreign campuses score over Indian by providing better scope for specialisation. That was the attraction for Nikhilesh Shetty, who is doing his MBA in Marketing from Rotterdam School of Management, the Netherlands. “I felt the Indian MBA courses did not offer many opportunities for specialisation. B-schools abroad provide lots of choices in post-experience full time programmes in branding strategies amongst others. Apart from that the diverse peer experience we enjoy on a foreign campus is very helpful while making a career change,” says Shetty, who is specialising in brand strategy.

However, there’s a word of caution before you gear up for an overseas campus. “It is very important to do a thorough homework on the authenticity, faculty and the scope of placements before finalising the institute. It is important to start networking right from the first day as it helps to build contacts and makes the job search easier.”