iimjobs.com – an exclusive job portal for MBAs from IIMs and other premier business schools in India, released the findings of its first MBA Career Survey to understand the perceived value of MBA degree.

The survey was conducted on June 15 - 28, 2009 with over 1300 MBAs with varied work experiences participating in the survey. Median age of the respondents was around 27 years.

“We’ve collected some interesting data in last few weeks. Around Eighty Seven percent graduates from top 15 business schools in India stated that they were satisfied with their decision to pursue MBA education. Over Seventy two percent respondents said that they would not be accepted in their current role without an MBA from top school”, said Tarun Matta, founder of iimjobs.com

“The most rewarding experiences of a business school are the interactions with the fellow students and faculty”, said one of the respondents.

Over Sixty three percent of the respondents said that they would have been paid much lower without the MBA degree from a top business school. “MBA is like a long term investment and must not be looked in the context of current salary levels”, said Nitin Girotra, one of the respondents. “The real value is in the career options and opportunities one gets after the MBA.” he added.

Seventy Nine percent of the respondents saw themselves as having assignments that provide much higher visibility with the senior management team in their company. Forty Seven percent respondents thought that their current employer values their MBA degree.

iimjobs.com, a leading job portal for top MBAs in India, compiled results of this survey from over 1300 MBA graduates from top 15 business schools in India. About 32% of them were IIM graduates, while the rest came from other premier business schools like ISB, FMS, XLRI, MDI, etc. Work experience of the respondents ranged from zero to twenty years.

“Clearly these are difficult times to be graduating from a business school. We’ve seen students struggle through the placement process even at the best business schools in the country. Having said this, MBA is a long term career investment. The economic conditions will change and the salaries offered on campus would increase again in a couple of years. The education, learning and experience of studying at IIM is far more valuable than the salary one gets”, said Tarun Matta, founder of iimjobs.com