Every year, over three lakh students appear for CAT with the hope of securing a seat at India’s top management institutes. Yet, for most aspirants, the journey is marked not just by ambition, but by intense pressure, repeated uncertainty, rising financial concerns, and a growing fear of being left behind in an increasingly competitive education ecosystem.
At the same time, management education itself is undergoing a transformation. As AI reshapes industries, recruiters demand future-ready skills, and students question the real return on investment of expensive MBA programmes, B-schools today are being forced to confront difficult questions around accessibility, credibility, employability, and relevance.
At a time when we are around 6 months away from the next CAT exam, ETEducation brings this insightful conversation with Amrishbhai Patel, Chancellor, SVKM’s NMIMS (Deemed-to-be-University). The conversation reflects on the widening gap between aspiration and access, the psychological burden of competitive admissions, the role of AI in creating fairer and more personalised student experiences, and why India urgently needs to redefine what quality management education truly means in the years ahead.
Here is the edited excerpt:
Q1. Every year, lakhs of students appear for the Common Admission Test (CAT), yet only a small fraction secure seats in top B-schools. How should India’s management education system address this widening gap between aspiration and access?
The real challenge isn’t just about creating more seats, it’s about creating more institutions that students can genuinely trust. Quality management education works through a simple but demanding cycle: find students with real curiosity and analytical drive, put them through a robust curriculum taught by faculty who know their subject deeply, and assess them in ways that reward learning, not just test-taking. When that foundation is solid, industry relevance and strong placements follow naturally.
What we need to change is the assumption that credible management education lives only within a small cluster of institutions. India has no shortage of ambition or talent. The next step is building high-quality, accountable academic ecosystems in more regions so that aspiration doesn’t have to travel hundreds of kilometres to find a worthy home.
Q2. The journey from entrance exams to final admissions is often stressful, uncertain, and highly competitive. What systemic changes are needed to make this process more transparent, equitable, and less psychologically taxing for students?
Much of the anxiety students feel during admissions comes from ambiguity. When institutions are unclear about what they’re looking for, students default to worst-case thinking. The fix is straightforward: communicate clearly, early, and honestly what criteria matter, what the timeline looks like, and what students can genuinely expect.
Beyond transparency, we need to rethink what ‘potential’ means in an admission process. Scores are one signal, not the whole story. A student’s analytical consistency, communication, and appetite for learning deserve equal consideration. At the same time, institutions should offer proper counselling during the admission window not as an afterthought, but as a structural commitment. Competition will always be part of this process; it doesn’t have to feel brutal.
Q3. With increasing competition and repeated attempts at exams like CAT, many students face cycles of rejection. How can institutions and the broader ecosystem better support students dealing with failure and uncertainty?
Rejection is painful, but it is not permanent, and it is certainly not a verdict on someone’s long-term potential. One exam, one admission round, one decision letter does not define a career. As educators, our job is to help students internalise this, not just hear it.
What institutions can do practically is broaden the conversation about pathways. Specialised programmes, industry certifications, internships, and entrepreneurial ventures are not consolation prizes; they are legitimate routes to capability and confidence. Students who keep learning, stay disciplined, and develop the ability to think clearly will find their footing. It is important to broaden our definition of success beyond a handful of brand names. This mindset often holds students back far more than academic outcomes themselves.
Q4. AI and digital tools are being rapidly integrated into admissions and outreach. At an ecosystem level, how can technology ensure both scale and fairness without compromising meritocracy?
Technology, when applied thoughtfully, removes friction; it does not replace judgment. AI and digital systems can handle volume, speed up communication, and make the admissions experience more responsive for students. That’s genuinely valuable. But the moment a tool starts making final calls on who gets admitted, something important gets lost.
Q5. One of the biggest gaps aspirants face is the lack of personalised guidance. How can institutions leverage AI and data to provide individualised counselling and engagement at scale?
Technology’s greatest gift to education might be its ability to make personalisation possible at a scale no human team could manage alone. AI and data tools can map a student’s academic background, aptitude signals, and specific concerns and use that picture to deliver guidance that actually fits their situation rather than generic advice that fits no one.
But here’s the limit: information is not the same as guidance. A student facing a critical decision needs more than data; he/she needs clarity, reassurance, and someone who genuinely listens.
When supported by robust digital infrastructure and collaborations with global technology partners such as Salesforce, institutions can also ensure seamless engagement, consistency, and responsiveness at scale. Technology should support counsellors by surfacing the right information at the right time, not replace the human relationship at the centre of good mentorship.
The best education journeys begin when an institution sees a student as a person, not a data point.
Q6. Beyond admissions, there is growing scrutiny around ROI, placements, and employability. Is management education becoming too outcome-driven? How can institutions balance immediate employability with long-term leadership development?
Placements matter, and students are right to ask hard questions about ROI. But there’s a difference between treating placements as the natural result of excellent education and treating them as the entire purpose of it. When institutions chase placement metrics as an end in themselves, the education suffers and eventually, so do the placements.
The stronger path is building a genuine academic foundation first: capable students, demanding coursework, faculty who challenge thinking, and assessments that hold everyone to account. Employability follows from that. More importantly, we need to develop graduates who know how to think, adapt, and lead because industries will keep changing, and the students who thrive long-term will be those who were taught how to learn, not just what to know.
Q7. For millions of young aspirants navigating exam pressure, rejection, and career uncertainty, what is your message to them on staying resilient and making the right choices in today’s complex education landscape?
Careers are long. One exam, one rejection, one year of uncertainty is a small chapter in a story that hasn’t been written yet. Please don’t let a single outcome convince you it’s the whole story.
Focus less on labels and more on building something real, genuine capability, intellectual discipline, and the confidence that comes from doing hard things consistently. Choose institutions where you can actually grow, not just the ones that sound impressive. Strong thinking, clear communication, and the ability to adapt under pressure are the qualities that open doors, and they can be built anywhere.
Setbacks will come. That’s not a warning, it’s a certainty. But resilience isn’t something you’re born with; it’s something you develop every time you keep going anyway. That quality will serve you longer than any degree.
