A report has suggested that it is likely that British students considering taking MBA courses in the UK will find it increasingly hard to find loans to cover the cost of their post-graduate studies.

According to a report in the Financial Times, the appeal of MBA courses in the US had recently been increasing among British students, thanks to the weak dollar.

However, the paper has now learnt that the credit crunch has dramatically reduced the number of student loans available for those considering such post-graduate courses.

It pointed to research carried out by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators that showed that 50 lenders have suspended their post-graduate student loan deals.

“The cost of loan repayment is particularly high for students from outside the US who apply for loans from US institutions,” the paper explained.

“This is because credit references are not required and also the lenders find it harder to track down students on graduation if they return to their home countries.”

As a result, a British student looking for a post-graduate student loan in the US can expect to have to pay interest of around seven per cent.

With US MBA courses typically costing around $150,000 (£75,000) to complete, the rising price of loans could put many British students off, even though they know they will be able to secure high-paying jobs after graduation.

Source : gaapweb.com

The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A), in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, has said that the unilateral decision of the Union ministry of human resources development regarding fees to be charged by IIMs does not seem to be a step in the right direction.

The affidavit, filed after the apex court served notices to the six IIMs on April 8, asking them to clarify their stand on the fee-cut issue, puts on record the IIM-A’s willingness to sort out the issue through a process of dialogue.

“We have not gone to the court proactively. The affidavit places our views on record in answer to the notice and not filing it would have limited our options. We are, however, not a party to the PIL,” said a source in the IIM-A.

The affidavit has three components - the Position Paper prepared by the faculty, the resolutions passed by the IIM-A Society and the Board of Governors recently, and the fact that the institute is in a process of dialogue with the ministry.

Dons feel that the affidavit clarifying the institute’s willingness for a dialogue will create an atmosphere that will help the process initiated by chairman NR Narayanamurthy during the board meeting here on April 3.

The affidavit said the fee-reduction order has to be seen not in isolation, but in the larger context of many other decisions by the ministry that threatened the autonomy of the institute.

It has also said that the notification on fee reduction “violates the time-honoured process of the fee being decided by the Board of Governors and that it is not necessary to reduce fees to make management education more affordable to the less well-to-do sections of the society.”

Meanwhile, the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta faculty council filed an application before the Supreme Court, praying for an order impleading it as a respondent in the fee-cut case already pending before the apex court.