MUMBAI: A robust placement season across B-schools this year seems to have convinced students to pursue a management degree. After a slump in numbers since 2008, the number of students that registered for the MAH CET (Maharashtra Common Entrance Test) – for MBA aspirants – increased this year.

Officials at the Directorate for Technical Education (DTE) said on March 5 that a total of 60,363 students have registered for MAH CET scheduled to take place on March 14 and 15. It has seen a significant rise of almost 14% compared to last year.

“This year top companies have recruited in large numbers across management colleges, which seem to have triggered a renewed interest in MBA degrees,” said deputy director of DTE, Suresh Yawalkar.

Last year, the number of registered candidates stood at 53,000 and the numbers had been dwindling since 2008.

DTE officials said that till 2008-09, close to 70,000 students took the state level entrance exams, after which the numbers started to go down.

Average salary packages in top management schools in the country have gone up by almost 20%, making MBA a sought after degree once again. “It is a combination of a reviving economy and the subsequent good placement season that seems to have piqued the interest of students,” said Himanshu Rai, dean, MISB Bocconi, a business school.

“The Indian industry currently needs good managers at various levels,” said an HR representative of a leading e-commerce company.

However, with this increase in registrations, the onus of providing quality management education is also a task for the DTE. Last year, more than 40% of MBA seats in the state remained vacant.

The DTE has received several closure requests from such colleges. After the entrance test results are declared, the DTE makes a list of students eligible for the common admission process (CAP)

“As of now, there are around 42,300 management seats in state B-schools and we are yet to decide on the number of seats to be allocated for CAP,” said Yawalkar.

The DTE has not introduced any changes in the admission process so far and will continue admissions based solely on the marks without any group discussion or personal interview.