IIMB PGP MBA NRI/ Foreign admissions help

Question

Hi everyone! this is my first post on gmat club, and i was looking for some help/ assistance regardng foreign students/ NRIS who got to IIMB through the GMAT Path. I currently reside and work abroad (Dubai- i hold an indian passport). ive seen on the website that NRI Candidates can apply via GMAT if they are not physically pesent in india during CAT. I was hoping to take this path.

More about me- 24 F- 8/8/8 2024 batch UG- Btech Mech- worked in Construction project management for 1.1 years (full time paid internship), changed domains to Leisure/ hospitality and luxury sales and customer service- in a very niche industry- for 9 months to date. resigned to focus on family business. aiming for 700+ in gmat (very ambitious, i know

)

Would love to know if anyone has any ideas

) Would love to know if anyone has any ideas

GyanOne · Answer

Hi  MagicMeat

Yes, the GMAT/GRE route can be relevant for you, but technically you would be an “overseas applicant,” not a foreign applicant, because you hold an Indian passport. IIMB’s published policy says Indian passport holders may use this channel if they are not physically present in India on the CAT date and have lived abroad for at least 18 months during the specified preceding three-year period. The currently published page still references the CAT 2024 cycle, so make sure you verify the exact residence window once IIMB publishes the criteria for your application year.  
 Profile-wise, we would call you interesting but still developing for IIMB PGP. Being a female mechanical engineer helps with differentiation, and the movement from construction project management into a niche leisure/luxury business in Dubai gives you more texture than a standard engineering profile. However, at 24, the quantity of conventional full-time experience is still limited. The 1.1-year internship may not carry the same weight as regular post-graduation employment, so the quality of what you now do in the family business becomes very important.  
 The family-business move can actually strengthen the profile if it involves real operating responsibility rather than simply joining the business. Show revenue generated, customers or markets developed, projects owned, people managed, processes introduced, or expansion initiatives driven. Given your Dubai exposure and luxury/hospitality experience, there could be a strong international-business narrative if the pieces connect logically.  
 Be careful with the “700+ GMAT” target because the current GMAT uses a different score scale. GMAC states that 645 on the current exam is approximately equivalent by percentile to the old 700 benchmark. We would aim for roughly 675+ on the current GMAT, with 685+ being excellent for this profile. IIMB’s published 2026 international-candidate statistics show a 700 median, but those figures include the previous GMAT scale and should not be compared directly with current scores.  
 Overall, we would definitely explore the route, but GMAT alone will not make this profile. Over the next year, the priority should be building substantive responsibility in the family business and creating a coherent answer to why you moved across construction, luxury/hospitality, and entrepreneurship. If that progression demonstrates increasing ownership rather than random switches, your international exposure can become one of the stronger aspects of the IIMB story.   
Hope this is helpful. Reply here or  contact us directly .

IIMB PGP MBA NRI/ Foreign admissions help

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