Students should look at programs that suit their career goals. Here faculty profile, teaching methodology, specializations offered and option of continuing with doctoral studies (PhD) on completion of masters are some important things to consider. Rankings should also be taken contextually. The publications  that  compile business school  rankings are  Business  Week,  US  News  & World  Report,  Financial  Times, Wall  Street  Journal,  Forbes,  and  the  Economist. Despite differences in rank order from one publication to another, you will notice that schools very often tend to cluster in tiers. While Business school rankings are important, they are by no means the be all and end all of school selection. Other factors like placement statistics, recruitment patterns, and future employment goals also need to be taken into consideration while selecting schools.

The career services section of the school website is a great place to check whether the school offers internships and placements in your sectors and companies of interest. Another way of ascertaining the job opportunities is by connecting with student alumni.

The location of the university not only affects the cost of living but also your lifestyle and to some extent your future employability. If you are a big city person going to a small college town might very likely make you uncomfortable. At the same time studying in a university located in a city might take away some of the collaboration brought about as a result of studying in a college town. Further while plenty of international programs attract big recruiters, local recruiters are also a prominent feature at most programs. Hence in addition to the cost and lifestyle factor also ascertain whether you would like to work in and around the university location in the future.

Apart from checking the all important career services department you also need to check whether the other resources offered by the university fit your expectations. These include student clubs (non-professional), on-campus housing,   spousal support, family accommodation, childcare, student organizations, transportation, jobs, etc.

The cost of your MBA education includes both tuition fees and living expenses. While this cost must fit within your budget, you should also check for financial aid in terms of merit scholarships, on-campus jobs, assistantship, soft loans, departmental grants etc.