Hi,
I have got admit in university of Tampa full time MBA and University of Cincinnati MBA.
At this point I am not able to decide which one to join.Below is my profile :
1.GMAT:640
2.Work Ex: 7 years ( In IT, SAP AG)
3.Country: India
As I would not be able to afford a costlier MBA, I have applied to very few.
Fee of both these schools does not have much different but scholarships from Tampa will make it cheaper compare to UofC.
I understand that avg salary after doing MBA from these schools is much lesser compare to few tier 2 school, but since I would not be able to afford those schools, I am fine with the same.
I would like to know which one should I join and whats will be my job prospects after doing MBA from one of these.
(I also have got admit in UTD, but I will not be able to manage required funds for UTD MBA).

Regards,
Uday

It's a pity you cannot afford UTD. You are well above the average for the other schools and you will contribute more than most other students. Speak to the school and explain your situation. UTD does has some financial aid.

Tampa is a better performing school in most rankings, with older students, more electivity and a more diverse cohort.

Hi Duncan,

Thank you for response.
I tried asking UTD for in-state tuition however for that they have condition.
I need to re-write GMAT and score above their avg GMAT.Though I dont have any issues writing GMAT but in worst case scenario in which my GMAT for some reasons does not get improve, I would know about my tuition very late and at that late stage, I would not have any other option as well(both these universities I have to confirm by 2nd-3rd week of this month).
What I would like to know is how are the job prospects after my MBA from Tampa?
Thank you in advance.

Regards,
Uday

I think it's very easy for you to improve from 640, since the average at UTD is 660. Outcomes at UTD is much better, an average of 70k to 55k. See: http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/full_time_mba_profiles/tampa.html

Hi Duncan,
Thank you again.I am confident that I can improve my GMAT, in case it doesn't (a bad GMAT exam day ) , I will have to pay out-of-state tuition which I can not afford and knowing this too late, I would not have any other options (UC,UT etc) as well.Hence my reluctance to accept UTD.
Aside this, ranking wise UT is obvious choice but what got me worried is, post MBA employment stats.
UoC have 84% within 3 months (at graduation,75%) but at UT
its only 73% (at graduation only 38%) .
Does it still makes sense to choose UT ( it is a lot cheaper and better ranked) ?

Regards,
Uday

Indeed, BusinessWeek shows:
Cincinnati - 84% 54k
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/full_time_mba_profiles/cincinnati.html
Tampa - 73% 55k
http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/full_time_mba_profiles/tampa.html

But these percentages need to be looked at carefully, because colleges have different graduation dates. In some schools, students graduate in May or June, at the end of classes, in other schools the graduation is pushed back as late as the March or April of the following year.

But however you look at it, UTD at 90% and 78k is a much better investment (http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/rankings/full_time_mba_profiles/texasdallas.html).

PS Hipster makes great points below.

I agree with much of what Duncan has said.

Another thing to consider is how these schools cater to your career goals. UTD would be the best choice for finance or consulting, obviously; but if you wanted to stay in the information technology field, a case could be made for the University of Cincinnati.

Also, where do you want to be after graduation? UTD is great, salary-wise, but a lot of their placements are with local and regional Texas firms (or multinationals that have US headquarters in TX, like 7-Eleven.) Most likely, none of these have robust alumni networks in India.

The cohort experience will probably be much better at UTD, based on average GMAT scores.

Hi Duncan,mba,

Thank you for detailed response.
I understand that UTD will be better on most parameters but without in-state tuition I would not be able to afford it.
I am in information tech and I would like to continue in same field.As for location I would like to work few years in US and then afterwards I would like to come back to India.
UofC is good location for IT?Is it better than Florida for work in IT?
One thing that I see in UT is, they have specific CoE kinda setup for SAP, how much that can have impact on my post MBA jobs in IT?
Regards,
Udayan

Maybe this approach http://www.find-mba.com/board/33571 will help you to find answers? UTD seems to have a bigger alumni network in IT, but use keywords (SAP?) to refine it.

UofC is good location for IT?Is it better than Florida for work in IT?