GMAC: Two-Thirds Of U.S., Global Business Schools Saw Application Growth In 2020

GMAC

GMAC’s REGIONAL ANALYSIS

Asia-Pacific

As an admissions officer from a B-school in East & Southeast Asia told GMAC, “The social movement in Hong Kong followed by Covid-19 disruptions impacted MBA student recruitment.”

“Given the diversity of the Asia-Pacific region,” GMAC’s report continues, “there were higher country-level differences relative to Canada, Europe and the United States. There are also environmental anomalies. For example, protests in Hong Kong toward the end of 2019, followed by the start of COVID-19 in mainland China in 2020 dampened application volume. Likewise, application volume for India is likely to be affected by the unprecedented national lockdown brought on by the pandemic. Given the compressed application trends reported by higher volume programs responding from Greater China and India, the growth in applications reported throughout other parts of the region were not enough to avoid an overall decline in application volume for 2020.”

Canada

“Most programs (84%) reported growth in applications from domestic candidates. Overall, 79% of responding programs from Canada said they experienced growth in applications received, relative to 2019. Along with Europe, Canada received nearly 40% of applications from Central & South Asia, and East & Southeast Asia.”

Europe

“Eighty percent of applications to European schools were from international candidates, far outpacing other regions and heavily skewed toward business master’s programs, like master’s in management and master’s in finance. Overall, a higher proportion of European programs report growth in total applications compared to other regions. 72% of responding programs said they experienced growth in applications received, relative to 2019. Also, along with Canada, Europe received nearly 40% of applications from Central & South Asia, and East & Southeast Asia.”

For more information on the findings in this year’s Application Trends report, register for a GMAC webinar on November 17, 2020, during which a global panel of experienced admissions professionals will discuss key findings of the survey, along with their implications.

DON’T MISS AFTER MBA HIRING DROP-OFF IN 2020, A MORE OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK FOR 2021 and WOMEN WORRY MORE ABOUT IMPACT OF COVID ON B-SCHOOL PLANS