UCLA Anderson’s International MBA Population Has Declined By 1/4 In Two Years

Marion Anderson Courtyard at UCLA. The Anderson School of Management has lost a quarter of its international MBA population in two years

Two years ago, UCLA Anderson School of Management’s full-time MBA class was one of the most international in the United States. Nearly half — 47% — of its students came from abroad, representing dozens of countries and contributing to the school’s reputation as a global hub in Los Angeles.

Last year, that figure dipped to 41%. Now, in the newest MBA class, the international share has fallen again, this time to 35%.

The twelve-point drop over two admission cycles is one of the most dramatic recalibrations among elite U.S. MBA programs. It reflects a broader pullback across the sector, as schools from Duke Fuqua to Carnegie Mellon Tepper have seen similar slides in their international mix. But Anderson’s shift is especially notable given its longstanding identity as one of the most globally diverse business schools in the country.

A NATIONAL TREND WITH GLOBAL CONSEQUENCES

At Duke Fuqua, for instance, international representation fell from 52% two years ago to 38% today, a loss of 14 percentage points. Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, once near the top of the charts, has likewise experienced a steep decline, dropping from more than 50% international students to the mid-30s. Even Wharton, historically a magnet for global talent, has felt the squeeze: international students make up 26% of its latest MBA class, down from 35% three years ago.

The backdrop to these shifts is an increasingly fraught U.S. visa landscape under the Trump administration. With a new set of H-1B restrictions already moving forward — including a proposed $100,000 application fee for certain employers and a wage-band allocation system that favors higher-salaried applicants — the environment for international MBAs has grown more uncertain. But UCLA’s steep drop-off in international MBA enrollment signals that even before the changes take full effect, the message has been received abroad: securing post-graduation work in the U.S. has become riskier, and B-schools are among those paying the price as many of the world’s best candidates redirect their applications to Europe, Canada, or Asia.

However, since the classes that enrolled this fall applied for admission before Trump took office, other forces must be credited with helping to drive the decline, particularly the rising cost of pursuing an MBA in the U.S. Schools themselves have also become more conservative in forecasting international yield, wary of last-minute visa denials or reversals. Meanwhile, stronger domestic pipelines — including, in Anderson’s case, applicants drawn by Southern California’s gravitational pull in technology, entertainment, and entrepreneurship — have boosted the proportion of U.S. citizens and permanent residents in the class.

BEYOND THE DECLINE: A COMPETITIVE CLASS PROFILE

At 35%, Anderson’s international share remains healthy by U.S. standards, but prospective students and employers alike are likely to note the difference between a class that is nearly half international and one that is closer to a third.

The international decline is only part of the story. In other respects, Anderson’s MBA Class of 2026 looks much like its predecessors — highly competitive, diverse across backgrounds, and balanced across gender lines. The school received 3,064 apps for admission this fall, down only slightly from 3,079 in the previous cycle. Women make up 46% of the cohort, up from 43% last year.

The academic profile is also strong. The average GMAT score for the class sits at 703, down from 714, though that likely reflects the increased reliance by applicants on the lower-scoring new GMAT test; the middle 80% range spans from 670 to 750, same as last year’s cohort. Students bring an average of 5.6 years of work experience, up from 5.4. As in past years, the class draws from a wide array of academic disciplines, with significant representation from business (30%), engineering (22%), the humanities and social sciences (21%), and economics (13%).

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