GMAC Advisor

The debate on whether standardized testing should be included in the college admissions process made headlines again last month when the Massachusetts Institute of Technology bucked the trend, announcing its decision to reinstate the requirement for SAT or ACT scores as part of its admissions mandate, shifting away from the pandemic-induced test-optional policies. Given its reputation and prestige, this decision had serious ramifications and generated much discussion amongst students and schools, as indicated in a Washington Post article.

Topics: graduate business school candidate, graduate business school test, MBA admissions, admissions, standardized testing, GMAT exam, college admissions, business school admissions

In the latest GMAC Connect webinar, Demystifying Privacy in Your Marketing and Advertising Campaigns, we broke down common misconceptions about data compliance and outlined the steps business schools can take to protect themselves and their users.

Topics: Recruitment & Marketing, graduate business school candidate, graduate business school, recruiting, marketing, advertising, User Privacy, Data Privacy, User Data

More than ever, understanding GME industry trends is critical to staying ahead of the curve and positioning your programs for success in today’s dynamic and competitive landscape. While our recently published GMAC Prospective Students Survey – 2022 Summary Report is a fantastic resource for giving you insights into the market as a whole, you likely have questions not answered in the report that are more specific to the candidate populations you target for your programs.

Topics: Prospective Students, Research Insights, graduate business school candidate, graduate business school, Student Survey

Diversity of all forms adds to the richness of the business school classroom experience, exposing students to peers with perspectives and lived experiences that differ from their own. A facet of diversity that has been historically under-discussed within graduate management education (GME) is students with disabilities. For business school leaders, as well as admissions and recruitment professionals, gaining a deeper understanding of the experiences candidates with disabilities face in GME is essential to elevating your class diversity.

Topics: graduate business school candidate, diversity, GME, Disability Inclusion, Inclusion, MBA

How has COVID-19 changed the preferences of prospective students? That’s the question I’ve been hearing most often in my interactions with business school professionals, and that’s exactly the question we sought to answer in the GMAC Prospective Students Survey – 2022 Summary Report, published to GMAC.com last week.

Topics: Prospective Students, Part-time MBA, graduate business school candidate, graduate business school, business school, Full-time MBA, graduate management education, Student Survey, GME

When lockdown orders canceled 2020 recruiting fairs and online events rushed in to fill the gap, few could have predicted that it would take two years for in-person events to fully bounce back.

Topics: Recruitment & Marketing, graduate business school candidate, graduate business school, business school, pandemic, MBA Tour, recruiting, marketing, admissions, events

55% of full-time MBA programs reported an increase in female applicants in 2021. However, there’s still much more to be done to increase gender parity at business school. It’s up to recruitment teams to engage with women at the early stages of the candidate pipeline and take time to understand women’s motivations for joining business school.

Topics: Recruitment & Marketing, Women, graduate business school candidate, graduate business school, business school, Women in Business

Business school alumni overwhelmingly report that their graduate business education was a highly worthwhile and valuable experience – 94% of business school alumni rate their graduate business education as good, excellent or outstanding, and report a favorable Net Promoter Score® (NPS) of 30, indicating that a high percentage of alums are likely to recommend graduate management education (GME) to friends and family.

Topics: graduate business school candidate, graduate business school, MBA Program, MBA admissions

In reflecting on the many conversations I’ve had on the important topic of diversity and business school, I’ve come to realize that although diversity is a priority for our industry as a whole, how that diversity is defined or prioritized differs in different regions of the world. I’ve also been asked time and time again- “are we in graduate management education (GME) making progress? How do we know?” Without a benchmark, this is difficult.

To begin exploring these questions, GMAC embarked on a research journey with the aim of creating a lens to better understand representation within the diverse pipeline for graduate management education worldwide.

The results of our research effort is a first-ever global study of diversity in graduate management education, The Global Diversity of Talent – Attainment and Representation. This report is designed to aid the industry in understanding diversity and representation in the GME pipeline today and to inform analysis, strategic planning, and decision-making for the classrooms of tomorrow.

It is a rich report providing a global overview, seven regional outlooks, and separate reports for the 175 countries that have 600 or more people in the student-aged population of 20 to 34 who have attained a master’s degree in the subject of business, administration, or law. It also examines the representation of women globally and underrepresented groups in the United States.

Topics: Viewpoints, diversity