GMAC Advisor

Trump policy restricts student mobility and job creation in United States.

Although the pandemic is impacting the plans of many students, their business school aspirations remain intact. This means that, while new considerations, such as the impact of the pandemic on job markets, come into play, the core motivations that drive undergraduates to pursue a business master’s degree remain largely the same.

What an event! The 50^th Annual Conference may have moved online but that did not stop 583 business school professionals, exhibitors, and GMAC staff from taking part in 6,784 learning opportunities. And with the event available online for a year, we expect to see that number increase as registered attendees can review the recordings of all 34 education sessions the global advisory committee helped craft (note: networking and social sessions were not recorded).

GMAC is launching the first ever virtual MBA Tour this summer, and it’s poised to be a gamechanger for student recruitment.

Thanks to participating schools, the GMAC 2020 Corporate Recruiters Survey (CRS) received responses from over 700 employers by mid-March. In the wake of COVID-19, GMAC is launching a follow-up survey in June to get a better picture of the hiring landscape for business school graduates. If your school did not participate in the February/March survey, the June opportunity is your chance to gain insights into the hiring and salary projections for the class of 2020, as well as the skills employers will be looking for in GME talent post-COVID.

Don’t wait for the new academic year, put these tips into action and get a head start on your marketing now. Using findings from a survey of current undergraduates, we’ve compiled actions you can do now that will help you meet the academic year head on. Read on to learn how you can better market your business master’s programs to undergraduate populations.

How to quickly pivot your messaging to make it relevant for the candidates in real-time.

As business schools adapt to the evolving impact of COVID-19, they remain focused on the diverse needs of their prospective students. The latest GMAC™ snapshot survey examines the shifting behavior of female candidates in response to the uncertainty posed by COVID-19. Findings suggest business schools need to double-down in engaging and communicating with female candidates to meet enrollment goals.

Business schools are exploring various scenarios in response to the impact of COVID-19 to meet their enrollment goals. How would prospective graduate management education candidates respond to a scenario of starting a program in an online format? The latest GMAC™ survey snapshot indicates that candidates are more likely to defer if the program begins online.

How is the impact of COVID-19 on candidates of graduate management education (GME) shifting over time? GMAC’s survey snapshot to monitor the rapidly evolving effect of COVID-19 indicates that while the concerns about the job market are rising among prospective business school students, their aspirations to pursue GME are holding steady.