GMAC Advisor

It drew much media attention last month when Columbia University announced that it would pull out of the 2023 Best College Rankings by U.S. News & World Report due to questions raised—by the institution’s own faculty, nevertheless—on its data submission. The ranking publisher subsequently moved the university to the “unranked” category from its runner-up placement of the nation’s best universities in 2022. It is also worth mentioning that the graduate-level schools of Columbia University, including its business school, remain ranked because the university used different processes when reporting the data (full disclosure: Columbia Business School is a member school of GMAC). Soon after this announcement, The Economist magazine decided to discontinue its publication of MBA ranking, citing “commercial” reasons behind the move.

Topics: graduate business school candidate, graduate business school, MBA Program, business school, MBA, candidate research, MBA ranking

Schools in the world of graduate management education (GME) embraced hybrid learning as a transitory response to pandemic-induced disruptions. However, even as teaching has resumed in classrooms, interest in blended learning has persisted.

Topics: Prospective Students, Research Insights, graduate business school candidate, hybrid program, online mba, graduate business school, MBA Program, business school, pandemic, MBA, candidate insights, candidate research, edtech, hybrid learning, hybrid MBA

In April 2022, GMAC published the latest edition of the Prospective Students Survey. This year, the survey included responses from more than 6,500 individuals from 156 countries. These students were asked about their perspectives on graduate management education, including preferred program types and career aspirations.

Topics: Prospective Students, Research Insights, graduate business school candidate, graduate business school, business school, pandemic, Student Survey, candidate insights, candidate research, COVID-19

Last month, in what Inside Higher Ed called a watershed moment, it was reported that in the United States, the number of full-time, online MBA students eclipsed that of those studying on campus during the 2020–21 academic year. The data, provided by the Association to Advance Collegiate Business Schools (AACSB), shows that 45,038 students were enrolled in online programs in the U.S. last year with 43,740 in person. In an interview for Forbes with John Byrne of Poets and Quants, Will Geoghegan, chair of the Kelley Direct Program at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, identified four trends in graduate business education behind the phenomenon: better recognition of the online MBA, significant technology advancements, enhanced in-person experiences in online programs, and lower opportunity costs.

Topics: Research Insights, online mba, graduate business school, business school, MBA

Diversity is a popular buzzword in MBA recruiting. From achieving gender parity to building an international cohort, business school experts agree that a diverse class is a strong one. To achieve this diversity, B-school marketers not only need to appeal to international applicants, but also to candidates with academic backgrounds beyond business and economics.

Topics: Prospective Students, Research Insights, graduate business school candidate, graduate business school, candidate research

MBA students this year are facing a job market so hot that offers are already being made before they even set foot on campus, reported the Wall Street Journal earlier this month. With record-level openings created by the COVID-prompted “Great Resignation” in the United States, recruiters recognize the unmistakable talent in the incoming cohort of business schools and rush to secure the employment of these candidates, among whom women and underrepresented minority groups are especially the targets of intense recruitment competition as companies shift their focus to build more diverse and inclusive workforces.

Topics: GMAC Events, graduate business school candidate, graduate business school, business school, diversity, Women in Business, events

With more than 540,000 candidates worldwide, GradSelect is an essential tool for connecting your business school with prospective GME students. But how can you best engage potential candidates? How can you find those who will be the right fit? Ultimately, what can you do to get the most out of GradSelect for your school?

Topics: Recruitment & Marketing, Prospective Students, graduate business school candidate, graduate business school, business school, recruiting, webinar

Before going to business school, prospective students engage with all sorts of information sources to research and pick the best-suited program for themselves. Whether they are undergraduates hoping to go straight into business school, or experienced professionals seeking to expand their management skills, prospective students research extensively to assess the program decision factors that matter most to them.

Topics: Prospective Students, Research Insights, graduate business school candidate, graduate business school, candidate insights, candidate research

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