GMAC Advisor

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.

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.

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.

How does the impact of COVID-19 differ by the region of prospective business school students? A new Graduate Management Admission Council™ (GMAC™) survey suggests that candidates from the Middle East and Africa and Central & South Asia are more concerned about visa and travel restrictions; candidates from the United States and Europe are less likely to report that they are considering alternatives.

What is the impact of COVID-19 on aspirations of prospective business school students? GMAC survey snapshot suggests that aspirations to pursue MBA or business master’s degree remain strong among domestic and international students.

An all-new report from GMAC Research provides detailed and useful analysis of the state of diversity in the GME pipeline.