As per a survey conducted by Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), the volume of applications for graduate business school programs abroad rose by 0.4% in 2021 from the previous year. The highest number of international applications came from India.
The survey, based on around 1,000 MBA and business masters programs, highlighted that the rise was for reasons such as friendly visa policies, easing of lockdown restrictions and two-year work visas.
President and CEO of GMAC, Sangeet Chowfla, said that the Covid-induced recession pushed applicants to look for alternative career options while B-schools introduced more flexible admissions policies, eventually resulting in a higher number of applications last year.
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Weighted absolute year-on-year change in international applicants whose citizenship differs from the study destinations shows a rise of 4.1% compared to a decline of 3.8 from domestic candidates.
More programs in the US, the UK and Europe witnessed a decline in domestic applicants when compared to other regions and countries.
This difference between domestic and international applications is more evident for full-time MBA programs among top business schools.
The share of full-time MBA applications from international candidates doubled from 28% in 2019 to 57% in 2021. In addition, twice as many programs in the US ranked in the top 50 saw a 73% increase in applications from international applicants and 36% from domestic applicants.
This year (2021), full-time MBA programs continued attracting applicants, be it international or domestic. 52% of full-time one-year and 56% of two-year MBA report a rise in applications this year, more than all programs combined, at 41%.
Furthermore, 60% (three in five) of women candidates enrolled in full-time two-year MBA programs reported a rise in applications compared to 43% (two in five) of programs reported an increase from male candidates.
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On the other hand, only 42% of online MBA programs reported an increase in applications from women candidates, showing an upward trend in womens candidates to return to in-person, full-time learning.
Source:The Hindu Business Line
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