Goals of MBA Aspirants Revealed in GMAC 2025 Survey
The Graduate Management Admission Council’s latest Prospective Students Survey offers a snapshot of the evolving mindset of business school applicants. Based on responses from nearly 5,000 prospective students from 147 countries, the GMAC 2025 survey highlights how financial considerations, emerging technologies, and values-based decision-making are shaping MBA applicant trends.
“Our research shows that prospective students are approaching business education with a sharp focus on outcomes,” said Joy Jones, CEO of GMAC. “They’re asking how a program will help them build practical skills, expand their career mobility, and align with their values—not just what rank it holds.”
AI Is No Longer Optional
According to the GMAC 2025 survey, AI coursework is now a must-have in the MBA curriculum. Nearly half of all respondents—up from just 29% in 2022—say it’s essential to their ideal education experience. This demand spans age groups, regions, and demographic profiles.
But candidates say they want action, not theory. They’re asking for simulations, case studies, and opportunities to use AI in real-world decision-making scenarios. The survey found that personalized learning tools powered by AI ranked lowest in terms of interest among candidates.
“Candidates are clearly signaling that they want to use AI, not just learn about it,” the report notes. “They see it as a strategic advantage in the workplace—not just a technical skill.”
First AI-Native Core MBA Course at Harvard
ROI Overtakes Rankings
A defining theme in the GMAC 2025 survey is the growing focus on return on investment. In just one year, the percentage of candidates who cite rankings as a top-three research factor dropped from 37% to 29%. In contrast, ROI and career outcomes climbed in importance.
That doesn’t mean a school’s perceived quality, reputation, and prestige no longer matter. Factors such as faculty, alumni success, and accreditation remain the top drivers behind application decisions.
Financing Strategies Evolve
According to the survey, cost remains a significant barrier. Nearly half of the global respondents named it one of their top three concerns. But what has changed is the funding strategy. Candidates now expect to cover about 30% of their degree costs through grants and scholarships, an increase from 25% in 2019. Parental support, meanwhile, is on the decline.
The GMAC 2025 survey also shows that reliance on financial aid is exceptionally high among millennials, first-generation students, and underrepresented U.S. candidates.
“Affordability remains one of the biggest threats to GME access,” the report states, “but also an opportunity for schools to highlight the long-term value of their programs.”
The Return of In-Person Learning
After years of surging interest in hybrid and online programs, preferences are shifting back. Nearly three-quarters of respondents now say they want full-time, in-person formats. This trend is strongest among Gen Z and younger millennials, who value immersive learning and on-campus networking.
“You can’t replicate the energy of a classroom or the conversations that happen after a guest speaker session,” one candidate said.
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Students Want Values, Not Just Skills
Beyond technical and financial factors, the GMAC 2025 survey reveals that applicants are also thinking deeply about institutional values. More than two-thirds said an employer’s ethical and sustainable practices would influence whether they accepted a job offer. In addition, 73% of students expect schools to actively support their health and well-being, while 67% demand that schools make meaningful efforts to promote equity and inclusion.
“These expectations are no longer niche—they’re mainstream,” the report concludes. “Institutions that fail to integrate these values risk losing relevance with the next generation of business leaders.”
The New Rules of Engagement
The GMAC 2025 survey captures a moment of reckoning for graduate business schools. Today’s applicants go beyond scanning rankings. Instead, they evaluate whether programs deliver real-world skills, a strong ROI, and a sense of alignment with their values.
Business schools must evolve to compete for top talent. That means embedding hands-on AI instruction, expanding financial transparency, and demonstrating a genuine commitment to wellness, equity, and ethical leadership. Institutions that cling to prestige alone may find themselves outpaced by programs that meet candidates where they are—responsive, relevant, and ready for the future of business.
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Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
×Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally. Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
×Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years. Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
×Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
×Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
×Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
×Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
×Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford. Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
×Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
×Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
×Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team. During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
×Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS). During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
×Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director. Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants. ×
Dana
Dana served as Assistant Director of Admissions at Columbia Business School for the Full-Time MBA program and has over 10 years of experience working in higher education. Known as a scrupulous file reader, Dana reviewed countless applications and assisted in rendering final decisions for the Admissions Committee at CBS. While leading information sessions at Columbia and on the road, Dana met and advised myriad applicants� ...
×Holly
Holly worked as a member of the NYU Stern MBA Admissions team for seven years and holds an MBA from NYU Stern. In her tenure as Director of NYU MBA Admissions, Holly worked closely with admissions teams from Columbia, Michigan Ross, UVA Darden, Cornell Johnson, Berkeley Haas, Yale SOM, and Duke Fuqua on recruiting events domestically and internationally. On the NYU Stern admissions committee, Holly conducted interviews, planned and hosted events, and trained staff on reading and interviewi ...
×Mark
Mark has been working in global higher education for nearly ten years, focusing on MBA Admissions at European programs including Oxford Said Business School and London Business School (LBS). At the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, Mark was the Associate Director of MBA Recruitment, leading the recruitment of all applicants to the Oxford MBA and 1+1 MBA programs. In this role, Mark advised countless MBA applic ...
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