MBA Admission Priorities

MBA Admission Priorities for US MBA Programs

Reputation is the key indicator for MBA admission among all business school applicants. 75% of respondents report that reputation is stronger for US MBA programs than non-US MBA programs. Second to reputation, the benefit of accelerated career path afforded by US MBA programs was high at 62%. The third priority in MBA admission is networks, personal and professional.

Open-ended comments on advantages:

Change Markets and go to the states, difficult coming from German undergrad
Coming from a Non Business Background, I am looking for 2 year MBA programs vs the European 1 year
Difficulty in securing international visa if going abroad after MBA
Specific schools and initiatives and institutes linked to these schools.
Case based and experiential pedagogies that are popular across US Schools

Open-ended comments on personal and financial fit:

Travel costs would be prohibitive for an international program
Wouldn’t like to travel overseas away from family for an extended period of time
I only want to work in the US
I want to stay where my friends and family are.
Don’t want to be far from home
Significant other lives in the US and do not want to relocate
Has the highest level of diversity in its programs

MBA Admission: US vs International Priorities

The vast majority of all respondents value the reputation of the US MBA programs. Accordingly, 76% of US respondents see reputation as a main factor in MBA admission and 75% of international respondents reported the same. Respondents in the US are equally focused on reputation.

US applicants value career path and networks more than international applicants.

MBA program rank equal across international and US respondents.

Internationals value the strong US economy more than US applicants.

MBA Admission-Getting admits is the #1 Concern

Getting into a top US MBA program remains the #1 main concern, reported by 85% of all respondents. Funding and application time are other worries. Recruiting post MBA, at 36%, and the US political climate, at 14%, are not major concerns. By contrast, 85% worry about getting into top programs in the US.

MBA Admission: Getting In to Top US MBA Programs — MBA Admission: Getting in is the #1 Concern

Not shown in the chart above is the difference between internationals and US respondents: 85% of US are concerned about getting into a top US business program versus 65% of internationals are concerned about getting into a top US business program. Additionally, international respondents care more than US respondents about post-MBA recruiting and US political concerns. 38% of internationals worry about recruiting versus 25% of US applicants on the same measure. 23% of internationals worry about the political climate versus only 1% of US applicants on the same measure.