The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) released a report titled 'Application Trends Survey 2024 - 2024 Business School Applications Skyrocket Amidst Economic Uncertainty'. The report shows that the US remains the top destination for international students pursuing business programs, with a 2 per cent increase in female applicants, reaching 42 per cent, a significant shift from the 40 per cent increase over the past decade. It also highlights a significant shift, with 55 per cent of programs experiencing growth in this demographic.
The report mentions "55 per cent of the programmes have observed growth in applications from women, a 10-percentage point jump from 2023 and the second-largest share of programmes reporting increasing applications from women over the past decade - next only to the pandemic boom in 2020." It states that around 70 per cent of flex MBA and two-thirds of full-time MBA programmes will witness a surge of female applicants.
Global graduate business school applications increased by 12 per cent in 2024, a significant increase from 2023-2024. This is due to cost being a key barrier to advanced management degrees, and business programs offering financial assistance. Full-time, in-person offerings, including MBA and master disciplines in accounting and management, also saw growth with 6 out of 10 such programmes reporting application growth.
The report added that online and hybrid programs are experiencing increased demand for graduate business education, with 58 per cent of online and 52 per cent of hybrid programs reporting growth. However, the UK experienced a 45 per cent drop in domestic applications.
