Strong regional demand for Graduate Management Education

RESTON, Virginia - Demand for graduate management education was stable in 2018 compared with 2017 according to findings of the annual Application Trends Survey from the Graduate Management Admission Council. Applications to business school programmes in the Asia-Pacific, European, and Canadian markets were up over 2017 while programmes in the United States reported a drop in volume.

Across graduate business school programme types—including MBA, business master’s, and PhD programs—most programmes in Asia-Pacific, Canada and Europe received more applications than last year.

Growth in the Canadian and European regions derived largely from increases in international applications, while domestic growth is fuelling increases in Asia-Pacific. 

Regionally, strong growth in application volume across all program types was offset by declines in the United States.  Programs in Asia-Pacific had an 8.9% increase, Canada realised 7.7% growth, and Europe had a 3.2% increase in application demand across all program types.

The United States experienced a nearly 7% decline, including a 1.8% decline in domestic application volume and a 10.5% drop in international volume across all program types.

The ability to attract top international talent continues to be a critical determinant to programmes’ overall application volumes. This year, 65% of Canadian programmes and 63% of European programs reported an increase in international applications over 2017. The majority of applications received by Canadian and European programmes this year are from international applicants.

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a non-profit association of leading graduate business schools worldwide and has offices in Hong Kong, China, India, Singapore, London, UK and the US.  www.gmac.com..