Important Admissions Insights from the 2016 AIGAC MBA Applicant Survey

AIGAC (the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants) presented insights from its survey of recent MBA applicants and graduates at their annual conference last month.  On your own business school application journey, knowing the trends below may help you know what your peers are thinking and better inform your choices: Lets look at some of the most interesting findings this study presented: School Selections Impacted by Cost-Consciousness 41% of MBA applicants in this study indicated that affordability affected their final school choices, while 21% factored program cost and access to financial aid into creating their lists of target schools. Related to this, applicants this year showed more of an openness to business school options other than the traditional two-year MBA program than they had in the past. This could be because these  options reduce opportunity costs of the time away from employment prospects. The study also showed applicants’ interest in shorter full-time MBA programs (less than 2 years) jumped significantly from 33% in 2015 to 40% in 2016. Reputation (Ranking) Still Matters Most Although affordability has become an increasingly considered factor in the application process with 30% of survey respondents including net costs in their school evaluations an MBA program’s ranking is still the most influential aspect in deciding where to apply, with 74% of respondents factoring this into their school choice. Other major school factors applicants considered in the application process were impact on career (48%), city/geographic location of the program (46%), and school culture (38%). Optimism on Post-MBA Career MBA applicants remained optimistic with their post-MBA prospects this year, with 41% of respondents expecting salary increases of greater than 50% within 6 months after completing their business school education. The most popular post-MBA target career paths for applicants remain Consulting, Finance/Accounting, and Technology. The AIGAC report also shared actual post-MBA career trends, which showed  a declining number of graduates going into Finance (from 43% in 2007 to 29% in 2013), while those going into Technology more than doubled (from 8% in 2007 to 17% in 2013). Engaging Help for the Competitive Application Process Realizing how competitive the MBA application process is, many applicants are tapping multiple sources of support. Top support systems  are friends (44%), professional admissions consultants (39%), and family (30%).  Only 17% of applicants reported going through the entire  process with help from â€Å"no one†. These findings show that applicants are realizing the benefits of gaining additional business school insights and wider perspectives as they compete for the coveted spots at the top MBA programs. Although the decision of where to ultimately pursue your MBA should, of course, be your own, hopefully this information can better inform your application process and help you determine some factors to consider when choosing a business school. For more details about the 2016 AIGAC MBA Applicant Survey, please see AIGACs  White Paper or  slide presentation. Applying to business school? Call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today, or take our free MBA Admissions Profile Evaluation  for personalized advice for your unique application situation! And as always, be sure to find us on Facebook, YouTube, Google+  and Twitter. Written by Edison Cu, a Veritas Prep Head Consultant for  INSEAD.