GMAC’s latest global survey on business school candidates also finds an increasing importance of return on investment while the lure of the technological sector is fading.
Reston, go.,, April 15, 2025 / Prnewswire / – People who seek to enter business schools say massively that they want to learn to think strategically and to solve problems, according to the Last annual survey Global potential students at the business school published today by the Graduate Management Admission Council (Gmac). And with almost half of potential students reporting artificial intelligence (AI) as part of their ideal program, candidates expect practical experience using AI for strategy and decision -making.
“Employers have constantly informed us that they appreciate characteristic skills such as strategic thinking and problem solving. Again, we have found that potential students are on the same length Joy JonesCEO of GMAC. “Employers have also identified socio-emotional skills as essential to become an business manager, with an excellent opportunity for business schools to encourage their current and future students to take advantage of the integrated opportunities to refine and highlight teamwork, adaptability and emotional intelligence in their educational and professional trips.”
The MBA reigns supreme in master of business.
While more and more business schools are launching new increasingly specialized mastery programs, candidates have taken note. Compared to the previous year, there has been a significant leap in the share of candidates who prefer business control diplomas. Even if the preference for the MBA has dropped slightly, about half of the world business candidates still consider it as their choice. A deeper dive into the change reveals that candidates before experience as well as those aged 30 and over are more inclined to apply for commercial control programs than before.
“For the most experienced professionals who seek to rotate their careers or their students by contemplating to become an accountant or marketing, a relatively shorter and specialized sales program could be an ideal educational path,” explains Martin BoehmExecutive Vice-President and World Dean of undergraduate programs of the Hult International Business School and director of the GMAC Board of Directors.
The survey has also shown that more people express the preference for commercial education programs in person – full -time or part -time in format, which concerns a multi -year trend in increasing popularity of hybrid and flexible programs since the creation of the pandemic.
The uncertainty of the labor market has an impact on the considerations of return on investment, the desired industries.
The cost remains a higher obstacle for candidates to obtain graduate commercial diplomas, it doesn’t matter where they are located or in their advance in their careers. Today’s economic and employment prospects have increased people awareness of the opportunity and the return of their investment. In fact, the return on investment remains the most considered factor of potential students in the search for GME, with a significant increase in the number of respondents to the survey say that this is one of their most important aspects of the choice of a business school.
The uncertainty also reflects in the industry they seek to enter after obtaining the diploma. Although the Council, the Financial Services and the Technology still become at the top of the list, there has been a low but statistically significant drop in the interest of candidates in the technological sector. This is probably linked to a difficult year for major technological companies, where recent layoffs harm the technical engineering positions hard, but also more business roles in marketing and recruitment of talents.
The global economy and geopolitical subtleties influence study destinations.
The preferences for studying global candidates have remained stable in the past five years, with The United States And Western Europe Continuing to occupy the best places for students with the intention of studying abroad. At the same time, affordability and the fact of being closer to them are decisive factors among candidates who wish to study in regions like AsiaTHE Middle EastAnd Africa – where the increase in inflation and the fluctuate exchange rates have dominated recent titles.
“While the global economy becomes more and more uncertain, we see candidates from around the world to seek the value for money, the unique prospects and the practical experience with complex problems they can win by studying in regions with young populations and rapidly growing dynamic markets” Catherine DugganDirector (DEAN) of the Graduate School of Business at the University of CAP and elected president of the GMAC Board of Directors.
About the future student survey
With 15 years of responses to the survey representing all regions of the world, the Potential Student Survey of the GMAC has provided the business schools for global diploma in critical information on the decision -making processes of people who are currently planning to apply for an education program for the management of graduates. The summary report of this year analyzes the 2024 data of 4,912 respondents in 147 countries – 45% of women and 67% of generation Z – offering information on the evolution of the decision -making of candidates to guide the strategies of business schools. The full relationship with additional results is available on gmac.com.
About GMAC
The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is an association focused on the mission of the main business schools in graduates from around the world. The GMAC provides world -class research, industry conferences, recruitment tools and graduate teaching industry assessments as well as resources, events and services that help guide candidates throughout their higher education path. Owned and administered by GMAC, the graduate management admission test™ (Gmat™) The examination is the evaluation of the business schools for the most used diplomas.
More than 13 million potential students per year trust GMAC websites, especially MBA.comTo find out more about MBA and business control programs, log into schools around the world, prepare and register for exams and get advice on the possibility of successfully applying for MBA and Master Business programs. Jamming And GMAC visits are GMAC subsidiaries, a world organization with offices China,, IndiaTHE United KingdomAnd The United States.
To find out more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com
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Source Graduate Management Admission Council
