Our 2011 results delve into the “who, what, where, and why” of applications to 650 graduate management programs for 2011 – 2012, analyzing trends in demand, applicant demographics, acceptance/enrollment rates, and incoming class sizes at 331 graduate business schools worldwide. 

Highlights in 2011

• Master-level programs reported the most increases: 83% of finance programs, 69% of management programs, and more than half of accounting programs reported increased volume over 2010.
• 46% of all graduate business programs saw growth in international applications, with China and India topping the list of foreign applicants, especially for full-time MBA programs.
• Among MBA programs, the majority reported decreased volume in 2011, but candidate quality and academic credentials were higher than the last year.

Get the Latest Data

2011 Survey Report [PDF]—This document provides context and a holistic view of major survey results.

2011 Application Trends Snapshot Tool—This mini-application shows a historical view of volume changes and acceptance rates for the last five years, plus the reported change in applicant quality in 2011 for each MBA program type and the three most popular master's programs.

Why Participate?

Participating schools receive the following exclusives:

• A Comprehensive Interactive Data Report. The interactive report contains detailed graphs and analysis of survey responses by program type and length, world region, school location, class size, and more.
• Instant benchmark statistics. The free GMAC benchmark report tool gives participants the power to select and instantly generate benchmark reports for up to five peer groups of their choosing per program type submitted. See a demo now.
• Early release of our public survey reports.

Related Studies

Preliminary Application Trends. In February of each year, we invite schools to provide key data points on application volume through a short email survey. Results from the Preliminary Application Trends Survey are only distributed to participants. Those that participate look to the preliminary survey for early data on applications to classes starting late summer and end-of-cycle results for programs starting in January.

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Who Uses Survey Results?

Business schools use the Application Trends Survey results to

• Gauge market trends
• Benchmark against other schools
• Develop strategies, share results, and justify resources 

See our About the Survey page for participation details and survey timelines, and click here to read about our survey methodology. If you have questions about this or any other GMAC survey, please contact Rebecca Estrada at +1(703) 668-9728 or research@gmac.com.