Application Trends Survey
Participants in 2012 collectively received nearly 485,000 applications.
Attention Schools!
Get the most from GMAC research in 2013 by participating in our survey research program. Benefits include: early summary reports, robust interactive data tools, and unique benchmark opportunities.
Check the GMAC Research Calendar for upcoming dates.
Demand for graduate management education is healthy.
A record-breaking 744 programs are represented in the 2012 survey data from 359 graduate business schools and faculties worldwide. This robust and diverse data set allowed for the most program-specific trend analysis to date.
Our Latest Report
2012 Survey Report
Highlights From Our 2012 Report
- More than half of MBA, master’s, and PhD programs combined noted an increase in application volumes for their incoming class of 2012–2013.
- Foreign citizens continue to be a source of increased or steady application volume for the majority of responding programs, and women make up more than half of the 2012–2013 applicant pool for master’s programs in management, accounting, and marketing/communications.
- Participating programs conducted recruiting activities in a total of 82 countries worldwide seeking to attract foreign applicants.
Survey Overview
GMAC gathers data for this survey from June to July of each year. The study indicates application volume for the coming year, expected changes in program size, and details about applicant characteristics, including perceived applicant quality.
GMAC also produces a shorter Preliminary Application Trends study each February for an early indication of market health. Due to the preliminary nature of that data for programs that begin in the late summer, results from the Preliminary Application Trends Survey are distributed only to participants. Schools that participate look to the preliminary survey not only for early data on applications to classes starting late summer but also for end-of-cycle results for programs starting in January.
Participation Benefits
In 2012, participating schools receive the following:
- An exclusive Participant Report. This 120-page report presents detailed findings by program type and demographic variables in both text and graphical format.
- 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 survey results.
See our About the Survey page for participation details and survey timelines, and click here to read about our survey methodology (pdf).
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