GMAC Prospective Students Survey – 2026 Report

Overview

The GMAC Prospective Student’s Survey 2026 report continues to explore candidates’ program and modality preferences, the skills they plan to cultivate in business school, and the career goals they ultimately aim to achieve. In the context of new patterns of application trends, we examine prospective students’ preferred study destinations earlier in their paths to GME. The report also dives deep into underlying candidate motivations and barriers as well as the tactical mechanics of their application and financing plans.

Quick Facts

• Motivations and barriers: On average, candidates are less motivated than before to pursue GME to change their career trajectory, now focused more on skills and ROI.
• Study destinations: Candidates increasingly prefer to study in Western Europe over the United States— especially candidates from Central and South Asia and Latin America.
• Preferred degrees and modalities: Global candidates’ preference to study full-time and in-person held steady in 2025 after an uptick in preference from 2023 to 2024. Preference for hybrid and flexible learning also held steady in 2025 after a decline in preferences from 2023 to 2024.
• Skills and careers: Pre-experience candidates are growing less interested in the technology sector as their desire for post-GME careers in financial services grows.
• Application and financing plans: Women, first-generation candidates, and U.S. underrepresented candidates plan to send fewer applications than their counterparts.