Admissions

[MBA23]

Hi,

I know this is somewhat irrelevant in the long run, however out of curiosity...

I recently read the GMAC Application Trends Survey and noticed that over 50% of two year MBA applicants are foreign citizens.

Given that U.S. schools admit U.S. applicants at a rate of nearly 2.5 to 1 over international applicants, does this mean that U.S. citizen applicants in essence have a higher acceptance rate than the one posted on many school's websites?

Especially for dual citizens considering a high number of international applicants are coming from both India and China, countries which many schools seem to have a cap on number of admits per year.

What are your opinions?

Thanks

[MargaretStrother]

The vast majority of applicants to any top MBA program are going to get dinged; that's just the way the numbers fall. In my experience, I've never seen admissions committees show a preference for US versus international applicants, although my experience is empirical, not statistical -- I leave that kind of analysis to others. What I see -- and this is going to sound banal, but it's true -- is that well-prepared, qualified applicants get accepted, no matter where they're from. They don't all get accepted to HBS, but they get accepted somewhere good. Of course, my definition of "well-prepared" is famously strict.
I know it seems as if it's harder for applicants from China and India, because there are so many great candidates out there, but I also see lots and lots of admits to top MBA programs from China and India. Overall, it's a pretty fair system.

Margaret Strother

[MBA23]

Hi,

Thanks for your response. I definitely agree. Preparation is key. Statistically though, the posted acceptance rates are a bit misleading for both US and international citizens. Long run it is irrelevant. I just don't remember ever seeing it brought up. As the share of foreign applicants increases, and breakdown of US/foreign stays the same, the discrepancy becomes more and more pronounced.

Thanks again!