Military Students in MBA Programs Continue to Rise,
Incoming Class Hits 8.1% of All MBA Enrollments
Washington, D.C. – Military enrollments at MBA schools climbed from 4.41% in 2010 to 5.7% in 2011, and in 2012 they hit 8.1% of all incoming enrollments. These data are according to Military MBA who evaluates MBA schools and matches qualified military leaders with top graduate business degree programs.
Military MBA conducted the survey with over 50 U.S. degree programs across a population of some 21,000 traditional students and 1,300 military enrollments. The last time Military MBA conducted an enrollment survey was in 2009. According to Greg Eisenbarth, Executive Director of Military MBA, "Back then, only a few of the most committed MBA schools dedicated eight percent of their incoming enrollments to military students. In less than three years, the eight percent benchmark is now more common for most highly-regarded MBA programs."
All signs indicate military enrollments at MBA schools will continue increasing. According to Eisenbarth, "There is convergence coming from greater demand of military students combined with increased acceptance from MBA schools, which creates more supply for these applicants." Cutbacks to the defense budget will inevitably happen, which means more active duty leaders will transition out of the military. According to the Wall Street Journal, "One million service members will leave the armed forces over the next five years." This will result in increased demand for graduate-level business education among those members who already have undergraduate degrees.
Increased demand from military applicants will meet with a greater supply of admission spots available from MBA schools. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, “Top business schools have reported single-digit, and in some cases double-digit, declines in applications for their full-time MBA classes.” And, according to Jen Smith Director of MBA Admissions at the Leeds School of Business at University of Colorado Boulder, “When the top 10 programs are down in applications, we are all down in applications.”
Additional data from the MBA Enrollment Survey includes the following:
• Full-Time MBA programs accounted for approximately 4%, of all enrollments during this time period. These programs are expected to see consistent growth.
• Evening or part-time MBA programs reported 6.42% of all their enrollments had a background in the military.
• Military students enrolled in Executive MBA programs stood at 7.7% of total enrollments.
• Military student enrollment for blended online MBA programs hit 18.7% of all enrollments.
For a more complete summary of the MBA Enrollment Survey, visit www.militarymba.net.
About Military MBA
Military MBA is an education network for transitioning military officers, NCOs and personnel with undergraduate degrees who are interested in obtaining their MBA graduate degree for civilian careers. More information is available by visiting www.militarymba.net or by calling 435.649.2190.