According to Poets & Quants, “applications to Britain’s business schools plunged 20% last year as a result of government changes to visa policies that made MBA programs there a less viable option for international students.” These students comprise 90% of MBA students at UK business schools, and were deterred due to the possibility that they wouldn’t be able to stay and work in the UK post-graduation.
Yet, the Association of MBAs reports that part-time MBA enrollment in the UK has increased this year by 16%. This figure, according to P&Q, was “propped up […] by accepting a greater proportion of applicants,” and that applications actually “fell by more than a quarter to part-time MBA courses, where European students, who are not affected by the visa changes, are in the majority.”
Positive trends can be found regarding distance learning, with more students enrolled in these programs in the last three years than in any other “mode of delivery.” In fact, in 2011, 29% more students were enrolled in distance learning than in full-time programs, and 26% more than in part-time programs.
In total, however, applications to all types of UK MBA programs had dropped this year from 30,777 to 26,090, which contrasts with other international figures. AMBA accredited schools in China and Latin America, for instance, experienced a large rise in enrollments—30% and 20%, respectively.
