Historical Admission Rates Regardless of Macro Economy

Question

So there seems to be such a big deal made of the fact that this year will be incredibly tough to get into bschool given the state of the economy. My question is, has there been a trend historically by which admission rates have actually  increased  one year to the next when the economy has rebounded? It would seem that each successive year would be harder to get into regardless of the state of the economy. Anyone have historical comparisons in admission rates from 2001 to say, 2006? Even though the economy rebounded towards the middle of the decade, I would think that admission rates still decreased each successive year (just by the mere fact that the MBA is getting more popular).

dabots · Answer

businessweek has a few years worth of admit rates. take admit rates kellogg for example:

2002 - 13%
2003 - 16%
2004 - 23%

pretty big increase as the economy recovered

jpong21 · Answer

Wow, that's surprising...makes me think about postponing my application for a few years...

riverripper · Answer

Some other schools...some are shocking.

Harvard 
2002: 10%
2003: 12%
2004: 13%

Stanford 
2002: 8%
2003: 9%
2004: 10%

MIT 
2002: 13%
2003: 17%
2004: 20%

Chicago 
2002: 15%
2003: 23%
2004: N/A

Columbia 
2002: 11%
2003: 12%
2004: 15%

Haas 
2002: 11%
2003: 13%
2004: 17%

NOW IT GETS REAL INTERESTING:

Ross 
2002: 19%
2003: 22%
2004: 35%

Duke 
2002: 19%
2003: 25%
2004: 35%

Darden 
2002: 18%
2003: 25%
2004: 37%

agold · Answer

Are they publishing the #s of applications received?

dosa_don · Answer

I believe duke, darden increased their class size around that time accounting for the higher admit % as well.

agold · Answer

Are Duke or Ross increasing their class sizes in the coming year with their new facilities in place?

jpong21 · Answer

Wow Guys, these results are COMPLETELY different than what I had expected...it really makes me think I should hold off on applying for a couple years...I didn't think the results would be that drastic..I will have 4 years of WE at matriculation should I apply this year...710 GMAT (w/ retake in a month), 3.55 GPA from USC, CPA, decent EC/etc...I think I would be decently competitive for the 10-15 schools this year...but if I were to push this out a couple years, I could see myself going from 'decently' competitive to very competitive and be more confident in my chances...wow....haven't people thought that maybe they should push it out a few years with these types of stats in mind??

dabots · Answer

this reminds me of the well known mba applicant blog https://mbawire.blogspot.com/

the guy wrote what was probably the most detailed application blog to date, and seemed very prepared, had good stats, work exp, etc... and went 1 for 8, and ended up at Ross. he had the unfortunate time of applying in 2002.

jpong21 · Answer

Yeah so that's exactly what I'm saying...you could be as confident as can be in your abilities to put together a great application, but the law of numbers just says that you are walking into a firestorm with the odds stacked against you. So what's really the rush to apply in such a year, when you could apply in a couple years, and get into a better school, or get into the same type of school, with money??

kryzak · Answer

if you can afford to wait a couple of years and strengthen your background (take on leadership roles, do extracurriculars, etc...), then I would recommend that. This year Haas is probably dropping back down to 2002 levels (11-12%), and next year they expect more applicants. I think 2010 or 2011 should get better if the economy recovers.

Of course, pay attention to which schools like younger or older applicants. You'll be at a good point in 1-2 years for Haas and Kellogg, while being slightly old for some other schools.

Of course, pay attention to which schools like younger or older applicants. You'll be at a good point in 1-2 years for Haas and Kellogg, while being slightly old for some other schools.

jpong21 · Answer

I'm planning on applying to Haas, Yale, NYU, Cornell, Ross, USC and Georgetown...obviously Haas prefers older candidates, what about the rest?

solaris1 · Answer

You seem to be making a very speculative bet that the trend of past years is going to continue and that admissions are going to be measurably easier in the next 1-3 years. The economy may or may not be better by then, and don't discount the fact that a lot more students from overseas can now afford a US MBA and their purchasing power is going to keep increasing. Increasing overseas enrolment could make admissions more competitive even if the economy recovers and folks decide to continue with their careers.

If you're ready for an MBA now and have faith in your credentials, apply now.

If you're ready for an MBA now and have faith in your credentials, apply now.

mlchang616 · Answer

Terp06 brings up a good point about the number of apps received by each schoold for each year.

Was there a dramatic reduction in the number of apps received from 03-04 by school?

89nk · Answer

I also thought that with good economic times, less people would be applying to business school, so the admission rates would be higher. However, to me, I am wanting to go to business school no matter the economic situation (to a certain extent). So if you have a specific career goal, and you need an MBA to reach your career goals, then I wouldn't prolong applying if you are happy going to any of the schools that you are applying to.

riverripper · Answer

The huge difference is number of applications received. For example Kellogg had 7,641 applications in 2002 and were down to 4,299 by 2004...Michigan had 4,048 in 2002 and almost half that (2,068) in 2004.

Duke and Darden each added about 50 a year (02-03 and again in 03-04) but the class size stayed about the same at the others. However, Duke had 3,382 in 2002 and then dropped to 2,389. Darden also saw a drop in applications.

I wouldnt put off applying...if you dont get into schools you want you can reapply. You never know what will happen until you try.

mlchang616 · Answer

I second that notion. The worst is that you don't get accepted for Fall 2009. In which case, you can reapply next year. Why wait if you feel that you have a strong application? Unless you have a crystal ball that says the economy will definitely pickup thus reducing the number of apps the following year, i say, apply and see what happens.

-M

agold · Answer

Agreed. As always in life - focus on the things you can control, and don't worry about those that you can't control.

Historical Admission Rates Regardless of Macro Economy

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