AACSB Provides New Insights on Business Master’s Enrollment

Global business education thought leader AACSB International has released a new report on graduate enrollment at accredited institutions: Master’s Enrollment at AACSB Schools: A Shifting Landscape

The report highlights shifting trends and key areas of resilience in global graduate business school enrollment. AACSB explores trends in demand, program type, demographics, and delivery format over six years, tracking the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on graduate business enrollment worldwide.

Findings from the report reveal how business schools and potential students have responded to several major shifts in global society around the pandemic, including the accelerated need for remote learning, new demands for employee upskilling, changes to international mobility, and an increasingly competitive educational landscape.

The report highlights the resilience of business programs in recent years, demonstrating that not only are business schools adapting to a fast-changing landscape, but current and future leaders continue to see graduate business education as a key pathway for workplace preparation and advancement.

“Enrollment in graduate business programs has not been immune to the complex changes in market forces in recent years. While our latest report reveals some of those fluctuations, the overall picture of master’s programs at AACSB schools is one of strength and adaptability,” stated Lily Bi, President and CEO of AACSB Some notable data points include the following:

Specialized master’s programs have shown the strongest growth among all master’s program types, with 61 percent of schools globally reporting increased enrollments.

Executive MBA programs consistently have higher acceptance rates compared to MBA programs and master’s specialist programs.

Despite decreased international student enrollment in 2020-21, enrollment levels have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels and are the highest in the Asia Pacific region, followed by EMEA and then the Americas.

By better understanding the recent landscape of master’s enrollment at AACSB-accredited institutions, business schools can benchmark their own programs against global and regional trends, make data-informed decisions about their offerings, and develop strategies to ensure their continued value to stakeholders.