Getting into an M.B.A. program might be tough in 2021, following an admissions cycle that U.S. business schools and consultants say is shaping up to be the most competitive in recent memory.
B-school applications for fall 2020 surged at the start of the pandemic as students sought ways to ride out a tenuous job market. Now, full-time residential M.B.A. programs continue to report higher application volumes for next fall and expect to have fewer spots to offer than in years past, since schools have allowed many international students to defer enrollment due to virus-related travel restrictions.
Prospective students say they’re already feeling the crunch.
Jimmy Lin applied several months ago to six of the top-ranked full-time M.B.A. programs for fall 2021. Five rejected him. If Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management doesn’t accept him in the coming weeks, he says he’ll most likely apply again in 2022.
