According to a new survey, more and more overseas students refuse to try entering US business schools as a result of new American presidential policy.
The reality of the ‘Trump effect’ is confirmed by the GMAC, while many foreign students initially planning to enroll into US schools are inclined to pursue an MBA degree elsewhere.
Dropping Popularity of US Business Schools
Although half of the best business schools are headquartered in countries other than the USA, this country has remained the Mecca for prospective business students for a long time. Still, the situation might change very soon, as, according to the annual report, American schools are losing their popularity even now. The results of this research blame president Trump’s immigration policy for this unwelcome shift.
According to Poets & Quants, in the last 8 years, the percentage of students willing to pursue a business degree outside their home country has grown by 15%. Even with such unprecedented growth, the popularity of the US as a study destination is rapidly decreasing.
US Schools Going Less and Less International
If this trend continues, the next admissions year (2017/2018) will see a much lower percentage of competition for places at American business schools. According to the GMAC survey held among international applicants, almost half of them are reconsidering their intentions to study at US universities.
Another survey, which included responses given by 700 GMAT test-takers who initially sent their results to US business schools, says that two-thirds of them are having second thoughts about actually applying to these higher education institutions. The reason for this is that it would be impossible for them to get a work visa after graduation. For many applicants, especially those from India, inability to find work in the US is a deciding factor.
As of now, 58% of future students are planning to study in the US, compared to 61% eight years ago. Taking into account non-MBA candidates, the decrease is even more noticeable – 10%.
Canada Using the New Opportunities
Of course, the 3% drop in prospective international students means a significant loss in tuition fees, which will go elsewhere. Consequently, Trump’s immigration policies may lead to US business schools losing considerable sums of money.
Meanwhile, someone’s loss is another’s gain. The obvious candidate for housing the students lost by the US would be Great Britain, if not for their own rather unwelcome immigration policy. Hence, the top beneficiary is Canada – this country saw a 3% increase in international applicants, both MBA and non-MBA.
At the same time, most Americans (96%) do not even consider studying overseas, choosing their own country instead.
Back to top