The Yale Daily News is reporting that the Yale School of Management (SOM) saw an 11% increase in application volume this season (2,272 applications vs. last year’s total of 2,032). In addition to this fact, the admissions office aimed to decrease the number of students in next year’s class by 20% in order to keep things manageable as the SOM rolls out their new curriculum for the incoming class. These stats clearly led to tougher admissions odds for Yale applicants who applied this past season. Given the increase in application volume that seems to be taking hold across many of the top MBA programs, we expect things to remain competitive going forward.
In a related story (also from the Yale Daily News), there were a total of 21,099 applicants to Yale University (undergraduate) this year. With only 1,823 gaining admission, Yale recorded their lowest acceptance rate in history (8.6%) and the lowest across the Ivy League (Harvard undergrad admitted 9.3%). The interesting link between undergraduate admissions and MBA admissions is how the explosion of undergraduate application volume over the last few years will ultimately trickle out into the MBA pool. The ‘baby boomer’ children are clearly beginning to filter into the MBA pipeline, and this influx – coupled with a solid hiring market for MBA grads – is likely to fuel further increases in MBA application volume going forward.
For more information on admissions trends and the demographics that seem to be dictating the rising numbers, see the following articles:
College Applications on the Rise, and So Are Rejections (ABC News)
“Educators cite several reasons for the record number of applications, including more aggressive outreach by admissions offices, demographic changes that put more 18-year-olds in the college pipeline, and the increased competition at all levels of education.”
What Selectivity Means for You (CollegeBoard.com)
“The increase comes from a surge in births during the 1980s. Children of the baby boomers are coming of age. Experts predict applications will continue to rise faster than openings at most colleges through about 2010.”
