If you look at enrollment figures (class size, in other words) of MBA programs, you’ll notice variations from year to year – mostly small, but few large.
Why does class size change?
Is it planned? Is it impacted by external factors? Or, sometimes it’s just random?
Let’s look into the reasons behind:
No doubt, this is a controversial topic.
Traditionally, HBS has had the highest yield (88-90% range) of all MBA programs, followed by Stanford (78-84% range).
(Yield of an incoming class of an MBA program is the percentage of accepted applicants who join the program, and it’s one of the best market-driven statistics that reflect reputation of a program.)
Then, how does such bold, cold statistic lie?
It doesn’t.
But it doesn’t reveal the entire picture, either.
MIT Sloan loses nearly 40% of its accepted applicants. Chicago Booth, too, loses nearly 40%. Tuck and Ross, almost 50%.
And these are some of the best MBA programs around.
Where do these accepted applicants go?
Most to higher-ranked and rival schools such as HBS, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, and Kellogg. And a small fraction drops out i.e. doesn’t join any school (for reasons to be covered later in this post).
It’s understandable that a Sloan admit is very likely to prefer HBS over Sloan, but why does an HBS-admit, sometimes, not join HBS despite its unmatched brand equity.
