A recent study by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) shows that applications from women to India’s B-schools, especially in business management or MBA programmes, were down by 67 per cent in 2022. On the other hand, 28 per cent of the business programmes saw an increase in women applicants. As has historically been the case, 75 per cent of the applications to Indian business schools in 2022 were from men.
The GMAC serves as an association leading graduate business schools around the globe. Their study also shows that 2022 was not entirely a good year for Indian B-schools compared to 2021. Around 69 per cent of business programmes reported total application growth. Total applications were down by 2.9 per cent domestically, while a record decrease of 54 per cent of the international applications was noted. In 2022, only 4 per cent of the applicants in B-schools were of foreign origin, compared to 96 per cent applicants from India.
In Europe and Asia, however, women’s representation in B-schools was maintained during 2022. Majority of European programmes—58 per cent to be precise—grew or sustained the number of women applicants, while 57 per cent Asian B-schools retained the same. More than half the US programmes also maintained or grew the applications from underrepresented populations, particularly with 66 per cent in data analytics and 65 per cent in Master’s degrees in management.