US: Fewer jobs available for international MBA graduates

26 Apr 2018

MBA — It's business time... Or is it? Source: Olu Ele/Unsplash.

Over two-thirds of US-based MBA programs have reported there are fewer job opportunities available to their international graduates.

The MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance survey looked at 94 business schools all over the country and found 68 percent of institutions reported a decrease in the number of positions open to graduates born outside the US.

And it’s not just for MBAs. More than 40 percent of institutions also claimed there is a declining number of jobs for international students studying ‘specialised master’s’ courses such as master’s in management.

Students and universities alike have cause for concern at the data, considering international students make up around 30 percent of the student body at many business schools in the country. A lack of graduate prospects in one of the business capitals of the world is no doubt going to prove a deterrent for some students.

“It’s likely that many #US business schools are adjusting their recruitment strategies”

Fewer US jobs for Int’l MBA candidates, according to MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance report

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— The PIE News (@ThePIENews) April 25, 2018

After graduation, with a prestigious qualification from a country renowned for its superb higher education system, many students are forced to end their American dream and return home.

Another nationwide survey, by Kaplan Test Prep (KTP) discovered institutions up and down the country harbored great concerns over the current political climate in the US and the stricter visa rules which come hand in hand with it.

In fact, according to a report from the Graduate Management Admission Council, only 32 percent of programs in the US saw any growth in applications from students outside the country in 2017, a significant drop from 49 percent in 2016.

On the other hand, Canada and Australia’s numbers are skyrocketing, with Canada reporting a 77 percent increase in the number of international applications, compared to 46 percent in 2016 according to The PIE News, and Australia in the midst of a housing crisis trying to home the increasing numbers of international students enrolling there.

USA: International MBA candidates landing fewer US jobs, survey finds https://t.co/29sb8SwvaO | PIE News

— HE News (@HEontap) April 26, 2018

US universities, however, fear they will see international student numbers drop even further as visa restrictions tighten under Trump, forcing them to seriously rethink their current international student recruitment and outreach strategies.

“Many business schools pride themselves on a culture that’s welcoming to aspiring MBAs from outside the US,” Executive Director of Pre-Business Programs at KTP Noah Teitelbaum told The PIE News.

But “with many relying on international students to make up upwards of 30 percent of their total student population, it’s likely that they are adjusting their recruitment strategies”, he continued.

Teitelbaum claimed this may just be a “blip on the radar screen” rather than anything more significantly “consequential”.

Only time will tell through the next few admissions cycles but Teitelbaum remains optimistic, stressing the current political climate may not be as destructive as many universities fear.