Modeling the Graduate Business School Admissions Process

Abstract

Each year thousands of individuals seek admission to graduate schools of business in order to pursue courses leading to a master’s degree such as the MBA. From late autumn through early spring, graduate admissions committees within schools of business expend enormous amounts of effort and resources to select an appropriate mix of entering students [1]. The overall decision-making process is usually complex and time consuming. Quantitative and qualitative selection criteria must be agreed upon. Thousands of pieces of application materials must be collected and evaluated. Prospective candidates must be interviewed and their performance judged. Final selections must be made [7]. The entire process must be thorough, fair, and carefully executed.