The disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic is fuelling a lot of anxiety among MBA applicants, admits and students in the top MBA programs. Roughly a third of prospective students already admitted to top business schools say they may want to defer their admission this year if classes fail to return to campus in the fall. Even more worrisome for B-schools, 43 per cent believe tuition fees should be cutback by an average of 37.5 per cent if the first part of their MBA programme is shifted online due to the pandemic.
The results come from a Poets&Quants survey of more than 300 current admits to top MBA programmes this year. Some respondents believe their tuition bills should be cut on a prorated basis for the time they are denied a more fully immersive on-campus learning experience. Only 17 per cent of the prospective MBA students say they would be okay attending online classes, while 96 per cent say that missing out on the full on-campus experience such as face-to-face classes, participating in co-curricular activities, building a network with peers and relationships with faculty is a major concern.
“I’m sure the education will be great, but I will be missing out on social and personal growth opportunities that I hoped for with my MBA,” explained one respondent. Added another: “If the university already has an online programme, then I would expect that the first semester would mirror the cost of that programme.” Read more here .