MBA Study as (Former) Immigration Dodge

A website named Axios has an article about declining enrollments in US MBA programs, particularly the full-time programs that attract international students. It quite inadvertantly reveals the motive (having little to do with education) which drove international enrollments.

A big problem is declining international interest: The enrollment at some mid-tier MBA programs is more than half international students. But 51% of B schools report a decline in international enrollment in fall 2016, a 13% jump from 2015, according to the MBA Career Services survey.

This is across the board: International enrollment at some top 25 schools is down, per Poets & Quants. For example, 32% of Georgetown's B school applicant pool was international in the 2016-2017 academic year, compared with 43% the year before. The trend is even more pronounced in the lower-ranked schools.

According to a GMAC survey conducted in February, 67% of prospective international MBAers would rethink their eventual study destination if they thought they'd be unable to obtain a work visa following the completion of their degree.

Gotcha! The US MBA was a shortcut to a green card, prosperity and US citizenship for one's children. Maybe no longer, as a loophole closes.