Wharton Announces First Full-Time MBA Class in which Women Comprise the Majority

The Wharton School has become the first of the “magnificent seven” (M7) to announce, within its newest full-time MBA class, that more women gained admission than men. Women make up 52 percent of Wharton’s incoming class, which is the largest proportion in the storied program’s 140-year history and a large uptick from 41 percent the previous year. The remaining M7 schools have yet to release data on their incoming classes, but last year, the highest percentages of women were found at Harvard Business School (44 percent) and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business (47 percent). 

While women now make up the majority in both law and medical schools, parity has been harder to achieve within MBA programs. However, according to the Forté Foundation, a non-profit that promotes gender parity in business, the number of women in business school has steadily increased over the last 15 years. Forté has tracked female enrollment in about 50 full-time domestic MBA programs, and notes that while women made up only 30 percent of the total in 2005, that number increased to 39 percent in 2020. Also in 2020, a record-high 22 MBA programs enrolled classes that were over 40 percent women.

Is this a trend or an anomaly due to the effects of the pandemic on women in the workforce? Business schools saw a large uptick in applications as a result of the pandemic. And while the number of applicants from both sexes increased, according to the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), full-time MBA programs reported a 62 percent increase in applications from female students in 2020 compared to a 42 percent increase in 2019. 

Women, historically, have been more interested in seeking their MBA through hybrid and flexible models and the 2021 GMAC Prospective Students Survey showed that women reported a greater openness towards the hybrid learning models necessitated by the pandemic. Women were more willing to complete their degree online; 60 percent of U.S.-based women said that they were willing to complete more than 30 percent of their MBA degree online compared to just 52 percent of men. Similarly, women were more likely to agree that “career opportunities gained through an on-campus graduate business degree are the same as gained through an online degree” whereas men were more likely to strongly disagree (24 percent). 

While more data will be necessary to determine if the uptick in women applicants and matriculants is more than a response to a moment in history, there is room for optimism about the changes underway. Elissa Sangster, Forté Foundation’s CEO, expressed her pleasure that the pandemic didn’t deter women from seeking an MBA. “So many of our schools are hitting that 40 percent mark and heading north of it,” she says. “That’s going to change the dynamic already in business school and change the access point for women.” 

Record Number of Women to Matriculate to MBA Programs This Fall

New data released by the Forté Foundation and reported by the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal this week show that a record number of women are enrolled at top MBA programs this fall. At over 50 of the top-ranked business schools in the U.S., Europe, and Canada, women average 39 percent of the class, an increase from nearly 38 percent in 2018 and 32 percent in 2011.

At the top of the list, the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis has almost approached gender parity, with enrollment at 49 percent female. Following closely behind, with 45 percent or more women, are The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. There are 19 schools that have 40 percent or more women enrolled, including Harvard Business School, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the Yale School of Management, and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

While this increase in female students has been linked to declining overall applications to MBA programs in the U.S., greater female representation has long been a goal of top business schools, with many making significant marketing and outreach efforts geared towards women over the last two decades.

The Financial Times highlighted the women’s ambassador program at Olin, which urges current students and alumni to encourage other women to apply, as well as a Women in Leadership Conference for prospective MBA students at University of Michigan’s Ross. Speakers at Ross’ annual event address issues pertinent to women including creating inclusive communities, becoming a better ally for other female students, and navigating imposter syndrome. The Dean of Michigan Ross, Scott DeRue, noted that at this year’s conference, 42 percent of attendees had designated Ross as their first choice for an MBA going into the event, but afterwards that number increased to 89 percent, suggesting that the content resonated strongly with prospective students.

Elissa Sangster, Forté Foundation’s chief executive, couldn’t be more pleased with the increasing gender balance in business schools. Like most educators, she believes this will improve business education for all by increasing the diversity of opinion in the classroom. “It changes the conversation between students and their tutors, whether talking about corporate strategies or how to manage people.”