The ‘Trump Bump’: Who Stands to Gain from a US Application Loss?

Trump’s stance on immigration is pushing MBA candidates to countries which are perceived as being more welcoming of international students. At Rotman School of Management in Toronto, Canada, applications are up 27% year-on-year. Jamie Young, director of recruitment and admissions, puts this down (partly) to Trump’s immigration stance.

“The geopolitical climate in the US and the positive attention Canada is receiving as a study destination have increased interest in our MBA,” he says. “Canada is known as an inclusive country and the three-year postgraduate work permit allows MBA graduates to build their careers here.”

Business schools in Europe are also reporting a bump in applications because of Trump. “MBA applications from India are up 50% this year. From the US, they are up 20%. For our Master in Management program, applications are up over 100%,” says Nick Barniville, associate dean of degree programs at ESMT Berlin. “That momentum is fed by the negative immigration rhetoric coming out of the US,” among other reasons, he says.

Barniville believes the Trump regime represents a, “huge opportunity for other business schools and countries looking to attract talent through education.”

At London Business School (LBS), MBA applications are up 12% year-on-year, despite concerns that Brexit could make it difficult for international students to secure working rights. The increase has been driven by candidates in India, China, the US and Latin America. However, Gareth Howells, executive director of MBA education at LBS, says, “it is too early to tell,” whether the bonanza is the result of Trump’s immigration stance.

Nevertheless, schools are ramping up their recruitment efforts to attract people who are less keen to study in the US. The Rotman School has targeted people affected by Trump’s travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries with an email marketing campaign. In addition, the school has extended its application deadline for international candidates to, “accommodate those who have been displaced from the US,” says Young.

Business school leaders in the US have rallied against Trump’s immigration policies in public, but some remain sanguine. “It’s difficult to speculate,” says Bill Boulding, dean of Duke Fuqua, which has opposed the US travel ban. “We will not know until next year’s application cycle if international students are less interested in coming to the US.”

However, he says the school is concerned. “Everyone deserves the chance to study, regardless of their country of origin. Students who come from outside the US enrich the education of US citizens through exposure to differing backgrounds, experiences, cultures and world views.”

Isiadinso at Expartus believes US business schools in the mid-tier of MBA rankings will suffer the most because they cannot rely on their brand appeal alone to attract international students.

GMAC found that the biggest declines in international students applying to US schools were in the US Midwest. In the Northeast and the West Coast of the US, where a sizeable proportion of the top-ranked MBA programs are based, application numbers from non-US candidates fared better.