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Applicants Spend Up To 140 Hours on MBA Application: MBA News

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By QS Contributor Updated Jun 15, 2014
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Research released this week into how applicants traverse the MBA application process has revealed some useful insight for any current and future applicant.

According to the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants' (AIGAC) 2013 Applicant Survey, the MBA application process takes 90-140 hours for the average MBA applicant. When excluding the GMAT, the MBA application time is reduced to between 70 and 110 hours.

The survey also highlights that the process of obtaining letters of recommendation is a particular challenge during many MBA applications, with 38% of applicants asked to write their own recommendations.

Though the number of participants to this year's survey is far lower than other research into MBA applicants, standing at just 377, is does allow some comparison for MBA applicants to see how they compare with others in the same situation.

MBA applicants' expected return on investment

Expected return on investment shows those applicants earning the lowest prior to their MBA expect the largest percentage increase on their salary when they graduate, which makes sense and tallies with TopMBA.com's own research that shows applicants originating from countries that have generally lower average salaries expect higher percentage increases.

Those earning below US$25,000 expect a 75% increase in salary, while those earning US$200,000 or higher expect a 15% increase. However, though the percentages appear to be smaller for the higher earning MBA applicants, in real-terms the monetary increase is higher.

For the average respondent to the survey on a salary of US$25,000 an expected increase of 75% would equate to US$18,750. For an MBA applicant earning US$200,000, an expected increase in salary of 15% equates to an extra US$30,000 per year.