Admission Decision Factors in an MBA Program: Beyond the Quantitative

Abstract

Accreditors require that students admitted to a graduate program be likely to succeed. Success is often determined by a review of quantitative measures such as undergraduate grade point average or GMAT scores, or both. This study seeks to find reasons which support the admission of applicants despite a poor undergraduate performance. Older applicants with a record of professional success and a longer time since undergraduate degree conferral were found to be associated with success in the subject sample. This suggests the importance of developing an admissions process which takes into account broader measures of what indicates the likelihood of success.