For the first time ever, women are applying to full-time MBA programs more than men, marking a pivotal moment in global graduate management education. The Graduate Management Admission Council’s (GMAC) 2025 Application Trends Survey highlights this remarkable shift, showing that women now constitute a larger proportion of applicants across various MBA formats.
Specifically, applications from women for full-time, two-year MBA programs surged by six percent in 2025. This significantly outpaces the mere one percent rise in male applications. This encouraging pattern is evident not only in traditional full-time programs but also in online MBA offerings, underscoring evolving preferences in business school pathways.
Growth in Full-Time and Online MBA Applications
A closer look at the data reveals that a remarkable 63 percent of full-time, two-year MBA programs observed a rise in female applicants. Online MBA programs also experienced substantial growth, with a seven percent increase in overall applications from women. Even flexible MBA programs reported similar positive trends, with over half of them noting an uptick in female applicants.
Despite this impressive progress, some programs, including Executive MBA, flexible MBA, and part-time MBA, saw a dip in total applications from both genders. However, the decline was less significant among women, suggesting a sustained and robust interest in more adaptable learning formats.
Representation in Business Master’s Programs
In the realm of business master’s programs, women consistently account for slightly over 40 percent of global applicants – a percentage that has remained stable for over a decade. In 2025, we saw a modest but meaningful one-percentage-point increase in the average proportion of women applying.
The most significant growth in female applications was observed in Master of Accounting programs, with 53 percent of institutions reporting an increase. Women also constituted nearly half of the applicants for both Master of Accounting and Master in Management programs. For Master of Marketing programs, female applicants made up approximately two-thirds of the total pool, demonstrating strong interest in these areas.
However, Master of Finance programs continue to show a disparity, with women representing only one-third of applicants in 2025. This trend unfortunately marks a continued decline from nearly half of the applications recorded in 2016.
Comparing MBA and Business Master’s Applications
Overall, women tend to be better represented in more flexible program formats when compared to traditional full-time or Executive MBA options. The average proportion of women in full-time, two-year MBA applications still sits below equal representation at 41 percent, a figure it has maintained for the last ten years.
| Programme type | Share of women applicants (%) | Application growth 2025 (%) |
| Full-time, two-year MBA | 41 | +6% |
| Online MBA | – | +7% |
| Flex MBA | – | >50% programmes report growth |
| Executive MBA | ~33 | Decline |
| Master of Accounting | ~50 | >53% programmes report growth |
| Master in Management | ~50 | – |
| Master of Marketing | ~66 | – |
| Master of Finance | ~33 | Decline |
Source: GMAC 2025 Application Trends Survey
Trends in Program Formats
It’s clear that women gravitate more towards MBA programs offered in non-full-time or online formats. Although full-time, in-person programs did see an increase in female applicants in 2025, the growth rate lagged behind that of male applicants. In contrast, online and flexible programs experienced less significant declines among women compared to men, with some even showing modest increases.
In summary, the GMAC 2025 Application Trends Survey underscores a sustained rise in women’s engagement in MBA and business master’s programs. Full-time, two-year and online MBA programs are particularly successful in attracting female talent. However, a significant gap remains in Executive MBA and finance-centric master’s programs. Globally, flexible and online formats continue to demonstrate stronger female representation, mirroring broader shifts in the graduate management education landscape.