MBA applications up by 15% despite Brexit uncertainty
Applications to London Business School (LBS)’s full-time MBA programme are increasing year-on-year, suggesting that prospective students are undeterred by Brexit vote uncertainty.
“We have seen a 15% growth in MBA applications so far this year,” said David Simpson, Admissions Director, MBA and Masters in Finance at LBS. Students are continuing to be attracted by the School’s reputation for academic excellence.
LBS is the top business school in Europe according to the Financial Times rankings and the number one international MBA according to Bloomberg Business Week. “Our programmes have always been excellent value for money, with strong employment rates and high salaries. Recent changes in the exchange rate have added greater value for most of our international candidates,” said Simpson.
“Students choose London Business School for many reasons,” added Gareth Howells, Executive Director, MBA and Masters in Finance at LBS. “Being a global environment is in our DNA and we are located in the heart of one of the most important global business hubs. Our recent MBA programme review has enhanced those strengths while making it easier for students to customise their studies to suit them.”
MBA Olly Nguyen, President of the LBS Student Association, said students had been unsettled by the Brexit vote but recognised the advantages of the School’s emphasis on diversity and its international network. “The world’s biggest challenges will still require global, multilateral coordination. Global careers will still exist.”
He said: “Some of the rhetoric around the Brexit negotiations from both the EU and the UK troubles me because it seems self-centred and, as we learn in class, one of the key goals of any negotiation should be to build the pie together, not just try to get your share of it. But I’m not a Remoaner. There have been lots of historic crises and life goes on. There are things we can change and things we have to move on from.”
Nguyen referred to 30% Club founder and former CEO Helena Morrissey’s bullish views on Brexit, aired when she came to speak to LBS students. Morrissey has been outspoken in her support for Brexit. She believes the markets will calm down and Brexit will prove “benign” for the City.
Nguyen is less certain, but he sees a need to get beyond doom and gloom. “I don’t think the outcome will be all rosy but I do admire her attitude. It’s important not to frame this in terms of loss. When there’s change there’s always opportunity.”
