In this podcast episode, John Byrne, Caroline Diarte-Edwards, and Maria Wich-Vila discuss the challenges and opportunities facing international students considering graduate business programs in the United States. Recent policy changes, such as increased H-1B visa fees and restrictions, have led to a decline in international student enrollment at several U.S. schools, impacting their budgets and classroom diversity.

Their advice? The understandable fear about these new policies might discourage otherwise-strong international applicants from applying this year, so this year might provide a golden opportunity for global candidates to apply to US schools. 

In sum, if you apply to the MBA program now, you won’t graduate for another 2 – 3 years — in that timeframe, we can be optimistic that EITHER policy modifications will be underway, OR that large post-MBA employers will have found a way to still hire global talent, even if it means being a little resourceful (e.g. opening up offices in Canada or other regions where immmigration will be easier). 

So, if you’re willing to take a bet on yourself, this season of uncertainty might provide a golden opportunity to get into a top school!