FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY (October 11, 2006) – Analysis of some of the most prestigious MBA programs in the U.S. and Europe shows significant gains in the number of women entering business school, according to the Forté Foundation (www.Fortéfoundation.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging women to pursue leadership roles in business.
A census of Forté’s 27 business school members indicates an overall pattern of increased enrollment among female students, with nearly two thirds of members reporting gains over last year and some programs realizing increases as high as 13 percent. In total, more than half of Forté member schools have broken the “glass ceiling” of female MBA enrollment, reckoned at 30 percent.
“What’s significant is the size of the overall gain – nearly two percentage points – higher than any ever reported and statistically a huge leap over the half or quarter point gains of previous years,” noted Elissa Ellis, Executive Director, Forté Foundation. “And this trend seems poised to continue.”
The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) recently released figures showing a 64 percent increase in the number female full-time MBA applicants. In addition, the Forté Foundation is experiencing record breaking attendance at its educational and networking events.
“Considering the amount of ‘lag time’ between contemplating an MBA, deciding to apply, and actually entering a program, we believe that the business school arena is beginning to reap the benefits of the networking and educational forums started by the Forté Foundation in 2002,” added Ellis.
The Yale School of Management reported the highest percentage of female MBA student enrollment with 38 percent for 2006, followed by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University tied at 36 percent.
Regional Summary:
- Overall, programs in the Midwest region showed the largest gains, with a gain of18 points in female enrollment (Carlson School of Management at Minnesota, University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern, Washington University in St. Louis, Ross School of Business at Michigan and the Kelley School of Business at Indiana).
“Forté Forums are really gathering momentum” said Rose Martinelli, Associate Dean, Student Recruitment and Admissions, Chicago GSB. “They offer a safe place where women just now thinking of graduate school can ask questions and find role models. We ‘B schools’ are ‘just in time recruiters’, speaking with women who already know they want an MBA, but Forté is filling the essential role of feeding the pipeline.”
- The Mid Atlantic show a 9 point increase in female enrollment in MBA programs (The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon and McDonough School of Business at Georgetown).
- The West showed gains of six points with female enrollment reaching 35 percent (The Marshall School of Business at USC).
- The Southeast reported an advance of five points, with Wake Forest reporting the largest single year gain (13%) with female enrollment increasing from 21 to 34 percent (Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at Virginia, Goizueta Business School at Emory, the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, Wake Forest (Babcock), and The Fuqua School of Business at Duke).
- The Southwest had a four point uptick, rising from 25 percent to 29 percent female enrollment (The McCombs School of Business at Texas).
- Collectively the Northeast programs remained on track with last year (Babson Graduate School of Business, Columbia Business School, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School of Management, Stern School of Business at NYU, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Yale School of Management and the Johnson School of Management at Cornell).
- Forté’s three international member schools have yet to break the “glass ceiling” of 30 percent but reported a net gain of 7 points (Paris, INSEAD and HEC, and the London Business School).
About the Forté Foundation
The Forté Foundation is a consortium of 25 leading multinational corporations, 27 top business schools in the U.S. and abroad, and the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC). In just five years, the Organization has become a powerful change agent directing women towards leadership roles in business and enabling corporations to more effectively reach and retain top female talent. It is the only organization that provides a national infrastructure for women at all stages of the career continuum to access the information, scholarship support and networking connections they need to succeed in business careers. For more information visit the Forté Foundation website at www.ForteFoundation.org.
ABOUT FORTÉ Forté is a nonprofit organization with the goal of achieving gender parity at all levels of business. Forté works closely with business schools, corporations, and universities to ensure women have access to opportunities at every stage in their careers. Forté offers a wide variety of resources, including MBA prep, professional development, leadership education, and a diverse community of successful women. For more information, visit fortefoundation.org.
Media contacts: Michele Vana, BCW Global, michele.vana@bcw-global.com; Katie Stanfield, Forté Foundation, katies@fortefoundation.org