"Offering Half-Price Tuition"... U.S. MBA Programs Join the Race to Attract Students

Expansion of Short-Term AI-Focused Programs
Concerns Over “Long-Term Financial Burden” Remain

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Leading business schools (MBA programs) in the United States have entered into a fierce competition to attract students by offering benefits such as tuition discounts of up to nearly 50%.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on May 12 (local time), U.S. universities have recently expanded their scholarship offerings and tuition discounts significantly in response to a decline in applicants and changes in the job market.

The reason behind these price reductions is a decline in demand for traditional two-year MBA programs. To make matters worse, stricter visa regulations have led many international students to choose schools closer to their home countries, resulting in a sharp drop in applications to U.S. MBA programs last fall.

Typically, demand for MBA programs decreases when the job market is strong and increases during downturns. However, the current employment market is different. As anxiety grows that artificial intelligence (AI) could threaten their jobs, more people are choosing to stay in their current positions rather than leave for new jobs or academic pursuits—a phenomenon being called "job hugging."

In response, U.S. universities are promoting short-term programs focused on AI education to recruit students.

The Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business at Purdue University has decided to reduce online MBA tuition by 40% for the upcoming fall semester. For local students, the tuition for the 48-credit program will drop from $60,000 (about 89.8 million won) to $35,000 (about 52.4 million won). Students from other states will pay $36,000 (about 52.9 million won).

The Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine also plans to offer educational programs on AI and emerging technologies this fall and will provide up to a 38% tuition discount for certain programs targeting working professionals.

The Johns Hopkins Carey Business School will grant scholarships covering 50% of tuition to students who graduate from universities in Maryland this spring and enroll in specialized master's programs, such as finance or healthcare management, in the fall.

However, some are concerned that the excessive discount competition among universities could lead to long-term financial burdens. In particular, as competition to recruit students intensifies among mid-tier universities, there are concerns that the gap between top-tier prestigious schools and mid-tier MBA programs could widen further.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.