MBA demographics statistics can show how different groups of prospective students view program formats. In GMAC’s 2025 global prospective graduate-management candidate data, full-time MBA programs were the most frequently considered option across the listed groups, while executive, part-time, hybrid, and online formats appealed to different age and academic-background segments. These figures describe program consideration, not enrollment or graduation outcomes.
Contents
- How to read these MBA demographics statistics
- Full-time MBA candidate demographics
- Executive MBA candidate demographics
- Part-time MBA candidate demographics
- Hybrid MBA candidate demographics
- Online MBA candidate demographics
How to read these MBA demographics statistics
The source is GMAC’s Prospective Students Survey 2026 data report: MBA Programs: Demand & Career Aspirations. The statistics here refer to GMAC’s global prospective graduate-management candidates in 2025. Each percentage is the share within a specified group who considered the named MBA format.
Because the measures describe consideration, they should not be read as the demographic composition of enrolled MBA classes. For example, 75% of candidates aged 25 to 30 considering a full-time MBA does not mean that 75% of full-time MBA students are 25 to 30. The age bands, gender categories, and academic-background categories also describe separate comparisons; they are not intended to be added together.
The compact comparison below places the five formats alongside one another for selected groups. All figures are percentages of the relevant group, measured in 2025.
| Candidate group | Full-time | Executive | Part-time | Hybrid | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male candidates | 62% | 20% | 16% | 14% | 12% |
| Female candidates | 55% | 14% | 19% | 19% | 9% |
| Age 40 and older | 32% | 37% | 21% | 27% | 26% |
| STEM background | 68% | 22% | 17% | 22% | 15% |
Full-time MBA candidate demographics
Full-time MBA consideration was highest among the age groups listed in the GMAC data for candidates aged 25 to 30. Among global prospective graduate-management candidates in 2025, 75% of candidates in that age group considered a full-time MBA program. The corresponding shares were 45% for candidates aged 22 and under, 60% for candidates aged 23 to 24, 60% for candidates aged 31 to 39, and 32% for candidates aged 40 and older.
The gender figures also show substantial consideration of the full-time format. The share was 62% among male candidates, 55% among female candidates, and 54% among non-binary candidates. These are group-specific consideration rates, so they show how common full-time consideration was within each category rather than the gender mix of the prospective-candidate pool.
Academic background was associated with different levels of full-time MBA consideration. The rate was 53% among candidates from a Business/Economics background, 60% among those from a Humanities/Social Sciences background, and 68% among those from a STEM background. Within this 2025 global dataset, STEM-background candidates therefore had the highest full-time consideration rate among the three listed academic backgrounds.
Executive MBA candidate demographics
Executive MBA consideration was more concentrated among older candidates than full-time consideration in the reported age groups. In 2025, 37% of candidates aged 40 and older considered an Executive MBA program, compared with 35% of candidates aged 31 to 39. The shares were 17% for candidates aged 25 to 30, 10% for candidates aged 23 to 24, and 9% for candidates aged 22 and under.
By gender, 20% of male candidates considered an Executive MBA program, compared with 14% of female candidates and 18% of non-binary candidates. The result does not establish why the rates differed; it only reports the levels of program consideration measured by GMAC for the 2025 global prospective-candidate groups.
The academic-background figures were 14% for Business/Economics candidates, 23% for Humanities/Social Sciences candidates, and 22% for STEM candidates. Humanities/Social Sciences candidates had the highest of these three Executive MBA consideration rates, narrowly ahead of STEM candidates.
Part-time MBA candidate demographics
Part-time MBA consideration was comparatively even across the age groups in the supplied GMAC results. The highest listed rate was 24% among candidates aged 31 to 39. It was 21% among candidates aged 40 and older, 20% among candidates aged 25 to 30, 15% among candidates aged 23 to 24, and 12% among candidates aged 22 and under.
Among gender groups, 16% of male candidates considered a Part-Time MBA program, while the corresponding shares were 19% for female candidates and 25% for non-binary candidates. The non-binary group had the highest part-time consideration rate among the three categories reported here.
The academic-background rates were 16% for Business/Economics candidates, 23% for Humanities/Social Sciences candidates, and 17% for STEM candidates. Humanities/Social Sciences candidates therefore had the highest Part-Time MBA consideration rate in this comparison, while Business/Economics candidates had the lowest.
Hybrid MBA candidate demographics
Hybrid MBA consideration increased across the older age bands in the 2025 data, apart from the 25-to-30 group. The rate was 11% among candidates aged 22 and under, 17% among candidates aged 23 to 24, 16% among candidates aged 25 to 30, 22% among candidates aged 31 to 39, and 27% among candidates aged 40 and older.
The gender-specific shares were 14% among male candidates, 19% among female candidates, and 22% among non-binary candidates. As with the other formats, these percentages indicate consideration within each gender category and do not describe the demographic makeup of hybrid MBA enrollment.
By academic background, 12% of Business/Economics candidates considered a Hybrid MBA program, compared with 15% of Humanities/Social Sciences candidates and 22% of STEM candidates. STEM candidates had the highest hybrid consideration rate among the three listed backgrounds.
Online MBA candidate demographics
Online MBA consideration was highest among the oldest age group in the GMAC results. In 2025, 26% of candidates aged 40 and older considered an Online MBA program. The shares were 17% among candidates aged 31 to 39, 11% among candidates aged 25 to 30, and 10% among candidates aged 23 to 24. Candidates aged 22 and under had a 9% consideration rate.
The gender figures were 12% for male candidates, 9% for female candidates, and 15% for non-binary candidates. The non-binary category had the highest Online MBA consideration rate in this gender comparison, while the female category had the lowest.
Academic background produced the following online consideration rates: 8% among Business/Economics candidates, 11% among Humanities/Social Sciences candidates, and 15% among STEM candidates. The STEM rate was the highest of the three, and the Business/Economics rate was the lowest.
The part-time figures also show why a single overall MBA demographic is not enough to describe prospective students. The format reached 24% among candidates aged 31 to 39, but only 12% among candidates aged 22 and under. By gender, its highest reported rate was 25% among non-binary candidates, compared with 19% among female candidates and 16% among male candidates. By academic background, the highest rate was 23% among Humanities/Social Sciences candidates. Each comparison uses a different grouping variable, so the results identify patterns of consideration without describing one combined profile.
The hybrid age pattern is also distinct. The rate for candidates aged 40 and older, 27%, was higher than the rate for every younger age group listed. The 31-to-39 rate was 22%, while the two youngest groups were 11% and 17%. This spread is descriptive rather than causal: the GMAC figures report how many candidates considered the format, but they do not explain whether work schedules, location, delivery preferences, or another factor drove the differences.
Online and hybrid consideration should likewise be kept separate. For candidates aged 40 and older, the reported rates were 26% for online and 27% for hybrid. For STEM-background candidates, the rates were 15% for online and 22% for hybrid. For female candidates, online consideration was 9%, compared with 19% for hybrid and 19% for part-time. These comparisons describe the specified 2025 groups and should not be interpreted as a ranking of program quality or career value.
Taken together, the 2025 GMAC figures show that program consideration varies by the candidate group being examined. Full-time MBA consideration was highest among candidates aged 25 to 30 and among the listed STEM-background group. Executive and online consideration was highest among candidates aged 40 and older, while part-time and hybrid consideration also reached their highest listed age-group rates among older candidates. These are descriptive measures of prospective students’ stated program consideration for the specified period and global geography, not forecasts of future enrollment.