GMAC has updated its global admissions reporting standards to tighten score reporting, clarify test waivers and GPA disclosures, and strengthen transparency for MBA and business master’s applicants worldwide
The Graduate Management Admission Council on Tuesday unveiled updated admissions reporting standards designed to improve transparency and comparability for applicants to MBA and business master’s programs worldwide.
The revisions to the Graduate Management Education Admissions Reporting Standards align school disclosures more closely with evolving testing practices, international student mobility trends, and the growing diversity of graduate management programs.
“GMAC’s research informs us that candidates continue to value graduate management education and are widening their consideration of where and how they pursue it,” says Joy Jones, CEO of GMAC. “The updated standards respond to evolving candidate expectations by continuing to enhance guidance for institutions worldwide, ensuring that admissions reporting reflects today’s global education landscape and helps candidates everywhere make informed decisions.”
UPDATED GUIDANCE ON TESTING, WAIVERS & GLOBAL REPORTING
In practical terms, the update is GMAC’s effort to bring order to an admissions landscape that has grown increasingly fragmented – with multiple GMAT editions in circulation, expanding use of test waivers, rising international mobility, new English proficiency exams, and a proliferation of specialized master’s programs beyond the MBA.
Among the changes: clearer distinctions between reporting practices that apply globally and those specific to U.S. institutions; guidance on reporting scores from different editions of the GMAT during the ongoing transition period; and formal recognition of the Duolingo English Test as an accepted measure of English proficiency.
The new standards also provide more explicit categories for reporting test waivers and clarify which U.S. GPA figures should be used in class profile statistics, areas that have drawn increased scrutiny as schools adjust admissions policies.
In addition, GMAC introduced details around its Adoption Badge program, allowing schools that formally adopt the standards to display verified recognition of their commitment to transparent and consistent admissions reporting.
BUILDING ON A 25-YEAR FRAMEWORK
The standards trace back to 2000, when GMAC first published MBA Reporting Criteria adopted by roughly 200 business schools. In 2020, the organization broadened the framework to encompass all graduate management programs, reflecting the rapid rise of specialized business master’s degrees.
Nita Swinsick, associate dean of graduate and executive degree programs admissions at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and co-chair of the task force that guided the revisions, says the latest update was intended to ensure that admissions data remain “accurate and reliable.”
“We were very conscious that updating these standards was not a procedural exercise, but an important responsibility to ensure continued accurate and reliable reporting,” Swinsick says.
GMAC says the standards will continue to be revisited on a regular cycle as admissions practices evolve and as prospective students increasingly rely on school websites and published rankings to inform their decisions.
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