Below is an email I received from Duke MBA admissions on Saturday, Oct 3, 2009 at 1:47 PM. While I think it is great that they are offering an application fee reduction from $200 to $50 to those "who schedule a campus visit through our online scheduling tool and come to Durham or who register for and attend a Duke MBA information session or coffee chat at one of our worldwide locations," I have to wonder if Duke is just doing this out of the kindness of their hearts or is it some attempt to increase applications?
According to US News, their Fall 2008 (Class of 2010) admissions data is as follows:
| Number of applicants (full-time) | 3,076 |
| Number of acceptances (full-time) | 934 |
| Acceptance rate (full-time) | 30.4% |
Total first-year enrollment (full-time) 434
YIELD (My calculation): 46%
The Fuqua website also has data for the Class of 2010, but not the Class of 2011.
So what we have is a scenario where a school that admits 30.4% of its pool and only actually gets 46% of them to attend is now offering an incentive to apply if you become better informed about their program. Below, they will state that they are doing it to assist applicants during these tough economic times. That might very well be true. At the same time, I assume they are doing this so that they have a bigger pool of applicants to choose from, get more selective, and hopefully find applicants who are better informed and motivated to attend their school. For applicants interested in Duke, I suggest you save money, become as informed as possible about the school, and apply.
For those who are somewhat interested in Duke, well, you might as well look into it more, but only apply if it meets your bottom line criteria. A $150 savings is not a good basis for making a life decision.
-Adam
アダム
"A Special Offer from The Duke MBA
Clearly, the world is facing many economic challenges today. At The Duke MBA, we recognize that the MBA application process is an investment of time and money, which can both be in short supply in times like these. We feel strongly that visiting with Duke admissions officers, students, and alumni in person is incredibly helpful in understanding the Team Fuqua culture, and we also understand that traveling to our campus can be difficult. To help alleviate some of the financial stress you may be facing, we are pleased to announce the following Duke MBA Application Fee Reduction Program.
Individuals who schedule a campus visit through our online scheduling tool and come to Durham or who register for and attend a Duke MBA information session or coffee chat at one of our worldwide locations will be able to submit an application for the 2009 – 2010 application year for only $50, instead of the usual $200 fee. In this way, we are able to cover our administrative expenses while minimizing the impact on our applicants.
Please visit our Web site for a complete listing of upcoming information sessions and coffee chats, or access our online scheduling tool to craft your own campus visit (with or without interview) and plan to visit us. We will look forward to seeing you!
Important Information:
The reduced fee information for the Daytime program will not be available on the online application until October 7. If you are applying to the Daytime program in Rounds 1, 2, or 3 and want to take advantage of this offer, please do not submit your application until after October 7.
For those who are planning to apply for our Daytime Early Action deadline (October 6), the fee reduction functionality will not be available on the application by this deadline. However, please send an email to application-processing@fuqua.
For applicants interested in the Cross Continent, Global Executive, or Weekend Executive MBA programs, the fee reduction function will be available at the end of October. If you will be submitting your application prior to November 1, please contact application-processing@fuqua.
Choosing the fee reduction on the online application prior to submitting your application is the only way to receive the reduction. The Duke MBA will NOT be able to offer refunds after an application has been submitted.
There are other ways to qualify for an application fee reduction or waiver. Please click here for a complete listing.
Best regards,
The Duke MBA Office of Admissions
+1.919.660.7705
www.fuqua.duke.edu"
+1.919.660.7705
www.fuqua.duke.edu"
