Business Schools Soften Admissions Requirements to Scoop Up Laid-Off Tech Workers

Layoffs in the technology industry may have raised the anxiety levels of job-hunting MBA graduates. But they’ve led many business schools to try to tap into what they see as a growing pool of prospective students. In mid-November, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management said it would waive its standardized test requirement for laid-off tech workers who apply. Almost a dozen other MBA programs have put forth similar incentives—such as waiving GMAT/GRE test scores or application fees—for newly unemployed workers.

“We wanted to provide a pathway for some very talented individuals who now find themselves at a crossroads and don’t have much time to prepare for the GMAT or the application process in general,” says Lawrence Mur’ray, executive director for admissions and financial aid at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business. Under Tuck’s new rules, applicants can request a test waiver if they were laid off from a job in any industry after Aug. 1, 2022.