Top U.S. MBA programs saw application growth in the latest cycle after prior sluggish demand, according to an analysis using U.S. News data. Across Poets&Quants’ top-ranked schools, the report finds 50 programs with increased applications compared with the prior cycle and a 3% rise across the 100 programs examined. The dataset shows overall application volume up by 3,686 compared with the previous cycle, with the total 3% increase following a rebound after two years of demand softness. The report also highlights the concentration of growth in specific institutions, including Chicago Booth, Wharton, and Northeastern’s D’Amore-McKim. Northeastern showed the largest year-over-year increase in applications, with total applications rising from 439 to 1,254, while the school also enrolled more students—growing its MBA class size from 55 to 74. At the same time, the story notes that increases in applications did not uniformly translate into bigger class sizes. For higher education decision-makers, MBA admissions are a window into graduate demand, especially for AI- and career-aligned programs where employer hiring and macroeconomic confidence may affect yield.