Instead of focusing on the prestige of a business school, prospective students might do better to determine the return on investment of other programs, say MBA admissions consultants. They note that strong candidates with high GMAT scores may find schools that are willing to provide scholarships.

More than half of Class of 2016 business school graduates attempted to negotiate their starting salary for their post-graduation jobs, and of those, 69% report they were successful in increasing their starting salary. Visit Research Insights to learn more.

More business schools are adding programs focusing on technology as more graduates head for jobs with companies such as Google and Amazon. Anirudh Dhebar, a professor of marketing at Babson College, says the growth of technology has changed how businesses operate and MBA graduates should be prepared for new careers.

More business schools in India are seeking donations from graduates to fund infrastructure and academic initiatives. Many of the fundraising offices are new at India's business schools, and Edelweiss Group CEO Rashesh Shah says he expects to see more fundraising success in the next decade.

When top recruiters are asked to rank the best MBA programs, brand name and prestige are only part of the mix, with many prioritizing academic rigor and how they teach "soft skills," recruiters say. Jason Guggenheim of the Boston Consulting Group says an emphasis on global learning and collaboration ranks high with his company.

Tuition rates at colleges and graduate schools grew by 1.9% for the year ending in June 2017 -- a rate which is on pace with inflation -- after outpacing inflation with an average growth of 6% from 1990 through 2016, data show. Experts note that the drop comes as colleges offer tuition discounts to compete for a dwindling number of high-school graduates.

H-1B visa requests from higher-education institutions and nonprofit and governmental research organizations will be expedited again, according to a release from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. However, the program's general suspension, put in place by the Trump administration in April, remains for companies.

Women business owners who collaborate with each other may bring in bigger profits, according to researchers at Yale and the London Business School. Researchers say they found that female grape growers in France's Champagne region get more for their produce than male growers because they worked together on pricing.