Some business schools are responding to changes in student demand by investing in online courses or adjusting their curricula to focus on high-growth areas, such as data science and health care. "Companies are reaching a point where they require someone with an MBA skill set to continue growing," says Liza Kirkpatrick, senior director of the Full-Time Career Management Center at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

How will Artificial Intelligence (AI) impact the future of graduate management education? Annual Conference 2019 keynote speaker, Dr. Vivienne Ming, a theoretical neuroscientist, serial entrepreneur and author, provides a sneak peek of her upcoming speech by answering some essential questions about this trending topic. Read more at GMAC Advisor.

A two-year MBA degree is most affordable at Purdue University's Krannert School of Management, followed by Brigham Young University and the University of Texas-Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management, according to a Poets & Quants analysis. Five schools out of the 50 have a total two-year cost of less than $100,000, the data show.

Some of the top business schools in India are incorporating more politically focused case studies into the curriculum as examples of leadership, branding and communication. Satya Dash, professor at IIM Lucknow, says students learn how political parties "sell" ideas and how marketing plays into political strategies.

The United States higher-education system, for the eighth year in a row, has the top spot on the Universitas 21 rankings of national systems, followed by Switzerland and the UK. The rankings measure connectivity, resources and environment, and lead author Ross Williams says increased connectivity is closing the gap among systems around the world.

International student enrollment at top-tier US universities showed some signs of decline in 2018, according to separate statistics by the State Department and the Institute for International Education's Open Doors report. David Borsos of the National Multifamily Housing Council says the overall number of international student enrollments at US colleges has remained relatively stable, but he notes that "everyone has some level of interest in monitoring the situation with concern during an administration with aggressive tactics towards managing immigration."

A Gallup poll of college and university trustees found that nearly three-quarters say they are concerned about the future of higher education, with 58% saying they are worried about affordability. The data also show the majority say that decreasing confidence in academia has been influenced by media reports on student debt and tuition prices.

International MBA applicants should look into applying for either a merit-based scholarship or a fellowship to help pay for their degree, writes Shaifali Aggarwal, founder and CEO of admissions consulting firm Ivy Groupe. Aggarwal explains the difference between the two and what students need to accomplish to win them.

MBA applicants should adopt an "early bird mindset" and start thinking now about how they will answer introspective questions on their business-school applications, writes Fortuna Admissions co-founder Matt Symonds. Fortuna Admissions' Judith Silverman Hodara adds: "What's compelling to the admissions committee is what you've learned from your experiences, and how they've grown your personal and professional ability to imagine, act and lead."