Some US business schools are seeing more applicants for full-time MBA programs. An increase at Leeds School of Business in Colorado comes amid increased numbers of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.

The Graduate Management Admission Council admitted three new graduate business schools to its membership, bringing total membership to 225. The schools joining are ESCP Europe, WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management, and Xavier University. Read more.

The focus of the December GMAC Research Chart of the Month displays the percentage of GME alumni considering specific forms of continuing education. Learn more at GMAC Advisor.

Both male and female MBA graduates reported that they more than doubled their previous salaries after graduation, but gender pay disparities persisted, according to a Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education survey. However, women who entered technology fields reported an average 132% increase in salary, compared with men in tech who reported a 100% boost after graduation.

Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business is adding a flexible MBA program that allows students to learn online and attend on-campus immersive experiences six times a year. Similar hybrid and specialized programs also are offered at the business schools at Duquesne and Chatham universities and the University of Pittsburgh.

An analysis from the Urban Institute finds that 31% of master's students reported taking their program completely online in 2016, compared with 5% who did so in 2000. The data also show that programs are increasingly enrolling a larger percentage of students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Graduates of US business schools make more than their counterparts who graduated from schools outside the US, mainly because they tend to take jobs in the US where a Graduate Management Admission Council survey finds that MBA salaries are the highest. Other research from GMAC shows international students increasingly see a US MBA degree as leverage for a higher salary in their home countries.

College and university admissions officers can create more student diversity in graduate school by using an intentionally holistic approach, panelists said last week at the annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools. A campuswide commitment to diversity, especially from faculty, is key said Karen DePauw, vice president and dean for graduate education at Virginia Tech.

A survey of Generation Z high-school and college students in 17 countries shows 80% want to work with cutting-edge technology as part of their careers, and 57% say their education has prepared them for a job. The data also show 98% have used technology during their education and 52% are confident in their tech skills.

Higher-education leaders can improve the reputation of their institution and regain public trust by demonstrating financial efficiency and engaging more with their communities, writes Ohio State University professor Stephen Gavazzi. Leaders also must ensure that their research is beneficial to the public and focus on providing affordable access instead of higher rankings, he asserts in this commentary.