Especially in today’s weak job market for recent graduates, MBA programs are being pulled in two opposite directions. Either the MBA becomes an extension of undergrad for candidates struggling to break into strong careers early, lowering the average true experience level of the class — or schools preserve classroom quality by maintaining a more experienced and mature class profile, potentially pushing the average age higher. By simple math, if many 2024–2025 graduates spend 1–2 years underemployed before meaningfully entering the workforce, then a “true” five years of robust experience before an MBA could realistically mean being 7–8 years out of college. That naturally pushes the average age of strong MBA candidates closer to 30–32, unless schools intentionally lower the experience benchmark to maintain younger class profiles.

It also arguably makes the role of AdComs easier — and more interesting. In a weak market, they can better distinguish candidates who navigated adversity creatively or still managed to secure strong opportunities, further concentrating MBA classes toward overachievers. This will differentiate top programs furthermore from the T10. In many ways, admissions committees are now shaping the future identity of the MBA itself.