Duke Fuqua’s Assistant Dean of Admissions, Allison Jamison, announced on Tuesday that the school is adding an additional admissions round to the 2022-2023 Full-Time MBA and Accelerated MBA application cycle.
The program’s Round 3 deadline is now February 13, 2023, and the final round, which is now Round 4, has a deadline of March 28, 2023.
In addition, Fuqua is allowing Round 3 applicants to submit a self-reported score for the GMAT, GRE, or Executive Assessment as long as they take the test by February 28, 2023.
The remaining due dates for Fuqua this cycle are as follows:
| Round | Due Date | Interview Decision Sent | Final Decision Released |
| Round 3 | Feb. 13, 2023 | Mar. 4, 2023 | Mar. 17, 2023 |
| Round 4 | Mar. 28, 2023 | Apr. 12, 2023 | May 2, 2023 |
In the blog post, Dean Jamison explained that the school is making these changes in response to the recent layoffs, the winter COVID/flu/RSV surge, geopolitical struggles, and other various challenges people are facing at this time. Given these challenges, Fuqua wants to be flexible and helpful. Jamison stated that the program saw an increase in Round 2 applications over last year and that lower application volume did not motivate the change.
Fuqua not only added the new round in February but is also giving applicants targeting the February 13 deadline more time for test prep by allowing them to submit a score after they submit the application, provided they take the test by February 28, 2023.
My Take
I have no doubt that Fuqua’s administration is motivated by a desire to help applicants prepare the best applications they can and to accommodate those affected by layoffs and circumstances they couldn’t anticipate.
At the same time, while Duke’s Round 2 applications are up over last year, last year’s Round 2 application volume might not have been the best. For most top MBA programs, it was not. It’s also possible that this year’s Round 1 volume was down and that Round 2 hasn’t made up for that decline. I conclude that whether its application volume is up or down, Fuqua feels it can stand to review more applications so that it can create the best class possible for its Class of 2025.
It seems to me that Duke Fuqua, like most of its competition, is not yet overwhelmed with applications. That situation could change radically if the recession and unemployment worsen.
The same can be said for the other MBA programs that have announced changes to their application process in the past four to six weeks and in response to increasing layoffs.
Applying before unemployment really soars is a good idea. Take advantage of these additional rounds and accommodations.