At Fortuna Admissions, our goal is to help you put together the very best MBA application possible. It takes a lot of time, effort and money to apply, and when you combine high school fees with loss of income, the opportunity cost of the degree is significant. But business school isn’t obligatory…so why do so many of you still believe an MBA is important?

Fortuna’s Matt Symonds just released a video about the latest MBA admissions trends in this video – MBA Admissions and Job Trends. Application numbers are steadily increasing at several top MBA programs. Darden, Cornell and Chicago Booth have recently watched their application numbers double; others, including Kellogg and Columbia Business School, have also seen big rises.

Quality is changing too, at least in quantitative terms. Year on year, top business schools have seen an increase in applicant GMAT scores. At Stanford GSB, the recent class reported a GMAT average of 732. Wharton candidates have also been posting higher scores; the 2015 class average is the highest yet at 725.

One of the drivers for this increased demand seems to be the improving job market. There is a broad range of recruiters visiting campus and business schools are enjoying some great job placement figures. Big ecommerce names like Amazon and Google are taking on more and more MBAs, and the healthcare and consulting sectors are doing well. Finance recruiting is undergoing a new lease of life, and some think that there may well be a golden age of opportunity ahead for new MBAs.

Entrepreneurship is also big news. Business schools are putting more effort into their entrepreneurial portfolio and increasing financing opportunities for students focused on startups. This year, Wharton and HBS report that more than 7% of their current classes are looking to do something entrepreneurial post-MBA.

To learn more about application and job trends taking place as you prepare to apply, see the full video MBA Admissions and Job Trends video by Matt Symonds.