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We examine whether geography is related to online MBA program demand. Although online education seemingly mitigates geographical location as a barrier to attracting students, the location may still play a role in establishing students’ familiarity with schools and with creating competition among neighboring institutions. Using archival data, we find that schools in larger populations see more applications and more entrants to their online MBA programs, while more local competition suppresses demand for a school’s online MBA program unless the school is highly ranked. These results serve as a caution to administrators who view online education as a solution to constraints they face in attracting students locally.
Neuman et al. (Thu,) studied this question.