Business schools cut tuition by up to 50% as workers compete against AI for promising careers

If you’re considering an MBA, you’re in a sticky situation.

The average cost of an MBA is $63,000, with programs at elite schools such as MIT, New York University, and Dartmouth averaging well over $200,000 (1). According to a study by Bloomberg, students who took out loans for their MBA programs had a median debt of $59,891 (2).

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Not only is it expensive to earn an MBA, but job postings include AI skills as a preferred or required skill, making a career in the private sector seem more intimidating than ever.

Christian Wong, a business and computer science major at Washington University in St. Louis, told the Wall Street Journal, “Almost every internship or graduate job posting I’ve seen requires some sort of AI skill or expertise.”

A select few MBA programs are offering a temporary solution to these problems: MBA tuition discounts focused on teaching AI skills.

MBA Tuition Fee Discounts and Scholarship Types

MBA discounts typically apply to short-term professional degree programs. The Wall Street Journal has identified several top schools that offer discounts and scholarships for their MBA programs (3).

Purdue Mitch Daniels School of Business

Purdue University is offering a 40% discount on tuition for its 48 credit hour online MBA program. For out-of-state students, this reduces the total cost of tuition from more than $60,000 (4) to just under $36,000 (5).

However, the discount only applies to veterans, Purdue alumni, and Purdue employees (6).

Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine

Starting in fall 2026, Paul Merage Business School will reduce fees for its MBA program by up to 38%. The school will reduce tuition for its Executive MBA program by up to $48,000. Tuition is reduced by $30,000 for the Flex MBA program (7), which offers night and online classes and is offered to working professionals (8).

The curriculum for both programs has also been redesigned with a focus on AI and other upcoming technologies (8).

Johns Hopkins Carey Business School

Carey Business School is offering a 50% discount on tuition to students graduating from Maryland colleges in 2026. This scholarship applies to master’s degrees in specialized areas such as finance, healthcare management, business administration, marketing, real estate and infrastructure (9).

Another perk of this scholarship is that most of the specialized programs for which you qualify last only nine months (9).

Washington University Olin Business School in St. Louis

Olin Business School has introduced a $10,000 AI Workforce Transformation scholarship for students enrolled in its new two-semester AI for Business master’s degree program. Students can choose one of three industry tracks: Finance, Marketing, or Technology (10).

This degree is aimed at both college graduates who want to prepare for an AI-driven workforce and retired professionals who want to learn new AI-related skills (10).

Read more: From $10 to $100,000: Build a real estate empire using the same strategies as the 1%

What will schools gain from this agreement?

The benefits of these discounts for students are clear. Tuition and training to prepare for an AI-driven workforce will be more affordable. But how can schools benefit from lower tuition fees?

Demand for business schools, especially two-year MBA programs, has slowed. Many professionals fear that AI will replace them and want to hang on to their jobs as long as they are available, replacing job changes with “job hugs” (3). As fewer people want to change jobs, those who once earned an MBA to change careers no longer see the benefits.

The political situation is also having a major impact on schools’ applications for international students. Joe McDonald, associate dean of the Olin School of Business, told the Wall Street Journal that the school is seeing an increase in applications from domestic students, but a decline in applications from international students.

Graduate schools are offering tuition discounts and AI training to increase the number of applicants. However, experts understand that schools cannot permanently reduce these tuition fees. If the amount is reduced, the school will not be able to survive (3).

Things to consider before applying to a discounted MBA program

Will tuition fees be reduced by tens of thousands of yen? Which MBA provides enough AI training to prepare you for the “real world”?

Indeed, one of these programs might be right for you. However, before you actually get started, you need to consider several factors.

First, ask yourself if you can afford a particular MBA program, even with a discount. This is especially true if the allure of low-cost education is one of the main factors in your application. For example, the Flex MBA at the University of California, Irvine may be reduced by $30,000, but tuition will still cost $99,000 (8). Is that a bill you can live up to in today’s employment environment? And even with this degree, there’s no guarantee that your career will be secure.

It’s also worth noting that the average salary for MBA graduates is $120,000, according to Zippia. Therefore, this should also be considered in the cost-effectiveness analysis (1).

It’s no secret that it’s usually less expensive to earn an MBA from an in-state public school (1). But if you want to earn a degree from a prestigious university, you still have options. Some schools offer lower fees for online degrees. For example, Boston University’s two-year online MBA program costs just $25,000 (11).

If you want to earn an MBA at a school that offers a discount, you should apply early. None of the programs listed above are committed to providing these discounts or scholarships long-term and are not financially possible. So, submit your application while you still have the chance to take advantage of the price reduction.