Graduate Management Admission Council Acquires UK-Based Online Publishing Company BusinessBecause

RESTON, Va., April 12, 2018 -- The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), a nonprofit association of leading global business schools, has acquired the UK-based online publishing company BusinessBecause.

Consistent with its mission, GMAC is actively committed to providing new solutions that help candidates and schools discover, evaluate, and connect with each other. It’s estimated that at any given time, more than two million candidates are considering a graduate education in management. Unfortunately, the majority abandon their search along the journey, which can be overwhelming and hard to navigate.

The acquisition represents an expansion of GMAC’s portfolio of products and services to help nurture candidates throughout their entire journey. With more information to guide them, prospective students can make better decisions from the moment they consider a graduate degree to the moment they enter the application phase. The compelling content published by BusinessBecause will help those students identify the right-fit schools during the critical consideration and selection phases of their journey. The stories that BusinessBecause publishes capture student life, career opportunities and school innovations and trends, all of which can help inspire and reduce the number of prospective students that might abandon their search along the way.

“BusinessBecause has built a solid reputation for helping business schools showcase what makes them unique to candidates and providing valuable information to candidates during their journey to consider graduate management education,” says Betty Su, Chief Marketing Officer at GMAC. “Their platform not only helps schools stand out, but also supports our purpose to ensure no talent goes undiscovered. Through this acquisition, GMAC plans to preserve the positive contribution they make to the global graduate management education community and invest additional resources to serve schools and candidates.”

BusinessBecause will operate as a separate subsidiary and retain editorial and creative independence. GMAC will provide it with the resources necessary to scale its operations. This will enable BusinessBecause to reach a wider group of schools that could benefit from these services, and as a result, help a larger pipeline of candidates discover and evaluate which schools are the right fit for them.

“We are thrilled to be working the Graduate Management Admission Council,” says Kate Jillings, co-founder of BusinessBecause. “When my co-founders, Maria Ahmed and Sian Morley-Smith, and I launched BusinessBecause in 2009, our goal was straightforward: connect business school candidates, business schools, business students and employers. In partnership with GMAC, we will be able to expand and publish even more stories and relevant, useful information around choosing a business school and finding a fulfilling career.”

The acquisition was completed on April 10, 2018.

About GMAC:  The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a global, non-profit association of 223 leading graduate business schools. Founded in 1953, we are actively committed to advancing the art and science of admissions by convening and representing the industry and offering best-in-class products and services for schools and students. GMAC owns and administers the Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®) exam, used by more than 7,000 graduate programs worldwide. Other GMAC assessments include the NMAT by GMAC™ exam, for entrance into graduate management programs in India and South Africa, and the Executive Assessment, specifically designed for Executive MBA programs around the world. The Council is based in the United States with offices in the United Kingdom, India, and Hong Kong. For information on assessments, study tools and services for candidates, visit www.mba.com. For information about the Council and our market intelligence, professional development opportunities and services for graduate management education, please visit www.gmac.com.

About BusinessBecause: BusinessBecause publishes daily business school news, applicant advice and career inspiration for a global audience of future business leaders. Business school candidates and students are invited to join the community to make connections before, during and after business school, access exclusive admissions and job resources and share their own stories. BusinessBecause.com now has more than 40,000 members worldwide and a monthly news readership of 100,000. For more information about BusinessBecause, visit BusinessBecause.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Tania Hernandez-Andersen, GMAC Sr. Dir. of Corporate Brand Communications, [email protected] or 703-668-9638 (office), 571-294-4059 (mobile).