Aspiring students applying to the world’s top MBA programmes face a selection process that is rigorous, to say the least. Even before candidates contemplate the detailed online application forms for their chosen schools, there is the graduate management admission test (GMAT) to contend with. Then would-be students must consider how to fund their course, while tackling assessed essays and pinning down the recommendations they need. According to Brandon Kirby more applications are from the non-profit sector, as non-governmental organisations start to behave more like businesses.