Or it could be a result of the increasing quality of the faculty or a series of improvements in physical facilities.

Although no one can say exactly why, one thing is certain—UofL’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree programs have filled up more quickly than anyone can remember and the entering students are exceptionally qualified, said Dean Charles Moyer.

Forty-four students have signed up for the college’s full-time MBA program, the most it can handle. Its entrepreneurship MBA program has reached capacity at 26.

The college’s professional MBA program, which offers classes on nights and weekends to allow students to keep their jobs, has admitted 47 students and has four more applications pending, raising the total to a record 51.

Demand has been so high that the College of Business is referring applicants to other schools.

“I’m excited but not surprised to see that our MBA program enrollments for this fall are at an all-time high and that we’re getting such first-rate students,” Moyer said. “I think it’s pretty strong evidence that we’re doing things right.”

About 250 students at UofL are pursuing an MBA degree.