The University of California, Irvine is responding to growing concerns over the affordability of graduate education by reducing tuition for two of its MBA programs up to 38%.
Tuition for the Paul Merage School of Business’ Flex and Executive MBA programs is decreasing by $30,000 and $48,000, respectively, starting this fall.
“We’re not naïve to the moment,” Ian Williamson, dean of the Merage School of Business, told the Business Journal. “We know there are changes happening in the federal government associated with access to federally backed student loans.”
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed by Congress last July, set new limits on the amount of loans graduate students can take out to $20,500 per year or $100,000 for the degree.
The changes take effect July 1.
At $99,000 with the reductions, the Flex MBA program now falls under the federal loan cap.
“We wanted to try as best as possible to ensure that those caps don’t prevent the students in our region and in our community from having access to a world-class education,” Williamson said.
MBA Makeover
The tuition reductions are the most recent change in an 18-month period of revamping the two programs, according to Williamson.
“We are continually looking at different ways to evolve our programs, but I think certainly in the last eight to nine months, we really have done a lot of the market research to understand what are the attributes that are most important for our students,” he said.
The Merage School has also integrated AI into the curriculum, expanded flexible learning options and accelerated completion time so both programs can now be completed in under two years.
The Flex MBA program was launched in 2023 to accommodate the growing popularity of remote work.
It was designed for mid-career working professionals, allowing them to take classes in person, online, or a combination of both.
“These are often individuals that are looking to pick up skill sets that will enhance their promotional opportunities,” Williamson said.
The school touts that more than 40% of Flex MBA students receive promotions within six months of entering the program.
The Executive MBA Program is geared toward experienced managers and executives looking to take on C-suite roles. It’s a slightly shorter program which can be completed in just under 18 months with a weekend schedule.
Enrollment for both programs in recent years “has fluctuated,” Williamson said.
MBA enrollment for the business school declined by nearly 8% to 408 students in 2025. The year before that, it also decreased 8%.
Williamson said that the fluctuation can be attributed to broader offerings in business education.
In addition to the two programs, the school also offers master’s degrees in finance, business analytics, management, accounting and innovation and entrepreneurship, the only program of its kind in the UC system, according to UCI.
“Historically, the MBA degree was sort of the one place that everyone came,” Williamson said. “Now, we have multiple options.”
AI Integration Into Curriculum
When it comes to AI, the business school offers a core course on AI for management as a basic starting point.
“It’s about not just an overview of the underpinnings of artificial intelligence—things like database, cloud computing, language models and the like—but it’s also a development around the strategy of utilizing these technologies to get things done in organizations,” Williamson said.
That course branches out to more specific electives relating to AI for financial investments, strategy and consulting and healthcare administration.
“What we want our students to do is to move away from the logic of adoption or non-adoption to execution and to excellence,” Williamson said.
He added that the faculty is currently conducting research on the application of AI across various business disciplines, with findings published every quarter.
Other Upcoming School Initiatives
The same day the MBA program changes were announced last week, the business school also held a public launch for its private business initiative.
The multi-year effort aims to “strengthen the long-term success of privately held firms across Southern California and beyond.” It received funding commitments from Irvine-based American Lending Center, which provides SBA loans, and Irvine-based private capital firm Sunstone Management Inc.
“They represent the vast majority of the companies that we have in this region and are huge employers,” Williamson said. “We want to make sure they’re successful.”
Featured panelists at the launch were local executives including Tammy Cooper, chief executive and chief financial officer of Technologent as well as John Page, executive
vice president of Irvine-based Golden State Foods.
Within the initiative, there will be development programs, non-degree leadership programs, and an audit and finance clinic for students to work with companies to build out their financial infrastructure.
The business school’s Talent Design Studio, which is a part of its career center, will soon announce a partnership focused on career readiness, according to Williamson.
“We think the two big initiatives we’re launching over the next few months will be quite exciting and allow us to create great value for our students, while at the same time, making great value for our community,” Williamson said.
