The Forté Foundation has announced an expanded collaboration with Kaplan aimed at increasing the number of women entering graduate business programmes. The non-profit organisation focuses on providing women with access to professional development and business education. By broadening this existing partnership, the group hopes to improve the pipeline for women moving into high-level leadership roles.

Under the new terms, members of the Forté Foundation will receive exclusive discounts on GMAT and GRE preparation services. These will be provided by Manhattan Prep, which is powered by Kaplan. The primary goal of the deal is to reduce the financial costs associated with preparing for business school admissions. According to industry figures, women have represented slightly more than 40% of applicants for graduate business schools globally for at least ten years.

In addition to the discounts, Forté will host Manhattan Prep courses at various in-person forum events across the nation. Kaplan is also scheduled to run webinars for the Forté community to help explain the admissions testing process. These sessions are intended to provide candidates with practical strategies and study roadmaps to help them move forward with their applications.

Elissa Sangster, CEO, Forté Foundation, said: “We want our community of prospective MBA students to be as competitive as possible in the application cycle, and we know that a great GMAT or GRE score only strengthens a candidate’s profile. We are pleased to provide access to top-tier instruction and resources through this partnership. Our goal is to remove barriers and open doors for women in business, and this collaboration ensures our members have the tools, confidence, and support they need to pursue their MBA goals with power and possibility.”

Amit Schlesinger, executive director, Kaplan, said: “Forté has built one of the strongest communities of aspiring women leaders in business. Through this partnership, we are making high-quality GMAT and GRE preparation more accessible, while offering effective strategies and structured study plans that help candidates move forward with confidence. We’re proud to support Forté members as they pursue top MBA programs and long-term leadership careers.”

While many competitive MBA programmes in the United States have achieved gender parity, the overall applicant pool remains below 50% female. This partnership is designed to tackle that gap by providing rigorous academic resources at the start of the application journey.