It does matter slightly if you are applying to a school that doesn’t get many applicants from your area. It really depends on the school, though.

Don’t know about for MBAs but for undergrad geographic diversity is important. They like to brag about having students from all 50 states. I had a classmate from Alaska at my east coast college and she said she could have written her application in crayon and have been accepted.

If you can tell where current students come from, you can see if your state is underrepresented.

For private MBA programs, maybe.

A hook? Doubtful. Many states give preferential admission to in-state applicants, and some states have actual caps on the number of out-of-state students who can be enrolled, even for graduate programs.

I went to a SLAC and have lived in a mountain state since graduating. I'm applying to MBA programs this fall, & I'm curious if this is a "hook"?