One program at Arizona State University’s business school has a brand-new price tag: $0.

Starting next fall, the W. P. Carey School of Business plans to offer full scholarships to all incoming full-time M.B.A. students. The goal is to attract students with nontraditional backgrounds and career aims, and kick off a new business curriculum, leaders say.

At the heart of the decision to eliminate tuition was school leaders’ desire to change the complexion of its M.B.A. class, said Carey’s dean, Amy Hillman.

Carey’s full-time M.B.A. student body is “a fairly traditional M.B.A. class,” in Ms. Hillman’s words, with the bulk of graduates going into technology, manufacturing and finance, according to school placement figures.

School leaders realized the sticker price for the two-year M.B.A. program—which runs from $54,000 for in-state residents to $90,000 for international students—deterred students who were interested in pursuing careers in nonprofits or those who felt they couldn’t afford the opportunity cost of attending. They wondered what would happen if the cost of attendance were no longer a barrier.