Stern recently published its MBA profile for the class of 2012 which will matriculate this fall. The major admissions statistics remained similar with an average undergrad GPA of 3.5 and an average GMAT of 718 (up from 717 last year). The stat that jumped out to me is that Stern’s selectivity is now down to an acceptance rate of just 13% of all applicants (down from 15% in 2008, and 14% when I applied in 2009). While not all schools have released updated admissions statistics, based on a spot check of several top MBA programs, and a look at BusinessWeek’s B school comparison tool, Stern is now the 4th most selective MBA program in the U.S.
- Stanford GSB: 7% selectivity
- Berkeley (Haas): 11% selectivity
- Harvard: 12% selectivity
- NYU (Stern): 13% selectivity
- MIT (Sloan): 14% selectivity
Selectivity is a factor in most MBA rankings, which is likely part of the reason why Stern continues to rise in the MBA rankings. Of course, this creates a virtuous cycle – as Stern ranks higher, more people apply, which makes it more selective, which helps it rank higher – round and round you go. There are obviously a hundred other factors at play, but this is a good place to be for Stern (and for Sternies like myself).
Methodology Disclaimer: This is only directionally relevant as it’s somewhat of an apples to oranges comparison. This analysis is based on a mix of data – some schools have reported their most recent class profiles, while others have not yet. To compare Stern against other top programs, I looked at data for other schools in the top 15 rankings. I checked the BusinessWeek tool, though that data is from 2008 and 2009, so it’s not completely up-to-date. In order to try to get more recent data, I then looked at each individual B school website and updated the numbers for any schools that had more recent data. After doing both, Stern came in at #4, though it could change when all of the schools update their most recent class profiles. Other schools within striking distance include MIT Sloan (14% in 2009), Yale (18% in 2009), and Tuck (19% in 2009). I would be surprised if Yale or Tuck displace Stern from the top 5 this year given the 5-6 percentage point differential from their acceptance rates in 2009 compared to Stern’s in 2010.
