Stanford MBA Program

Begin by browsing the MBA Program and Stanford GSB websites. If you are going to be in the San Francisco Bay Area, you may register online to visit a class, go to lunch with a current student, and attend a group information session led by an Admissions Officer. Tours of the Stanford GSB and Stanford University campus are also available. We also offer off-campus information sessions in locations throughout the world.

Admission Events

Stanford's MBA Program is a two-year, full-time, residential day program.

It takes two years (or six academic quarters) of full-time study to complete the MBA education.

The first year of the program consists primarily of general management requirements and the second year of the program is made up primarily of academic electives. You are not required to declare a major field of study to graduate from the MBA Program, but rather may choose among a wide variety of business courses to complete the degree requirements.

Because of the heavy academic workload and commitment, you should not expect to work while you are enrolled.

No. Our matriculating classes begin in the fall of each year.

No. We do not offer a distance learning MBA or a part-time Executive MBA.

The Stanford MBA Program is a two-year, full-time, residential day program located here on the campus of Stanford University.

The philosophy of the Stanford MBA Program is that one size definitively does not fit all. Throughout the entire MBA Program, teaching methods will vary by course—and by topic within each course—to provide the most effective learning environment. Our faculty determine whether to use case studies, discussions, learning labs, lectures, role-plays, simulations, team projects or theoretical overviews, or combinations of methods to best deliver the educational experience.

One of Stanford's distinguishing characteristics is the collaborative learning environment. Even within such an environment, however, you need benchmarks for measuring your performance, and knowing the degree to which you have mastered the course material. Grades are never publicly released; each student "owns" his or her grades. Although Stanford students work hard to learn and stretch themselves, they collaborate with one another to maximize their learning opportunities.

Business schools are about leadership, whether you choose to make a difference in the for profit, not-for-profit, or public sector. You will learn about articulating a direction, and having a sound business strategy that includes effectively managing your physical, capital, and human resources.

The Stanford GSB is a place where you learn frameworks for organizing the complexities of management problems, thus preparing you to make a significant impact in the world. Talk to alumni in both start-ups and well-established companies, and they will tell you that a source of great satisfaction (and a determinant of success) is having the skill to motivate and inspire people to perform at their personal best while also engendering a sense of team, commitment, and loyalty to the institution.

Stanford GSB students learn about leadership through discussions of case studies in which they assess the behaviors of organizational leaders, by listening to executives speak about their successes and failures, and through the practical experience of initiating and coordinating events and activities here at the Business School. Through the combination of both theory and practice, they develop specific skills and frameworks on how to build teams, how to work with others, and how to lead people towards a goal.

At the Stanford Graduate School of Business we offer a general management education. You will receive a thorough grounding in critical business disciplines that create a foundation for successful leadership.

Once you have completed the general management requirements, you may choose from over 100 electives offered at the GSB. While every student graduates with a general management degree, some students choose to also pursue the Public Management Program certificates.

For specific course information, visit http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/academics/.

Our MBA students can also take advantage of all the resources of Stanford University with its esteemed schools in Earth Sciences, Education, Engineering, Humanities and Sciences, Law, and Medicine. As an MBA student, you may pursue joint or dual degrees with other Stanford programs or take approximately 16 units from other departments that count toward your MBA requirements. Stanford provides unparalleled breadth and depth in its studies.

We are able to answer questions about the Stanford MBA Program. We cannot, however, help you with comparisons of other schools. We are not experts in those programs.

We encourage you to learn as much as possible about all programs in which you have an interest and make the comparison once you have all of the facts in hand.

The Stanford Graduate School of Business is a highly respected educational institution, that is regarded among the top business schools in the world.

Rankings can vary depending on the particular focus of the surveys and the participants who are surveyed. Most rankings are promoted by media publications rather than educational institutions, so we suggest that you research each institution of interest rather than relying solely on rankings for such an important decision.

Our MBA Career Management Center offers valuable resources for exploring your career options. We help you develop a career vision, make strategic career decisions, and build a strong foundation for continuous career and life management. Our graduates work in cities large and small throughout the world, in nearly every industry and function.

For additional information, please visit the Career Resources section of our website.

Unfortunately, we are not able to share alumni or student contact information because of privacy concerns. However, there are opportunities to meet both alumni and students as a prospective applicant.

• Once you are admitted, you will be given the opportunity to connect with both students from and alumni in your area.
• If you attend one of our off-campus information sessions around the world, you will have an opportunity to hear not only from an Admissions Officer, but also from alumni who are available to share their experiences and answer your questions.
• Alumni also serve as interviewers in the admission process, if you are invited to interview after submitting your application.
• If you are able to visit the campus, we offer student-led tours, a lunch table hosted by students, and a class visit program, as well as an information session hosted by an Admissions Officer.

We make a concerted effort to attract and admit students from a broad range of professional backgrounds and experiences. Therefore, there are no preferred industries or sets of companies that put you at a competitive advantage in the admission process. Although investment banks and management consulting firms are represented at Stanford, we also draw students from non-profit organizations, multi-national corporations, family businesses, entrepreneurial ventures, and the public sector. And our personalized education challenges each of you to maximize your potential, regardless of background or experience.

As you approach your MBA application, keep in mind that we are more interested in the impact you have had in your workplace than the name or stature of your organization. Have you made the most of your professional opportunities? Are you cultivating your leadership and team skills and making a difference? In the end, don't build your resume simply to be an attractive business school applicant, but rather seek opportunities that are truly challenging and rewarding for your own professional and personal growth.

Yes. Stanford admits individuals with strong potential to become leaders of organizations; and leadership requires a broad range of skills. Your background may, however, place a larger responsibility upon you to prepare for the program ahead of time. We will help you identify ways to prepare before you come to Stanford. Once you arrive at the GSB, you will receive ample support and guidance in customizing the curriculum based on your background and objectives. Free tutoring is also available through our Student Life Office, and our students often work together in study groups to help each other through the tougher quantitative areas and in preparing for exams.

Work experience is not required for entry to the Stanford MBA Program.

Your quality of experience is much more important than quantity. We will focus on the degree to which you take advantage of opportunities to develop professional and leadership skills, regardless of your experience level. We accept entering students with all types of experience as well as students who enroll directly from an undergraduate program with no full-time work experience. Admission may be granted to college seniors and early-career professionals who present superior academic credentials and truly outstanding evidence of leadership through extracurricular and community activities.

The academic coursework you took in graduate school is considered part of your educational history rather than work experience. If, however, you were required to work either full- or part-time while pursuing your graduate degree, please include that information on the application form under Employment History.

No, we do not accept transfer students into the Stanford MBA Program.

Our program is a full-time, two-year, residential day program that admits new students in the fall term only once a year.

With prior approval of the GSB faculty, you may receive credit for approximately 10 units of academic work at another university (e.g., Harvard's Kennedy School MPA/MPP).

Yes. Even if you already have an MBA, you are eligible to apply to the MBA Program. You may wish to review our course offerings to see how much of the program would be repetitious. Then, if you decide to apply, make a compelling case in Essay 2 to explain why you would want to have another MBA degree and particularly at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

The specific number and types of candidates admitted each year will vary and will also depend on the applicant pool at the time. There are no quotas or targets for any group. The one constant is that it will always be based on those who will contribute to a stimulating, diverse educational experience. While we consider gender, ethnicity, nationality, and personal, professional, and academic experiences, among other aspects, we ultimately admit individuals and not categories of people.

» Complete description of Admission Criteria

What goes through the minds of the Admissions Committee members when reading files? Imagine putting together a jigsaw puzzle without having a picture on the box to guide you. To begin, your academic profile forms the border of the puzzle—an important and necessary part of the puzzle—but by itself the picture would be incomplete. What gives the puzzle definition and texture is the essays and letters of reference. When reading the essays, we begin forming a picture of who you are—your values, your goals, and what motivates you in life. In reading about you, we imagine you as a student at the Stanford GSB, as a future leader and manager, and as a future alumnus/a of the University.

Your three recommendations continue to add color and design to your puzzle. They enhance the themes of your essays as well as create new dimensions to your profile. Their detailed descriptions of you in a broad range of situations give us a good sense of who you are. They help define your potential for becoming excellent managers and leaders.

However, evaluating the individual applicant file is only one of two critical processes. The next step is a comparative process, deciding which of the highly qualified candidates to admit.

Do we have a formula for constructing the class? No. Do we have target percentages for specific industries, colleges, or countries? No. This process definitely is more of an art than a science.

While you can influence the first part of the process by submitting a complete and thorough application, you cannot fully control the final outcome since you do not have knowledge of or control over the quality and quantity of applicants in the pool against which you will be compared. This is why your strategy in applying to highly selective schools should be to focus on your individual application, making it the strongest possible in hopes that it will stand out from among others. Because there is no quantitative formula for admission, we rely on the professional judgment of our MBA Admissions Officers to evaluate applications in a thoughtful and thorough manner. There is nothing quite as challenging as the art of human assessment, especially in an admissions process where important decisions are made based on limited information. We, as a staff, are committed to giving each applicant a fair and complete review and are respectful of the fact that the two-dimensional pieces of paper in front of us represent real people.

The simple and honest answer is that you should apply when you are fully confident that you can submit an application that accurately represents your talents and strengths. Do not submit a weak application just to apply in an earlier round. Take the time to put together a thoughtful and thorough application, even if it means applying in the final round.

If you are considering applying in either Round 1 or Round 2, we encourage you to consider Round 1. Over the past few years, we've noticed more applicants applying in Round 2 and, as a result, this round has become bigger and a bit more competitive. You should never rush your application. But on the margin, earlier is better.

For more information see Application Deadlines

The best way to contact our office with specific questions about the MBA Program and application process is to submit an online inquiry or call +1.650.723.2766 to speak with an Admissions Counselor.

Please keep in mind that we cannot evaluate your qualifications before you apply.

The evaluation process looks at your entire application, and compares that profile against the larger applicant pool in each round. Therefore, it is impossible for us to tell you in advance your chances of admission.

Although we are not able to meet with you individually, we offer on-campus and off-campus information sessions. These information sessions provide you with an excellent overview of the MBA Program and admission process as well as an opportunity to ask questions.

If you are unable to provide a letter from a current direct supervisor, respond NO to the question, "Does your current supervisor know that you are applying?" in the Contact Information section and include a brief note of explanation in the Additional Information section of the Online Application.

Because the letters of reference are extremely important to our understanding of your values, personal qualities, and impact in the organization, you should choose another recommender who can give us specific anecdotal information about your leadership skills and managerial talents. You may want to ask a past employer or a supervisor from a charitable or extracurricular project, for example.

A peer is an equal. In our application process, we are looking for a reference from a colleague who is neither a supervisor nor a subordinate. You may choose this person from any of your team experiences: extracurricular, professional, charitable, or otherwise.

No. You are responsible for ensuring that all three letters of reference are submitted online prior to the application deadline.

While we would do our best to include a late reference, we may begin to review your application before the recommendation has been submitted.

In fairness to all applicants we are not able to wait for late submissions to arrive. We hope that you will use the reminder button on the application if your recommender has not submitted well before the deadline date.

We offer evaluative interviews on an invitation-only basis.

Interviews are designed to provide useful information about you that may not be easily captured on paper. They are also a good way for you to learn more about the MBA Program. This does not mean a diminished emphasis on the application essays and letters of recommendation; they remain a critical part of the evaluation process, with interviews as a supplementary information source.

All interviews are by invitation only and almost all are conducted by alumni near where you live or work. Candidates invited to interview have been reviewed by the Committee on Admissions and are considered competitive for admission.

We do not have resources to interview every applicant to the Stanford MBA Program, but we will interview every candidate who is offered admission to the class. We expect to interview between 800 and 1,000 applicants this year.

• We will contact you via email or phone.
• Do not call or contact our office to request an interview.
• After you receive an invitation, you and your interviewer will set up a mutually convenient date and time to meet.
• If you are offered a place in the waitpool without an interview, you may be interviewed after you accept your spot in the waitpool.
• We do not provide interview feedback.

For more information see Interviews

Fee waivers are available to university/college seniors currently receiving need-based financial aid. If that is your case, please send us documentation from your school's Financial Aid Office.

Although we understand the financial burden that other applicants may be under and sympathize with your circumstances, we are not able to waive the application fee in other cases. Once you have been admitted to our program, however, we are able to offer financial aid in the form of need-based fellowships and both need-based and non need-based loans.

After you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation via email that your application has been successfully submitted to the Stanford MBA Admissions Office.

A confirmation that your application has been processed and is under review will be posted to your ApplyYourself online application. To check this, log into your ApplyYourself account and review the "Submission Status." It may take us up to six weeks after the deadline to post this notification.

Please note: Adjust your junk email filters to accept emails from @gsb.stanford.edu so that you will receive all emails regarding your application.

We post your decision to your ApplyYourself account by 5:00 PM Pacific Time on the decision date for the round in which you applied. Under no circumstances can we provide decisions earlier.

Application Deadlines and Notification Dates

• Technical support is available from any page within the online application by clicking on the ApplyYourself Tech Support button or at http://emt.hobsons-us.com
• If you are experiencing technical problems with your online application on Deadline Day, please contact ApplyYourself via http://emt.hobsons-us.com prior to the 5:00 PM Pacific Time application deadline.
• ApplyYourself responds to all technical support questions within 24 hours, and within one hour on deadline days.

No. If you send something separately or past the deadline date, you should expect that it will not be read. We do this to be fair to all applicants.

All students without a degree from a university at which the primary language of instruction is English must submit results of the TOEFL (or the IELTS), regardless of your citizenship. You must take the TOEFL (or IELTS) before submitting your application because you are required to submit your unofficial score on the application. Please plan ahead to guarantee that you will be able to take the TOEFL (or IELTS) at the time of your choice.

» Detailed information about TOEFL/IELTS requirements

Although you must take the GMAT/GRE (and TOEF/IELTS if applicable) before submitting your application, we only require that the test be taken before the deadline date of the round in which you apply. You self-report your scores on your application. If the AWA (Analytical Writing Assessment) score is not available, please leave this question blank. On the date of the test, you should instruct the testing service to send your official scores directly to Stanford so that they will reach us in time for that portion of the review.

GMAT/GRE & TOEFL/IELTS

Yes. All students—regardless of nationality—without a degree from a university at which the primary language of instruction is English must submit results of the TOEFL or IELTS.

» Detailed information about TOEFL/IELTS requirements

There is no minimum GMAT/GRE score required to apply—really.

GMAT scores of students currently attending the MBA Program range from 500-800. We use the GMAT as a guide to success in the first-year courses. To assess your intellectual vitality, we rely on your full academic history rather than scores from a test taken on one particular date.

No we do not accept the LSAT, MCAT or other tests.

» Detailed list of application requirements

Our total MBA student enrollment is approximately 745, including both our first-year and second-year classes. Of the total MBA student population, typically 35-45% of our students are international, representing more than 60 different countries around the world.

View recent class profiles

Stanford University will assist you in the visa process once you are admitted to the MBA Program. The first step will be to determine which visa is right for you. Most students study under the F-1 visa and a few study under the J-1.

• For the F-1 visa you are required to show proof that you have sufficient funds to meet expensed for one year of the MBA Program, either through financial aid or through your own means.
• For the J-1 visa you are required to show proof that you have sufficient funds to meet expensed for both years of the MBA Program, either through financial aid or through your own means. Detailed information will be sent to you upon your admission to the Business School.

We encourage college seniors to consider applying to the MBA Program.

Detailed information for college seniors considering business school can be found at http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/admission/college_seniors.html

There is no "ideal" undergraduate major for business school; therefore, choose a major that you find interesting and engaging.

MBA students have majored in everything from economics to religious studies.

Since business school curricula will assume a solid foundation in quantitative skills, you may want to take at least a couple of classes in economics, math, statistics, and/or science (i.e., courses that will sharpen your analytical reasoning skills).

If your schedule precludes you from taking these courses, you might consider taking evening or distance-learning quantitative courses from a local university or college.

While in college, you may wish to pursue an honors project or do a senior thesis.

While the topic you choose may not seem to be directly relevant to an MBA, it can demonstrate to an admission committee that you possess intellectual vitality and initiative.

Detailed information for college seniors considering business school can be found here http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/admission/college_seniors.html

We want to know about you—your achievements, your leadership ability, experiences that significantly influenced how you work with others, and other details that paint a strong picture of your accomplishments and potential.

We strongly suggest that you have your letters of reference written specifically for this application—generic or outdated letters typically do not strengthen an application.

College seniors may use a direct supervisor from a summer, part-time, or internship experience.

Alternatively, you may ask someone who oversaw you in an extracurricular, volunteer, or charitable activity.

You are welcome to submit a recommendation from a professor, but academic letters of reference generally are not helpful in our evaluation. Academic recommendations are acceptable if you worked with the recommender as a teaching assistant, researcher, or in a similar capacity.

Detailed information for college seniors considering business school can be found here http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/admission/college_seniors.html

You may use a direct supervisor from a summer, part-time, or internship experience. Or you may ask someone who oversaw you in an extracurricular, volunteer, or charitable activity.

You may submit a recommendation from a professor, but academic letters of reference generally are not helpful in our evaluation, unless you worked with the recommender as a teaching assistant, researcher, or in a similar capacity.

Reapplicants are not placed at disadvantage for having applied (or been denied) in a previous year. Your new application will be evaluated on its merits, in the context of the new applicant pool.

We encourage you to give yourself a fresh start when you approach your reapplication. Think through and re-write your essays (questions may change each year), update work history, submit new letters of reference (even if you choose the same recommenders), and submit new transcripts. This is also a good opportunity for you to add any new information that may be helpful in the decision process.

Admission decisions are also dependent on who else is applying in any given year and what the total pool and mix of applicants is.

• Having applied in a previous year is not considered a negative factor in your application. We evaluate your new application on its merits, and in the context of the new applicant pool.
• Give yourself a fresh start when you approach your reapplication. Think through and reassess the essays, addressing any weak areas in your application.
• Determine if other recommenders may provide a more insightful and thorough perspective.
• Add new information that may be helpful in the admission process.
• All reapplicants are required to complete a new application, including new academic transcripts, essays, reference letters, work history, and pay the application fee.
• Make sure you use current application materials.
• As long as your test scores (GMAT/GRE and TOEFL/IELTS) remain valid, you do not need to have them resent from the test centers. However, you do need to self-report them in the application. If your test scores are no longer valid you need to retake them.
  • Check if your test scores are still valid for the application round in which you wish to apply.
• We cannot provide feedback on denied applications.
• The admission decision will be based upon the new application materials received rather than previously submitted materials.
• Your old application is available to the readers but the admission decision will be based upon the new application materials.

For current tuition information, please refer to Tuition & Expenses.

Please be assured that your financial need does not affect admission decisions. The staff of the Financial Aid Office is committed to helping you fund your MBA education once you are admitted to the MBA Program. We provide various types of aid, both need-based and non-need-based, to students who qualify for assistance. Approximately two-thirds of our MBA students receive financial aid annually. There are no research or teaching assistantships for MBA students.

For additional information, please visit the Financial Aid section of our website.

» http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/financial_aid/loans.html

Spouses, significant others, and/or children of Business School students are as much a part of our community as the students themselves. To facilitate that inclusion, there are several Business School student clubs, organizations, and activities as well as Stanford University offices which focus on welcoming the relatives of students and providing various types of support and services. These include Biz Partners, Biz Kids, and the University Work Life Office. Most University resources (libraries, athletic facilities, etc.) as well as events and activities offered to Business School students are also open to their spouses or significant others.

For more information please visit http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/life_at_stanford/families_partners.html

Stanford University has several day care options and school system referrals for students with children. http://www.stanford.edu/dept/icenter/families/child_care.html

Business suits are not necessary. We recommend "nice casual" outfits (khakis, nice jeans; polo shirts, sweaters, comfortable shoes, etc.) and light jackets for summer. During the winter, we recommend a warm jacket or coat and umbrella.