Stanford Business

FEBRUARY 2007


MBA Applicants Given Graduate Test Choice

The MBA Program quietly began accepting Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores last fall, instead of restricting candidates to the more business-oriented Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). The move is aimed to attract top students who might otherwise overlook business school. “It’s a pilot that we’ll reevaluate every couple of years,” said Derrick Bolton, MBA admissions director and MBA ’98.

“We think there are many bright, motivated, talented candidates who can succeed at Stanford, and the GMAT is not the only way to demonstrate that,” Bolton said, noting that the School’s PhD Program has long accepted both tests.

“Candidates who take the GRE do so earlier than those who take the GMAT—typically during college—and that is consistent with our efforts to reach out to early-career candidates,” Bolton said. He explained the GRE is often taken by students considering a graduate program in economics, finance, or public policy. It also has a higher percentage of women test-takers than the GMAT and reaches a larger U.S. population. “We think that we’re doing well on the international front, but we would like to see more top U.S. candidates considering business school,” Bolton said.