What It Takes to Get Accepted at a Top MBA Program

Academic performance is an important factor when prestigious MBA programs choose students, but it is not the only factor, according to MBA admissions officers.

Because business schools are professional schools designed to prepare students to thrive in the business world, these schools seek students with the leadership skills necessary to succeed in business. In addition to evaluating a student's test scores and grades, a top MBA program will consider whether the student has a history of making meaningful contributions to the organizations where he or she has worked, admissions officers say.

[READ: Convey Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Potential in MBA Applications.]

Highlight Marketable Skills

Top B-schools typically assess whether a student is a willing team player who can collaborate on group projects and if the student has strong communication skills, according to MBA admissions officers.

"This is not a purely academic program; it's not a Ph.D. program," says Bruce DelMonico, assistant dean for admissions at the Yale School of Management in Connecticut. "We are trying to bring in people who are going to have impact after they graduate."

DelMonico adds that test scores are a crucial factor in the MBA admissions process because they facilitate comparisons between applicants. Test scores are "more consistent than some other, more subjective measures" of preparedness for MBA courses, DelMonico says. He says that quantitative test scores are especially significant for MBA applicants with humanities backgrounds, since these applicants need to show that they have the math skills required to excel in an MBA program.

Dawna Clarke, executive director of admissions at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, says there are multiple ways to demonstrate desirable technical skills besides scoring well on the math section of either the GMAT or GRE. Good grades in math-heavy or business-related undergraduate or graduate classes can provide reassurance to MBA admissions officers, she suggests, and so can completion of either the live or online MBA Math program or a Harvard Business School Online certification.

Relevant Coursera classes are also a bonus in an MBA application, and so is a Certified Public Accountant or Certified Financial Analyst credential, Clarke explains. Analytical work experience is also beneficial, especially if a reference writer compliments a candidate's mathematical abilities, she adds.

Arush Chandna, CEO and co-founder of the Inspira Futures admissions consultancy, notes that B-school admissions teams are often impressed by individuals with data analysis experience. "Every industry and business function is becoming data-centric," Chandna wrote in an email. "Showing that you have the ability to work with large data sets and make inferences based on your analysis can go a long way in differentiating yourself from other candidates."

[Read: 4 Qualities That Help Applicants During MBA Interviews.]

Demonstrate Self-Awareness

DelMonico says that every MBA applicant has strengths and weaknesses in his or her admissions profile, so the best course of action for any applicant is to acknowledge weaknesses and find some way to compensate for them. "Nobody is above average across the board," he says.

Regardless of whether applicants think their academic statistics are more compelling than the success stories documented in their application -- or the opposite is true -- they should not attempt to hide their weaknesses. Instead, they should show humility and explain how business school would help them grow in their career, DelMonico says.

Applicants also shouldn't be afraid to admit that they want additional professional development, since that yearning for personal growth actually bolsters their case for business school, DelMonico says. "We know that anyone who is applying to business school is looking to improve themselves."

In fact, MBA applicants can cite the ways they hope to improve in business school when they are providing a justification for pursuing an MBA, DelMonico says.

According to Chandna, MBA hopefuls should not only specify their career goals, but also delineate "the delta between where they are and where they want to be" and explain how a particular B-school could "help bridge the gap."

Describe Nonacademic Accomplishments

Soojin Kwon, managing director of full-time MBA admissions and student experience at the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor's Stephen M. Ross School of Business, says a critical aspect of the MBA application is the resume.

Kwon says the resume is the first part of an MBA application that she reads in order to assess an MBA applicant's candidacy. She adds that MBA applicants who have well-respected employers on their resumes do not automatically impress her because what she's looking for is evidence that a student has done high-quality work.

"Leadership is not as narrowly defined as an applicant might think," she says.

Experts say that candidates who are younger than the majority of applicants should take comfort in the fact that business schools care less about the number of years spent in the workforce and more about applicants' long-term professional prospects.

Chirag Saraiya, principal at Training the Street, a company that provides courses that prepare people to work in the finance industry, says that many years spent in the workforce do not necessarily result in a more compelling MBA application.

Saraiya, an adjunct lecturer at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, says an MBA applicant who appears to have reached a standstill in his or her career is less attractive than someone who appears to be progressing.

"Probably the most effective trait is relative excellence," Yaron Dahan, an MBA admissions consultant at Menlo Coaching admissions consultancy, wrote in an email. "If a candidate has been promoted faster and more often, if they have taken on bigger projects, led more people, they will stand out."

Time spent overseeing people is a major selling point, Dahan suggests. "MBA programs tend to value proven hands-on leadership -- i.e. people who have actually led teams, even if they are from smaller firms, or even from non-traditional jobs such as factory work or hospitality."

Extensive community service is also a plus, because individuals who are hooked into "a diverse set of networks" are likely to "continue to be well-connected throughout their life," Dahan says.

Accentuate Originality

The uniqueness of an MBA applicant's aspirations is a significant consideration in the MBA admissions process, according to experts. "The MBA admissions office is tired of hearing from applicants that they want to join an investment bank or a big four consulting firm after graduating from business school because that is the cookie cutter response when you talk to most applicants," explains Andrew Chan, a recent graduate of New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business and founder of an adult entertainment company.

Rachel Coleman, an independent education consultant with CollegeEssayEditor.com, says a professional background outside of a traditional business or finance occupation is an asset in the MBA admissions process.

"For example, a student with a background in opera and performance, who has worked for four years in the opera entertainment industry and now wants this MBA to prepare herself to be the manager of an opera house, would be far more unique/interesting as an MBA applicant than someone coming from a consulting or financial institution," she wrote in an email. "More important than job title or years worked is the uniqueness of the industry itself (working in the oil industry, agriculture, education, etc.), and how many other applicants are applying from this industry."

Michael S. Jordan, who teaches online and executive MBA courses for the Washington State University Carson College of Business and the university's Global Campus, says a B-school is usually eager to admit someone it identifies as a "creative talent" of some kind.

"First and foremost, a creative talent is an individual who can recognize business opportunities," Jordan, who has a Doctor of Business Administration degree, explained in an email. "These are the initiatives that make a huge impact on a company's ability to perform better in terms of operations, product/service offerings, and social projects. However, to exploit opportunities these individuals must inspire co-workers, mobilize resources and facilitate execution."

Emphasize Managerial Abilities

Alumni of top B-schools say that MBA applicants who hope to get into premier programs should know that soft skills are important in the MBA admissions process.

"Beyond good test scores, top MBA programs are looking for students who demonstrate initiative," Vijay Koduri, an MBA alumnus of the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor's Ross School of Business and co-founder of Sizzle technology company, wrote in an email. "This can be entrepreneurial -- have you started a company and scaled it up? It can be intrapreneurship -- did you raise your hand and lead the way for a new product idea or new market in your company? It can also be social impact -- are you passionate about a cause, and have you led significant change in your region or around the world to make a difference?"

[Read: 2 MBA Admissions Essays That Worked.]

Demonstrating problem-solving skills is one way to stand out in a positive way, MBA alumni say.

Shaifali Aggarwal, an alumna of Harvard Business School and founder and CEO of the Ivy Groupe admissions consulting firm, says most students selected for admission to top B-schools have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to innovate.

"These students show that they are able to think outside of the box to come up with creative solutions, which is an extremely important quality to possess when solving business problems and leading organizations," she says.

Harvard Business School alumna Paige Arnof-Fenn, founder and CEO of marketing company Mavens & Moguls, says having perfect or near-perfect grades and test scores isn't a guarantee of acceptance to a selective business school. She urges MBA applicants to remember that top-tier institutions have many applicants with stellar qualifications.

Business School Requirements at Top-Flight MBA Programs

Though many prestigious business schools have waived their standardized test requirements for MBA applicants during the pandemic, an outstanding GRE or GMAT score can substantially increase MBA admission odds. A solid undergraduate GPA is also beneficial to MBA hopefuls, though a flawless or near-perfect GPA isn't necessary to qualify for acceptance at elite B-schools.

Most people admitted to premier MBA programs have several years of work experience, though it is possible to get into these programs with less or more experience than the norm. Either thoughtful application essays, significant professional accomplishments or meaningful extracurricular activities can make a difference in the MBA admissions process. Excellence in any of these areas could compensate for deficits in a candidate's GPA, test score or work history.

Students who dream of getting accepted at multiple top business schools can explore the chart below to get a sense of what the average credentials are among full-time MBA students at these schools. One caveat is that two top B-schools -- the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, which is No. 2 in the full-time MBA rankings, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management, which is tied for fifth place in those rankings -- did not provide details on the average GMAT score, college GPA or amount of work experience among incoming full-time students in 2020, so those two schools are not listed here. Selective MBA programs admit applicants with a range of credentials, including credentials above and below the averages displayed in this chart.

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