MBA Class Profile Analysis - M7 and Top 15 MBA (2026 Graduating Class)

GMAT and GRE scores continue to reflect the selectivity of top MBA programs. But scores are just one factor that influences admissions. In this in-depth class profile analysis for the 2026 graduating class of Top 15 MBA programs, we cover: 

• GMAT Scores
• GRE Scores
• International Percentage & Women Percentage
• Undergraduate Degree
• Pre-MBA Industry

GMAT Scores

This year, Harvard maintains its high entry barrier with a median GMAT of 740, tying with last year’s position as the highest among the Top 15. Stanford closely follows with a GMAT median of 738, remaining the same as last year. 

Kellogg and NYU Stern have a median GMAT of 733, positioning themselves among the most selective on academic criterion after Stanford and Harvard, while Wharton has risen slightly to 732, surpassing last year’s 720s range.

Tuck and Ross, traditionally more lenient on GMAT scores, hold medians of 727 and 728, respectively, reflecting an increase in entry criteria across top schools compared to last year’s 726 and 719. Meanwhile, UCLA Anderson and LBS remain the only top schools with accessible scores, with GMAT medians of 714 and 700, respectively, though LBS continues to occupy the lower end of the range.

GRE Scores

Yale once again showcases the highest average GRE scores with 166 Quant and 164 Verbal, underscoring its focus on academic excellence. MIT Sloan also exhibits strong GRE scores at 165 Quant and 163 Verbal, marking a slight increase from other M7 programs. Programs like Ross and Tuck continue to show relatively more leniency, with GRE scores at the lower end of the spectrum (162/159 and 161/161, respectively).

Interestingly, despite Yale's consistent dominance in GRE, schools like Stanford and Harvard show balance with averages of 164/163 and 163/163, demonstrating a holistic admissions focus.

Top 15 MBA Class Profile: International & Women Percentage

International Diversity: London Business School (LBS) continues to dominate in international representation, with 90% of its class coming from outside the UK. This remains consistent with its strong global focus and aligns with last year’s trend of European schools leading in international diversity. 

Yale follows with 48% international students, maintaining its position as a leader in global outlook among U.S. schools.

Ross, with 44% international students, has improved from last year’s 43%, while NYU Stern, Kellogg, and MIT Sloan each report 40%, reflecting good international inclusion. 

UCLA Anderson, slightly ahead with 41%, continues to stand out for its diverse class composition. Meanwhile, schools like Stanford (39%), Harvard (35%), and Wharton (31%) show stable representation as of last year within range of 30%-40%. 
Darden and Tuck, at 30%, are on the lower end but still maintain a significant global presence. 

None of the top 15 MBA programs represents an international percentage lower than 30%.

Gender Diversity: For gender diversity, Kellogg sets the benchmark this year, achieving an impressive 50% women percentage, a remarkable improvement from last year’s 48%. 

MIT Sloan is close behind with 49%, followed by NYU Stern and Wharton, each at 47%. 

Harvard, Stanford, and LBS maintain a solid 45% female representation, showing consistent progress in gender balance.
Schools such as Ross (40%) and Haas (42%) report steady numbers, while Darden and Yale remain on the lower end with 38% and 39%, respectively. These numbers indicate room for growth in achieving greater gender parity.

Top 15 MBA Class Profile - Undergraduate Degree

STEM: MIT Sloan maintains its dominance in attracting students with STEM backgrounds, with 46% of its cohort holding degrees in these fields, slightly up from last year's 45%.  

Stanford and Haas, each with 41% STEM students, also remain attractive options for tech-focused candidates, consistent with last year’s data for Stanford – a trend that could reflect a larger percentage of engineers choosing MBA to pivot into Finance or General Management roles. 

Kellogg shows an increase in STEM representation, rising to 39% from last year’s 38%. 

Schools like Ross (38%) and Harvard (40%) continue to attract a significant share of STEM graduates. In contrast, NYU Stern and UCLA Anderson report 23% and 30%, respectively, reflecting a more balanced class composition.

Business/Economics: NYU Stern takes the lead in Business/Economics representation, with a remarkable 50% of its students holding degrees in these fields, edging out Kellogg and Booth, which both report 49%. This is a significant increase for Stern compared to last year’s 29%.

Harvard maintains a strong showing with 43%, while Yale has risen to 46%, reflecting its growing appeal among candidates with business and economics backgrounds. Ross and Stanford, with 39% and 38%, respectively, also maintain robust numbers. Wharton, on the other hand, reports a balanced 32%, suggesting a more diverse academic intake.

Humanities/Social Sciences: Tuck emerges as a standout for Humanities and Social Sciences, with an impressive 45% of its class from these backgrounds, up significantly from last year’s 40%. Wharton follows with 36%, maintaining its commitment to fostering a well-rounded MBA cohort.

Schools like Kellogg (24%) and NYU Stern (27%) continue to attract a diverse academic mix, while Stanford and Harvard show 21% and 17%, respectively, an increase for Stanford compared to last year’s 18%. MIT Sloan, however, reports only 11%, highlighting its preference for candidates with quantitative or technical backgrounds.

Top 15 MBA Class Profile - Pre-MBA Industry

Consulting remains a dominant pre-MBA industry, with percentages ranging from 12% to 34%. LBS leads the pack with 34% of its class from consulting, followed by Kellogg (32%) and MIT Sloan (30%). Notably, Booth and Wharton also attract strong representation at 27% and 28%, respectively. Compared to last year, LBS and Sloan show a continued focus on consulting talent, while Wharton has seen a slight uptick from 27%.

Investment Management/Private Equity/Venture Capital (PE/VC) remains a key feeder for Stanford at 19%, followed by Harvard (16%) and Wharton (15%). These figures align closely with last year's trends, where Stanford also led in this category with 19%.

Technology continues to attract a significant share of MBA students, led by MIT Sloan at 20% and HAAS at 21%. UCLA Anderson follows with 16%, while Stanford, Harvard, and Ross hover around 14%. Compared to last year, HAAS has overtaken UCLA Anderson in tech representation.

Financial Services is a prominent pre-MBA industry for NYU Stern (22%), Tuck (23%), and Darden (23%).

Government/Non-Profit sees a notable presence at Yale (16%), Darden (21%), and Booth (11%), reaffirming the schools' appeal to candidates from the public sector. 

Consumer Products, Retail, and E-commerce (CPG) attract diverse representation, with Harvard leading at 9%, followed by Kellogg, Yale, and Ross at 5%. LBS and Haas reflect their strengths in luxury and CPG-related industries.

Healthcare shows strong representation at Ross (8%), UCLA Anderson (10%), and Tuck (9%). 

Engineering/Manufacturing remains a niche pre-MBA field, with Ross leading at 14%. 

Media & Entertainment representation is led by Kellogg (5%), UCLA Anderson (5%), and NYU Stern (5%). 

Military/Government/Not-for-Profit sees strong representation at HAAS (16%) and Darden (21%), consistent with their focus on public sector leadership.

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• INSEAD
• Tuck
• Darden
• Haas
• Ross
• NYU Stern