NYU Stern School of Business last week shared a preliminary profile of its incoming class of full-time, two-year MBA students, the Class of 2020. Even amid some declines, the school showed gains in the diversity of its class and added a few points to the average GMAT score for incoming students.
This year saw 3,781 applicants—down from 3,927 for the Class of 2019. Of this year’s applicants, 876 applicants were admitted (23 percent) and 375 enrolled. Last year, 822 applicants were admitted (21 percent), yielding 402 enrolled students.
Although the percentage of women dropped slightly year over year, from 38 to 35 percent, the Class of 2020 is more global than the Class of 2019. International students increased from 37 percent last year to 39 percent this year, even as overall international MBA application volume to U.S. schools faltered. “International applications were down about 10 percent this year, but they still represent about half of total applications, so we had a very strong pool of applications from which to admit,” said an NYU spokesperson.
The percentage of minority students held steady at 29 percent, the same as last year. But of those, 13 percent this year are underrepresented minorities (U.S. citizens and permanent residents who identify as African American/Black, Hispanic, or Native American/Alaskan Native), up 2 percentage points over the Class of 2019.
Stern continued its efforts to recruit military veterans and active duty service members, including through the Fertitta Veterans Program, now in its second year, which underwrites more than half of the tuition bill for approximately 20 incoming students annually. Veterans and active duty service members comprise 7 percent of the Class of 2020, similar to last year.
The average GMAT score for incoming students this year inched upward to 717, a three-point gain over last year. The median GMAT remained constant, at 720. At the same time, applicants opting to submit GRE scores instead of GMAT scores jumped year over year, from 12 to 19 percent. The average GPA slipped slightly from 3.48 to 3.45. 
The Class of 2020 has a diverse educational background. Approximately 29 percent of students studied business as undergrads, more than any other major. Another 20 percent of the incoming class have degrees in engineering, math, and science. Economics, humanities, and social sciences majors make up the rest of the class, totaling 18 percent, 17 percent, and 16 percent, respectively.
The average work experience among incoming students increased from 4.9 years for the Class of 2019 to to 5.3 years this year. More than a quarter—26 percent—of the Class of 2020 comes in with previous experience working in financial services, and another 13 percent come from consulting. The three next largest feeder industries are technology, entertainment/media, and military/government, making up 9 percent, 7 percent, and 7 percent, respectively. With regard to post-MBA career aspirations, members of the Class of 2020 are increasingly interested in consulting, technology, entrepreneurship, and healthcare.
For the complete NYU Stern Class of 2020 profile, click here.
