See the Wharton MBA Class of 2024 profile here.
The years-long effort to promote gender parity in the business leadership pipeline has paid off for The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, whose MBA Class of 2023 hit a historic milestone for the representation of women. The 897-member class also made records for GMAT score highs and LGBTQ representation. Keep reading for more details about the latest Wharton MBA class profile.
Dean Erika James, who also has the distinction of being the first woman appointed to lead the school, announced in the school’s press release, “This landmark achievement demonstrates Wharton’s commitment to providing a diverse and representative community for our students.”
Maryellen Reilly, Deputy Vice Dean of the Wharton MBA program, added, “Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to our efforts, and while we are extremely proud to welcome this record number of women to our MBA community this year, we do hope that equitable gender representation soon becomes the norm among business schools, rather than the exception.”
Here are some key elements of the MBA Class of 2023 profile:
| Average Undergraduate GPA | 3.6 |
| Percent majoring in arts, humanities, social sciences | 39% |
| Percent majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math | 33% |
| Percent majoring in business | 27% |
| Average GMAT Score | 733 |
| GRE Quant Average | 162 |
| GRE Verbal Average | 162 |
| GRE Writing Average | 4.6 |
| Women | 52% |
| LGBTQ+ | 7% |
| Countries Represented (by citizenship) | 83 |
| International Students | 36% |
| Average Work Experience | 5 years |
Representation at Wharton
The MBA Class of 2023 is 52% women, a first for the 140-year-old school. Wharton’s efforts toward recruiting women into the MBA program include a partnership with the Forté Foundation, fellowships for women, women’s conferences, and networking opportunities.
The Wharton class profile also reports that international students rebounded this year after the difficulties of 2020. Coming from 83 countries, they make up 36% of the class, nearly double last year’s 19%.
US minority students comprise 35% of the class, with 20% identifying as Asian American, 8% Black, and 7% Hispanic. This year 7% of the students identify as LGBTQ+, also a high for Wharton.
Academic and Professional Background
Wharton boasts four interdisciplinary and dual degree programs in which 171 students are enrolled, nearly 20% of the class. The average GMAT score of 733 is a record high for the MBA class.
Undergraduate backgrounds for the class reflect the usual breakdown for the school, with 39% holding a degree in the humanities, 33% coming from a STEM major, and 27% with a business education. Business degree holders decreased 7%, while students with a STEM background increased 5%.
The class averages five years of professional experience. As is standard for Wharton, nearly a quarter—23%—come from a consulting background, and 14% from financial services. Private equity and venture capital professionals also make up 14% of the class. Ten percent of students’ previous careers were in the non-profit and government sector, and another 10% worked in the tech industry.
