Harvard Business School published their MBA Class of 2025 profile and the program maintained diverse representation and academic strengths. The percentages of women, international students and U.S. minorities nearly mirror last year’s class. The new HBS MBA candidates achieved a median GMAT score of 740 and had earned an average undergraduate GPA of 3.73.
HBS received 8,149 applications for the Class of 2025 and 938 ultimately enrolled. The year prior, the MBA program received 8,264 applications and landed at a class size of 1,015.
Harvard MBA Class of 2025 Profile Breakdown
Here are some key elements of the HBS class profile:
| Average Undergraduate GPA | 3.73 |
| Percent majoring in arts, humanities, social sciences | 16% |
| Percent majoring in business/commerce | 22% |
| Percent majoring in economics | 21% |
| Percent majoring in engineering | 25% |
| Percent majoring in math/physical sciences | 17% |
| Median GMAT Score | 740 |
| GMAT Score Range | 500-790 |
| GMAT Quant Median | 49 |
| GMAT Quant Range | 31-51 |
| GMAT Verbal Median | 42 |
| GMAT Verbal Range | 25-51 |
Sixty-nine percent of the Class of 2025 submitted GMAT scores and 34 percent submitted GRE scores, with some students submitting scores from both tests.
| GRE Quant Median | 163 |
| GRE Quant Range | 145-170 |
| GRE Verbal Median | 163 |
| GRE Verbal Range | 150-170 |
| Percent Submitting GRE Scores | 34% |
| Women | 45% |
| U.S. Minority Representation (Federal) | 49% |
| International Students | 39% |
| Average Work Experience | 5 years |
Diverse Representation in the Harvard MBA Class of 2025
Women make up 45 percent of the HBS Class of 2025 profile, on par with last year’s 46 percent. Thirty-nine percent of new members are international, another figure similar to last year at just a one percent jump.
In the Harvard MBA Class of 2025 profile, HBS is sharing the racial and ethnic identities of its domestic students in two ways. Federal reporting guidelines allow each individual student to be represented in a single race or ethnic group, whereas HBS also employs multidimensional reporting, allowing students to be counted in each group they identify with. Out of domestic students and permanent U.S. residents, when counted according to Federal guidelines, 22 percent are Asian American, 10 percent are Black or African American, 11 percent are Hispanic or Latino, and 6 percent identify as multiracial. Multi-dimensional reporting indicates that 27 percent of students identify as Asian American, 13 percent are Black or African American, and 11 percent identify as Hispanic or Latino. This method also reveals that 63 percent identify themselves as white as opposed to 50 percent under Federal reporting guidelines.
Academic and Professional Background
Eleven percent of the MBA Class of 2025 are first-generation college students. A quarter of the new HBS class earned undergraduate degrees in engineering. Twenty-two percent hold degrees in business/commerce followed by 21 percent in economics. Seventeen percent had studied math/physical sciences during their undergraduate years. Twelve percent majored in social sciences and four percent in arts/humanities. Based on U.S. schools with a 4.0 scale, the students averaged a 3.73 GPA during undergrad.
Prior to matriculating, the HBS MBA Class of 2025 averaged 4.9 years of professional experience. Seventeen percent of the class comes from a consulting background. Another 17 percent had worked in private equity/venture capital. Thirteen percent came from the tech industry followed by 10 percent each from financial services or consumer products/retail/e-commerce. Manufacturing/industrial/energy cover nine percent of HBS students’ pre-MBA work experience.
When it came time to take the GMAT or GRE, 69 percent opted to take the GMAT and 34 percent submitted GRE scores. The HBS MBA Class of 2025 achieved a 10 point jump over last year’s class, landing with a median GMAT score of 740. The median scores for the Quant and Verbal sections of the GRE came in at 163 each.
