Columbia Business School‘s MBA Class of 2025 welcomed a diverse cohort of 900 students, with 681 starting in August and 219 beginning in January.
According to this year’s class profile, CBS received 5,895 applications this past admissions season, compared to 6,177 for the Class of 2024. Unlike last year, the school did not report the number of applicants admitted. The overall class size increased a bit–900 this year vs. 844 total for the Class of 2024. While 681 students began their CBS MBA in August this year, 629 started last August. Meanwhile, the J-Term class size remained virtually the same with 219 candidates signed up for the Class of 2025 J-Term while 215 had started in January last year.
International Students, Women, and US Minority Representation
While the Class of 2025 may have different start times, their stats are reported as a whole. Women make up 44 percent of the CBS MBA Class of 2025, which matches last year. International students comprise 47 percent of students, a four percent dip from last year. U.S. minority representation increased a percentage point over last year to 43 percent of the latest class.
CBS reports minority representation using both federal guidelines and multi-dimensional reporting guidelines. Under federal guidelines, students who identify, for example, as Hispanic and any other race are represented as Hispanic only, and students who identify as more than one race are represented as multi-race only. Under the federal reporting guidelines, Black/African American students make up eight percent of the class, Hispanic/Latinx students nine percent, Asian Americans 21 percent, and multiracial students four percent.
| Women | 44% |
| International Students | 47% |
| Average Work Experience | 5 years |
Professional and Academic Background
Thirty-five percent of students pursued a degree in business before joining the MBA program. A fifth had studied economics followed by 17 percent earning degrees in engineering. Eleven percent had majored in social sciences and six percent in humanities. Eight percent earned undergraduate degrees in the sciences.
| Average Undergraduate GPA | 3.5 |
| Percent majoring in business | 35% |
| Percent majoring in economics | 20% |
| Percent majoring in engineering | 17% |
| Percent majoring in social sciences or humanities | 17% |
The average undergraduate GPA landed at 3.5. The average GMAT score increased over last year’s class from 729 to 730.
| Average GMAT Score | 730 |
| GMAT Score Range | 610 – 790 |
| GMAT Score Middle 80% | 700 – 760 |
Students in the class have an average of five years of professional experience, and 100 percent of the new class had at least one year of work experience before matriculation. The industry distribution is largely unchanged from the previous year, with 29 percent working in the financial services industry, 21 percent from a consulting background, and 12 percent coming from marketing or media. Another 11 percent had worked in the tech industry, and five percent each joined CBS from healthcare, military/government, or real estate.
