The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business announced the profile for its MBA Class of 2026, another cohort assembled with an emphasis on “diversity of thought, background, and career objectives.” The latest class saw a roughly 22 percent increase in application volume compared to the last admissions intake. During the 2023-2024 admissions season, Chicago Booth received 5,125 applications for its full-time MBA class, compared to 4,184 applicants for their MBA Class of 2025. 632 new students matriculated as part of the MBA Class of 2026.
Student Characteristics
Thirty-five percent of the new class are international students hailing from 66 countries. Almost half, 46 percent, of the students were born outside the United States. Forty-two percent of the class are women, which matches last year’s class. In terms of racial and ethnic diversity, 30 percent of U.S. students identify as Asian American, eight percent as Black/African America, 10 percent as Hispanic/Latinx, and four percent as multi-race, per Federal reporting guidelines.
Looking at other aspects of diversity, nine percent of the class identify as LGBTQ+. Ten percent had served in the military, and 11 percent are first-generation college graduates.
| Women | 42% |
| Countries Represented (by citizenship) | 66 |
| International Students | 35% |
| Average Work Experience | 5 years |
Academic and Professional Experience
Booth MBAs come with an impressive academic record and hail from 319 different undergraduate institutions. The class average undergraduate GPA is 3.6, based on U.S. institutions with a 4.0 scale. Business was the most popular undergrad major at 27 percent. Engineering followed at 23 percent. Twenty-two percent of the class earned degrees in economics while 13 percent studied liberal arts and seven percent pursued the physical sciences. Also, 15 percent already hold graduate-level degrees.
| Average Undergraduate GPA | 3.6 |
| Percent majoring in business | 27% |
| Percent majoring in engineering | 23% |
| Percent majoring in economics | 22% |
| Percent majoring in liberal arts | 13% |
The class boasts an average GMAT score of 729, with 56 percent submitting GMAT scores. For the 38 percent of students who chose to take the GRE, they landed an average Quant score of 163 and an average Verbal score of 161.
| Average GMAT Score | 729 |
| GMAT Score Range | 590-780 |
| GRE Quant Average | 163 |
| GRE Verbal Average | 161 |
| Percent Submitting GRE Scores | 38% |
Booth students arrived on campus with an average of 5 years of professional experience. Twenty-seven percent hailed from consulting, the most popular pre-MBA industry. Financial services professionals followed at 18 percent. Thirteen percent had worked in tech and 11 percent in the nonprofit/government spaces. Eight percent came from PE/VC.
