New York University’s Stern School of Business (NYU Stern) MBA Class of 2026 profile is out, once again showing a high quality cohort. The new class earned an average GMAT score of 733, matching the school’s record high. They also showed their academic strengths with an average undergraduate GPA of 3.64–inching higher than last year’s average of 3.61. Regarding diversity, NYU Stern made some gains with women as well as U.S. underrepresented minorities.
According to Lindsay Loyd, Executive Director for MBA Admissions, “We are thrilled to welcome NYU Stern’s Class of 2026 to campus in New York and are confident the wide array of experiences they bring will enrich the vibrant Stern community. We can’t wait to share with this incoming cohort all that makes Stern so special – how we use NYC as our laboratory for experiential learning, faculty who impact the public and private sectors, and how the Stern MBA sets students up for life as alumni in a global network that is 110,000 strong.”
Last year, out of 3,075 applicants, Stern admitted 966, setting their acceptance rate at 31 percent, and 327 candidates enrolled for the full-time MBA. This year, out of 4,550 applicants, Stern admitted 1,141 and arrived at a class size of 352. Here are some highlights of the NYU MBA Class of 2026:
Diversity and Representation
Stern uses the Graduate Management Education (GME) reporting standards, allowing the school to disclose more nuance around race and ethnicity. Multi-dimensional reporting enables students to identify as multiple races or ethnicities, giving a more comprehensive picture of the diversity of the class. While under Federal reporting guidelines, African American/Black students comprise eight percent of the U.S. domestic students, multi-dimensional reporting shows it’s 12 percent. A quarter identify as Asian American and 12 percent as Hispanic/Latino under multi-dimensional reporting.
Forty-six percent of the class are U.S. minority students, nearly matching last year’s class at 47 percent, and 22 percent are historically underrepresented minorities, a five percent jump from last year.
The MBA class includes students from 50 different countries based on citizenship. Forty percent have international citizenship. The number of U.S. military veterans and active-duty members lands at 11 percent of the class. Women make up 47 percent of students, compared to 43 percent last year. Eleven percent of the new class identify as members of the LBGTQ+ community.
| Women | 47% |
| Countries Represented (by citizenship) | 50 |
| Students with International Citizenship | 40% |
| Average Work Experience | 5 Years |
NYU Stern offers applicants a variety of entrance exams to take. While most (45 percent) still opted to take the GMAT, 23 percent took the GRE. Eight percent took the Executive Assessment (down from 14 percent last year) and five percent submitted MCAT/LSAT/DAT scores. Thirteen percent of candidates were eligible for the NYU test waiver, and six percent secured a test waiver. The Stern Class of 2026’s average GMAT landed at 733 while those who took the GRE landed an average score of 164 in both Verbal and Quant sections.
| Average GMAT Score | 733 |
| GMAT Score Range | 650-780 |
| Average GRE Quant Score | 164 |
| Average GRE Verbal Score | 164 |
| Percent Taking GRE | 23% |
| Percent Taking GMAT | 45% |
Professional and Academic Background
During their undergraduate years, Stern MBAs averaged a GPA of 3.64. Thirty-two percent had earned business degrees and 23 percent had studied engineering/math/science. Economics majors make up 18 percent of the class, social sciences 15 percent, and humanities/art/other students 12 percent.
| Average Undergraduate GPA | 3.64 |
| Percent majoring in business | 32% |
| Percent majoring in science, engineering, and math | 23% |
| Percent majoring in economics | 18% |
| Percent majoring in social sciences | 15% |
| Percent majoring in arts, humanities, other | 12% |
The average length of professional careers for the class is 5 years, in line with most other U.S. schools. Twenty-two percent of students came from the financial services industry and 19 percent from consulting. Ten percent had worked in the tech industry. Seven percent hailed from the military/government. Six percent brought work experience from consumer products/retail, rounding out the top five pre-MBA industries.
