Columbia Business School welcomed 972 students to the MBA program in the fall of 2024. While the classes joining the CBS MBA program in 2024 have different start times (August and January), their stats are reported as a whole.
According to this year’s class profile, CBS received 7,487 applications this past admissions season, compared to 5,895 for the class entering in 2023. The overall class size increased–972 this year vs. 900 total for the last intake. While 734 students began their CBS MBA in August this year, 681 started last August. Meanwhile, the J-Term class saw 238 candidates signed up this year compared to 219 for the last intake. Those who began the CBS MBA in August this year will graduate in 2026 while J-Term candidates will graduate in 2025.
International Students, Women, and US Minority Representation
For the third year running, women make up 44 percent of the latest CBS MBA. International students comprise 46 percent of students, which is only slightly lower than last year’s 47 percent. U.S. minority representation increased a percentage point over last year to 44 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 seven percent of the class, Hispanic/Latinx students nine percent, Asian Americans 24 percent, and multiracial students three percent.
| Women | 44% |
| International Students | 46% |
| Average Work Experience | 5 years |
Professional and Academic Background
Thirty percent of students pursued a degree in business before joining the MBA program. Eighteen percent had studied economics followed by 16 percent earning degrees in engineering. Thirteen percent had majored in social sciences and six percent in humanities. Ten percent earned undergraduate degrees in the sciences.
| Average Undergraduate GPA | 3.6 |
| Percent majoring in business | 30% |
| Percent majoring in economics | 18% |
| Percent majoring in engineering | 16% |
| Percent majoring in social sciences or humanities | 19% |
The average undergraduate GPA landed at 3.6. The average GMAT score increased over last year’s class from 730 to 732. For those who took the GRE, both the average Verbal and Quant scores came in at 162.
| Average GMAT Score | 732 |
| GMAT Score Range | 600 – 780 |
| Average GRE Score – Verbal | 162 |
| Average GRE Score – Quant | 162 |
Students in the class have an average of five years of professional experience. The industry distribution is largely unchanged from the previous year, with 30 percent having worked in the financial services industry, 25 percent from a consulting background, and 13 percent coming from tech. Ten percent hailed from media/marketing and five percent joined CBS from healthcare.
