MBA Recommendation Questions
We know it’s a bit unnerving to ask someone for a recommendation without knowing what they’ll be asked. Luckily, we’ve done all the legwork for you and have gathered all of this admissions cycle’s MBA recommendation questions from the top business schools in one central spot.
Usually each school’s rating grid and recommendation questions are visible only to your recommenders. Below you will find details on the questions that your recommender will see after you submit their name and contact information in the Recommenders section of your online MBA application.
It’s also worth noting that many programs now use the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation. Be sure to check out (and share with your recommender) our GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation Analysis for MBA Applicants and Recommenders.
Bookmark this page for your convenience as a reminder of this year’s MBA Recommendation Questions and as you go about crafting the perfect application(s)! Good luck everyone!
2025-2026 MBA Recommendation Questions
Do Not Require Recommendations
IE Business School does not require letters of recommendation, but applicants must provide contact information for two academic or professional references.
OSU Fisher does not require letters of recommendation, but applicants must provide two references for admissions to contact if needed to make an admissions decision.
Rochester Simon does not require or accept letters of recommendation, but applicants must provide contact information for two professional references.
SMU Cox does not require letters of recommendation; instead, they request two contacts to serve as professional references if needed.
USC Marshall does not require a recommendation as part of their application process.
WashU Olin does not require a recommendation.
Clear Admit Resources
If you (or your recommender!) are looking for more detailed strategic guidance on this element of the business school application process, we encourage you to check out the Clear Admit Recommendation Guide. This 45-page PDF publication is available for immediate download. Go beyond the MBA recommendation questions. Learn who your best options are for recommenders, and how to coach them to write winning letters of recommendation.
MBA Applywire
Undergrad
Engineering Majors from BITS Pilani (Tier-1 school in India), Minors in Finance and Accounting.
8.12/10.0 GPA in Majors, 8.0/10.0 in Minors
Extra Curricular
> Lead Fellow with a national academic NGO (Academic Yr 2026-2027)
> Teaching Volunteer with a national Academic NGO (Academic Yr 2025-2026)
> Captain - Football Team at Undergrad University + Captain - Football Team in School
Positioning/Story
> Strong academic foundations and interest in Finance (Minors + Internship) and immersive experience moving the needle for Startups to IPO companies with deep technology exposure across B2C and B2B environments.
> Collaborative and stakeholder management-driven work experience throughout, professionally and personally - driving impact to the under-served sections of the society (NGO) + Leading the team in sports through teenage to adulthood.
Specific Questions -
1. How am I positioned for Kellogg (FT or MMM), booth (MBA/MS), Haas (MBA/MEng), Columbia (MBA/MS) ? Will Dual degrees give me a slight edge over the FT MBAs?
2. How am I placed for top EU/UK? Tailoring applications here with VC goal than the PM leadership.
3. What T15s should I consider? Presently considering Fuqua, Cornell, Stern 2yr (Not considering 1yr Tech MBAs - (Stern, Cornell Tech) as I want to leverage the internship).
I have about 4 years of experience at a financial derivatives advisory firm, where I'm a Vice President advising real estate and equipment-finance clients on hedging strategies. My firm is very small. which means, I am asked to take leadership roles. For example, I lead our largest client relationship, and I get to present to clients' executives and investors. Before this, I had one year in a mid size public sector consulting firm and before that, I had a year of service in the AmeriCorps, working in homelessness services.
I have a 3.58 GPA from a good but not top tier public university. At graduation I have 150 credits, which meant I was able to graduate with two bachelors degrees. They were a B.S. in Math and Economics, and a B.A. in History.
Outside of work, I volunteer roughly 120 hours a year with a hunger-relief nonprofit a and serve as a junior board member. I also organized my company's first ever annual day of service, which we've continued for 3 years. My personal interests include collecting vinyl records, and learning ancient History.
Post-MBA, I want to build on my background in real estate capital markets to move into banking on the lending side, with a particular focus on real estate. I like the real estate world, but I want to work at a bank as I think a larger institution would provide more opportunities for growth in the larger world of finance.
I am struggling to decide which schools to apply to. I keep adding programs to my list, and I already think my list is too high. My brother wants me to apply to Stanford because he's moving to the Bay Area, but I don't think I'd be competitive. My dream school is Wharton, but I think it's a long shot.
Also, in case it's relevant, I am a 28 year old White male from Pennsylvania, and a member of the LGBTQ community.
My low cgpa was as a result of working part time during my undergrad to cover my expenses and mostly for experience. Parent's business run into financial challenges made things difficult because i had to pay my fees. had CGPA of 3.0+ in 3rd and 4th year in my undergrad(60 credit hours). currently work in commercial bank in CX with 4yrs Work Exp. It will be 6yrs when I apply for the MBA ,I will be promoted to a different unit soon. pro bono consulting for young entrepreneurs. Led youth groups at church and organize capacity building events.
Plan on writing the GRE with 330 as target.
Hoping for a significant scholarship
1. I want advise on how to build my profile to make me an ideal candidate for R1 acceptance and $$$
I have worked for over 10 years in sales and business development and I am currently completing a PostGraduate Diploma in Banking and Finance and I need an a good MBA to enable me pivot into financial services.
Currently working in consulting with a major FMCG/alcobev client, mainly across analytics, supply, and business problem-solving work. Over time, I’ve realized I enjoy understanding why problems exist within organizations and how teams, systems, and decisions can work better together, which is what’s pushing me towards strategy consulting and an MBA.
A lot of my interest in business also comes from seeing how everyday products and operations work behind the scenes. Outside work, I co-founded and ran a digital literacy initiative (1yr 2mo) during COVID where we helped elderly individuals and women from underserved communities learn basic digital tools to stay connected and manage daily activities during lockdown.
I’m currently preparing for the GMAT and exploring schools such as LBS, Fuqua, Ross, Tuck, and a few reach schools depending on how the score progresses.