UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
Kenan-Flagler Business School is housed within the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school is well-regarded for its emphasis on leadership development, its numerous international study programs and the variety of careers its graduates enter. Kenan-Flagler offers three Executive MBA programs in addition to its full-time MBA, as well as an online MBA degree option.
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FAQ
What is the tuition for Kenan-Flagler’s MBA program?
The tuition for Kenan-Flagler’s MBA program is $73,226 for out-of-state residents and $55,046 for in-state residents. With the addition of living expenses, however, the school estimates that costs climb to $102,414 for out-of-state residents and $84,234 for in-state residents.
How hard is it to get into Kenan-Flagler’s MBA program?
The acceptance rate for Kenan-Flagler is 37.6%. It is important to consider the acceptance rate in the context of the student profile of those who are admitted. For example the average GMAT score is 707.
What is the average GMAT score for admission to Kenan-Flagler’s MBA program?
The average GMAT score for the incoming class at Kenan-Flagler is 707.
Does the Kenan-Flagler MBA program accept the GRE?
Yes. The Kenan-Flagler MBA program has accepted the GRE for a few years now.
What is the average GRE score for admission to Kenan-Flagler’s MBA program?
Kenan-Flagler does not publish an average GRE score for its incoming class, but does accept the GRE for admissions.
What is the minimum number of years of work experience required for admission to Kenan-Flagler’s MBA program?
Kenan-Flagler does not state a minimum requirement for years of work experience. However, it is important for candidates to be aware that they are being considered against other candidates with an average of 5 years of experience.
What is the average number of years of work experience for admission to Kenan-Flagler’s MBA program?
The average number of years of work experience among students in Kenan-Flagler’s MBA program is 5.
What is the average starting salary for graduates of the Kenan-Flagler MBA program?
The average starting salary for Kenan-Flagler MBA graduates is $146,779. The salary will vary by industry, with consulting and finance jobs generally commanding the higher salaries.
How long is Kenan-Flagler’s full-time MBA program?
Kenan-Flagler offers a traditional 2 year MBA program.
What are the application deadlines for Kenan-Flagler’s full-time MBA program?
The Round 1 MBA application deadline is October 8, 2024. The Round 2 application deadline is January 7, 2025. The Round 3 deadline is March 4, 2025. The Round 4 deadline, for domestic applicants only, is April 29, 2025.
What percent of Kenan-Flagler MBA students are women?
Women comprise 31% of the UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA class.
What type of interview does Kenan-Flagler use for MBA admissions?
Kenan-Flagler offers interviews by invitation only. Applicants will be invited to interview either in-person or virtually. The interviews are resume-based. This means the interviewer has not had access to the application materials.
Admissions
The Class Profile
Kenan-Flagler’s MBA Class of 2026 has 249 students. Forty-three percent of students are international and women make up 31% of the class. Twelve percent have a military background. Minority representation was not reported this year.
The new Kenan-Flagler class landed a mean GMAT score of 707. During their undergraduate years, they had a mean GPA of 3.42. The new class averaged 5 years of pre-MBA work experience before matriculation.
Application Procedures
Kenan-Flagler has four rounds of admissions that occur in October, January, March and April. Applicants must submit a one-page résumé, an application form, transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended, GRE or GMAT test scores (if applicable), a recommendation, essays and a $150 application fee. Applicants can submit a GRE/GMAT waiver if they meet the following criteria:
- Applicants who graduated within the past 10 years (2011 – 2021) with 3.2 GPA or above and coursework in STEM, business, economics or analytical fields from a U.S. institution
- Earned an advanced or terminal degree from a U.S. institution in JD, MD or a PhD or MS degree within a STEM, business or economics academic field
- 5+ years of professional experience in a quantitative or analytical field
- Hold a U.S. CPA or CFA professional certificate
- Strong test results from the Executive Assessment, LSAT, PCAT or MCAT
North Carolina residents should submit a residency form for tuition purposes, while international candidates whose native language is not English must submit their TOEFL, IELTS or PTE Academic scores. The usual open interview season at Kenan-Flagler has been cancelled due to COVID-19. Interviews are issued by invitation only and are conducted either virtually or on campus. An interview is required for admission and a member of the admissions committee or an alumnus conducts them. Applicants with a proven commitment to supporting diversity in business may also apply through the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, of which Kenan-Flagler is a member.
Application Checklist
- Data Forms
- GMAT/GRE and TOEFL/IELTS/PTE Academic Score(s)
- Résumé
- Application Fee
- Recommendation Letter
- Academic Transcripts
- Essays
- Residency Form, if applicable
Essay Topic Analysis
Recommendation Questions
UNC Kenan-Flagler Q&A's
UNC Kenan-Flagler LiveWire and DecisionWire
Academics
Faculty
Kenan-Flagler employs over 150 tenured and tenure-track faculty members, adjunct professors and lecturers across its seven academic areas. These professors also contribute to the business school’s 13 research centers, which vary in focus from real estate to urban investment strategies.
Curriculum
Courses at Kenan-Flagler emphasize learning through case studies and small group activities. For their first year, students are assigned to groups of 70 to 75 people who take the same required courses together.
Kenan-Flagler breaks each semester into two seven-week periods of instruction called “modules,” with breaks for holidays and fall, winter and spring vacations. Two pre-term summer sessions called Business Foundations and Math Foundations are available to first-year students who wish to review key analytical and financial skills prior to beginning their degree. First-years begin formal classes in late July, while second-year classes start in mid-August. All classes finish for the year at the beginning of May, with graduation occurring a week later.
Kenan-Flagler students are required to complete 14 core courses their first year. Topics for core courses cover business fundamentals such as finance, microeconomics, marketing, accounting, ethics and business strategy.
To complete their business degree, students must take 62 credits worth of classes. Students may begin taking electives in the spring semester of their first year, and the second-year curriculum is comprised entirely of electives. The school reports that at least 10% of elective courses are new each year in order to keep class material current with faculty research. There are no required majors at Kenan-Flagler, but there are 13 suggested concentrations for students who wish to demonstrate their interest and proficiency in subjects such as real estate or operations management. Typically, each concentration requires students to complete five or six elective courses. The school also offers a focus area in Family Enterprise geared towards students interested in family business.
Kenan-Flagler encourages students to design their own independent study or practicum project in which students apply theory to real-world business situations. Students interested in gaining international experience may study abroad for a semester at one of Kenan-Flagler’s more than 50 MBA exchange partner schools or spend one to two weeks abroad as part of a “Doing Business In” immersion course. Alternatively, students can pursue a Global Immersion Elective, a semester-long course that teaches students about a particular region’s culture and history and concludes with a 10- to 14-day tour of that region.
Other MBA Degree Options
Along with the full-time MBA program, Kenan-Flagler offers 9 dual degree programs, two of which are run in conjunction with schools at Duke University. Through the dual degree programs, students may earn an MBA in addition to an advanced degree in areas ranging from Public Health to City and Regional Planning.
Kenan-Flagler recently launched an online MBA program, through which students complete 62 credits over an 18- to 36-month timeframe. The school offers an Executive MBA on the weekends at Chapel Hill, as well as an Evening Executive MBA for experienced professionals. The evening program takes 24 months to complete, and the weekend program takes 21 months. Additionally, Kenan-Flagler offers a two-year hybrid Executive MBA program with in-person classes held in Charlotte.
Concentrations at Kenan-Flagler
- Corporate Finance
- Marketing
- Operations Management
- Capital Markets and Investments
- Consulting
- Real Estate
- Business Analytics and Management Science
- Sustainable Enterprise
- Entrepreneurship
- Energy
- Technology and Innovation Management
- Healthcare
- Managing People and Organizations
Degree Offerings at Kenan-Flagler
Full-time MBA Program
www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/programs/mba
Online MBA@UNC
onlinemba.unc.edu/
MBA for Executives
https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/programs/mba/evening-executive-mba/
https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/programs/mba/weekend-executive-mba/
Evening MBA
https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/programs/mba/evening-mba/
Dual Degrees
Law, Public Health, City and Regional Planning, Information and Library Science, Pharmacy, Medicine, Dentistry, Environment, and Public Policy
https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/programs/mba/full-time-mba/academics/dual-degree-mba/
Campus Life
Clubs, Conferences & Competitions
Kenan-Flagler students play an active role on the UNC campus, participating in more than 40 clubs as well as two student-led advisory boards. These groups range from clubs focused on careers paths such as consulting and investment management to affinity-based clubs like Carolina Women in Business or the Black Business Student Association. There are also a number of athletic clubs focused on sports like basketball or running. In addition to offering resources on career opportunities and professional development, Kenan-Flagler’s clubs regularly pair with companies to organize other events. For instance, the Consulting Club organizes career treks to Atlanta to visit companies including Deloitte, BCG, and Bain.
Kenan-Flagler hosts a variety of conferences each year on areas ranging from real estate to diversity. Since 2010, for example, the school has hosted their own annual healthcare conference, which has focused on innovation, analytics and most recently, rising costs. The most recent real estate conference in 2024 featured Debra Cafaro, Chairman and CEO of Ventas, Inc., as a keynote speaker. The school has also founded a number of business competitions, including the Venture Capital Investment Competition, the Alpha Challenge, the UNC Kenan-Flagler Real Estate Development Challenge, the UNC Kenan-Flagler Marketing Case Challenge, and the Invest for Impact Competition.
Campus Spaces
Nearly all classes at Kenan-Flagler take place in the McColl Building, located on the south end of the University of Carolina, Chapel Hill campus. Along with 18 classrooms, a 388-seat auditorium, a café and a computer lab, the building also houses classes for the evening MBA for Executives program. The weekend MBA for Executives program, meanwhile, primarily takes places in the Paul J. Rizzo Conference Center, located approximately one mile from the school. While there are housing options available on campus for full-time MBA students, those can be difficult to secure, so most students live in one of 10 apartment complexes near the school.
MBA Careers
Career Services
Kenan-Flagler’s Career Management Center (CMC) offers students guidance on their careers through options such as one-on-one coaching with a career search expert, peer counselors trained to review résumés and conduct mock interviews, and training sessions on job search and recruiting basics. With more than 100 companies presenting on campus each year, the CMC organizes career fairs and résumé books starting in September. On-campus interviews for full-time positions begin in early October for second-year students, and first-year students start interviewing for summer internships in early January. Students may also go on club-sponsored career treks to different major cities to tour companies in their area of interest.
Career Statistics
Eighty-nine percent of Kenan-Flagler’s Class of 2023 received job offers within three months of graduation, and 89% of the class had accepted offers by that time. The average salary for this class was $146,779 while the average signing bonus was $34,555.
The most popular industry for recently minted graduates was financial services, which attracted 28% of the Class of 2023. An additional 24% entered the consulting industry. Thirteen percent pursued real estate followed by 12% joining the technology field. Healthcare took in eight percent of recent graduates.
Given the school’s location, Kenan-Flagler graduates unsurprisingly gravitated towards positions in the Southern U.S., with 44% of the class taking a job in that area. Nearly 24 % percent of 2023 graduates headed for the Northeast. Eight percent each found work in the West or Southwest while six percent settled in the Midwest. Ten percent landed in the Mid-Atlantic U.S.
Financing
Tuition and fees for the 2024-2025 academic year come to $73,226 for out-of-state residents and $55,046 for in-state residents. With the addition of living expenses, however, the school estimates that costs climb to $102,414 for out-of-state residents and $84,234 for in-state residents. Each year, Kenan-Flagler helps students defray the cost of their education by offering almost half of full-time MBA students merit-based fellowships that award funding ranging from partial tuition to full tuition and a stipend. All applicants are automatically considered for the fellowships. Students looking to finance their MBA degrees with loans may consider federal loan programs, extended only to U.S. citizens or permanent residents, or private loan options. International students may apply for a loan through Prodigy Finance, MPOWER Financing, or SoFi, which do not require a co-signer.
Cost of Attendance (2024-2025)
Tuition
- State Resident $53,776
- Out-of-state Resident $71,956
Additional Costs (orientation fee, MBA Student Association dues) $1,270
Books $1,290
Food $6,068
Housing $14,648
Health Insurance $2,784
Miscellaneous $1,900
Direct Loan Fee $306
Grad PLUS Loan Fee $1,690
Travel $1,772
Totals
State Resident $84,234
Out-of-state Resident $102,414
Recent News
Contact
Mailing Address:
Kenan-Flagler Business School
MBA Admissions Office
The University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill
Campus Box 3490, McColl Bldg.,
Room 2114
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3490 USA
Phone: 919-962-9129
Fax: 919-962-0898
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu
Twitter: @kenanflagler