The website Poets & Quants reports a drop in median GMAT scores at the top 25 programs for this year’s students, and 15 programs accepted more candidates this year than last year. These two facts can be explained by the decrease in number of applications to the top programs.

The MBA programs at Kellogg, MIT, Tepper, UNC, and USC listed a 10 point decrease in median GMAT score. In contrast, there were 8 schools that reported an increase in median GMAT score, like Stanford with a leap from 730 to 740 (10 points higher than Harvard), Berkeley, and Darden. GMAT scores at Stanford range between 530-790, 490-790 at Harvard, and 560-790 at Wharton.

Some business schools also reported the average GMAT score among all their applicants (including those rejected, or those accepted who chose not to attend): The median GMAT score of all applicants to Harvard was 701, 710 to Berkeley, 705 to Yale (with an average of 688), and 700 to Kellogg, Duke, and Michigan.

In terms of acceptance rates, most top programs reported an increase from 2010, with significant increases at Michigan (32% were accepted compared to 25% last year), USC, and Georgetown. Tuck (18%), Darden (25%), and Tepper (24%) actually reported a decrease in acceptance rates. The most selective program is still Stanford with a 6% acceptance rate, followed by Harvard at 11%, Berkeley at 12%, and MIT and NYU at 13%.

Put Me in Business (applying in less than a year)
Put Me in Business (applying in more than a year)