Acceptance Rates & Yield At the Top 100 U.S. MBA Programs

Last Updated on April 18, 2024 by Robert C. Hoopes

Acceptance rates at the top full-time MBA programs in the United States have seen a significant increase in 2023 for the second consecutive year, according to data from U.S. News & World Report and Poets&Quants analysis. More than half of the top 50 programs have reported a rise in acceptance rates, with seven of the top 10 B-schools and 18 of the top 25 also experiencing increases.

This trend can be attributed to a decline in MBA applications at many top schools over the past three years, prompting B-schools to be more generous in their admissions decisions. As a result, 35 of the top 53 schools saw an increase in the number of admits from 2022 to 2023, leading to larger MBA class sizes at many institutions.

The trend of higher acceptance rates is not limited to elite B-schools, as it was observed across the top 25 programs as well, indicating a wider trend in admissions. However, despite the overall increase, some schools reported declines in acceptance rates, with selectivity dropping at certain institutions.

Stanford Graduate School of Business maintained its position with the lowest acceptance rate at 8.4% in 2023, while Dartmouth Tuck School of Business had the highest acceptance rate in the top 10 at 40.1%. Georgetown McDonough School of Business topped the list in the top 25 with an acceptance rate of 61.8%.

The overall trend of increased acceptance rates at B-schools in the top 100 is good news for MBA candidates, as it provides more opportunities to gain admission to their desired programs. The data highlights year-over-year changes in applications, admits, class sizes, and yield at 53 of the top U.S. MBA programs, showing the evolving landscape of MBA admissions.