Which top US business schools have the highest and lowest acceptance rates?

TL;DR

• Stanford Graduate School of Business, Harvard Business School, and the Wharton School have some of the lowest acceptance rates of top-ranked business schools

• Acceptance rates at Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management, Washington Foster School of Business, and UT Austin McCombs School of Business are less competitive

• Your GMAT score, undergraduate GPA, and performance in MBA essays and interviews can help you get into a business school with a low acceptance rate

What are your chances of being accepted onto an MBA at a top-ranked business school? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer—it depends on factors like your GMAT score, undergraduate GPA, and your performance in MBA essays and interviews.

However, it can be helpful to gauge the level of competition for different MBA programs by looking at their MBA acceptance rates. Here, we break down the highest and lowest acceptance rates among the US News top 20 MBA programs.

What is the average acceptance rate for top US MBA programs? 

The average MBA acceptance rate among the top 20 schools as ranked by US News is just over 25%, meaning around one in four applicants are successful.

However, there is a wide range of acceptance rates within this group, with some schools having very low acceptance rates. We've provided the full list below. 

Which US business schools have the lowest acceptance rates?

You might think that the business schools with the lowest MBA acceptance rates would all be clustered at the top of the ranking, and for the most part, this is true. Many of the top schools have more competitive acceptance rates, with the lowest belonging to Stanford Graduate School of Business, which takes the top spot in the US News MBA ranking.

Many of the schools with the lowest acceptance rates also belong to the prestigious M7 business schools. However, one of the schools with the lowest acceptance rate can be found outside of US News' top 10 MBAs.

1. Stanford Graduate School of Business 

Acceptance rate: 6.8%

US News ranking: 1

Stanford Graduate School of Business is a common fixture at the top of annually published MBA rankings, thanks in part to its strong career outcomes for graduates. According to US News, Stanford MBA starting salaries amount to over $206,000.

This naturally leads to intense competition for places, with the Stanford MBA acceptance rate sitting at 6.8%. That’s fewer than one in 10 successful applications.
Of those who enrolled in the class of 2027, 45% of students were female, and 42% were international students.

2. Harvard Business School 

Acceptance rate: 11.2%

US News ranking: =4

The Harvard MBA acceptance rate, although a jump from Stanford's, is still incredibly competitive at 11.2%. In the most recent Harvard MBA class profile, the median GMAT score for enrolled students was in the 96th percentile, which puts students in the top 4% of GMAT examinees.

If you’re wondering how to get into Harvard, the first step is clearing these basic admissions criteria, then differentiating yourself from other applicants with your MBA essay and interviews.

3. University of Pennsylvania Wharton School 

Acceptance rate: 18.6%

US News ranking: 2

The acceptance rate at Wharton is slightly lower, at 18.6%. Ranked the second best MBA by US News, Wharton graduates can expect an impressive starting salary of over $200,000. For those who make it into the program, the rewards are worth it, as almost 88% of graduates are employed within three months of graduation.

4. MIT Sloan School of Business 

Acceptance rate: 18.8%

US News ranking: 6

The MIT Sloan MBA acceptance rate is very similar to Wharton’s, at 18.8%. MIT is well-known for its STEM teaching, so it’s no surprise that much of its class hails from a similar background. In the class of 2027, over a quarter of the class majored in engineering, 23% in business, and 17% in economics.

5. University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business

Acceptance rate: 21.4%

US News ranking: 10

The acceptance rate at University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business is also at the low end of the list, with just over one in five applicants finding success.

The MBA class of 2027 is 42% women and 40% international students according to US News, with an average of 5.6 years of work experience.

Which business schools have the highest acceptance rates?

Not every MBA program has acceptance rates as steep as the ones above. Here, we’ve broken down the higher end of the MBA acceptance rates in the US News top 20.

However, a high acceptance rate is still no guarantee of entry. You need to look closely at a school’s average GMAT scores and other admissions criteria to make your case for acceptance.

1. Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management

Acceptance rate: 36.2%

US News ranking: =16

The Vanderbilt MBA is the highest of the top 20-ranked programs by US News, accepting over 36% of applicants. Even though the school is less competitive than the likes of Harvard and Wharton, career prospects are still strong: almost 78% of students are employed by the time they graduate, a figure which rises to around 88% within three months of graduating.

2. University of Washington Foster School of Business

Acceptance rate: 33.6%

US News ranking: 20

Washington Foster School of Business accepts just over a third of MBA applicants into its MBA program. Over 70% of students are employed by graduation, which increases to around 83% after three months. Starting salaries are also high, at over $178,000.

3. University of Texas Austin McCombs School of Business

Acceptance rate: 32.7%

US News ranking: =18

UT Austin also has a similarly high acceptance rate, with 32.7% of applicants securing their spot in the school's MBA program. With graduates earning an impressive starting salary of almost $178,000, UT Austin's focus on career placement helped just over 78% of students find a job within three months of graduating.

4. University of California Los Angeles Anderson School of Management

Acceptance rate: 31%

US News ranking: =18

The UCLA Anderson School of Management acceptance rate is slightly lower, at 31%. Over three-quarters of MBA graduates from the school land roles within three months of graduating, earning a starting salary of around $173,000.

Around 45% of UCLA Anderson’s MBA class of 2027 are women, while almost 39% are international students.

5. University of Virginia Darden School of Business

Acceptance rate: 30.7%

US News ranking: =11

Finally, the Virginia Darden acceptance rate stands at just over 30%. Around 90% of graduates of the 21-month program are employed within three months of finishing the MBA.

Despite having a higher acceptance rate and therefore being less competitive than many other schools on the US News list, graduates from Virginia Darden can expect an impressive average starting salary of over $194,000.