GMAT Score Range For Top Business Schools Like Stanford & Harvard

The GMAT is one of the most important aspects of a business school application as it is a quality indicator for schools when measuring your suitability for an MBA program. Almost two-thirds of entrants to the Harvard Business School MBA in 2024 sat the GMAT exam.

GMAT score ranges tell you what both the lowest and highest-scoring students in an MBA class earned on their GMAT exam.

Like average GMAT scores, when applying to a top MBA program, understanding the range of GMAT scores that current students at your target school submitted—and were accepted for—will help you understand what GMAT score you should aim for.

By analyzing GMAT score ranges, you can determine which schools you have a higher chance of getting into, or where you may need to increase your score to get accepted.

The GMAT exam was updated in early 2024 and now has a new scoring system. Below, we show the most recent class averages based on the 10th edition of the test, alongside an approximation of how the competitiveness of these scores compares to scores on the updated GMAT exam. We also delve more into these test changes below.

How do I understand the GMAT score?

The GMAT exam was updated in February 2024. Alongside changes to the format of the test, this also brought changes to the scoring.
(Don't worry: If you sat the GMAT before February 1st, 2024, your GMAT scores will still be valid for five years as normal.)

To help you better understand the competitiveness of your score compared to average GMAT scores from previous years, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), creators of the GMAT, has provided a concordance table.

When we discuss average GMAT scores, we quote the old scores as they appear in the schools' class profiles for the entering MBA Class of 2026. We also show the approximate equivalent scoring to explain what that equates to in the new GMAT exam. 

What GMAT exam score should I aim for?

While in previous years, top business schools have accepted students with an 800 GMAT score (a perfect score, equivalent to 805 in the new scoring system), in 2024, MBA students at Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) scored a maximum of 790. This translates to scores of around 785 or higher in the current GMAT exam.

Before the GMAT was updated, Harvard historically accepted students who scored as low as 500, in the 25th percentile. Spain’s IESE Business School accepted at least one score of 580 in 2024 (545-555 in the current GMAT exam). 

Stanford University, a school that is historically the hardest to get into worldwide, accepted students with scores as low as 630. This is in the 62nd percentile; approximately as competitive as a score of 585 on the current GMAT.

There have been years where top universities such as Stanford haven't accepted applicants with scores lower than 600, and years where accepted applicants scored 800.  

In other words, scoring within the Stanford GMAT range does not automatically mean you will be accepted. However, you should aim to score on the higher end or above the school's GMAT range if you want a better chance of being accepted into your target program.

While it's important to use the information GMAT ranges provide, it's also important to remember there are some limitations as to what can be learned.

What GMAT ranges do not tell you is the specific scenario that comes with each submitted score. For example, was the applicant who scored the lowest in the cohort also a straight-A student in their undergraduate studies, who scored poorly on the GMAT because they were going through a difficult time?  

Likewise, was the applicant who scored the highest a C-student during their undergraduate studies, who barely skated through business school admission due to their high GMAT score? Context matters.

Harvard vs Stanford GMAT range

Of course, different schools have different GMAT ranges. Harvard and Stanford accepted students who scored 560-600 (around the 40-50th percentile) as well as students who earned near-perfect GMAT scores.

How could it be that these top business schools accept students who scored low on the GMAT? 

This is where the limitations of GMAT ranges come into play. Maybe the student who scored 500 at Harvard had a stellar GPA and was able to wow the admissions team during their interview. 

Maybe the person who scored a 790 at Stanford had a poor GPA but an inspirational personal statement helped them with their admittance.

While your GMAT score is important and can offer you the edge when it comes to showing your potential, it’s not the full picture when it comes to applying to business school.

If you’re considering applying to MBA programs this year, 
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This article was updated in July 2025 to include 2024 scores and to share the new Application Guide.