THE WHARTON SCHOOL · MBA GUIDE
Wharton reads each application with three questions in mind: what you would contribute in the classroom, in the community, and in your career after the MBA. Start here to understand the program and prepare each part of your application.
Fall 2027 entry
GET TO KNOW THE PROGRAM
The full-time MBA takes about 20 months in Philadelphia, with classes from Monday to Thursday. You build business fundamentals in the core, then go deeper through a major and electives.
FIRST YEAR
You start with Pre-Term, then take core courses alongside a learning team of five or six classmates.
SUMMER
Most students complete a summer internship, although it isn’t required.
SECOND YEAR
You finish any remaining core courses and focus on your major and electives.
Six core courses are fixed. For the rest, you choose between versions of a subject and can move some to your second year, which leaves room for electives before an internship.
English tests: Wharton requires the TOEFL iBT, PTE, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test, taken within two years of your deadline, if your studies weren’t taught in English. The requirement may be waived if you earned a degree from an institution where English was the language of instruction; you request the waiver in your application.
Grades and degrees: If your university doesn’t grade on a 4.0 scale, don’t convert your grades; report them as your transcript shows them. Three-year bachelor’s degrees are accepted.
Visas and timing: If you need a U.S. student visa, Wharton recommends applying in Round 1 or 2. After admission, the I-20 for an F-1 visa requires proof of funding for your first year: tuition, fees, and living costs.
Loans: Your options depend on having a co-signer who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Without one, look for private lenders that don’t require a co-signer, and for funding in your home country. Wharton can’t recommend a lender.
Working in the U.S. after graduating: Nine majors are STEM-designated. For students on an F-1 visa, a STEM major can extend post-study work permission (OPT) from 12 to 36 months.
The class: International students made up 26% of the class that entered in 2025, from 68 countries.
The core: The six fixed courses are in leadership, marketing, microeconomics (two courses), regression analysis, and management communication. The flexible part, more than half the core, spans eight areas, including accounting and corporate finance.
San Francisco: Each fall, 70 MBA students take their classes on Wharton’s San Francisco campus for a semester, with a focus on entrepreneurship, technology, and Bay Area recruiting.
Joint degrees: In three integrated programs, you receive one joint decision: the Lauder MBA/MA in International Studies (24 months, from May), the Carey JD/MBA (three years), and the MBA in Health Care Management (22 months). Other dual degrees, including ones with Harvard Kennedy School and Johns Hopkins SAIS, need separate applications.
UNDERSTAND WHAT WHARTON CONSIDERS
Two people read each application separately, without seeing each other’s views. They consider what you would achieve and contribute in the classroom, in the Wharton community, and in your career after the MBA.
IN THE CLASSROOM
Your transcripts, test scores, and résumé show how you handle quantitative work and how your responsibilities have grown. Wharton describes its environment as highly collaborative and analytically focused.
Letrado’s adviceIf part of your record is uneven, give Wharton another way to see your ability: a recent course, your test results, or quantitative work in your job. The optional essay can explain the context briefly.
IN THE COMMUNITY
Invited applicants join a team discussion, which shows Wharton how you communicate, take part, lead, and make decisions with others.
Letrado’s adviceCollect examples of times you helped a team reach a better answer: connecting two ideas, bringing in someone quieter, or changing your mind. They will help in your essay and your interview.
IN YOUR CAREER
Wharton asks for the job you want right after the MBA, then your medium- and long-term goals. It says you can still be exploring the longer path.
Letrado’s adviceConnect the job you name to what you have already done and to what you still need to learn. You don’t need every later step decided.
WHAT WHARTON DESCRIBES
A virtual discussion with five or six other applicants, working together toward a shared outcome.
A one-on-one conversation with a member of the admissions team about how the discussion went.
Interviews are by invitation only, and Wharton admits no one without one. Discussion groups are assigned randomly.
Wharton says an invitation means it sees you as a potential fit. Lauder, Carey JD/MBA, and Health Care Management applicants also interview with that program.
CLASS OF 2027 PROFILE
The average undergraduate GPA was 3.7, counting students whose universities grade on a 4.0 scale.
These are averages for one past class, not minimums. Wharton says there is no minimum GMAT or GRE score and no preference between the two tests.
WHAT WHARTON SAYS
Wharton judges work experience by the depth and breadth of your roles, your contributions, and how your responsibility has grown. No industry is favored, and a Fortune 500 employer counts for no more than a small business.
You don’t need business courses. Wharton says about 40% of a class generally has a liberal arts background, and it encourages introductory calculus and statistics before you start.
On your one-page résumé, Wharton looks for growth, accomplishments, and skills such as leadership and teamwork. Bullet points shouldn’t read like a job description, so quantify results, and briefly describe any employer that isn’t a household name.
WHAT WHARTON SAYS
Wharton says hiring a paid admissions consultant “isn’t necessary” and encourages you to have a trusted family member or peer review your writing. Its own help for applicants includes webinars, coffee chats, and guidance sessions. On a campus visit day, you can also sit in on a class.
Wharton’s MBA admissions pages publish no AI policy for applicants.
PLAN THE APPLICATION
Wharton reviews applications in three rounds. It encourages first-time applicants, reapplicants, and anyone who needs a U.S. student visa to apply in Round 1 or 2, because space becomes more limited in Round 3.
Round 1
Sep 8, 2026Round 2
Jan 5, 2027Round 3
Mar 31, 2027Deferred Admissions Round
Apr 21, 2027Applications for Rounds 1, 2, and 3 are due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline day. A late Round 1 or 2 application moves to the next round, and Wharton doesn’t accept applications after the Round 3 deadline. The Deferred Admissions Round is for the Moelis program below.
The online application, two required essays, and a one-page résumé. The fee is $275, waived for U.S. active-duty military and veterans.
Required, with no minimum score and no preference between the tests. Your test date must fall within five years of your round’s deadline.
Unofficial transcripts or self-reported grades for every undergraduate and graduate program you attended. If you’re admitted, Wharton asks for official copies.
From someone who knows your work well, ideally a current or former supervisor. Wharton uses the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation.
Invited applicants join the team discussion and a short one-on-one conversation.
If you’re applying to a joint degree: The Lauder MBA/MA and the Carey JD/MBA accept applications in Rounds 1 and 2 only and add their own requirements, such as Lauder’s language interview and a second recommendation for the JD/MBA. For the MBA in Health Care Management, you declare the major when you apply.
If you’re reapplying: A short reapplicant essay of up to 250 words asks how you have reflected and grown since your last application. Wharton strongly encourages reapplicants to apply in Round 1 or 2.
If you’re in your final year of study: Through the Moelis Advance Access Program, you apply in your final year and, if admitted, join the MBA after two to four years of work. The application period runs from November 2026 to April 21, 2027, and the fee is $100.
If you have little work experience: There is no minimum. Wharton admits early-career candidates each year and considers the skills you have built, not only the number of years.
Tests: Wharton accepts the GMAT (the Focus Edition or the older version) or the GRE, from a test center or at home, but not the Executive Assessment. You can self-report scores and send official ones only if you’re admitted. Wharton suggests testing at least two weeks before your deadline.
Choosing your recommender: Wharton says a recommender’s title matters less than how specifically they can describe you. A detailed letter from a supervisor, colleague, or client says more than a big title such as CEO.
Preparing them: Give your recommender your résumé, your essays, and the projects you’d like covered. Alongside the letter, they complete a recommender assessment. You can submit your application before their letter arrives.
WRITE IN YOUR OWN VOICE
550 words in totalOur sum for the required essays: two short answers about your goals, of 50 and 150 words, and one essay of 350 words about your contribution.
Wharton asks you to be introspective, candid, succinct, and, above all, yourself. Give each answer a different job.
Letrado’s adviceWrite the 50-word answer first. If you can’t name the role, function, and industry in one sentence, work on your plan before you draft the longer essays.
Wharton suggests thinking about title, function, and industry, without explaining why. Here, a specific, direct answer matters most.
Wharton says this answer is about context, not precision. You may have a clear vision or still be exploring, as long as you show focus and self-awareness.
Draw on the experiences, values, or perspectives that shape you. Wharton suggests focusing less on the activities you’ll join and more on how you’ll show up, and why that matters.
Use it for a gap in your work history, your choice of recommender, or an uneven academic record. Wharton says acknowledging a weaker area won’t count against you, and bullet points are fine.
MAKE ROOM FOR THE FINANCIAL QUESTION
Wharton publishes a full cost-of-attendance budget for each year of the program. Fellowships, sponsorship, outside scholarships, and military benefits can reduce what you pay.
WHO IS CONSIDERED
There’s no separate application. Wharton considers you for a merit-based fellowship when it admits you.
WHO RECEIVES ONE
Selection may weigh academic achievement, leadership, professional development, and personal qualities.
WHEN YOU HEAR
You learn of any award in your admission and financial aid letters, and Wharton doesn’t reconsider awards.
PUBLISHED 2026–27 BUDGET · PER YEAR
$135,441Tuition and university fees make up $93,008. The rest covers housing, food, health insurance, books, transportation, and personal costs. The second-year budget is the same.
For fall 2027 entry, use the 2027–28 budget when Wharton publishes it. Club fees, networking events, and student trips aren’t included.
Wharton’s cost and financing page (opens in a new tab)Letrado’s adviceBuild a budget for both years, including the summer, and ask your employer about sponsorship early.
Wharton reports a median annual salary of $185,000 for its Class of 2025.
Wharton’s career statistics (opens in a new tab)ADMITTED TO WHARTON · V.R.
He had real responsibility in his family’s distribution business. We helped him separate that opportunity from his own work, add outside perspectives, and plan a realistic path into finance.
Family ownership gave him responsibility sooner than most people.
He described his own analysis on a working-capital project, and how others judged it.
A supplier and a non-family supervisor gave independent views of how he worked.
Wharton’s own guidance (opens in a new tab) makes a similar point: if you work in a family business, a mentor, client, or business partner can make a good recommender.
HIS WHARTON OUTCOME
Offered a place in the Wharton MBA
HIS CHOICE: BERKELEY HAASHaas School of Business · Photo: BrokenSphere / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped.
He chose Berkeley Haas for its entrepreneurship environment and West Coast access. Wharton offered a deeper traditional finance network, so it was a genuine trade-off.
ALSO ADMITTED TO
WHEN YOU’D LIKE A HAND
Bring your questions to a free 45-minute introduction with your proposed mentor. Afterward, we’ll email a personalized plan with recommended next steps.
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