Stanford Beats HBS With New App Deadlines

Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business

Almost without fail, Harvard Business School has long been the first prominent MBA player to post its new application deadlines and also tell applicants if it is changing its requirements for candidates who wish to apply to the school. Not this year.

For only second time, Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business came out of the gate first, today (April 20) announcing that there will be no major changes to its essay or recommendation letters. Stanford, moreover, announced its 2017-2018 application deadlines, with a round one deadline of Sept. 19, two days earlier than this past year’s Sept. 21 due date.

The school said round two applications would be due Jan. 10, 2018, while its third and final round deadline would be April 4, 2018. All applications must be submitted by 10 a.m. PST on each of the deadline days.

APPLICATION WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE IN JUNE

Kirsten Moss, Stanford’s new director of MBA admissions

Applicants who meet the round one deadline will be notified by Stanford on Dec. 14th, a day earlier than this past year. Candidates who meet the Jan. 10 round two due date would be notified on March 29th, while round three applicants would be notified in mid-May (this year the notification date was May 18th).

Stanford also told would-be applicants that its application would be available online in June. “For those of you who want to get a head start, there are no major changes to the essay questions and requirements for letters of recommendation this year, so you can begin to prepare now,” the school said in an announcement on its website. Stay posted for web updates and an email notification in June when the application launches.”

Stanford will again repeat its iconic essay that requires applicants to answer the prompt: “What matters most to you, and why?” The school’s second essay remains “Why Stanford?” Both prompts must be answered in 1,150 or fewer words combined.

NEW DIRECTOR OF MBA ADMISSIONS OFF TO A FAST START

The early notice by Stanford started last year when the school announced its new dates on April 20th, nearly three weeks earlier than HBS’ May 11 posting last year. This coming year’s application season will be led by the school’s new assistant dean and director of MBA admissions and financial aid, Kirsten Moss, who doesn’t officially assume her duties until June 1. Moss, a Harvard Business School MBA, had had been managing director of MBA admissions at HBS from 1999 to 2001.

With round 3 deadlines only recently over, Stanford thus kicks off the new 2017-2018 MBA admissions season. For many years, it was a role Harvard Business School played under former managing director of admissions Dee Leopold. She was succeeded by HBS alum Chad Losee, who just went through his first admissions cycle at Harvard.

STANFORD’S MBA APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR 2017-2018