Chicago Booth 2019-2020 MBA Application Deadlines

The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business has set a first-round MBA application deadline of Sept. 26th for the 2019-2020 admissions season. The round two cutoff is January 7th, while the final round three deadline is April 2.

For applicants who make the first deadline, Booth is committed to a final decision date of Dec. 5th. Round two candidates will hear by March 19th, while the final round applicants will be notified by May 21st. Of course, all that assumes you get invited to interview. All invitations to interview will be released by the mid-decision dates for each round when the first round of rejected candidates will also be notified.

While Booth has published its deadlines early, the school has yet to update its essay questions. Last year, the school required just a pair of 250-word essays: “How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals?” and “Chicago Booth immerses you in a choice-rich environment. How have your interests, leadership experiences, and other passions influenced the choices in your life?” Booth also tossed in an optional question with a 300-word limit: “Is there any unclear information in your application that needs further explanation?”

CHICAGO BOOTH 2019-2020 MBA APPLICATION DEADLINES

Rounds	Deadline Date	Final Decision Notification
Round 1	Sept. 26, 2019	Dec. 5, 2019
Round 2	Jan. 7, 2020	March 19, 2020
Round 3	April 2, 2020	May 21, 2020

AVERAGE GMATS ROSE A POINT TO 731 LAST YEAR, A MERE POINT SHY OF THE HIGHEST AVERAGE SCORES

Chicago Booth has traditionally ranked among the most popular business schools for applications. That remained true during the 2017-2018 cycle. Like most business schools, Booth experienced a drop in applications last year when the number of applicants fell by 9% to 4,289 – a number more in line with the 2013 and 2014 classes. Despite this, the full-time program grew by 11 students in the 2020 Class. It also cut the number of applicants who were tendered offers, reducing its acceptance rate to 22.9%.

Such fluctuations had little impact on the 591 member class. Average GMATs actually rose a point to 731, just a point shy of Stanford GSB and two points above Harvard Business School. To put that number into context, it is a 16 point improvement over the 2013 Class. That said, Booth’s median GMAT fell 10 points to 730. Average GPAs, however, barely changed, slipping just a hundredth of a point to 3.60.

Another improvement came among women. The percentage of women in the 2020 Class rose two points over the previous class. Even more, this 42% represents a seven-point improvement over the 2011-2015 classes, which were stuck on the 35% mark each year. The percentage of minority students also climbed four points. Still, the Class of 2020 (as a whole) will be remembered for a steep drop in international students – and Chicago Booth was hardly immune. The percentage of international students tumbled six points to 30% — the school’s lowest mark in over a decade. Overall, Americans account for a 70% share of the class, followed by Asia (13.4%),

APPLICANT ADVICE FROM THE LATEST BOOTH MBA GRADUATES

“Booth wants to know you’re not going to waste the massive amount of choice and freedom you have at this business school to craft your experience. So, figure out what you want to get out of your business school experience, professionally and personally. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s ambitious and genuine. Then map out the specific resources at Booth that will help you get there – academic, extracurricular, and social – and think about in what ways these are unique to Booth. Make sure you articulate how your goals intersect with the unique Booth resources in your essays and interview.” — Anish Bhatnagar, Class of 2019

“When you have a sense for the path you would like the MBA to set you on, take the time to get to know a few students or alums from Booth that are doing what you want to do. They will be able to give you the best sense for the sort of people that succeed in those paths from Booth and what set Booth apart for them. The fact that Chicago has always been a research-focused institution and has a culture centered on the pursuit of truth was a major draw for me. I went to get an MBA because I wanted to pursue a career in business, but I also wanted to take an approach to business that was more than just a series of anecdotes or hard to specify personalities and intuitions. In other words, I wanted a place where I could study how firms, markets, and organizations worked in a more fundamental sense. And to do that, you need an environment where people can ask hard questions and demand thorough answers. Booth has been great in this regard.” — Alexander Daifotis, Class of 2019

“First, stick with it – applying to business school can be a tolling process. But most importantly don’t hesitate to be honest! Show the admissions committee who you really are – what has truly made you the person you are today and how can a Booth MBA help you achieve your actual goals going forward. This will be more powerful than just relaying what you think they want to hear.” — Kaitlyn Desai, Class of 2019

“There is no quintessential Booth student. I’ve been amazed by the diversity of students in my class on all the traditional parameters but also in schools of thought, ways of approaching problems, even attitudes toward the traditional MBA program. Booth welcomes the unusual, and I’d recommend that applicants spend lots of time thinking about what makes them truly unique and leaning into that.” — Clare Quinlan, Class of 2019

DON’T MISS: MEET CHICAGO BOOTH’S CLASS OF 2020 or WHAT’S NEW AT CHICAGO BOOTH? PLENTY!