NYU Stern 2019-2020 MBA Application Deadlines

New York University’s Stern School of Business today (June 18) released its 2019-2020 MBA application deadlines and essays. The school set a round one deadline of Oct. 15 for its full-time MBA program, with notification of an interview invite, placement on the waitlist or a denial by Jan. 1, 2020.

Stern set a round two deadline of Nov. 15, with initial notification by Feb. 1, a round three deadline of Jan. 15th, with notification by April 1, and a fourth and final cutoff round of March 15th, with notice by June 1.

NYU Stern’ 2019-2020 Full-Time MBA Application Deadlines

Stern Rounds	Application Deadline	Interviews	Decisions
Round One	October 15, 2019	Rolling	Jan. 1, 2020
Round Two	Nov. 15, 2019	Rolling	Feb. 1, 2020
Round Three	Jan. 15, 2020	Rolling	April 1, 2020
Round Four	March 15, 2020	Rolling	June 1, 2020

However, if you are applying to the school’s one-year tech or fashion and luxury MBA programs, the round one deadline is a full month earlier with a Sept. 15 cutoff and a Dec. 1 initial notification date.

Those programs share the next two application deadlines with those of its full-time MBA, though the fourth and final round for the one-year MBAs is Feb. 1, with notice by April 1.

NYU Stern’ 2019-2020 One-Year Tech & Fashion & Luxury MBA Application Deadlines

Stern One-Year MBA Rounds	Application Deadline	Interviews	Decisions
Round One	September 15, 2019	Rolling	Dec. 1, 2020
Round Two	Nov. 15, 2019	Rolling	Feb. 1, 2020
Round Three	Jan. 15, 2020	Rolling	March 1, 2020
Round Four	Feb. 15, 2020	Rolling	April 1, 2020

SCHOOL ALSO ANNOUNCES A NEW SPECIALIZATION IN HEALTHCARE AND NO CHANGE IN ESSAYS

Stern is also launching a new MBA specialization in healthcare. The healthcare sector represents about one fifth of the US economy, with New York City serving as a key epicenter with its numerous hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and laboratories. Unsurprisingly, all sectors of the healthcare space have demand for the kind of business acumen that NYU Stern is famous for cultivating.

MBA students in Stern’s two-year full-time, part-time and focused MBA programs will be eligible to pursue a new healthcare specialization starting in September, at the beginning of the 2019-2020 academic year. MBA students who wish to deepen their knowledge of the market forces, corporate strategies and entrepreneurial initiatives that are shaping the sector will now be able to choose healthcare as one of 26 specializations on offer. Stern MBA students can select up to three specializations or choose not to specialize at all.

The school said it is not changing its core application requirements this year. Stern’s two required EQ Endorsements and the popular “Pick Six” visual personal expression essay both remain.

“In my view, NYU’s application presents a set of questions that allow applicants to reveal different aspects of themselves,” says Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted.com, a leading admissions consulting firm. “Question 1 is a straight-forward goals question: What do you want to do and how will an MBA help you do? The wise Stern applicant will concentrate on how the Stern MBA will help them achieve their goals. Essay #2 or NYU Sterns “Pick Six” asks applicants to use images and very succinct text to “illustrate” who they are. This essay should complement the written portions of the application and allow applicants to reveal different facets of their lives and experience than are shown elsewhere.

“Reflecting its focus on emotional intelligence,” adds Abraham, “Stern is continuing to require 2 EQ endorsements. The EQ endorsements are unique to Stern. The retention of the EQ endorsement is noteworthy because more schools are using GMAC’s recommendation which reduces the burden on recommenders. Its use could encourage a higher application volume. Conversely having a distinctive recommendation or endorsement increases that burden and could potentially reduce application volume. Requiring the endorsements does reflect the importance Stern places on EQ.”

3,781 APPLICANTS VIED FOR 375 SEATS IN THE STERN CLASS

By the numbers, the Class of 2020 is decidedly smaller than its predecessors. During the 2017-2018 cycle, the school lured 375 students, down from the 399 who comprise the 2019 Class. By the same token, the class attracted 3,781 applicants, nearly 150 fewer than a year earlier, a number that’s coupled with a two-percentage-point uptick in Stern’s acceptance rate to 23%. All told, 876 applicants were admitted and 375 enrolled (see Meet The NYU Stern MBA Class Of 2020).

Academically, the 2020 class represents a slight improvement over previous years. They posted a 717 GMAT – up four points (and the school’s best number since the 2016 Class). In contrast, the undergraduate GPA also remained relatively steady, slipping by a negligible .03 of a point. At the same time, the percentage of women slipped by three points, a number nearly made up by a two-point gain with the percentage of international students. In fact, the number of international students at Stern has jumped by eight percentage points over the past three classes, a tribute to the increasingly-cosmopolitan nature of the program.

Stern has been characterized as the intersection of commerce and culture. That is reflected in the academic and professional backgrounds of the classroom. Last year, business majors accounted for 36% of the class. This year, that number was sliced to 29%. Making up the difference are the humanities and social sciences, which jumped a combined 4% (with humanities comprising 17% of the class and social sciences another 16%). Similarly, STEM majors climbed three points to 20%, with economics holding steady at 18%.

Overall, Stern drew the largest percentage of students from the financial services sector. At 26%, finance professionals double their nearest bloc – consultants – which came in at 13%. Considering New York City’s depth and variety in industries, it should surprise no one that Stern’s classes are equally diverse. Besides finance and consulting, no profession makes up 10% of the class with the biggest blocs including technology (9%), entertainment and media (7%), military and government (7%), and consumer products (6%).

APPLICANT ADVICE FROM RECENT STERN MBA GRADUATES

“When I was applying to MBA schools, I was so excited about sharing my achievements as a founder and my passion for entrepreneurship that perhaps I conveyed an overly narrow vision of who I wanted to be in the future. My advice for upcoming entrepreneurs specifically would be to frame your story in a way that gives others confidence in your success no matter what happens to your startup. After all, we hear a lot about hot success stories—Jet.com getting acquired by Walmart, Stitchfix going public, etc.—but the truth is that the vast majority of startup ventures don’t make it. Keeping an open mind in the MBA will lead to a more rewarding experience, regardless.” — Lia Winograd, NYU Stern Class of 2019 MBA

“My best advice to applicants is to really be able to articulate Why Stern? Become familiar with classes, clubs, employment reports, etc., and be able to speak to how these Stern-specific opportunities align with your personal and professional goals. Stern is a competitive program to get into, so be able to speak to what you might offer the Stern community. What do you want to bring to your class? How do you work in teams? How would you make the most of two years at the best MBA program in New York City?” — Christopher Costello, NYU Stern Class of 2019 MBA

“Know both how Stern will uniquely aid you towards your goal as well as what unique viewpoint you can bring to the program. Stern prides itself on both IQ and EQ, and it shows within the student body: my classmates are both brilliant and bring a sense of community and personality that is unique to our program.” — Andrew Kwan, NYU Stern Class of 2019 MBA

WHY THEY CHOSE NYU STERN FOR THEIR MBAS

“Besides the cosmopolitanism of New York itself, I knew that Stern’s emphasis on diversity and holistic approach to the community would help create an unparalleled setting to grow my startup. Internationalism had formed the basis of my approach to entrepreneurship, an outlook I shared with Stern’s globally minded MBA. Moreover, Stern’s interview process stood out based on how customized the programming was, and how approachable and inclusive the staff and students were.” — Lia Winograd, NYU Stern Class of 2019 MBA

“The relationships I built at Stern during the application process were a huge part of why I came to NYU. Veterans in the program reached out to me multiple times and personally hosted me in the city. Plus, there’s no place like New York City – I’ve loved living here for the past two years. With the implementation of the Fertitta Veterans Program, which offers scholarship, academic and professional support to U.S. military veterans, NYU Stern has positioned itself to be the top full-time MBA program for veterans in the whole country. This program shows how much the administration values the veteran presence at Stern.” — Christopher Costello, NYU Stern Class of 2019 MBA

“I chose NYU Stern for the opportunity to bridge together my MBA education and apply it to situations faced by real-life companies through Stern’s extensive experiential learning opportunities. Our Office of Student Engagement has provided me so many opportunities to connect with a wide assortment of companies. I was able to work on consulting projects in CPG and financial services through Stern Consulting Corps and Consulting Lab, I learned about operations at NYC companies (including a large tech company, a brewery, and a container terminal operator) in our Operations in NYC class, and even visited luxury and retail businesses in Milan through a “Doing Business In” course.” — Andrew Kwan, NYU Stern Class of 2019 MBA