Yale SOM 2019-2020 MBA Application Deadlines

Yale School of Management today (June 18) posted its MBA application deadlines for the 2019-2020 admissions season. The earliest round one deadline is Sept. 10, with decisions released on December 4th.

Yale set a round two cutoff of Jan. 7, 2020, with decisions out on March 24, while its third and final round deadline is April 14th, with decisions released on May 19th.

Yale does not set a specific date to notify applicants of interview invites, saying only that an invitation to interview can be “extended at any point during an admissions round.” Although SOM’s admissions team attempts to extend invitations as early as possible, the school warns that in some cases invites could come as late as the admissions decision deadline.

Yale SOM’s 2019-2020 MBA Application Deadlines

SOM Rounds	Application Deadline	Interviews	Decisions
Round One	September 10, 2019	Rolling	Dec. 4, 2019
Round Two	January 7, 2020	Rolling	March 24, 2020
Round Three	April 14, 2020	Rolling	May 19, 2020

YALE SOM RETAINS ITS BIGGEST COMMITMENT ESSAY

Yale decided to stay with its required 500-word essay question to describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. “The question,” notes Assistant Dean for Admissions Bruce DelMonico, “evolved from a conversation with Professor of Organizational Behavior Amy Wrzesniewski, who noted, ‘Reading about future plans is helpful, but actions speak louder than words.’

“In your response, we are looking to learn about how you have approached a particular commitment, whether personal or professional, and the behaviors that support it,” adds DelMonico. “You should be less concerned about what we want to hear and instead focus on being honest with yourself in selecting and describing the commitment that has been most significant to you.”

Yale also poses video questions to applicants as well as an online Behavioral Assessment which measures a set of interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies associated with business school success. It is a forced-choice module that takes about 20-25 minutes to complete and should be completed in a single sitting. Applicants do not need to do anything in advance to prepare for the assessment, nor does it require any specialized knowledge, background, or information to complete.

LAST YEAR A RECORD 3,785 APPLICANTS VIED FOR 347 CLASSROOM SEATS

During the 2017-2018 cycle, Yale SOM received 3,785 applications – or 313 less than the previous year. To put it another way, this 7.5% drop is nearly equal to the 8% and 6.5% fall in applications suffered by Chicago Booth and the Wharton School respectively this year. That said, Yale SOM tendered 58 more acceptance letter last year, resulting in the school’s acceptance rate rising from 17% to 20% (see Meet Yale SOM’s MBA Class of 2020).

At the same time, average GMATs for the 2020 Class slipped from 727 to 724, resulting in Yale SOM falling behind MIT Sloan among the highest GMAT classes. The school also maintained a median GMAT of 730 for the third consecutive year – a number that matches Harvard Business School. The class’ average GPA also equals the previous year at 3.67.

Such consistency also seeped into the class demographics. Women again constituted 43% of the class – the fourth consecutive year where the 40% mark was beaten in this category. Underrepresented American minorities also made up 12% of the class for the second straight year (with overall students of color doubling that total at 27%). At the same time, the percentage of international students in the Class of 2020 held steady at 45% from the 2019 Class – after an all-time high of 46% with the 2018 Class. Better yet, the number of countries who supplied talent to the incoming class rose from 48 to 51, with locales including Azerbaijan, Denmark, Ghana, Nyanmar, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Overall, two-thirds of the class hails from North America, with Asia responsible for another fifth. South America (4.9%), Africa (4.6%), and Europe (4.0%) account for the rest.

Looking at the class’ educational backgrounds, it is certainly business-friendly. Business-related majors represent 21% of the class – a tie with Economics whose share grew from 15% to 21% over the previous year. Humanities and Social Sciences (30%) and STEM (29%) round out the rest of the class. Professionally, 73% of the class hails from the for-profit sector. The largest segments include consulting (20%), financial services (19.6%), non-profits (12.2%), technology (8.3%), government (7.6%), and healthcare (7%).

ADVICE FROM YALE MBA GRADUATES & STUDENTS:

“Jim Baron, a favorite Yale SOM professor who teaches the Employee course in the core, ends one of his lectures on recruitment and selection by asking the first-years a question about their internship search: “Is your job-search behavior oriented toward merely eliciting ‘an offer’ or toward identifying ‘a good match’?” My advice is to look for a match. Every business school is different – intentionally. Know what you would bring to a community, and know what the school can offer you in return. Don’t force the issue or force yourself to fit into the culture of a specific school. When a school is right for you, you’ll know.” — Nate Silver, Yale SOM Class of 2019 MBA

“It sounds simple, but I’d say talk to as many students and/or alumni as possible to get a feel for the culture and ethos of the school. It will quickly become clear that SOM students have a shared value system and a strong sense of purpose, regardless of what industry or career they pursue. These conversations really helped me envision what I could uniquely bring to the SOM community and how to strategically weave those points into my application.” — Jasmine Ako, Yale SOM Class of 2019 MBA

“Be authentic. We want to get to know the real you. As an admissions interviewer, I love getting to see the passion that applicants have for their work and life shine through in the enthusiasm that they bring to the interview.” — Becca Constantine, Yale SOM Class of 2019 MBA

“Make sure you want to make a difference in the world. If you don’t want to effect real change at some point in your career, then this might not be the right place for you.” — Vito Errico, Yale SOM Class of 2019 MBA

WHY THEY’VE CHOSEN YALE SOM FOR THEIR MBA

“In short, I felt seen. My background looks particularly nontraditional for a business school candidate, but at Yale SOM I am not an outlier. The school has an incredible mix of talented, driven students who have come from the broadest possible spectrum of countries, sectors, and organizations. I wanted to attend a school where a diversity of backgrounds was truly valued, and where there is no one cookie-cutter type of student. It became clear, through my application and interview process, that Yale SOM was the place for me.” — Nate Silver, Yale SOM Class of 2019 MBA

“Yale SOM likes to tout its high level of integration with its home university, and my experience is proof that this is more than just talk. In your second year at Yale SOM, you can take any class at the university at the undergraduate or graduate level. Some of my favorite non-MBA classes I’ve taken include a Yale College education journalism class, where I got my writing ripped apart (constructively!) by a former editor at The New York Times, and the popular Life Worth Living course at the Yale Divinity School, which broadly explores the question of what constitutes a meaningful life through the lens of different religions and traditions. These classes stretched my thinking and learning in entirely new ways from my more practical MBA classes.” — Jasmine Ako, Yale SOM Class of 2019 MBA

“I chose Yale SOM because I believe deeply in the school’s mission of educating leaders for business and society. It was essential to me that any educational institution prepare me to lead not only for profit but also for social, global, and community good. I am thrilled to have found that in the classes and community at Yale SOM.” — Becca Constantine, Yale SOM Class of 2019 MBA

“I chose Yale SOM for two main reasons. First, the school emphasizes the intersection of business and society, and that’s exactly what I was looking for as an army officer. Second, the atmosphere on campus was distinctly warm and unpretentious.” — Vito Errico, Yale SOM Class of 2019 MBA

DON’T MISS: 2019-2020 MBA APPLICATION DEADLINES FOR LEADING BUSINESS SCHOOLS or FREE MBA INSIDER’S GUIDE TO YALE SOM