2024-2025 MBA Application Deadlines

In a typical year, Harvard Business School is the first to post its new MBA application deadlines. But for the forthcoming admissions cycle, UC-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business is the first out of the gate with a 2024-2025 MBA application deadline.

Haas has set a Sept. 12th deadline for round one applicants, promising a decision three months later before Christmas on Dec. 12. Second-round candidates need to file their apps by Jan. 9, 2025, for a March 27th decision. And in the third and final round, the application deadline is April 3, with decisions posted on May 8.

It took Harvard four more weeks beyond its typical release of deadlines to publish the application cutoff dates for what will be the Class of 2027 that will matriculate in the fall of 2025. HBS has a Sept. 4 round one deadline, and a Jan. 6 cutoff for round two applicants (see below). Nearly a month later, Harvard revealed a newly updated application, with three new short essays that replace the one required essay the school has had in place for nearly a decade.

UCLA’s Anderson School followed Haas with deadlines, along with INSEAD, Georgia Tech, Brigham Young and a number of other top business schools. This year UCLA updated its admission policies, allowing applicants to opt out of submitting a test score and instead share examples of coursework, certifications or professional experience that demonstrate their quantitative and analytical abilities in a brief essay.

HBS, which has a new managing director of MBA admissions and financial aid in Rupal Gadhia, is rumored to be tweaking its one and only essay for the forthcoming admissions cycle. That could account for any delay from last year when the school posted app deadlines on May 18th. If past is prelude to the future, you can expect roughly similar deadlines this time around. Harvard’s round one app deadline last year was Sept. 6, with decisions on that round going out on Dec. 6. HBS’ round two deadline was set for Jan. 3, 2024, with decisions due on March 27th.

One possible clue on HBS’ essays could be the recent change in the essay requirement for 2+2 deferred MBA candidates. Harvard dropped its what else should we know open-ended question and replaced it with a choice of two essays from three prompts, each with a 300-word limit. The prompts: 1) How have your experiences shaped who you are, how you lead, and how you will contribute at HBS? 2) What intellectual experiences have influenced your approach to learning and have led you to pursue an MBA? 3) What communities have you been engaged with that have defined how you invest in others?

How long does it take to get an answer after hitting send on your application? That varies from school to school. INSEAD essentially guarantees an answer within ten weeks of completing its application.

In a few cases, you’ll also find that there is still time to apply and get into an MBA class in the fall of 2024. That is especially true for several of the European business schools which have multiple rounds that extend into the summer. Check out Esade Business School, for one.

As the schools release their 2024-2025 MBA application deadlines, we will continuously update our tables to provide applicants with the latest guidance.

Earliest 2024-2025 MBA Application Deadlines