Deferred MBA Admissions At The Top 7 Programs

If you’re a college senior considering a career in business, an MBA will almost certainly pay off for you someday. But first, you need to rack up some solid early-career experience. What if you graduated and went to work with a guaranteed place at one of the most prestigious business schools two to five years down the road in your pocket?

Looking ahead and locking in MBA admission by applying for deferred enrollment gives you the confidence of a secure option for the future. And with that locked-in admissions offer comes the freedom to explore wider-ranging options in your first post-college jobs.

For collegiate academic stars with lofty aspirations, applying for deferred enrollment to a top MBA program is a strategic move. In the traditional MBA path, you spend roughly three to six years earning real-world career experience before applying to business school. In contrast, deferred enrollment MBA programs offer the potential to secure a spot at a top business school before diving into the workforce.

“The big advantage – especially if you’re a planner – is that knowing that you’ve secured the MBA admissions offer may allow you to pursue early career options that you otherwise may not have – such as working for a startup or in a nonprofit,” says Fortuna Admissions coach Heidi Hillis, a Stanford GSB alumna and former MBA interviewer. “If I know I’m going to the GSB in two years, I might worry less about making money now and focus more on getting the right experience.”

WHAT IS A DEFERRED MBA PROGRAM?

Most deferred MBA programs follow a similar track: apply early, secure admission, work for two to five years, and then claim your seat in an incoming class. Top business schools offering rising stars a jumpstart on the MBA include Harvard Business School, Wharton, MIT Sloan, Stanford GSB, Columbia Business School, Chicago Booth, Kellogg Northwestern, Yale SOM, Berkeley Haas, and UVA Darden. These programs are evidence that these elite schools are vying to recruit the very top talent for their future communities.

Deferred enrollment programs tend to be extremely competitive, with small class sizes. They are looking for stellar students coming out of their undergraduate program with a strong track record of leadership. Application deadlines are generally in April, which gives college seniors time to develop a strong application with fall semester grades in hand and much of the stress of their final year behind them. Most programs offer a reduced application fee or none at all.

That said, the characteristics and incentives between deferred enrollment programs vary. They are designed to help business schools attract passionate wunderkinds with shining leadership potential and innovative ideas who don’t necessarily have business school on their radar screen yet.

Tasked with building a diverse class and attracting top talent, these schools use these programs to encourage future MBA candidates to take risks and explore non-traditional career paths.

Michel Belden, one of Fortuna Admissions’ coaches specializing in supporting deferred MBA admissions candidates, says, “I’m passionate about helping these future MBAs.Their exuberance for their career to start and motivation to create change is inspiring.”

If you’re curious about your chances and eligibility, please reach out for a free consultation. In the meantime, read on for Fortuna’s guide to the top programs – and what you need to know to maximize your chance of admission.

SNAPSHOT OF THE TOP DEFERRED MBA PROGRAMS

Here are the details and distinctions, along with upcoming admissions deadlines for the 10 top deferred MBA programs:

Harvard’s 2+2 Program

The HBS 2+2 is among the best-known deferred admissions programs. Admits spend a minimum of two years and a maximum of four years in the workforce before joining an MBA cohort. The program is open to current college students as well as those enrolled in full-time masters degree programs (as long as they haven’t held a full-time job). The class profile for HBS 2+2 tends to be a bit more competitive than the standard pool.

“Originally, the HBS 2+2 program was designed to expand the candidate pool to include more candidates that typically wouldn’t think of applying to business school – such as STEM profiles,” says Fortuna’s Malvina Miller Complainville, former Assistant Director at HBS. Today, about half of the HBS 2+2 commits have STEM backgrounds.

The 2+2 program looks for high-potential individuals and favors those with an entrepreneurial vision, who plan to launch an enterprise or join an early-stage start-up. The program also gives some preference to applicants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, those who are the first in their family to attend college, and those planning to work in underrepresented industries and functions, such as operating companies in consumer goods, industrials, manufacturing, retail, and technology.

Wharton Moelis Advance Access Program

Wharton’s Moelis Advance Access Program is both a feeder program for undergrads at the University of Pennsylvania and open to qualified college seniors from any college. The program seeks innovative risk-takers “whose academic and career interests expand the traditional notions of business education.”

Moelis admits about 120 students for deferred enrollment. The most recent class included 19% first-generation students, 27% international students, and, notably, 35% US students of color. Moelis admits about 120 students for deferred enrollment.

Student fellows admitted through the Moelis program enjoy access to the Wharton community, career services, and special professional development, including mentoring and retreats, as well as free access to select Wharton events and conferences. It’s pretty incredible to have access to Wharton’s network, connections, and career support as a 21-year-old.

Stanford GSB Deferred Enrollment

The Stanford GSB Deferred Enrollment program is designed for students with diverse educational and professional backgrounds but without full-time work experience.The program encourages applicants to consider deferring for one to three years, although it offers the option to enroll directly from undergrad into its MBA cohort.

“If you are interested in having a positive impact, we are interested in you,” the program website proclaims. “Believe in yourself. We believe in you.”

Students can apply in any of GSB’s three application rounds (round three due April 12), although the GSB recommends round 3 for deferred enrollment applicants. Those who enrolled in a law or medical graduate program directly from undergrad are also eligible for the GSB (unlike HBS 2+2).

“Stanford’s program is pretty flexible; you can tell them what year you would like to enter, so it could be more or less than two years,” says Fortuna’s Heidi Hillis. “You can also apply as a college senior to go directly into the GSB, and Stanford might accept and defer you if they think you would benefit from some experience.”

MIT Sloan MBA Early Admission

MIT Sloan’s MBA Early Admission program launched in January of 2019 and is open to exceptional undergrads from around the world. Admitted students are expected to work for two to five years before entering. As an incentive, current MIT students whose GPA is above 4.25 can sidestep the dreaded GMAT or GRE exam (which speaks to the level of MIT’s quant-heavy academics).

Early admit candidates are asked to submit a cover letter, resume, and video statement in lieu of traditional MBA essays, along with two letters of recommendation (one academic and one professional contact). There are two application rounds; round 1 is offered for MIT students only, with round 2 open to all eligible applicants. The application fee is waived.

Chicago Booth Scholars Deferred MBA

Chicago Booth offers options for “early-stage” talent. The Chicago Booth Scholars Program is a typical deferred admission option. Originally a pipeline to channel UChicago talent to Booth, the deferred admit program is now open to college seniors beyond the university.

Booth also offers the Chicago Business Fellows Program, which is a part-time MBA option targeted for young, fast-track professionals with three years or less of work experience.

In addition to competitive academics and ambitious aspirations, Booth wants to see candidates with substantive internships, part-time jobs, or entrepreneurial experience, all of which can offer evidence of your leadership potential. Successful admits seek two to five years of professional experience before coming to Booth for the MBA.

For more information on top deferred enrollment programs, details on what schools are looking for, and tips to maximize your chance of admission, see Fortuna’s updated guide to the Top 10 Deferred Admission MBA Programs.

Michel Belden is an expert coach at Fortuna Admissions and former Associate Director of Admissions for Wharton’s full-time MBA program. Judith Silverman Hodara is a cofounder and director at Fortuna and former Wharton Acting Director of Admissions. For more free advice from Fortuna Admissions in partnership with Poets&Quants, check out these videos and articles. For a candid assessment of your chances of admission success at a top MBA program, sign up for a free consultation.