Meet NYU Stern’s MBA Class Of 2027

BETTER REVIEWS THAN RANKINGS

Looking at the rankings, it is hard to miss how conventional metrics differ from user sentiment with NYU Stern. Globally, the MBA program ranks 31st and 21st according to The Financial Times and LinkedIn respectively, along with 17th in both the QS and CEOWorld rankings. That said, Stern fares far better in the American-centric U.S. News ranking, where the school moved up a spot to 6th.

Ask thought leaders and students specifically about Stern and a different picture emerges. Among business school deans and MBA directors surveyed by U.S. News in 2025, the school ranked among the top ten in five disciplines: Finance, Analytics, International Business, Marketing, and Information Systems. When students were surveyed by The Princeton Review earlier this year, Stern posted the survey’s highest score for its Finance curriculum, along with ranking 5th for Consulting and 6th for Campus Environment.

Maybe the biggest sign that Stern’s reputation is stronger than its ranking: the school ranked 4th for total starting pay packages for the Class of 2024 among American schools.

FAMOUS FACULTY AND DISTINCTIVE CLUBS

It isn’t just stakeholder sentiment where NYU Stern separates itself from peer schools. There is also the matter of scale. The school houses nearly 3,000 undergraduate business majors (ranking 5th in the world to boot according to P&Q). Overall, between undergraduate and graduate programs, Stern is home to nearly 6,300 students – and over 114,000 alumni. And faculty number nearly 500 members between full-time and adjuncts. When it comes to the latter, Stern can draw from a wide range of experts and leaders thanks to its New York City locale. That includes Amy Lynn Webb, ranked 3rd in Thinkers50’s 2025 ranking of business thought leaders, who teaches Strategic Foresight to MBAs. Similarly, ’25 grad Julian Sutton points to his teacher in his Digital Media Innovation course – one of over 200 electives available through the Stern MBA.

“Taught by former Buzzfeed President, Greg Coleman, this is the type of once-in-a-lifetime experience that you won’t see anywhere else but business school. Each session is an in-person, in-depth interview with some of the country’s most incredible business leaders. We got to hear from CEOs and other chief-level executives from companies like YouTube, X, Spotify, TikTok, the NBA, and many more. Mark Cuban even dropped by!”

Beyond faculty, NYU Stern offers nearly 40 clubs, covering interests ranging from basketball and soccer to healthcare and luxury to gaming and family business. Among the Class of 2027, the Stern Adventures Club appeals to Brittany Chiang, who jokes that she hopes to “survive the bunny slope” on skiing excursions. For Ryan Jolly, the club is a natural extension of who he is.

“[I’m someone] who recharges through outdoor challenges. Whether it’s a weekend hike, a climbing adventure, or a snowboarding trip, I’m excited to bond with classmates through shared experience and a little adrenaline.”

FLEXIBILITY BEYOND THE BUSINESS SCHOOL

NYU Stern also boasts 27 specializations, with MBAs able to complete up to three of them during the program. Olivia Manousos, for one, plans to be part of the Entertainment & Media specialization, while participating in the experiential projects, networking events, and global excursions related to the field. To her, one of Stern’s differentiators is that MBAs can take a quarter of their courses outside the business school. Not only does this enable her to personalize her learning, but she can also be part of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and the Kanbar Institute of Film & Television. This feature, she says, will only accelerate her industry pivot.

At the same time, Manousos is looking forward to Stern Follies, a year-end show featuring comedy skits and music and dance numbers that showcase the talents of Stern MBAs. “I can’t wait to collaborate with creatively-minded peers, reflect on the year’s highs and lows, and bring the entire Stern community together through comedy and storytelling,” Manousos writes.

Among Stern alumni, the most popular extracurricular is Stern Speaks, a monthly event where students stand up in front of their peers and share their personal stories, be it their inspirations, goals, achievements, or setbacks.

“This in-person, student-only event is a stage for students to talk freely about their life experiences that shape who they are,” shares Margaret Zhang, a 2025 P&Q Best & Brightest MBA. “Time-and-time again, I tear up and laugh as they speak because of how incredibly challenging and joyful life can be at the same time. In this forum, the humanity in all of us comes out and brings us Sternies closer together.”

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ACROSS THE BOARD

Another program differentiator, say students, is Stern’s wide array of experiential learning opportunities. The 2025 recipient of P&Q’s “Best In Class” Award for Experiential Learning, NYU Stern is able to tap into leading companies and industries though its New York City locale…where a sizable chunk of its alumni base resides. Along with conscientiously injecting company partnerships and projects into its curriculum, Stern delivers a series of mini-internships where students gain intensive, relevant experience long before they graduate.

One example is Stern Solutions, an umbrella of project-based coursework in partnership with real companies addressing the biggest issues of the day. In the Endless Frontiers Lab, for example, selected MBA are matched with startup ventures for a year. Here, they receive coaching from founders and faculty, along with helping firms on tasks ranging from designing marketing plans to raising capital. In addition, you’ll find in-house investment fund and consultant agency, plus immersions in fields like Luxury and Retail and locations like Silicon Valley. In the words of ’22 alum Phan Hoang, you’re not only learning, you’re doing.” That’s exactly what Taylor Lasomer wanted from his MBA experience.

“I was excited by the opportunity to tackle real-world business challenges alongside industry partners, allowing me to apply what I learn in the classroom in a hands-on, meaningful way. As someone who learns best by doing, this approach aligns perfectly with how I want to grow during my MBA. It was important to me to choose a program that would challenge me to think critically, work collaboratively, and develop into a well-rounded, impact-driven leader—and Stern stood out in that regard.”

The same goes for Stern’s popular Doing Business In courses, where students study the economic dynamics of regions like France or Latin America before heading overseas for a round of coursework, corporate visits, and cultural activities. In last year’s Costa Rica course, for example, MBAs learned the basics of sustainable coffee farming, along with the impact of climate change on tourism.

“These courses will allow me to take what I have learned in the classroom and apply it to real world applications while learning in another country,” Lasomer continues. “I’ll also further develop practical insights into global markets, regulatory environments, and industry-specific challenges.”

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE VICE DEAN

Over the past year, NYU Stern has made several headlines. Last winter, it opened NY Stern-Abu Dhabi campus, enabling MBAs to take courses and complete projects overseas. A few months later, the school introduced Bharat Anand as its new dean. What’s next on the horizon? Earlier this fall, P&Q reached out to Nate Pettit, the school’s vice dean for MBA and Graduate Programs (along with being a former Poets&Quants 40 Under 40 Professor). In a Q&A, Pettit shares the latest campus developments, along with elaborating on how the school supports first-years, international students, and alumni.

P&Q: What have been the two most important developments in your MBA program over the past year? What type of impact will they have on current and future MBAs?

Pettit: “First, did you know that NYU Stern is celebrating its 125th year this year? It’s a big milestone, and it coincides with the fact that our new Dean, Bharat Anand, has started this August. Bharat comes to us from Harvard after a 27-year academic career, where he served as a vice provost and a chaired professor, and is a veritable pioneer in the area of digital transformation. We are thrilled to welcome him to the Stern community, and members of the Class of 2027 were among the first to meet their new Dean at LAUNCH MBA orientation.

I’d also like to highlight that Stern has long been a front runner in experiential learning, which syncs well with what we know about adult learning – adults don’t learn through passive intake, but rather they learn through experience. Students gain skills by using knowledge, not just acquiring it. We take that seriously at Stern. What this means for Stern MBAs is the chance to collaborate with classmates, work alongside companies, and make an impact on an actual business while they’re in business school.

Just to share a few stats: six-fold growth in experiential learning over the last 10 years yielded a 500% increase in student participation. There are more than 90 clients and projects on offer annually across 16 industries (five-year average). And importantly, nearly 50 alumni sponsor projects each year. For some students, this experience ultimately leads to jobs after graduation; such is the case with the Endless Frontier Labs at NYU Stern, where students provide business development support to early-stage science and tech startups, some of which become future employers.”

P&Q: What do you see as the main differentiator that distinguishes your MBA program from other schools? How does it enhance the student experience and make them more attractive to employers?

Pettit: “Hands down, it’s New York City and the network Stern has cultivated in the global hub we call home. Simply put, NYC equals access. We see this repeatedly in both formal and informal ways. For example, C-suite executives regularly drop into classes as part of the learning environment. Just this past year, for example, executives from JPMorganChase, Airbus U.S. Space and Defense Inc, Pfizer, and Mark Cuban showed up, to cite a few. It’s also worth noting that more than half of Stern’s alumni network (114,000 alums worldwide) reside in the tri-state area. So students can readily connect with alums for coffee chats throughout their two years. We also have a dedicated Industry Advisor program in which alumni serve in a more official capacity to provide career guidance and real-world insights to our MBAs, working alongside our Careers Team.  We have an Executive in Residence program that this past year alone brought more than 25 alumni and executives from across industries to campus to meet with students in large groups and one-on-ones.”

P&Q: What types of services do you provide to first-year MBAs to ease their transition into business school?

Pettit: “Every incoming two-year Full-time MBA student attends Stern’s LAUNCH MBA orientation. It’s a week-long immersive experience where they meet classmates for the first time. We’re thrilled that our very own Professor Suzy Welch is keynoting the event with an in-depth session based on her popular Becoming You course and book. But that’s not all. In fact, during these initial days on campus in which we induct students into the community, we encourage them to reflect on how they want to show up for their Stern experience. I like to boil it down to three attitudinal options that I call the 3 C’s: you can be a critic, a consumer, or a contributor. We ask students to begin to think deeply about this right from the start because it will not only impact their two years at Stern, but also how they show up for the companies that hire them. And ultimately, how they choose to move through the world. This lines right up with our core value around EQ (emotional intelligence). We screen for it, and we nurture it. I have to say, it’s an incredibly stimulating and thought-provoking first week on campus!

Also, during LAUNCH, all students, led by our Careers Team, engage in the IGNITE program’s career education foundation that comprises three modules–Career Design, Positioning Yourself, and Real-time Job Search Fundamentals.

One last highlight to mention–even before LAUNCH, we have a unique program especially designed to support U.S. military veterans and active-duty students in their transition to business school called the Fertitta Veterans MBA Program. The Program is made possible thanks to our alumnus Lorenzo Fertitta (MBA ’93) and his brother Frank J. Fertitta III. Participants get an early start on the MBA experience from core academic courses to networking and corporate events.”

P&Q: What types of support do you provide to international students before and during business school to enable them to better acclimate to your country?

Pettit: “The Friday before LAUNCH week, we host a dedicated welcome specifically for international students, given that they may be arriving earlier than others and are also dealing with getting acclimated to a new city on top of starting an MBA program.

But Stern’s global focus doesn’t stop at LAUNCH. There are also nearly 40 MBA student clubs on campus, including professional clubs, affinity clubs, and special interest clubs. Students can readily tap into interests and micro-communities of all sorts, which is a great way to find like-minded individuals and new perspectives all at once. And this extends throughout the two years. One specific example is Passport Day, an annual and much-loved tradition here at Stern, where students celebrate the culture, cuisine, and customs from their home countries. It’s always a wonderful celebration of the global microcosm that resides here on our campus–and in NYC generally.”

P&Q: How does your program integrate other disciplines, such as the liberal arts and STEM, across your curriculum to provide students with a more interdisciplinary experience in business school?

Pettit: “Stern’s two-year Full-time MBA as well as the Andre Koo Technology and Entrepreneurship MBA are both STEM certified. Additionally, students in the two-year program have a lot of flexibility when it comes to customizing their curriculum outside of the core. More than 200 electives and over 20 specializations are on offer, so the option to go deep or go broad is vast. Also, because we are part of NYU, students have the choice to take up to 25% of their courses at other NYU graduate schools such as NYU Law, Tisch Kanbar, and the Wagner School of Public Service. Not to mention that we offer an array of cross-disciplinary courses such as the NYU Impact Investment Fund course held in partnership with the Wagner School of Public Health and NYU Abu Dhabi, along with other experiential courses that draw students from different programs.”

P&Q: What are two ways that your program is incorporating Artificial Intelligence into your programming? How do they better prepare students for the future world of work?

Pettit: “As Stern, we believe that our people are the greatest asset. And we’re approaching AI with humility. We’re investing significant time and intellectual resources into fully leveraging AI as a learning tool and professional competency. Let me share two examples.

Students have access to an AI-enabled mock interview tool through the Careers Team, to name one. The tool doesn’t in any way replace the in-person career coaching that happens with every student along with the mock interviews that MBAs do with each other, which is a hallmark of community – students helping other students on the employment front. The tool allows for even more individualized practice. So it’s additive.

In the classroom, the use cases vary, but I will say that one of my colleagues, Professor Rob Seamans, the Director of Stern’s Center for the Future of Management, is a pioneer in both AI research and application. He had a fantastic experience in his Game Theory classes with an AI-enabled business-case type product that augmented the classroom experience. The product presented the business case in short video segments that small groups of students watched together and discussed. An AI tool listened to each of the small group conversations and summarized them for the instructor. In other words, the professor could literally be everywhere at once hearing all of the conversations. Rob said that the whole class discussion that they had afterwards was one of the best he’s ever had as a result.”

P&Q: What types of educational and career support do you provide to alumni after graduation? How does it make them more valuable to employers during their careers?

Pettit: “We’re in it with alumni to support them for the long game, meaning we offer continuous learning and career support for life. These are incredible benefits designed with intention because one truth we know is change is constant, whether it’s personal or professional circumstances, a desire to use the MBA to pivot, or just the sheer volume and speed of innovation in business and how to stay relevant. First, there is a group on the Careers Team that is dedicated to working with alumni and our working professional populations. Additionally, as part of Stern’s Lifelong Learning benefits, alums can audit one elective graduate-level course per semester tuition-free. Plus, alumni can take two tuition-free Stern Executive Education courses per academic year. And additional courses are offered at a 50 percent discount.”

Click on the links below for in-depth profiles of members of the MBA Class of 2027.

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergraduate Alma Mater	Last Employer
Hardik Arora	Noida, India	Ashoka University	PwC
Wilco Carey	West Simsbury, CT	Boston College	USSA International LLC,
Brittany Chiang	Orange, CA	UC Berkeley	Adobe
Lilly Howes	Westport, CT	Cornell University	Verition Fund Management
Ryan Jolly	Ada, OK	East Central University, Ada	U.S. Navy
Taylor Lasomser	New York City, NY	University at Buffalo	Goldman Sachs
Klara Lou	Atlanta, GA	Vanderbilt University	Johns Hopkins Center for Health Systems and Policy Modeling
Olivia Manousos	Verona, NJ	College of William & Mary	Deloitte Consulting
Tyler McLees	West Islip, NY	U.S. Military Academy	U.S. Army
Mary Nava	Roswell, GA	Georgia Tech	Bank of America
Tyler Wells	Orlando, FL	Vanderbilt University	Assembled.Law

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