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Contact our general manager with any questions. Profile updated: July 11, 2023.

Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business

MBA Program Stats

Annual Tuition: $28,425

Annual Tuition Non-Resident: $53,533

Acceptance Rate: 27%

Full-Time Enrollment: 221

Average GPA: 3.4

Median GMAT: 680

Median GRE: 324

International: 58%

Minority: 11%

Female: 38%

Male: 62%

Average Age: 30

What You Need To Know

Since 1947, the Kelley School of Business has been bringing MBA students together in a collaborative and welcoming learning environment. Kelley provides an intimate learning experience that emphasizes professional development and building leadership skills, through dedicated faculty and professors that also offer generous office hours, dinner parties and tailgating events.Ā 

The IU Kelley MBA accepts around 160 students a year and is designed to be customized to fit personal and professional development goals.

The B-School is in Bloomington, Indiana – a diverse city that offers a combination of academic excellence, vibrant arts and culture, beautiful natural surroundings, and a thriving entrepreneurial spirit, making it an ideal place for MBAs looking to earn their degree in a charming college town setting. Top companies in the area include Cook Medical, Baxter, and BSCI.Ā 

ā€œAt Kelley, the phrase ā€œa close-knit communityā€ stands true to its word. The Kelley community is a result of small class size, greater faculty interactions, and personalized coaching, which gives numerous opportunities to interact and communicate. I have met ambitious people who are always available to not only have a good time but also help you out when in need. Besides improving my business acumen, I have made some of the best relationships that will stay with me forever. I will always cherish the decision to pursue an MBA at Kelley!ā€ says Priya Garg, Class of ā€˜24 on Kelleyā€™s website.

Academics And Programs

The program spans 21 months. Faculty Chair Kyle Cattani says, ā€œThe Full-Time MBA Program at Kelley is in the sweet spot of size – big enough to offer lots of choices and resources, yet small enough that students, faculty and staff get to know each other very well. The result is an incredibly supportive environment and a culture of helping each other in academics, careers, and life.ā€

Kelley sustains a culture of collaboration, recognizing that successful leaders are also successful team members. A candidateā€™s professional and extracurricular experiences should demonstrate an understanding of what it takes to lead, and how to work well with others.

Kelley has fashioned a reputation as a true MBA innovator, from being one of the few programs that give a single grade for the entire core curriculum to having a series of first-year academies that provide experiential learning, consulting projects and coaching to students interested in six core areas that range from capital markets and strategic finance to consulting and supply chain management.

There are many opportunities for students to explore and build their skills beyond required courses. What truly distinguishes the MBA experience at Kelley from others is Me., Inc., a highly innovative initiative to focus early attention on career management, personal brand building, and personal leadership. The program is ongoing, with second-year MBA students serving as coaches to both individual incoming students and their core teams.

Students begin their degree with integrated core courses, intended to provide them with a strong foundation of business fundamentals they can apply to interest areas further down the line in the MBA.

Kelley also used student feedback to build out a global consulting experience called Global Business and Social Enterprise Program (GLOBASE) with three international trips where students work remotely with clients (an important skill to practice in this day and age) then travel to their clientsā€™ home country for week-long on-the-ground engagement.

Why Students Chose

5 REASONS THE MBA CLASS OF 2024 CHOSE INDIANA KELLEY

1) Me, Inc: ā€œBesides Kelleyā€™s outstanding values, core curriculum, academies, and electives, what convinced me to choose Kelley was the Me, Inc. program. Through an immersive process of self-discovery, Me, Inc. enabled me to understand how my personal story, strengths, weaknesses, values, ideal work environment, and leadership style connect with the next steps in my career. Before this program, my personal brand was not a priority. Nevertheless, now I understand its significance, and most importantly, I have a clear vision of how it will guide me through my future professional development, before the start of classes.ā€
Juan Diego Vasquez (ā€™24)

2) Academies: ā€œI plan to join the Consulting Academy. In my previous professional experience, I enjoyed creating innovative solutions to challenges, utilizing extremely limited resources. What excites me about the consulting academy is the ability to apply what I learn in the classroom through real-world consulting projects, as well as gaining exposure to top-consulting firms of all sizes.ā€
Alyssa Rapelje (ā€™24)

ā€œI come from a clinical healthcare background. When I was looking at MBA programs, I wanted a program that had resources to support my interest in the business of healthcare. While I was researching Indiana Kelley, I learned the position Indiana, as a state, has in life science careers. Indiana is #2 in U.S. states for life science exportation and the life sciences makes up 28% of the total exports for Indiana. The PLUS Life Sciences Academy is an optional academy that helped tip the scales to choosing Indiana Kelley. I liked that the PLUS Life Sciences Academy has electives to learn formally, and networking events with leaders in the industry. While I was looking at schools, George M. Telthorst, the director of the program, made himself available for a conversation. The availability of him and others at Indiana Kelley was definitely noticeable. I am looking forward to the discussions among peers and healthcare executives that visit for scheduled events.ā€
Denis Jerome Tuttle (ā€™24)

3) GLOBASE: ā€œThe Global Business and Social Enterprise (GLOBASE) program is an activity that excites me the most at Indiana Kelley. It serves as a platform to support various business entities around the globe, equipping them to attain higher level of impact in their communities. The diverse culture, work experience, and expertise that the MBAs bring to bear through this program have the capacity to revolutionize businesses which in most cases have not had such level of professional touch. I find such engagement exciting and fulfilling as it opens a world of opportunities to business owners while offering Kelley an avenue to give back to humanity.ā€
Chukwuka Stanley Ekeocha (ā€™24)

4) Bloomington: ā€œMy wife and I thought moving to Bloomington would be in the middle of nowhere. Iā€™ve lived many years in New York City and Houston ā€” two of the four biggest cities in the U.S. My wife is from the massive metro of Johannesburg. We moved to Bloomington blindly, thinking weā€™d be in for a very low-key, dare I say boring, two years (besides school). We were wrong. Bloomington is beautiful and happening! Rolling hills, four beautiful seasons (winter is a little long for us though!), and proximity to outdoors activities. Weā€™ve dined at several international restaurants, taken in shows at the top-ranked Jacobs School of Music, and attended games and events. The town is big enough to have lots to do, but small enough to feel like real community. Plus, being in a smaller college town meant connections with my classmates were made that much stronger.ā€
Adam Cochran (ā€™22)

ā€œThe biggest myth is that Bloomington is a college town. It isnā€™t a myth though, but thereā€™s always something going on so you will be able to find something to do. Bloomington is centrally located. Itā€™s close to bigger cities such as Indianapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Chicago.ā€
Nakia Lee (ā€™22)

5) Kelley Clap: ā€œAt the end of each class, Kelley students clap. The Kelley Clap is iconic and is indicative of the Kelley community. The Kelley Clap comes from a distinguished Kelley professor, Walt Blacconiere, who passed much too early from pancreatic cancer. Professor Blacconiere was known for clapping at the end of each lecture to celebrate and express gratitude for the learning that had taken place. Eventually, students started joining in. This is now a tradition that continues in every single classroom at the end of every single class. I love clapping at the conclusion of class, whether itā€™s with my two hands or an emoji on Zoom, as it reminds me to be thankful for the learning I get to experience at Kelley.ā€
Sam Yoder (ā€™24)

Career Stats

During on-campus orientation, youā€™ll dive into career development and team-building activities, highlighted by our innovative Me, Inc. workshop. Youā€™ll work to understand the careers and functions that best fit your strengths, experiences and goals, meeting one-on-one with career coachesā€”preparing to launch your internship search, learning how to conduct formal after-action reviews and focusing on networking.

Prepare to impress.
Throughout the MBA program, youā€™ll find ample opportunities to meet, connect and establish relationships with recruiters from top firms. Your Academy director, career coach and your peers all work together in Kelleyā€™s collaborative culture to connect you to the networks that will help you most. And, with more than 127,000 living Kelley alumniā€”the largest business school alumni network in the worldā€”youā€™ll have a powerful network of Kelley professionals willing to guide you on your career path.

Compensation of Kelley MBAs

Reported income of recent MBA graduates over 5 years

Career Statistics 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
Median Base Salary $119,000 $115,000 $107,000 $110,000 $110,000
Median Signing Bonus $25,000 $20,000 $25,000 $25,000 $22,000

Source: Kelley MBA Employment Reports 2016-2020

Industry Choices of Kelley MBAs

Recent graduates employed by industry sector over recent years

Industry 2020 2019 2018 2016 2015
Consulting Services 30 21 18 17 19
Consumer Packaged Goods 15 16 17 10
Energy 2 2 2
Financial Services 17 11 12 10 13
Healthcare 12 11 10 14
Human Resources 2
Marketing/Sales 29
Manufacturing 10 13 17 22
General Management 14
Media/Entertainment 1 1
Other Services 4 8 12 1 5
Retail 1 5 7
Social Impact 1
Technology 19 15 19 8
Information & Technology 2
Operations/Logistics 2 1

Note: 2017 data unavailable at time of publishing.
Source: Kelley Employment Reports 2015 – 2020

Kelley no longer publishes in its employment report its top employers, preferring to list all of the firms that hired the schoolā€™s graduates.

Admissions For IU Kelley

From the Kelley School of Business

Whether youā€™re looking for a career change, or want to enhance your options in your current career, we understand that the journey to an MBA is a deeply personal, life-improving investment. Thatā€™s why everything we do in our full-time MBA program is customized to your unique interests: whether itā€™s elective courses that allow you to design a curriculum thatā€™s specific to your goals; or individualized attention from both our world-renowned faculty and our award-winning career services (#4 in the world). We believeā€”and invest heavilyā€”in one-to-one attention and meaningful relationships. Thatā€™s why you will partner with a dedicated career coach throughout the program to help you identify the right career path for you, and become the best possible version of yourself. Youā€™ll also learn from an Academy Directorā€”an expert in the specific field that interests youā€”who will serve as a personal mentor, share industry knowledge with you, and prepare you to land a job and be successful in your chosen field. Youā€™ll gain support, fresh insights and valuable tips from your second-year peer coach. And weā€™re not just interested in helping you land the job youā€™re looking forā€”although the Financial Times does also recognize us as #4 in the world for job placement success. You can connect with our alumni career coach for ongoing resources, support, and career guidance, long after youā€™ve returned to the working world. Our coach can help as you refine your professional evolution and hone career management skills that last a lifetime. Kelleyā€™s unique combination of top-notch academics, abundant experiential learning, robust and honest professional development, extraordinary relationships with top companies around the worldā€”and 124,000+ alumni at those companiesā€”yields our students top returns on their investment year after year.

These are just some of the reasons why we have developed a proven record of rewarding your investment.

Princeton Review Best Business Schools (2021)

  • #3 best MBA for marketing
  • #7 best professors

U.S. News & World Report (2023 Best Graduate Schools):

  • #7 in Entrepreneurship
  • #22 best business schools

Financial Times (2022):

  • #4 in the world for career services

QS MBA Rankings (2021)

  • #19 in the U.S.

An MBA as Unique as You

When you join ourĀ full-time MBA program, youā€™ll gain a deep understanding of yourselfā€”and your personal leadership styleā€”even before your course work begins. We know that understanding yourself is the first step toĀ becoming a business leaderĀ that others want to follow.

To enable this deeper understanding of your true aims and objectives, youā€™ll take part in Me, Inc.ā€”a personal and professional development initiative that runs the entire two weeks of orientation. This career management model provides an insightful head start on personal leadership, collaboration, and accountability, and works through intense and intimate workshops that provide frank feedback from peers and coaches. This initiativeā€”unique to Kelleyā€”helps you build your personal brand and allows you to focus onā€”and truly understandā€”what you want to do with your MBA from the beginning of your Kelley MBA experience.

Following Me, Inc., youā€™ll spend your entire first semester gaining a comprehensive understanding of business. Over 15-weeks, youā€™ll undergo an exhaustive and rigorous exploration of every business discipline and how they integrate. This strong foundation in business fundamentals is co-taught by nine dedicated faculty members, allowing you to understand functional integration and succeed as a leader of cross-functional teams.

Once you enter your second semester, youā€™ll receive specific career-path insights and guidance, allowing you to design your own academic curriculum that will focus on what matters the most to you and your future.

  • Majors:Choose from one ofĀ seven majors, including five STEM-designated majors, or design your own.
  • Academies:Our unique MBAĀ Academies bridge what you learn in the classroom and help you understand how to apply it in your field during your internship and post-MBA career. Heavily focused on experiential learning, your Academy will give you the career-related experience recruiters look for including: company-based consulting projects, leadership opportunities, nationwide corporate visits, and networking with industry veterans.

Global Experiences and Reach

Our program ensures that youā€™ll gain international business leadership skills in the classroom and on location:

  • We offer more than 20 formal exchange programs on five continents as part of our Partnership in International Management (PIM).
  • Youā€™ll have the opportunity to lead and design our Global Business and Social Enterprise (GLOBASE) program, allowing you to work directly with entrepreneurs in emerging economies to solve real-world problems.

Career Placement

We work hard to prepare our students for the evolving job marketā€”itā€™s one of the reasons the Financial Times ranks us #4 in the world for career placement. Kelley students graduate ready to work and are prepared to make a difference from day one. Thatā€™s whyĀ top companies from across the nation come to campus to hire our studentsā€”95% of our full-time MBA graduates have job offers within three months of graduation. Our placement is coast to coast and global, with Kelley graduates employed in 105 countries and on five continents.

Life at Kelley

Kelley fosters a tight-knit, supportive community of peers united by mutual respect and the desire to excel. Youā€™ll form professional and personal networks that will last for the rest of your life. As part of the Kelley community, youā€™ll benefit from our diverse student bodyĀ and have the opportunity to explore dozens of student clubs and organizations within the Kelley Schoolā€”two of these clubs were created for studentsā€™ families and kids. The gorgeous Indiana University Bloomington campus buzzes with the excitement of Big Ten sports, cultural activities, and student organizations.

Bloomington is a welcoming, eclectic college town that offers an abundance of activities for partners and families of MBA students.

Largest Business School Network in the World

Once you become part of the Kelley family, become part of the worldā€™s largest business school networkā€”more than 124,000 alumniā€” connecting you with graduates and business leaders working at top companies around the globe.

More MBA Options

In addition to our prestigiousĀ Full-Time MBA Program, we also offer:

Online MBA:Ā ThroughĀ Kelley Direct Programs, our online MBA, the first offered by a top business school, is ranked #1 byĀ U.S. News & World Reportā€™s Best Online Graduate Business Programs 2022.

Evening MBA:Ā Our flexible part-time Evening MBA Program on our Indianapolis campus combines online and on-campus instruction and is ranked #1 for academic quality among part-time MBA programs byĀ Bloomberg Businessweek.

Physician MBA: Kelleyā€™s Business of Medicine program offers a two-year MBA degree designed exclusively for physicians who want to shape the future of healthcare.Ā  TheĀ Kelley Business of Medicine MBAĀ Ā combines practical business concepts with specialized, contemporary health care courses.

Essay Questions For IU Kelley

Kelley requires that prospective MBAs answer three essay questions, with an optional fourth.

The first is:Ā  Discuss your immediate post-MBA professional goals. How will your professional experience, when combined with a Kelley MBA degree, allow you to achieve these goals? Should the short-term goals you have identified not materialize, what alternate career paths might you consider?

The second is respond to one of the following short essay prompts:

  1. My greatest memory is…
    b. I’m most afraid of…
    c. My greatest challenge has been…
    d. I’m most proud of…

The third asks MBAs to Share a brief fact about yourself that your classmates would find interesting, surprising, or noteworthy.

The optional last question leaves room for prospective MBAs to inform admissions on any other information they might want admissions to know as they evaluate their application.

Student Features For IU Kelley

Meet Indiana Kelleyā€™s MBA Class Of 2024

An inside look at Kelley first-years

Meet Indiana Kelley’s MBA Class Of 2023

A class of career changers seeking the personal touch

Meet Indiana Kelley’s MBA Class Of 2022

Career changers enjoying intensive coaching and deep industry training

Meet the MBA Class of 2025: Rex Rumsey, Indiana University (Kelley)

ā€œIā€™m a HealthTech enthusiast, dedicated to optimizing digital, organizational, and clinical solutions to enhance healthcareā€

2023 Best & Brightest MBA: Brittany Bolden, Indiana University (Kelley)

ā€œTenacious and scrappy introvert, passionate about gender/race/class equity and learning about different culturesā€

2023 Best & Brightest MBA: Ben Krebs, Indiana University (Kelley)

ā€œHard-working and easy-going problem solver - passionate leader dedicated to making a positive impactā€

2022 MBA To Watch: Nakia Lee, Indiana University (Kelley)

ā€œDetailed oriented, dependable, recognizes opportunity and capitalizes on itā€

2023 MBA To Watch: Sarah Kiley, Indiana University (Kelley)

ā€œBostonian, aunt, sports fanatic, relationship builder, and former competitive Irish Step Dancerā€

2023 MBA To Watch: Cedrick Agorbia-Atta, Indiana University (Kelley)

"Resourceful, adventurous, reliable, and proactive and funny.ā€

2022 MBA To Watch: Amisha Mittal, Indiana University (Kelley)

ā€œI am a fun-loving person who loves to try out new thingsā€

School Features

The Future Of The MBA Is Happening Right Now At Indiana Kelley

In its sparkling $10 million studio, Kelley Direct at Indiana University is leading a new era of 'hands-on virtual' learning

2022 Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors: Stephanie Lu Wang, Indiana University Kelley School of BusinessĀ 

A leading scholar on international business, Stephanie Lu Wang of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business consistently receives high marks and positive feedback from her students

2022 Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors: Scott J. Shackelford, Indiana University Kelley School of Business

Scott J. Shackelford of Indiana University Kelley School of Business is a world leader in the push for cyber peace

MBA Watch For IU Kelley

MBA Watch is where thousands of MBA applicants not only get to tell their story but have John A. Byrne, MBA admissions coaches and our audience, assess their odds of admission and get help to improve their chances of getting in!

Mr. Clinical Trial Ops

Recent grad pharmacist starting a 2yr Fellowship in "Big Pharma" Clinical Trial Operations.

Mr. Colombian Sales Leader

Young professional originally from Colombia with a proven track of success in sales and product management in the manufacturing and engineering industries.

Mr. Construction Manager

I have managed two multi-family/apartment complex developments in NC (totaling $88 million dollars) and I am currently managing the construction of a major industrial facility ($600+ million) and I am OSHA certified.

Mr. Emporio Armani

A personal tragedy senior year of undergrad derailed my GPA and career plans.

Mr. Community Involvement

I love doing extracurricular activities and took a position with a chapter of AMA to continue my marketing passion.

Mr. Senior Finance Manager

I am a Senior Finance Manager with a fast pace growing fintech start-up in Nigeria.

Ms. Coding Tech Leader

I am a Software Developer with 5+ years of experience.

Mr. Strategy Consulting

Financial Consultant - Valuations.

Ms. Second Chances

In 5 years I moved from an assistant to an HR manager role, leading dept.

Mr. Military 2.0

Transitioning U.

Rankings Data For IU Kelley

The annual Poets&Quantsā€™ MBA ranking takes the five most influential lists from U.S. News, The Financial Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, Forbes, and The Economist and combines them together using weights based on the soundness of each publicationā€™s methodology. Bringing them together this way diminishes the anomalies that often crop up in a given year and also gives applicants a better sense of an overall schoolā€™s reputation and brand value. This yearā€™s 2022-2023 list gives a 35% weight to the U.S. News ranking, a 25% weight to Forbesā€™ return-on-investment ranking, a 20% weight to the Financial Times, and 10% each to The Economist and to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Kelley MBA Rankings

Ranking 2023-2024 2022-2023 2021-2022 2020-2021 2019-2020
Poets&Quants 37 22 22 22 23

MBA Program Consideration Set

If you believe youā€™re a close match to this schoolā€“based on your scores, age and work experience, you could look at these other competitive full-time MBA programs as well. We list them by stretch, match, and more to consider. These options are presented on the basis of brand image and ranking status as a general guideline. These are meant to be a starting point for further exploration.

Partners who enable Poets&Quants to provide, free to our readers, information, inspiration, and greater access to graduate education opportunities.

News Coverage For IU Kelley

The No. 1 Online MBA Program In The U.S. Turns 25 This Year

Plus: A Wharton MBA student dies suddenly of a brain hemorrhage

MBA Scholarships At The Leading Business Schools

At most top business schools, dozens ā€” and sometimes hundreds ā€” of need- and merit-based awards are available

GMAT Versus GRE: Which Top-50 MBA Programs Prefer Which Test?

Where a GMAT or GRE score is a must for admission ā€” and where you don't have to worry about sitting for an entrance exam

Kelley On Campus

Kelley On Campus: A Nerve-Racking Litmus Test For Online MBAs

Some 180 Kelley Direct online MBA students converge on campus to meet with each other, consult with faculty and create pitches under pressure for a client organization

Kelley School of Business

A Big Surprise At IU: Ash Soni Will Do A Two-Year Deanship At The Kelley School

Indiana University appoints Interim Dean Ash Soni to a two-year deanship as it grooms more internal candidates

Kelley Schoolā€™s Pioneering Entrepreneurship Program Chosen As Model For The Field

Indiana Kelley’s Pioneering Entrepreneurship Program Is Chosen As A Model For The Field

Donald F. Kuratko, a pioneer in entrepreneurship as an academic discipline, has led Kelley's entrepreneurship program since 2004

Meet The NFL Players Pursuing The Vince Lombardi Trophy & An Indiana Kelley Degree

Plus: Meet the McCombs MBA who created a hub for pickleball & other emerging sports

business schools to watch

10 Business Schools To Watch In 2023

These business schools are worth keeping your eye on in 2023

An Impossible MBA Journey Made Possible

Turning impossibles into possibles with the Kelley Direct Online MBA Program

Kelley School of Business

IU Kelley Turns To A Trusted Long-Time Leader As Interim Dean

Ash Soni will serve as interim dean starting Aug. 1