Harvard Business School is known for being one of the biggest names in the league of business schools. It is well known for not only its prestige and brand as a premier school but also its research and publications in management as an institution. We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about Harvard Business school, the application process, HBS GMAT scores, class profiles, statistics on current students, and tips and approaches for your application. A lot of students are preoccupied with Harvard Business School GMAT score ranges and GPA. We get questions about HBS GMAT scores all the time, but it’s not just about the numbers. Harvard Business School’s application theme is “Introduce yourself,” so you’ll have to bring your ‘A’ game for every component of the application. Harvard Business School is very committed to its close-knit MBA community and its students capitalizing on every possible learning experience.
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Harvard Business School Overview
HBS is at the top for many reasons. Harvard places a strong focus on being a pioneer at the forefront of business and management research, which adheres to its brand as one of the best MBA programs in the world. The alumni network is very well connected and strong in ties and numbers. However, due to the coveted-ness of the brand, it is one of the hardest programs to gain entry into. Harvard has an 11% admittance rate (MBA Class of 2017), The MBA programs include 2+2, and the regular full-time program, Ph.D., and executive leadership. Gaining a spot in an HBS class will provide an extensive network not only within the business school but also with the larger university and surrounding partner schools.
A unique factor about Harvard Business School (HBS) is the large emphasis on their particular case approach, which they call ‘the case method.’ Different from other schools like a Sloan or a Wharton, Harvard’s curriculum is largely case-based versus numbers and models based. HBS itself cites that the average student reads over 500 cases during their entire MBA program. Most MBA courses are graded such that 50% of the final grade is allocated to class participation. The school also estimates that more than 80 percent of cases circulated world-wide are written by Harvard faculty and that 350 new cases are added every year.
Harvard Business School’s curriculum is centered around the case method, participant-centered learning, and FIELD projects. FIELD stands for Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development and is a one-year leadership course for first-year students that focuses on reflection, teamwork, small projects, and global engagement. The three core parts to FIELD are FIELD 1: Foundations, FIELD 2: Global Intelligence, and FIELD 3: Integrative intelligence.By the end of your second FIELD, you group will be responsible for launching a microbusiness. Your classmates in FIELD will comprise of teammates from your section as well as teammates from other sections. A section consists of a group of 90 students that you will take all your required classes with during your first year.
Each section is its community within the class with its dedicated faculty, schedule, community events, and classroom facilities. The purpose of the sections, the learning teams, and FIELD is to build a strong community and implant deep roots into the larger HBS network
Now that you know some information about Harvard Business School, why don’t we take a look at what the school looks for in its students?
Harvard Business School GMAT Scores
The GMAT is a major component in any MBA application, so what are the HBS GMAT scores that you need to hit? The admissions office publicizes that there is no special number. However, if you look at the statistics from the most recent classes, the middle 80% of the Class of 2017’s GMAT scores is within the 700-760 range. The median GMAT is 730. That said, you won’t be guaranteed entry just for getting a score within that range, and you won’t be rejected for not achieving a certain threshold. Remember that the GMAT is only a portion of the entire application package.
Harvard Business School GPA Range
Similar to the GMAT, the GPA does not have a particular minimal threshold. However, the average undergraduate GPA for the Class of 2017 is 3.66 out of 4.0. At this point, unless you are a 2+2 prospective student, it is too late to change your undergraduate GPA. All GPAs are not treated equally. The GPA is very subjective. Depending on which undergraduate school you went to, your major, collegiate extracurricular, etc., the admissions office will value your GPA differently. The GPA is only a portion of the application. At this point, it is more important to strengthen the other components of your HBS application to make up for your GPA. Likewise, if you have a strong GPA, you are not a shoe-in, you need to work on the rest of your application.
Harvard Business School Class of 2017 Profile
HBS is a relatively large MBA program with a diverse and global student body. The profile for the class of 2017 and the class of 2016 below should give you a good perspective on what the makeup of the most recent student body looks like and what Harvard is looking for.
| Admissions | 937 |
| Total MBA Enrollment | 9,686 |
| Applications | 11% |
| Yield | 91% |
Class Composition
| Women | 389 (42% |
| US Ethnic Minorities | 260 (28%) |
| International | 318 (34%) |
| Average Age | 27 |
| Countries Represented | 64 |
| Domestic Universities | 130 |
| International Universities | 135 |
Citizenship
| North America | 665 (71%) |
| Asia | 619 (66%) |
| Europe | 126 (14%) |
| Central/South America | 84 (9%) |
| Africa | 29 (3%) |
| Oceania | 19 (2%) |
Educational Background
| STEM | 339 (36%) |
| Economics/Business | 421(45%) |
| Humanities/Social Sciences | 177 (19%) |
Pre-MBA Industry
| Consulting | 146 (16%) |
| Consumer Products | 55 (6%) |
| Energy/Extractive Minerals | 56 (6%) |
| Financial Services | 107 (11%) |
| Government, Education, & No-profit | 79 (8%) |
| Health Care/Biotech | 67 (7%) |
| High Tech/Communications | 129 (14%) |
| Industrial/Heavy Manufacturing | 49 (5%) |
| Military | 48 (5%) |
| Other Services | 37 (4%) |
| Venture Capital/Private Equity | 164 (18%) |
Harvard Business School Class of 2016 Profile
| Students | 935 |
| Average Months of Post College Work Experience | 49 |
| Industries Represented | 50 |
| Countries Represented | 73 |
Class Composition
| Women | 387 (41%) |
| US Ethnic Minorities | 228 (24%) |
| International | 331 (35%) |
Undergraduate Major
| Economics and Business | 41% |
| Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics | 40% |
| Humanities and Social Sciences | 19% |
Industry Destinations for Full-time, Post MBA career
| Consulting | 24% |
| Consumer Products | 3% |
| Entertainment/Media | 2% |
| Financial Services | 31% |
| Health Care | 6% |
| Manufacturing | 5% |
| Nonprofit/Government | 4% |
| Retail/Trading | 3% |
| Services | 2% |
| Technology | 20% |
Function Destinations for Full-time, Post MBA career
| Business Development | 9% |
| Consulting | 24% |
| Finance | 29% |
| General Management | 14% |
| Marketing | 11% |
| Other | 6% |
| Strategic Planning | 7% |
Location Destinations for Full-time, Post MBA career
| The United States | 85% |
| International | 15% |
| Asia | 3% |
| Canada | 1% |
| Europe | 7% |
| Latin America | 1% |
| The Middle East & North Africa | 1% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 1% |
Harvard Business School Statistics
Other important HBS statistics, beyond Harvard Business School Score ranges, are important for giving you an idea of what the HBS experience and the post-MBA experience look like.
HBS Experience
| Students that live on campus | 80% |
| Percent of cases that are international | 33% |
Career Opportunities
| Median Base Starting Salary for new grads | $130,000 |
| Median Signing Bonus for new grads | $25,000 (65% receive signing bonus) |
| Median other guaranteed compensation | $26,000 (19% receive other guaranteed compensations) |
| Percent of 2015 graduates who went into start-ups | 9% |
| Median Base Salary in start-ups | $120,000 |
| Percent of 2014 graduates who have founded/co-founded a business | 20% |
| Percent of 2015 graduates who switched industries after HBS | 65% |
| Percent of 2015 graduates who joined a start-up for their internship | 12% |
| Percent of 2016 graduates interned outside of their home country | 36% |
| Percent of the class of 2015 who went to the west coast post-graduation | 26% |
| Percent of the class of 2016 who interned in healthcare | 9% |
Alumni Stats
| Percent of alumni who are satisfied with their career (up to 30 years out) | 71% |
| Number of positions that HBS alum usually hold per organization | 2 |
| Percent of alumni who are working full-time (up to 30 years out) | 64% |
| Percent of alumni who have founded a business by 30 years after grad | 42% |
| Percent of alumni who will change organizations to progress their career | 20% |
| Percent of alumni who are responsible for P&L by their 3rd organization | 30% |
What Does the Admission Office Say?
The admissions office emphasizes that they do not have a minimum score for GMAT or GRE and that they do not have a bias to either test. If you take multiple times, you can self-report only the highest score on your application.
A big change to the admissions committee was announced Fall 2015. Longstanding HBS admissions director, Dee Leopold, who has been in her position since May 2006, announced her plans to step down from her current position in May 2016. This means that the Class of 2018 will be her last HBS class. The new director is TBA but will also be another HBS alum. Dee will continue to support HBS admissions in some capacity, although no longer serving as director.
What does this mean for you? This may mean major changes in the HBS application come the release of Class of 2019 applications in Fall 2016, or the coming years. Keep in the loop by checking in frequently with the director’s blog.
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Three Things to Keep in Mind About Harvard Business School
1. Stakeholder management
Don’t fall trap to one of the most common mistakes to make on an application–being careless. It’s simple. Turn things in on time, do your research and due diligence, and review, review, review. You need to look at and edit your entire application multiple times before submitting. Make sure you are on top of you recommenders. If your recommenders are late to submit their recommendations, it will look bad for you so make sure that everything, including your recommendations, is submitted on time.
2. Interviews
Harvard has a quick turnaround for interview invites and candidate releases. There are two waves of interviews. The first wave is significantly larger than the second wave, which is usually released one week after the first. It does not matter which wave you are invited to interview. Interviews are extremely important and essentially tell you that you’ve gotten past the first cut. The interviewer will have a very significant say on your admittance or rejection so make sure you do your research.
3. Initiatives
Harvard has something called “initiatives” that focus on current leading topics in business and are an additional educational focus that you can tack on to your major. The initiative includes Business and Environment Initiative, the Entrepreneurship Initiative the Global Initiative, the Health Care Initiative, the Leadership initiative, and the Social Enterprise Initiative. These opportunities are incubating pods that integrate research, real-world knowledge, and educational theory to prominent focus areas.
Harvard Business School is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, along with the rest of the Harvard schools. HBS emphasizes community to a degree beyond most other business schools. The majority of HBS students live on campus for the entirety of their program, and their education extends beyond curriculum and extracurricular into residential programs as well. Thus, instead of worrying what HBS GMAT scores look like, you should get to know the school and what its values and differentiators are, to make your application stronger and more appealing.
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