University of Pennsylvania Wharton Business School is a top five business school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wharton’s diverse program is well known for its large alumni body and its expansive list of specializations. It is a school that brings together leading influencers and minds across varies industries. Use our guide to find out if Wharton is the right school for you. We have all you need to know about Wharton GMAT Score ranges–what are the Wharton GMAT scores you need to get in, what are the Wharton GMAT averages–we have what you need to know about Wharton GPAs, class profiles, statistics on careers for recent graduates, etc. Find out about what makes Wharton different and what the admissions committee is looking for.
UPenn Wharton Business School Overview
Wharton is the oldest business school in the nation with an undergraduate program, a full-time MBA program, an executive MBA program, a PhD program, and an executive education program.
There are four pillars for University of Pennsylvania Wharton, (1) Largest Global Network; (2) Culture of Engagement; (3) Innovative Leadership Learning; and (4) Global Opportunities. In your application, make sure you mention how each of Wharton’s core principles pertains to you.
UPenn Wharton Business School GMAT Ranges
Wharton GMAT score ranges from a 620 to 790. That is over a170 point difference. Realistically, you should look at the GMAT score range for the mid-80% of the students, which is a 700-770. The GMAT score mean is 732 and the median is 730. This means the distribution of scores is skewed to the right slightly. Applicants should aim to score around the median to be competitive, however if you don’t end up with a score that high, despite trying 2-3 times to get a better score on the GMAT, don’t worry. You can express your academic strength in other ways.
UPenn Wharton Business School Average GPA
The UPenn Wharton average GPA is 3.6 out of 4.0 for the most recent class of admitted students. GPA is important but not the sole indicator of academic strength. You can’t do anything to change your undergraduate GPA now so work on the other parts of your application to balance out your less-than-average GPA. You’ll need to show the admissions committee that you can not only handle the work that Wharton has in store, but also that you’ll thrive in the academic environment. Most courses are team-based and project-based. The admissions committee wants to make sure that every applicant will be able to hold their own in these settings.
UPenn Wharton Business School Class of 2017 Profile
| Number of Applications | 6,590 |
| Students Enrolled in Class of 2017 | 861 |
| Healthcare Management | 78 |
| Lauder Class | 74 |
| JD/MBA | 20 |
| International Students | 32% |
| Countries Represented | 73 |
| Female Students | 43% |
| Minority Students | 30% |
| Years of Work Experience: Mean | 5 |
| Years of Work Experience: Range | 1-16 |
| GMAT Score: Mean | 732 |
| GMAT Score: Median | 730 |
| GMAT Score: Range | 620-790 |
| GMAT Score: mid 80% Range | 700-770 |
Undergraduate Major
| Humanities | 42% |
| Business | 29% |
| STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) | 25% |
| Other | 4% |
Previous Industry
| Consulting | 23% |
| Government, Military, Non Profit | 11% |
| Investment Banking | 11% |
| Private Equity, Venture Capital | 10% |
| Other | 10% |
| CPG, Retail, Healthcare, Energy | 10% |
| Other Financial Services | 7% |
| Investment Management | 6% |
| Technology, Internet, Ecommerce | 6% |
| Media and Entertainment | 4% |
| Real Estate | 2% |
UPenn Wharton Business School Class of 2015 Profile
| Applications | 6,111 |
| Enrolled Class | 859 |
| Health Care Management Program | 70 |
| JD/MBA Program | 19 |
| Lauder Program in International Studies | 61 |
| Female | 40% |
| International Students | 31% |
| Countries Represented | 71 |
| US Minority Students | 30% |
| Mean Years of Work Experience | 5 years |
| Years of Work Experience Range | 0-16 |
| GMAT Range | 620-780 |
| GMAT Average | 728 |
| Middle 80% GMAT Range | 710-750 |
Undergraduate Majors
| Humanities, Social Sciences, Economics | 45% |
| Business | 27% |
| STEM | 23% |
Previous Industry Experience
| Consulting | 20% |
| Private Equity, Venture Capital | 12% |
| Investment Banking | 9% |
| Government, Military, Non Profit | 13% |
| Consumer Products, Retail, Healthcare, Energy | 12% |
| Other Financial Services | 7% |
| Technology, Internet, Ecommerce | 6% |
| Investment Management | 6% |
| Real Estate | 2% |
| Other Industries | 9% |
UPenn Wharton Business School Statistics
Alumni
| Number of Alumni | 94,000 |
| Number of Alumni Clubs | 79 |
| Countries | 153 |
| Continents | 6 |
| Africa & Middle East | 930 |
| Asia | 5,660 |
| Australia and New Zealand | 380 |
| Caribbean and Latin America | 1,370 |
| Europe | 4,510 |
| North America | 79,280 |
Career Management
| Class of 2015 Students | 826 |
| Students Seeking Full Time Employment | 624 (75.5%) |
| Seeking Students Reporting Full Time Job Offers | 614 (98.4%) |
| Seeking Students Reporting Full Time Job Acceptances | 593 (95.0%) |
| Students Not Seeking Employment | 150 (18.1%) |
| Company Sponsored / Returning to Company | 95 |
| Self-Employed / Starting own business | 36 |
| Continuing Education | 12 |
| Postponed Job Search | 6 |
| Personal / Other Reasons | 1 |
| Students not responding to survey | 52 (6.3%) |
Compensation Summary
| Compensation Item | # Reporting | % | Compensation Range (US $) |
| Annual Base Salary | 545 | 100% | 24,000-300,000 |
| Sign-on Bonus | 342 | 63% | 5,000-300,000 |
| Guaranteed Year-End Bonus | 102 | 19% | 4,000-275,000 |
| Relocation Expenses | 256 | 47% | 1,000-50,000 |
| Tuition Reimbursement | 20 | 4% | 10,000-160,000 |
Location Choices Post-Graduation (Class of 2015)
| International | 15.5% |
| Africa | 0.7% |
| Asia | 6.6% |
| Australia | 0.2% |
| Europe | 4.6% |
| Latin America | 2.0% |
| Middle East | 1.2% |
| United States | 84.5% |
| Mid-Atlantic | 8.6% |
| Midwest | 4.7% |
| Northeast | 41.5% |
| Southwest | 3.9% |
| West | 22.3% |
Careers by Industry
| Function | % | Median Annual Starting Salary (US $) |
| Consulting | 26.3% | 140,000 |
| Consumer Products and Retail | 7.4% | 105,000 |
| Retail | 2.9% | 102,500 |
| Energy and Utilities | 1.2% | 120,000 |
| Financial Services | 36.9% | 122,000 |
| Healthcare | 6.1% | 120,000 |
| Manufacturing | 1.7% | 110,000 |
| Media and Entertainment | 2.5% | 117,500 |
| Real Estate | 3.0% | 115,000 |
| Social Impact | 2.0% | 91,000 |
| Technology Industries | 11.3% | 120,000 |
Careers by Function
| Function | % | Median Annual Starting Salary (US $) |
| Business Development | 6.4% | 120,000 |
| Consulting and Strategy | 30.0% | 140,000 |
| Control and Accounting | 0.0% | N/A |
| Corporate Finance | 2.2% | 110,000 |
| Entrepreneurial Management | 1.7% | |
| General, Project Management, Management Development, Rotational Program | 5.1% | 115,000 |
| Investment Banking | 11.6% | 125,000 |
| Investment Management and Portfolio Management | 11.1% | 125,000 |
| Legal Services | 1.5% | 160,000 |
| Operations, Production Management | 2.4% | 115,000 |
| Private Equity | 9.6% | 140,000 |
| Product, and Brand Marketing | 6.1% | 125,000 |
| Product Development and Structuring | 1.7% | 103,000 |
| Real Estate | 2.9% | 115,000 |
| Research | 1.4% | 135,000 |
| Restructuring | 0.0% | N/A |
| Risk Management | 0.0% | N/A |
| Sales | 1.2% | 120,000 |
| Sales & Trading | 0.5% | N/A |
| Other Function Not Listed | 3.4% | 115,000 |
What does the admissions office say?
The admissions office wants you to do your due diligence about the school. There are plenty of resources available to learn more about Wharton so there is no excuse not to do your background research before submitting your application. Pro tip: look at the school’s core values and demonstrate how your goals are aligned with the school’s. Not only will you demonstrate that you are a good fit for the school but also that you’ve done your homework and you understand what Wharton is all about. The admissions office does a really nice job publishing communications and setting up events around for the world for the applicant body. They even have an admissions blog that you can follow to learn more about the school. By taking advantage of these resources, you can get pro tips directly from the admissions office that other applicants may overlook. It’s beneficial to get to know the admissions office as best you can. Summer is their time off, so that’s a good time to conduct your campus visits/tours and sit down for some informal, picking-your-brain-type chats with some people from the admissions office. During the application season (fall through spring), you will not have the opportunity so take advantage of both your and the admissions office’s downtime.
Three things to keep in mind about UPenn Wharton Business School
1. Team Based Interview: Wharton is one of the only MBA institutions in the United States that conducts team based interviews. The prompt will be circulated ahead of time to the candidates that are invited to interview. The prompt for Class of 2018 was to plan a conference to unite students and industry leaders, influencers, and alumni. You will be asked to give a 60-second pitch and have approximately half an hour to deliberate on a response with your team. At the end of the time limit, your team will have to give a short presentation to the two individuals from the admissions committee that are observing you (either admissions committee or admissions fellows, who are second-year Wharton students). After the team exercise, you will have a ten-minute one-on-one interview with one of the individuals that observed your team to debrief and talk quickly about your resume, MBA goals, and career aspirations.
2. Extensive Alumni Network: As the oldest business school in America, it makes sense that Wharton has the largest alumni network. Wharton does a great job connecting current students to alumni. It also does a great job connecting alumni to alumni and keeping close ties between alum from different schools. Being a part of the UPenn community is a strong advantage that will be even more beneficial down the line of your career path.
3. Global Program: There are so many official and unofficial international trips that students can partake in. Going abroad during your time at Wharton is inevitable. There is a program for every interest, every budget, and every schedule, you just have to find the right one. Wharton prides itself for being a diverse community with a global presence. The admissions committee is looking for applicants that share that priority with the school.
Applying to graduate school is not a straightforward process–it requires strategy and planning, ample timing and effort, and a lot of reviewing and editing. We have what you need to start preparing your application approaches and formulating opinions on which schools are the best for you. Similar to how each applicant is different, each school is different so taking the necessary step to do your due diligence and conduct research on each school is really important. Best of luck!
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