Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton are often evaluated in the same breath, even though the schools are clearly diverging. For help choosing the right program, we at F1GMAT analyzed the 2025 Entering Class or the Class of 2027 (2027 graduating class).
We are evaluating the three programs on
In December 2025, Harvard Business School (HBS) will host 12 MBA events, comprising 9 virtual sessions and 3 in-person events, offering prospective students a mix of program insights, application guidance, and opportunities to engage directly with the HBS community.
In December, Tuck School of Business will host 16 MBA events, evenly split between 8 virtual events and 8 in-person events. Together, these sessions are designed to help prospective applicants engage with the Tuck community, gain application guidance, and connect with students, alumni, and admissions leaders across multiple regions.
In December 2025, Cornell Johnson will host four MBA-related events, all of which are virtual, with no in-person events scheduled for the month. These sessions are designed to give prospective applicants direct access to the admissions team, student ambassadors, and external platforms offering broader exposure to top business schools.
In December 2025, the Wharton School will host 11 MBA events, including 9 virtual sessions and 2 in-person events, offering applicants multiple opportunities to engage with the admissions team, learn about Wharton’s MBA and Lauder programs, and explore pathways like deferred enrollment.
In December 2025, Yale School of Management (SOM) will host 27 MBA events, consisting of 21 virtual events and 6 in-person winter socials or masterclass sessions. The month is heavily centered on application preparation, regional workshops, and interactive opportunities for prospective applicants to connect with the Yale SOM community.
While the cost of pursuing an MBA from the US has been on a steep upward trend (see F1GMAT Premium's Research on cost trends), European Business schools have strategically cut their costs or pursued industry recruiters who have offers that are substantially higher relative to the offers in the local economy.
With the best European programs offering a total salary in the range of $160,000 to $170,000 in 2025 adjusted for PPP, in this Top 20 European MBA analysis, we cover:
In this analysis of the Top Global MBA Programs for 2025-26, we have created two Top 20 rankings – one based on post-MBA salary and cost, and a second based on post-MBA salary and increase in salary with honorable mentions of 20 to 30 ranked MBA programs in the US, UK and Europe.
We cover:
Adaptability and Resilience are now the most bastardised traits that applicants highlight as their uniqueness.
In psychological contexts, there are nuanced differences between coping with stress vs adapting to stress, vs. remaining resilient throughout a stressful scenario.
All curiosity narratives are anchored around the applicant’s ability to think beyond the obvious, find insights that no one is looking for, and accentuate the solution’s impact.
The least impactful curiosity narratives are around technical solutions, where the applicant fails to connect the solution to the business impact. Even if the technical solution had an impact on the client, solo solutions have the lowest influence on the admissions team.