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
INSEAD provides a 10-month expedited MBA program – ideal for applicants with 5-8 years of experience and a global work profile. An international mindset is required to thrive in the two campus structure in Asia (Singapore), and Europe (Fontainebleau), with the Middle East (Abu Dhabi) for Executive MBA and North America (San Francisco) for short-term projects in the US.
In this in-depth class profile comparison of Investment Banking and Finance MBA powerhouses – Columbia, Cornell, and NYU Stern MBA, we cover:
In this in-depth class profile comparison of Haas, Ross, and Duke Fuqua MBA – three popular programs for international applicants, we cover:
In this in-depth class profile comparison of MIT, Kellogg, and Chicago Booth Full-time MBA, we cover:
GMAT and GRE scores continue to reflect the selectivity of top MBA programs. But scores are just one factor that influences admissions. In this in-depth class profile analysis for the 2026 graduating class of Top 15 MBA programs, we cover:
Harvard, Stanford and Wharton are on many of your top 3 list. While evaluating admission chances, many applicants look just at the GMAT, GRE and GPA criteria, missing out on a critical piece of the puzzle – class profile trends.
HSW and M7 schools tend to accept similar candidates based on industry, function, undergraduate majors and Pre-MBA industry experience with a few fine-tuning to adapt with market conditions.
In this in-depth comparison of Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton MBA on 2026 class profile trends, we compare:
The Wharton MBA Class of 2026 presents a slight shift in several key metrics compared to the previous year. Application volume increased to 7,322, up from 6,319 for the Class of 2025, reflecting continued high interest in the program.
Despite this rise, the enrolled class size dropped slightly to 866 students, compared to 877 the previous year, indicating Wharton's ongoing selectivity in admissions.
In this in-depth Wharton MBA Class Profile Analysis and Peer school Comparison, we cover
GMAT Score and Class Size
Which has a larger Class Size – INSEAD or IMD?
According to the latest Class Profile Report from both Business Schools, INSEAD has 1000 students enrolled in its MBA program with a GMAT 710, while IMD has 87 students enrolled in the Full-Time MBA program with a 680 GMAT score.
IMD or INSEAD – Which MBA programs has a higher acceptance rate?
The acceptance ratio has been slightly high at INSEAD as compared to IMD.
The LBS Class of 2025 MBA graduates presents a class size of 487. The cohort is both expansive and diverse, representing 63 nationalities. Women constitute a substantial 43% of the class, indicative of a commitment to gender diversity. The academic caliber is underscored by an average GMAT score of 710. Students bring valuable practical insights, boasting an average of 5.5 years of work experience.
The Yale Class of 2025 profile has a class size of 339 students. The 40% representation of women better than Darden but behind Tuck. International students constitute 50% of the cohort – one of the highest for a top 15 US MBA.
The Darden MBA Class of 2025 has a class size of 352 students The 37% women composition is much below the 44-48% that top US schools are attracting.
Harvard Full-time MBA is a 24-month program with the latest class enrolling 938 students in the Boston Campus.
In the first part of the Harvard MBA analysis, we cover the Full-time MBA Class profile, changing class composition, acceptance trends by pre-MBA industry, and pre-MBA education, and inflation trends.
Finally, Stanford was able to reverse the declining application volume that began engulfing top schools since 2019. Although not by a big margin, the 6,190 applicants for the 2025 class is a marginal improvement to the 6,152 for the 2024 class.
GMAT/GRE score is a reflection of the school’s selectivity. Among the top 15, Harvard had the highest entry barrier – a median GMAT of 740, followed by Stanford (738) and Haas (733).
The total number of enrolled students in the HAAS MBA Class of 2025 is 244, which is lower compared to peer schools Ross and NYU Stern. The high median GMAT score of 733, which, despite being 7 points lower than top MBAs, beats the peer school’s scores. Average GRE scores for Verbal and Quant are 161 and 163, respectively, whereas the average GPA is 3.64, six points lower than the median of the top 3 MBAs.
The Stanford Graduate School of Business accepted 431 new MBA candidates from a pool of 6,190 applicants. Thirty-six percent of new Stanford GSB students are from nations other than the United States, representing 55 nationalities. Women make up 46% of the class. While the average GMAT score of the class of 2025 is an excellent 738, no minimum score is required for admission to the Stanford MBA program.