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
- Entry Criteria
- Women and International
- Undergraduate Degree
- Pre-MBA Industry
- Harvard MBA vs. Stanford MBA vs. Wharton MBA (Class of 2026)
Entry Criteria
Average work experience remains stable at five years, consistent with the prior class, while the median GMAT score dipped marginally from 733 to 732. The average GPA, however, improved from 3.6 to 3.7, suggesting an emphasis on academic performance in the selection process.
Women and International
The percentage of women in the Class of 2026 stands at 47%, a decrease from the 50% reported for the Class of 2025. International students make up 31% of the class, down from 35% the previous year, marking a slight shift in global representation.
| Wharton MBA Class Profile | Class of 2026 |
| Application Volume | 7322 |
| Enrolled | 866 |
| Work Experience (Average) | 5 years |
| GMAT Score (Median) | 732 |
| GPA (Average) | 3.7 |
| % Women | 47% |
| % International Students | 31% |
Undergraduate Degree
The undergraduate academic backgrounds of the Wharton MBA Class of 2026 show a slight adjustment in distribution compared to the Class of 2025. Business majors continue to make up 32% of the incoming class, remaining steady from the previous year. However, there is a notable shift between STEM and Humanities graduates. Humanities majors now represent 36% of the class, up from 34% in the Class of 2025, while STEM majors have decreased to 32%, down from 34% in the prior year.
| Undergraduate Degree | Class of 2026 |
| Business | 32% |
| Humanities | 36% |
| STEM | 32% |
Pre-MBA Industry
The industry backgrounds of the Wharton MBA Class of 2026 show some changes compared to the Class of 2025, with consulting remaining the largest represented field, increasing slightly to 28% from 27% the previous year.
The presence of Private Equity/Venture Capital professionals saw a significant rise, jumping to 15% from 9%, indicating a growing interest in this sector.
Conversely, representation from the technology sector dropped to 10%, down from 12% in the previous class.
The percentage of students from the non-profit/government sector held steady at 11%, while investment banking saw a modest increase from 8% to 9%.
Investment management, however, decreased from 7% to 4%, while healthcare representation also dropped slightly from 5% to 4%.
Other sectors, such as financial services (5%) and consumer product goods (2%), remained unchanged.
| Pre-MBA Industry | Class of 2026 |
| Consulting | 28% |
| Technology | 10% |
| Non-profit/Government | 11% |
| PE/VC | 15% |
| Investment Banking | 9% |
| Investment Management | 4% |
| Financial Services | 5% |
| Healthcare | 4% |
| Consumer Product Goods | 2% |
Harvard MBA vs. Stanford MBA vs. Wharton MBA (Class of 2026)
Harvard continues to attract the largest application volume and enrolls a class size closer to the 1000 mark – just like Wharton.
All schools have an average experience of 5 years.
Wharton clearly was ahead of Stanford and Harvard in representing women candidates while was at the lowest when it came to international representation compared to the peer schools.
Humanities was the most represented undergraduate degree at Wharton. The school also maintained a close to equal representation of Business and STEM background as well – both above 30%.
Consulting, and Finance were the top two representation by pre-MBA industry at Wharton.
Govt/Non-profit candidates also had a double digit representation – more than technology candidates.
Related Downloads
| Class Profile | Harvard MBA Class of 2026 | Stanford MBA Class of 2026 | Wharton MBA Class of 2026 |
| Application Volume | 9856 | 7295 | 7322 |
| Enrolled | 930 | 424 | 866 |
| Work Experience (Average) | 5 years | 5.1 years | 5 years |
| GMAT Score (Median/Average) | 740 | 738 | 732 |
| GPA (Median/Average) | 3.69 | 3.75 | 3.7 |
| % Women | 45% | 44% | 47% |
| % International Students | 35% | 39% | 31% |
| Undergraduate Degree | |||
| Business | 24% | 18% | 32% |
| Economics | 19% | 20% | NA |
| Humanities/Social Science | 17% | 21% | 36% |
| STEM | 40% | 41% | 32% |
| Pre-MBA Industry | |||
| Consulting | 18% | 20% | 28% |
| Investment Management/PE/VC | 16% | 19% | 19% |
| Technology | 12% | 14% | 10% |
| Financial Services | 10% | 6% | 5% |
| Healthcare | 8% | 6% | 4% |
| Government/Non-Profit | 6% | 9% | 11% |
| CPG/Retail/E-commerce | 9% | 7% | 3% |
| Investment Banking | NA | NA | 9% |
| Military | 5% | 5% | 6% |
Reference
