Haas Berkeley

Test-optional is taking over the MBA world, but what do the top MBA admissions committees want to see?

Located in the dynamic San Francisco Bay Area, Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley offers a distinctive MBA program known for its leading-edge curriculum that integrates progressive leadership training. Unique to Haas is its defining principle of "Question the Status Quo," encouraging students to innovate with a pioneering spirit. Strategically positioned near Silicon Valley, Haas equips its graduates to be visionary leaders and change-makers in the global business landscape, leveraging cutting-edge knowledge to lead with a visionary approach.

The Haas Berkeley MBA program received 3,183 applications, out of which 625 were accepted, resulting in an acceptance rate of 19.6%. The yield rate, which indicates the percentage of accepted students who decide to enroll, stands at 39%.

Haas requires MBA candidates to take the GMAT, GMAT Focus or GRE exam before their application deadline, noting there is no minimum score for admission. The school pays particular attention to the quantitative section scores as a measure of the applicant's quantitative abilities.

Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley stands out with a notably high percentage of first-generation college students, constituting 20% of the MBA cohort. The undergraduate education of Haas students is diverse, with Engineering (23%), Economics (18%), and Business (13%) as the most common fields of study, accompanied by an average GPA of 3.64.

The majority of Haas Berkeley MBA students come from consulting (24%), technology (20%), and financial services (16%), with the average student having 5.8 years of work experience prior to joining the MBA program. Other industries represented include consumer products/retail, military, health/pharma/biotech, not-for-profit, government, services, and entertainment.

After graduating from Haas Berkeley, a significant proportion of MBA graduates find their path in technology, with about 29.8% entering this field, while consulting attracts 27.6% of the class. The mean base salary for those going into consulting is around $182,110, with a median of $192,000, showing strong financial prospects for graduates. Notably, a large majority of alumni, 75.4%, continue their careers on the West Coast, particularly in the Bay Area.