Selection Criteria

We evaluate each candidate holistically across three dimensions: academic profile, professional achievements & aspirations and personal characteristics.

1. Academic Profile

We seek students who will flourish in our academic program. Your academic profile is assessed through:

• Quality of and performance in your prior academic program(s), as evidenced in your transcripts
• General aptitude as measured by the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Notes about Academic Profile:

• Stern has no minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) requirement and accounts for variances in grading systems around the world.
• Stern students have a variety of academic backgrounds, including liberal arts, engineering, social sciences and business.
• Stern has no minimum standardized test score requirements. We consider only your highest overall GMAT score, highest GRE scores (from the same exam) and highest overall TOEFL score (if required). Therefore, feel free to re-take a test if you believe you can improve your performance.

Admissions Tips:

• Listen to our podcast:
  Academic Profile
• Each school has its own policy regarding the impact of re-taking standarized tests. Be certain to research these policies prior to taking a test again.

2. Professional Achievements and Aspirations

We seek students with a proven track record of success, a high potential for future leadership and a well-articulated plan to achieve their short- and long-term goals. Professional achievements and aspirations are primarily assessed by:

• Résumé
• Work history
• Professional recommendations
• Essay 1
• Interview (by invitation only)

Notes about Professional Achievements & Aspirations:

• Most applicants have between one and ten years of work experience and come from a variety of professional backgrounds, such as consulting, financial services, entertainment, consumer products, nonprofit and technology. Because we value the diversity of our applicants' backgrounds, no industry is favored over another.
• Our Admissions Committee evaluates work experience not only in terms of years, but also in regard to depth and breadth of an individual's experience, responsibilities and progression.
• Although academic work and internships do not count toward professional work experience, we review all work experience as part of the admission decision.
• Work experience is not required to apply.

Admissions Tips:

• Listen to our podcast:
  Work Experience
• To help clarify your goals, take the time to conduct informational interviews in your desired field. Your undergraduate alumni network is a good place to begin.
• To feel confident in your career aspirations, use the resources provided by the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), such as the CareerLeader self-assessment program.

3. Personal Characteristics

We value students with both intellectual and interpersonal strengths. We seek students who embody Stern's values of mutual support and collaboration and who will be passionate, engaged participants in the Stern community. These personal characteristics are often evidenced in:

• Essays 2 and 3
• Professional recommendations
• Activities and Achievements
• Interview (by invitation only)

Admissions Tip:

• Listen to advice from Isser Gallogly, Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions, and Stern students on MBAPodcaster's Getting Into: NYU Stern School of Business. Please note that, since the production of this video, we have updated Essay 3 guidelines and now allow multimedia submissions, including CDs, DVDs, and USB flash drives.