Most encouraging for Kellogg’s admissions, however, may be that the school saw a 23% jump in applications to the full-time MBA program, which amounts to a nearly 1,000-app increase given the school’s 4,316 apps in 2022-2023. Though Kellogg does not disclose its app total, based on the 23% figure that means it received in the neighborhood of 5,300 apps in 2023-2024, which would make it the most successful cycle on record.

Kellogg was not alone in that regard. Among fellow M7 schools, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania’s 2023-2024 MBA app total of 7,322 missed being a school record by just 16 apps while representing an 18% bounce-back from the previous cycle, and Harvard Business School saw a 21% increase in apps. Stanford reports an 18% jump in apps, and MIT Sloan School of Management saw a 16% increase that allowed the M7 school to enroll a school record 49% women and a class that set a new school record for undergraduate GPA (3.7).

Other top schools that have reported their class profile data include:

• Yale School of Management apps were up 21.5%

• Dartmouth Tuck School of Business was up 36%

• NYU Stern School of Business saw an amazing 48% jump in apps

• Duke Fuqua School of Business was up nearly 16% to an all-time app record, enabling the school to enroll 51% women this fall

• The Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis doubled its apps

• Michigan Ross School of Business, one of the leading public B-schools in the country, was up more than 35%.

Nor was the phenomenon restricted to the U.S.: In Spain, IESE Business School reported record apps, allowing the school to enroll its biggest-ever class and highest-ever percentage of women.

Source: Kellogg

KELLOGG’S DIVERSITY NUMBERS: A SOURCE OF BIG CONCERN

Kellogg is among the B-schools that publishes a GPA range, which demonstrates to prospective applicants that other aspects of their application can overcome a middling undergraduate record. In recent years that range has dipped as low as 2.4 on the front end; this year the range is 2.9-4.0. Likewise GMAT range: For three years running, the lower end of scores was 620, while the upper end has been 780; this year the lower end grew to 640. This is on the old version of the test; the newer version, which began to be used early this year, will have a lower range of scores by design.

Like many of its peer schools, Kellogg took a hit to its diversity metrics as it adjusts to a world where race-based admissions mandates have been eliminated: According to federal reporting guidelines, just 28% of the domestic population in Kellogg’s new MBA class are U.S. students of color, down from 42% last year, and 7% are under-represented minorities, down from 22%. Black (2%, down from 7%) and Hispanic (5%, down from 10%) student numbers are a particular cause for concern. (Editor’s note: Because of a backend error on the Kellogg class profile webpage, the school initially reported last year’s numbers for U.S. and underreported minorities, which was reflected in P&Q‘s story.)

The new Kellogg MBA class has the same average length of work experience as its two predecessors: 62 months. Eighteen percent of the class hail from the tech industry, down 1 point from last year, while nearly a third — 32% — are from consulting, up from 26%. Another 18% come from financial services, down 1 point, and healthcare saw a slight decrease to 7% from 8%.

Economics/business majors comprise 49% of the Kellogg Class of 2026, down from 50%, while STEM majors are 39%, up 1 point. Those with humanities majors are 24%, down from 25%.

THE M7 BY THE NUMBERS: 2023 EDITION

Source: M7 business schools and U.S. News

*Median

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