01 · Class profile
Who is in the Yale SOM MBA class
Class of 2027, the newest class profile on Yale SOM's class-profile page, with data collected at matriculation in fall 2025. Yale says the Class of 2028, which entered in 2026, will get a profile once its figures are final.
Yale calls applicants for 2027 entry the Class of 2029, so you would join a class with no published profile yet. Treat these figures as the most recent guide.
Yale also shows 17% first-generation college students, 13% LGBTQ+, 23 joint-degree students and 19 US military veterans in the Class of 2027.
Where the class is from (share of students)
Latin America, Caribbean
4% Share of the Class of 2027 by region of citizenship, counting primary and secondary citizenship. The Latin America label is shortened from Latin America and the Caribbean. Yale says 47 countries are represented.
Test scores and GPA
| Test | Average | Median | Range |
|---|
| GMAT (Classic) | Not published | 740 | 691 to 760 |
| GMAT Focus Edition | Not published | 675 | 638 to 715 |
| GRE Verbal | Not published | 163 | 158 to 169 |
| GRE Quant | Not published | 166 | 160 to 170 |
| Undergraduate GPA (4.0 scale) | Not published | 3.69 | 3.37 to 3.93 |
Yale gives medians and the middle 80% range, not averages. The two GMAT editions are separate rows; do not compare them. 47% of the Class of 2027 submitted GRE scores, and Yale publishes no GRE total. GPA is reported only where it appears on the transcript.
Work experience
Yale says incoming students average five years of experience, though the overall range is much wider. It strongly encourages full-time work experience but does not require it, and publishes no minimum or maximum.
Industry before Yale SOM (share of students)
Consumer Packaged Goods
3% Share of the Class of 2027, industries as Yale groups them. Other is Yale's own bucket.
Undergraduate major (share of students)
Humanities, Social Sciences
20% Share of the Class of 2027, as Yale groups the majors. The third label stands for Yale's Humanities and Social Sciences.
Where do you sit in this class? Enter your score, experience and profile and see your position and interview risk.
Check my chances02 · Placements
Where Yale SOM MBA graduates go
$30,000
median signing bonus
Class of 2025 full-time results from Yale's Employment Report 2025-26. The report is labelled 2025-26, but the full-time figures are for the Class of 2025. Yale has not yet published the Class of 2026 full-time report.
Pay is base salary, self-reported, in US dollars. Yale reports the median, with 25th percentile $140,000 and 75th percentile $190,000. It publishes no mean and no highest salary. 91.7% of students reporting accepted offers included salary information.
The signing bonus is reported separately and is not part of base. 71.5% of those reporting salary reported a signing bonus (median $30,000). 5.5% reported a guaranteed year-end bonus (median $40,000). Do not add these to base pay.
Yale counts 336 students in the Class of 2025. Of these, 273 were seeking employment. It measures offers against those 273: 82.1% (224) had an offer and 79.9% (218) had accepted one within three months of graduation.
55 students were not seeking: 23 starting their own business, 18 company sponsored, 9 postponing the search, 3 continuing education and 2 other. 8 gave no information.
Industry of the job (share of hires)
Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals
5.1% Share of Class of 2025 hires, as the report gives it. Finance includes Investment Banking 18.0%, Diversified Financial Services 3.7%, Investment Management 3.7%, Venture Capital 1.8% and Private Equity 1.4%. Retail includes e-commerce 3.7%.
Smaller industries in the report: Nonprofit 2.8%; Consumer Packaged Goods 2.3%; Transportation 2.3%; Media/Entertainment 1.4%; Manufacturing 1.4%; Government 0.9%; Law 0.9%; Real Estate 0.5%; Hospitality 0.5%.
Function of the job (share of hires)
Information Technology
2.8% Share of Class of 2025 hires. Consulting is External Consulting 36.9% and Internal Consulting/Strategy 11.7%. Smaller functions: Operations/Logistics 1.4%; Law 0.9%; Social Impact 0.5%; Human Resources 0.5%; Real Estate 0.5%.
Median base salary by function
| Function | Median base salary |
|---|
| External Consulting | $190,000 |
| Finance/Accounting | $175,000 |
| Internal Consulting/Strategy | $150,000 |
| General Management | $140,000 |
| Marketing/Sales | $131,500 |
| Information Technology | $130,000 |
Median base salary by industry
| Industry | Median base salary |
|---|
| Consulting Services | $190,000 |
| Investment Banking | $175,000 |
| Energy | $155,000 |
| Diversified Financial Services | $150,000 |
| Transportation | $150,000 |
| E-commerce | $142,400 |
| Investment Management | $140,000 |
| Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals | $140,000 |
| Technology | $138,200 |
| Consumer Packaged Goods | $127,000 |
Yale shows no median for the remaining industries and sub-industries (insufficient data or withheld for privacy). Its PDF also gives Finance overall $175,000 and Retail overall $143,900.
Location of the job
Yale says 92.8% of hires took jobs in the US (median base $175,000) and 7.2% abroad (median base $119,831 in the PDF, shown as $120K on the web page; this page uses the PDF). Of those hired abroad, Yale says 66.7% went to Asia (median $90,000).
| US region | Median base salary |
|---|
| Southwest | $190,000 |
| Northeast | $175,000 |
| Mid-Atlantic | $175,000 |
| South | $167,500 |
| West | $158,000 |
| Midwest | $155,000 |
Employers
Hired the most graduates in 2025, as Yale names them: Amazon.com, Inc.; Bain & Company, Inc.; Bank of America Corporation; Barclays PLC; The Boston Consulting Group, Inc.; Citigroup Inc.; Deloitte Consulting LLP; EY-Parthenon; International Business Machines Corporation; JPMorgan Chase & Co.; McKinsey & Company; Microsoft Corporation; The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
Yale says 121 unique employers hired the Class of 2025.
Yale says 23 graduates of the Class of 2025 started their own ventures.
Summer internships, Class of 2026
Class of 2026, not the Class of 2025. Of 343 students, 314 were seeking an internship and Yale says 100% accepted one. The median weekly salary was $2,360 (25th percentile $1,523, 75th percentile $3,365). 90.5% were in the US. 11.7% of reporting students reported no salary.
By function, 47.3% of internships were consulting (External 30.1%), 25.1% Finance/Accounting, 11.9% Marketing/Sales and 5.3% General Management. 7 students worked on their own start-ups and 26 more at start-ups founded by others.
03 · Fees and scholarships
What it costs, and how to pay less
These are Yale's 2026-27 figures for one academic year, in US dollars, for a single student. They are paid by the Class of 2028 and the second-years. Yale does not publish the 2027-28 figures the Class of 2029 will pay, or a two-year total.
| Cost, 2026-27 (one year) | Amount |
|---|
| Tuition | $90,900 |
| Program fee | $500 |
| Total tuition and fees | $91,400 |
| Housing, food and utilities | $22,991 |
| Miscellaneous personal | $5,525 |
| Transportation | $3,856 |
| Books and course materials | $1,440 |
| Health insurance | $3,764 |
| Living expenses | $37,576 |
| Total budget | $128,976 |
Fall term fees post on 1st Jul and are due in full on 1st Aug. Spring term fees post in the first week of Nov and are due in full on 1st Dec. A 5-month payment plan is available for all or part of term fees.
All students are enrolled automatically in the Yale Health Insurance Plan and may waive it if they have other hospitalisation insurance. Domestic MBA students can ask for a one-time computer increase to their budget of up to $1,000, with an invoice or quote.
Yale SOM does not publish a deposit amount or date on the pages we read.
Application fee
The fee is $250, or $175 if your total annual compensation is under $50,000, or $125 if under $25,000. Yale verifies compensation if you are admitted and enrol, and the offer depends on it.
Yale lists fee waivers for active US military and veterans, current and former Peace Corps volunteers, Girls Who Invest alumni, current Forte MBALaunch participants, current Yale students, current Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) MBA Prep Fellows, Teach for All members and alumni, QuestBridge college seniors and alumni, and alumni and current students of nearly 700 US colleges with economic-diversity initiatives. Ask at least 48 hours before the deadline.
Scholarships
Yale decides scholarships after admission, through a short supplemental application, and only candidates who complete it are considered for grant aid. It is separate from the admission decision. Yale says it awarded over $7.8M in grant aid to incoming students in 2024, and does not publish the share receiving aid.
| Scholarship | What you get and who it is for |
|---|
| Dean's Scholarship | Makes up the bulk of grants. The Dean awards it for anticipated contribution to the class, and it may be given a donor-funded name on enrolment. |
| Aspire Fellowship | Launched for the Class of 2027. Over $5,000,000 is offered to admitted candidates who have overcome socioeconomic challenges, with individual awards from $60,000 to full tuition and fees. Yale decides after admission and takes much of the information from your application. |
| Global Leaders from India MBA Scholarship | Up to five merit scholarships a year, each covering at least half of tuition, for admitted students coming from India. All admitted applicants from India are considered automatically, with no separate application. |
| Consortium Fellowship | Only for admitted students who apply through The Consortium and are designated Fellows. It may include full tuition and fees for two years. |
| Forte Fellowship | For admitted students committed to advancing women. Yale says it gave over $4M in Forte Fellowships to its students in 2024. |
| Yale Scholarships for Entrepreneurs | Two merit scholarships per entering class, plus up to five Entrepreneurial Fellows a year who get two years of loan deferral. |
| Yale Africa Impact Scholarship | At least two a year, each covering at least half of tuition, for admitted candidates from an African country who intend to return to Africa within two years. No extra application. |
| Yale-Reaching OUT LGBT MBA Fellowship | Yale lists a maximum of 2 students. |
| Yale-FUNED Scholarship | For students from Mexico. |
Yale says most scholarships run for both years. It gives no decision date beyond that awards follow shortly after admission.
Loans
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan: annual limit $20,500, 8.07% fixed for loans first disbursed 1st Jul 2026 to 30th Jun 2027, origination fee 1.057%, no credit check, repayment from six months after graduation. Federal Grad PLUS is not available to students who begin borrowing on or after 1st Jul 2026.
Private loans can come from any lender, and Yale SOM cannot act as cosigner. For international students without a US cosigner, Yale says Quorum Federal Credit Union accepts Yale SOM MBA students. Private loans for tuition and fees are eligible for the Loan Forgiveness Program.
Yale's Loan Forgiveness Program, running since 1986, lets graduates in full-time government or 501(c)(3) nonprofit jobs apply within 10 years of graduation. International students are eligible. The income table on the page is from 2023 and Yale says terms can change, so we do not quote it.
Could your profile earn a scholarship? Check where you stand before you apply.
Check my chances04 · Rounds and deadlines
Which round, and by when
Yale SOM has three rounds for the 2026-27 cycle, for the Class of 2029 entering in 2027. Round 1 has closed and its decisions are due on 3rd Dec 2026. Round 2 is the open round.
Round 115th Sep 2026
- Interviews:
- By invitation on a rolling basis; no window published
- Decision:
- 3rd Dec 2026
Round 26th Jan 2027
- Interviews:
- By invitation on a rolling basis; no window published
- Decision:
- 18th Mar 2027
Round 37th Apr 2027
- Interviews:
- By invitation on a rolling basis; no window published
- Decision:
- 13th May 2027
Yale releases decisions by close of business, 5 p.m. ET, on the decision date. Outcomes are admitted, waitlisted or denied.
Yale says the same application has comparable chances in any round, but Round 3 is subject to remaining space in the class and available scholarship funding.
Consortium and QuestBridge applicants follow those organisations' own deadlines. Consortium applicants get decisions on the same release date as the round.
Yale does not publish an application opening date, offer acceptance deadlines or a deposit. It also does not publish a date for the Post-Submission Materials Deadline, by which official test scores must arrive.
Not sure which round to aim for? We look at your file and tell you.
Check my chances05 · Clubs and activities
Life outside class
Yale's pages differ: the student clubs page says 50-plus student clubs and the conferences page says 45-plus. The clubs page prints 59 names (our count: 29 professional, 8 recreational and 22 social, identity and affinity). This page uses the printed list.
Yale says clubs offer consulting engagements, workshops, roundtables, conferences and fundraisers, and are open to all students as identifying members or active allies.
Professional clubs (29)
Aerospace & Defense Club; Africa Business & Society Club; Artificial Intelligence Association; Business & Politics Club; Business & the Environment Club; Consulting Club; Data Analytics Club; Design & Innovation Club; Economic Development Club; Education Club; Energy Club; Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Club; Finance Club; Food, Agribusiness, & Beverage Club; General Management Club; Golub Capital Consulting Fellows; Healthcare & Life Sciences Club; Impact Investing Club; Internship Fund; Investment Management Club; Marketing Club; Media, Entertainment & Sports Association; Net Impact; Nonprofit Board Fellows; Private Equity & Venture Capital Club; Real Estate Club; Startup & Entrepreneurship; Technology Club; Tech & Society Club.
Recreational clubs (8)
Arts & Culture Club; Fit for Thought; Golf Club; Hockey Club; Ski & Snowboard Club; SOM United Soccer Club; Tennis Club; Wilderness in Leadership Development Club (WiLD).
Social, identity and affinity clubs (22)
American-Latine Business Association; Asian, Asian-American & Pacific Islander Association; Association of Hispanic & Latin American Students; Black Business Alliance; Canada Club; Christian Fellowship; Consortium; EuroSOM; First-Generation, Low-Income Club; Greater China Club; Japan Club; Jewish Students Association; Korea Club; Middle East & North Africa Club; Muslim Students Association; Out of Office; Partners Club; South Asia Club; Southeast Asia Club; Students for Racial Equity; Veterans Club; Women in Management.
What some clubs do
| Club | What they do |
|---|
| Golub Capital Consulting Fellows | Provides pro bono consulting services to nonprofits, government agencies and social enterprises. |
| Nonprofit Board Fellows | Creates opportunities for students to serve on nonprofit boards in and around New Haven. It recruits and screens the nonprofits, selects students and provides training and support during the term of service. |
| Internship Fund | Gives financial support to students who take social impact summer internships. Yale says 5% to 15% of each class has received funding since it began. |
| Net Impact | Supports the &Society forum, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Philanthropy Conference, and funds students attending social-impact conferences. |
| Education Club | Events, panels and speakers on education, career support with the career office, volunteering in local education institutions and fundraisers for New Haven education initiatives. |
| Economic Development Club | Holds an annual symposium. |
| Hockey Club | Structured drills and friendly scrimmages, with the annual Garstka Cup between first-years and second-years as the season highlight. |
| SOM United Soccer Club | Three teams (competitive, recreational and indoor) and a graduate school tournament in the fall. |
| South Asia Club | Events, speakers, movie nights, class trips and the International Month presentation. |
Conferences and speakers
| Event | What it is |
|---|
| Education Leadership Conference | An annual student-run conference. |
| Healthcare Conference | An annual student-run conference. |
| Philanthropy Conference | An annual student-run conference. A Yale story calls it one of the largest fully student-run conferences at Yale. |
| Private Equity Venture Capital Conference | An annual student-run conference. |
| Yale SOM Speaker Series | Yale says dozens of global leaders and decision makers visit campus each year. |
Yale also names the Yale Blockchain Conference, the Yale Business and the Environment Conference, the Sustainability Fair and a Responsible AI in Global Business Conference among its events.
Global study
Yale says every MBA student must complete at least one of International Experience, Global Network Week, Global Network Courses or Global Social Entrepreneurship courses before graduating.
International Experience is half a semester of classroom study and then a 10-day trip to one or more business capitals. Past destinations include Bhutan, China, Costa Rica, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Silicon Valley and South Korea.
Yale offers semester-long exchanges with the London School of Economics and Political Science, London Business School, HEC Paris, IESE Business School, the National University of Singapore Business School and Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management.
06 · Process
From application to decision
Submit the online application
Submit the essay, resume, transcripts, two recommendations, test score, activities, work experience and background, and pay the application fee.
Consortium and QuestBridge applicants use those organisations' own deadlines.
Video questions and Behavioral AssessmentAfter you submit and pay
You answer two previously recorded questions from admissions team members, with 60 seconds for each, and take an online Behavioral Assessment run by ETS that takes about 25 minutes. Your application is complete once both are done.
Yale says review begins only after each application deadline.
InterviewBy invitation
Yale invites some applicants to a 30-minute interview, on a rolling basis through each round. Invitations come by email, possibly as late as the decision date.
Yale says timing has no bearing on outcome, and that everyone offered admission has had an interview.
Decision
Yale releases decisions by 5 p.m. ET on the decision date: admitted, waitlisted or denied.
Yale says it is not uncommon to be waitlisted without an interview. Your candidacy is reviewed again in the next round and an interview may be offered later.
After admissionShortly after the offer
You complete the short scholarship supplemental application. Official transcripts and degree certifications are needed on enrolment.
Yale says all offers are conditional until verified.
07 · What you need
What goes into the application
1. Eligibility
A four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited US institution or the international equivalent. Yale says international applicants with a three-year degree from an accredited institution may apply. Full-time work experience is strongly encouraged but not required, and Yale's Silver Scholars Program admits college seniors directly. Yale lists no quantitative prerequisite, but suggests statistics or microeconomics if neither your record nor your test quant score shows quantitative preparation.
2. Test score
Yale requires a verified GMAT or GRE score and does not waive the requirement for any applicant. Past and current versions count, including online and shorter versions, and Yale's class profile reports GMAT Focus scores. It also accepts the LSAT from candidates who have considered or are considering law school; email mba.admissions@yale.edu for instructions. The GRE code is 3986. Yale sets no minimum or baseline score.
A score is valid for five years and must be valid on the date you submit. Yale says all scores are seen and the highest is credited, it also considers the GMAT Superscore, and it looks at subsections. Official scores must be sent by the testing agency by the Post-Submission Materials Deadline for the round. Yale suggests planning on 2 to 3 months of study.
Yale says a test score has no fixed weight. It uses scores to get some sense of your preparation for the core curriculum.
3. English test
Yale does not require the TOEFL, IELTS or PTE from any international applicant, and says one reason it introduced the video questions was to remove the English test requirement. Its international page still says fluency in English is required for admission.
4. Essay
These are Yale's prompts and word limit for the current cycle, as printed on its application guide. You choose one of the three. Yale asks for concrete examples whichever you choose.
Essay, prompt 1 of 3 (required, choose one, 500 words)
Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. Why is this commitment meaningful to you and what actions have you taken to support it?
Essay, prompt 2 of 3 (required, choose one, 500 words)
Describe the community that has been most meaningful to you. What is the most valuable thing you have gained from being a part of this community and what is the most important thing you have contributed to this community?
Essay, prompt 3 of 3 (required, choose one, 500 words)
Describe the most significant challenge you have faced. How have you confronted this challenge and how has it shaped you as a person?
Yale says 500 words is the limit, though not necessarily the goal. It describes the Optional Information section as truly optional and not an additional essay, for material context not covered elsewhere. It publishes no word limit for it.
Reapplicants submit a new application, the fee, the video questions and Behavioral Assessment, plus a reapplicant essay. They may reuse the previous essay or write a new one. Yale does not publish the reapplicant essay wording or limit.
5. Two recommendations
Two professional recommendations are required. Silver Scholars college seniors submit one professional and one academic. Recommenders should know your work well and be senior to you, not peers or subordinates. Yale strongly recommends one from a current supervisor, and the application has a section to explain if neither is. Entrepreneurs and family-business applicants can use alternatives such as board members, investors, clients or suppliers.
Letters must be in English, though recommenders may write in their own language and use a free translation programme. You must have no role in drafting or submitting them, and Yale advises against sharing your essays with recommenders. It suggests asking at least a month before the deadline.
Yale does not publish the recommendation form's questions or word limit on its public pages, and no separate recommendation deadline.
6. Video questions and Behavioral Assessment
After you submit and pay, you answer two previously recorded video questions from admissions team members, with 60 seconds for each. Yale says they are not a substitute for the interview and are used with a light touch. It uses them to assess communication and English skills, provides a practice tool, and asks you not to use AI or scripts.
You also take a Behavioral Assessment administered by ETS. It takes about 25 minutes, with 130 pairs of statements, is adaptive and needs no preparation. Yale calls it non-cognitive, says it will never be the deciding factor, and says it uses it to take more chances on candidates whose traditional metrics may not predict best.
7. Other documents
A resume of one page unless you have more than ten years of work experience, in any format or in Yale's template, showing accomplishments and impact, quantified where possible. Activities: no more than two per timeframe. Unofficial transcripts from every institution where you earned degree credit, including study abroad, transfer and summer. Official transcripts are needed only on enrolment, and non-English transcripts need a notarised English translation plus the original. The application fee is $250 (see section 03).
08 · What Yale SOM wants
How Yale SOM reads your file
Yale SOM says it looks at your whole application in a careful and nuanced way, and that you should not be defined by a limited set of reductive data points. Here is what it describes, and what each means for your application.
| Yale SOM looks at | In plain words |
|---|
| Classroom readiness | Your academic record, your test scores and the Behavioral Assessment, as a sense of your preparation for the core curriculum. |
| Professional impact | The positive impact you have had in your career so far and the likelihood you will continue to have meaningful impact after Yale SOM. Yale suggests showing leadership, quantitative experience and strategic thinking on your resume. |
| Thinking about what comes next | Not a fully mapped career plan. Show that you have begun to think meaningfully about where you might go and why an MBA now. Yale says it has no quotas by industry. |
| What matters to you | Your essay should give insight into your background, passions, motivations, responsibilities, ideals, identities, challenges or aspirations. |
Yale publishes no weights for these. Its admissions dean said in July 2026 that no single profile stands out and the strongest applications are the ones that feel most genuine.
See how your file reads against these areas before you spend weeks on the application.
Check my chances09 · Interview questions
What candidates say Yale SOM interviewers ask
Five types of question that candidates describe, based on candidates' own accounts of their Yale SOM interviews from 2021 to 2026. The tag says how likely that type of question is: high means it comes up in close to half of candidate accounts or more, medium in roughly a quarter to just under half, and low in fewer than a quarter.
| Topic | Chance | How it is usually asked |
|---|
| What you will add to the Yale SOM community | HIGH | “How will you add to the Yale SOM community and its diversity?” Candidates say earlier years asked this as a diversity question, and newer accounts phrase it as contribution to the community. |
| The quote you submit before the interview | HIGH | “Why did you choose the quote you submitted and what does it mean to you?” Candidates say you submit a short quote beforehand and the interviewer asks about it. |
| Why an MBA, and why now | HIGH | “Why do you want an MBA, and why now?” |
| A professional accomplishment you are proud of | HIGH | “Pick one professional experience where you succeeded and say what you learned and applied elsewhere.” Candidates say several interviewers skip a resume walk-through and open with this. |
| Why Yale | Less often lately | “What about SOM drove you to apply here?” Candidates say it was asked often from 2021 to 2023 and less often since 2024. |
Where the Chance column gives words instead of a tag, the pattern changed over the years, so one tag would mislead. Candidates say interviewers work from a school-provided list, so the questions are much the same for everyone.
Candidates also describe questions on short- and long-term goals, a time you worked with or listened to someone with a different view, and your own questions at the end. Little recent material covers 2025 and 2026, so treat recent changes as signals.
Yale's own pages are the authority for the current format. No account describes a case, a quantitative question or a written test.
10 · Interview experience
What the interview is actually like
What Yale SOM says
| Topic | What to expect |
|---|
| Invitation | By invitation only, on a rolling basis through each round. Invitations come by email, possibly as late as the decision date, and Yale says timing has no bearing on outcome. |
| Is it required? | Yale says all applicants who are offered admission will have had an interview. Being waitlisted without an interview is not uncommon, and an interview can be offered in a later round. |
| Who interviews | A current second-year student, a recent alum or an Admissions Committee member. |
| Length and format | 30 minutes. Yale describes one interview. It calls it blind: the interviewer sees only your resume. |
| Questions | Largely behavioural questions, plus your plans for the MBA and after it. |
| Before it | After you submit and pay, two 60-second video questions and a Behavioral Assessment run by ETS of about 25 minutes. |
| Not published | Whether the interview is online or in person, locations, interview windows per round, and the number of interviews beyond the one described. |
What candidates report
| Topic | What to expect |
|---|
| Who | Most often one second-year student. Alumni appear less often and, in some recent accounts, admissions staff. |
| Mode | Mostly online by video, with the rest on the New Haven campus as part of a visit day (tour, class visit, student Q&A, lunch). Some candidates say Yale told them in-person interviews get no preference over online ones. |
| Length | Close to 30 minutes and strictly timed, including your own questions, which usually get 5 to 10 minutes. |
| Order | A short chat to settle in, a fixed run of questions, then your questions. Several interviewers say they will not ask you to walk through your resume and ask for a professional success instead. |
| Your file | The interviewer usually has only your resume and reads from a list the school gives them, so the interview is formulaic and does not probe your essays. |
| Tone | Friendly, welcoming and conversational in the great majority of accounts. Many describe it as scripted, and none describe a hostile or stress interview. |
| What changed lately | In the recent accounts from 2025 and 2026 the list has settled: an accomplishment, a different-view or conflict story, the quote, why an MBA, contribution to the community, then anything you wish the interviewer had asked. A resume walk-through and why Yale have largely dropped out. |
Based on candidates' own accounts from 2021 to 2026, with few from 2025 and 2026. Older accounts describe a recorded-video round, and recent ones do not mention it, so check Yale's pages for the current format.
11 · FAQs
Questions students ask about Yale SOM MBA
Is there a minimum GMAT or GRE score?
No. Yale requires a verified GMAT or GRE score, does not waive it, and sets no minimum. It publishes medians and middle-80% ranges, not averages. For the Class of 2027 the GMAT (Classic) median is 740 (691 to 760) and the GMAT Focus Edition median is 675 (638 to 715). GRE Verbal is 163 and Quant 166.
How much work experience do I need?
Yale strongly encourages full-time work experience but does not require it, and publishes no minimum or maximum. It says incoming students average five years, though the overall range is much wider.
What is the essay prompt and word limit?
You write one required essay of 500 words, choosing one of three prompts: your biggest commitment, your most meaningful community or your most significant challenge. The exact wording is in section 07.
How many recommendations do I need?
Two professional recommendations, from people senior to you who know your work well. Yale strongly recommends one from a current supervisor.
How does the Yale SOM interview work?
It is by invitation only, and Yale says everyone offered admission has had one. It lasts 30 minutes with a current second-year student, a recent alum or an Admissions Committee member. Yale calls it blind: the interviewer sees only your resume. Yale does not publish whether it is online or in person.
Is there a video or an assessment?
Yes. After you submit and pay the fee, you answer two previously recorded video questions with 60 seconds each and take an online Behavioral Assessment run by ETS that takes about 25 minutes. Yale says the video questions are not a substitute for the interview and the assessment is never the deciding factor.
Which round should I apply in?
Round 1 closed on 15th Sep 2026 and its decisions are due on 3rd Dec 2026. Round 2 closes on 6th Jan 2027 with decisions on 18th Mar 2027. Round 3 closes on 7th Apr 2027 with decisions on 13th May 2027. Yale says chances are comparable in any round, but Round 3 depends on remaining space and scholarship funding. The timeline on this page shows which are still open.
How much does the Yale SOM MBA cost?
In Yale's 2026-27 figures, tuition is $90,900 and the program fee $500, so tuition and fees are $91,400 a year. The single-student budget is $128,976 a year, in US dollars. Yale has not published the 2027-28 figures or a two-year total. The application fee is $250.
Can I get a scholarship?
Yale decides scholarships after admission, through a short supplemental application. The Dean's Scholarship makes up the bulk of grants. Yale's Global Leaders from India MBA Scholarship offers up to five merit awards a year, each covering at least half of tuition, and considers all admitted applicants from India automatically.
What are the pay and jobs like after Yale SOM?
For the Class of 2025, Yale reports a median base salary of $175,000, self-reported, in US dollars. Of the 273 students seeking employment, 79.9% had accepted an offer within three months of graduation. The largest industries were Consulting Services (36.9%) and Finance (28.6%).