NYU Stern MBA Acceptance Rate Climbs to 32%
Prospective MBA applicants face fewer rivals at Stern, but admitted students are declining offers more often.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in College Applications
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New York University's Stern School of Business received 4,130 full-time MBA applications for the Class of 2028, a 16.3 per cent drop from 4,933 the year before. Stern admitted a record 1,309 candidates, lifting its acceptance rate to 32 per cent, so applicants who applied this cycle faced better odds even as fewer people applied.
Why it matters
The drop in applications while admissions rose shows a school can take a larger share of a smaller pool, which changes how competitive the process feels for prospective business students weighing a costly degree. Because the figures come from one institution, they signal a shift at Stern rather than a verified national pattern.
Stern enrolled 321 students in the Class of 2028, down from 336, and the average GMAT was 732 with an average undergraduate GPA of 3.63. Test waivers covered 22 per cent of the incoming class, up from 16 per cent, which means many admitted students did not submit a standardized test score.
The players
New York University Stern School of Business
A private business school in New York City whose full-time MBA program is among the most selective in the country.
Graduate Management Admission Council
The nonprofit that administers the GMAT and publishes surveys tracking MBA application trends.
The details
Stern's acceptance rate is the share of applicants who receive an admission offer, so a rise from 24 to 32 per cent means a larger proportion of applicants were admitted. Admission yield is the share of admitted candidates who choose to enroll, and it fell from 28.9 to 24.5 per cent, meaning more admitted students declined their offers. The incoming class shifted in composition: international students fell to 38 per cent from 43 per cent, women to 42 per cent from 45 per cent, and underrepresented minorities rose to 23 per cent from 18 per cent. Financial services accounted for 27 per cent of the class, down from 31 per cent.
Timeline
Class of 2027: 4,933 applications, 1,161 admitted, 336 enrolled
Class of 2023: yield recorded at 46.7 per cent as a comparison point
2026: U.S. full-time MBA applications fell 27 per cent, according to a GMAC survey
Class of 2028: Stern's current incoming cohort figures reported
Education Landscape
Stern's 16.3 per cent application decline is smaller than the 27 per cent fall in U.S. full-time MBA applications that GMAC reported for 2026. The contrast places a single school's shrinking pool within a broader cooling of demand for graduate business degrees.
If you are planning to apply to a business school, a higher acceptance rate at Stern may mean better odds there, but the smaller applicant pool is a fact to weigh alongside your own profile. Ask each school's admissions office how it reviews test-optional applications and what its yield and class-profile data look like before you finalize your list.
The takeaway
Fewer applicants and a higher admit rate can make a school look more accessible, but yield and class makeup show how many admitted students actually enroll. Compare these figures across several programs before deciding where to apply.
Further reading
For more on how selective schools are reading applications this cycle, see College Applications in New York City.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Economic Times.
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