Columbia Business School (CBS) and New York University’s Stern School of Business (NYU Stern) have something special in common, and it sets them apart from other business schools across the United States and globally—their New York City (NYC) location! Both programs benefit from being on the island of Manhattan, which makes connecting with alumni and recruiters much easier for their MBA students. Being in the heart of NYC also means that industry leaders can readily serve as adjunct professors and on-campus speakers, and that students can bolster their resumes with a variety of in-semester internships that might not be available in any other city.
CBS and NYU Stern both have a strong focus on finance, and the programs’ students often hail from similar backgrounds, share common experiences, and target the same post-MBA goals. But not everything about these two schools stacks up so similarly. In this post, we will walk you through some of the programs’ main similarities and differences.
To get into either CBS or NYU Stern, you need strong stats. The average GPA for the schools’ students comes in at roughly 3.6, and the average GMAT score (for the classic version of the exam) hovers at just over 730. Both programs accept the GRE and the Executive Assessment (EA), in addition to the GMAT. NYU Stern is a bit more forthcoming about how many students take each test. For its Class of 2026, 39% submitted GMAT scores, 27% submitted GRE scores, and 6% submitted EA scores. As for the remaining students, 23% pursued a test waiver, while 5% submitted an alternate test score (e.g., MCAT, LSAT, DAT).
With respect to applicant numbers and class sizes, CBS received 7,487 applications for the Class of 2026, and 972 students enrolled across its September and January entry dates, combined. NYU Stern had 4,933 applicants and enrolled 336 students. At CBS, the most common undergrad major was business, claimed by 30% of students, followed by economics (18%) and engineering (16%). Of NYU Stern’s Class of 2024, 30% were business majors, 25% majored in engineering/math/science, and 19% had degrees in economics.
Close to one-third of the incoming students at both schools worked in financial services before starting their MBA (30% at CBS; 31% at NYU Stern), with the second most common pre-MBA industry being consulting, though only 15% of students at NYU Stern worked in consulting, versus 25% at CBS. The rest of the incoming class at both schools represents a wide range of industries, showing that the programs are looking for diversity in their applicants’ backgrounds and experiences.
At CBS and NYU Stern alike, nearly one-half of the Class of 2026 is made up of women (44% at CBS; 45% at NYU Stern), and both programs are very focused on having strong international representation. At CBS, 46% of the Class of 2026 is international, compared to 43% at NYU Stern. These schools have prioritized including a diversity, equity, and inclusion focus in their curricula, and both support The Consortium, an admissions organization with the goal of enhancing diversity at U.S. MBA programs and in business.
As for recruiting, finance and consulting top the employment lists at both schools. In fact, roughly one-third of students go into each of these industries. But when you dig into the numbers, some differentiators appear. For instance, more NYU Stern students tend to enter investment banking; 27.4% of NYU Stern’s Class of 2024 did so, compared with 17.4% at CBS. However, 2.2% of NYU Stern’s 2024 graduates entered prestige jobs in private equity, compared with 5.2% of CBS’s.
Both CBS and NYU Stern have their unique points, too. CBS’s January intake, also known as J-Term, allows students to start their studies at the beginning of the spring semester, continue taking classes over summer semester, and then go right into their second year. This accelerated program best suits individuals who do not need a summer internship to help them reach their post-MBA goals. Many J-Term students come from family businesses and tend to be older and more experienced than students in the school’s September intake. J-Term has a large international population, as well. CBS’s Family Business Program is also notable, bringing together students who plan to work in their family businesses after graduating and offering related clubs and specialized coursework. In addition, CBS attracts students who are interested in careers in retail and luxury goods as well as in media; strong career-focused clubs connect students to the plethora of companies in these industries in NYC.
Meanwhile, NYU Stern offers several accelerated MBA programs. Its Fashion and Luxury MBA is a one-year program, running continuously from May of one year to May of the next. The curriculum includes a general business–focused core, courses focused specifically on the fashion and luxury goods industries, experiential learning opportunities, and related electives. Similar in structure is Stern’s Andre Koo Tech MBA, which is also one year in length and includes a winter term that students complete on the West Coast of the United States. Like CBS, NYU Stern offers a strong roster of courses in media and entertainment and has ties to the many powerhouse media companies located in NYC.
Overall, CBS and NYU Stern share the terrific advantage of their NYC location. Students who want their MBA experience to extend into this global business hub will find plenty of offerings both on campus and off.
If you are interested in learning more, we offer “Learning about” modules for both CBS and NYU Stern, as well as many other MBA programs, in onTrack by mbaMission, our on-demand and highly customizable admissions course. We go deep into the reasons someone might opt to attend the different schools, the reasons someone might not attend them, their curricula, their career opportunities, and a number of school-specific special topics. These onTrack modules can also facilitate your essay writing, short-answer strategy, interview preparation, and other important application tasks.
