The University of Chicago Booth School of Business (Chicago Booth) is known for its “Chicago Approach”—a multidisciplinary teaching framework that uses economics, psychology, sociology, and statistics in a collaborative setting to produce bold leaders with excellent problem-solving skills. With access to a huge global alumni network, a world-renowned faculty, and a pedagogy that combines theory, analytics, case study, and experiential learning, Boothies are prepared to pursue careers in diverse fields.

An M7 school, Chicago Booth is the birthplace of new classical economics, backed by an array of distinguished professors, Nobel Prize winners, and alumni. Chicago Booth offers a full-time MBA program at its Hyde Park campus as well as part-time MBA programs (evening and weekend) and an executive MBA program at the Gleacher Center in downtown Chicago. Outside the United States, Chicago Booth offers an executive MBA program at its Hong Kong and London campuses. Candidates can also pursue joint degrees at Chicago Booth in such fields as law, medicine, computer science, social work, and public policy.

Applicants interested in Chicago Booth must combine their analytical aptitude and curiosity to craft a compelling application and to interview authentically—and mbaMission can help candidates accomplish this, thanks to our consultants’ deep creativity, knowledge, expertise, and rigor.

Chicago Booth Insider’s Guide

Although its reputation as a “finance school” is warranted, Chicago Booth is also known for its flexible curriculum and hands-on, experiential opportunities. The program has demonstrated immense strengths in the areas of consulting, entrepreneurship, and marketing. Through our Insider’s Guide to the Chicago Booth School of Business, you will learn more about the school’s unique LEAD program on leadership, Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, International Business Exchange Program, New Venture Challenge, multiple Nobel Prize–winning and distinguished faculty, and famous alumni, as well as opportunities to bond with classmates via the annual ski trip, Liquidity Preference Functions, Random Walks, and Thursday Night Drinking Club.

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Chicago Booth Interview Guide

Chicago Booth interviews are typically “blind,” meaning the interviewers will have read your resume but not your essays or application. The interviews are conducted by current students, members of the school’s alumni pool, or admissions staff members.

Candidates have frequently reported to us that their interviews were “casual, friendly, conversational, laid back, and structured” but that sometimes they can also be “direct and very formal.” While the Chicago Booth admissions committee has evaluated your analytical and intellectual ability via your written application, the interviewer is trying to gauge your personality, style, curiosity, and communication skills through questions related to your resume and work, your behavioral attributes, why you want to pursue an MBA at Chicago Booth, and what you will bring to the school’s community. Applicants who interview with authenticity, poise, confidence, and humility tend to do well. For sample interview questions and other insights, read our Chicago Booth School of Business Interview Guide.

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Chicago Booth Essay Analysis, 2025–2026

The two required application essay prompts for Chicago Booth complement each other well, allowing candidates to offer insight into their professional lives and their personal values. The school also offers applicants significant leeway in how thoroughly they want (or feel they need) to respond to the questions by stipulating a minimum word count of 250 but no maximum. That said, the admissions committee does offer “response guidelines,” encouraging applicants to “think strategically” about how long their essays ultimately are. No doubt Chicago Booth is interested in learning more about you and your story (as fits the given question, of course) but is simultaneously not interested in learning absolutely everything you can think of to share.

Essay 1: How will a Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (Minimum 250 words, no maximum.)

Essay 2: Chicago Booth appreciates the individual experiences and perspectives that all of our students bring to our community. This respect for different viewpoints creates an open-minded environment that supports curiosity, inspires us to think more broadly, and take risks. At Booth, community is about collaborative thinking and learning from one another to better ourselves, our ideas, and the world around us.

The photos below represent some of the values described above that we uphold at Chicago Booth. Select one and share how it resonates with one of your own values. (250-word minimum)

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Chicago Booth MBA Class Profile (Class of 2027)

Class Size	635
Average GMAT Classic	736
Middle 80% GMAT Classic Range	690–770
Average GMAT Focus	670
Middle 80% GMAT Focus Range	615–725
Applicants Who Reported a GRE Score	42%
Average GRE Verbal	161
Average GRE Quant	163
GRE Verbal Range	155–167
GRE Quant Range	156–169
Average Work Experience	5 years
Average GPA	3.60
GPA Range	2.5–4.0
Countries Represented	63
Women	41%
U.S. Minority Students (percentage of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who identify as American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian American, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx American, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander)	31.4%
International Students	37%
Veterans	11%

Chicago Booth MBA Rankings

In recent years, Chicago Booth has typically been ranked among the top ten MBA programs in the United States in the most prestigious MBA rankings. In Bloomberg Businessweek’s MBA rankings, the school was ranked 7th in the United States in 2025. In the Financial Times’ 2025 global survey, Chicago Booth was ranked ninth in the United States and 17th internationally. The program was listed third in the 2024–2025 Poets&Quants ranking of U.S. business schools. In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report survey, the school was ranked fourth within the country. In addition, U.S. News ranked Chicago Booth among the top ten in the country in the following specialty areas: part-time MBA (first, in a tie with Northwestern Kellogg and Berkeley Haas), finance (second), executive MBA (third), accounting (sixth), business analytics (sixth), and marketing (seventh).

Chicago Booth MBA Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate for the Chicago Booth MBA program has hovered around 30% for the past several years. This prestigious program attracts ambitious and driven individuals who seek to thrive in a rigorous academic environment that emphasizes analytical thinking and leadership development.

Prospective students are drawn to Chicago Booth not only for its esteemed faculty and innovative curriculum but also for its vibrant community and extensive alumni network. The competitive acceptance rate reflects the program’s commitment to assembling a diverse cohort of future leaders who are ready to make a significant impact in the business world. If you are ready to join the ranks of Chicago Booth’s accomplished graduates, you will encounter a transformative experience that equips you with the skills and connections to excel in any industry.

Chicago Booth MBA Admissions Deadlines (2025–2026 Application Season)

Round 1 Application Deadline
September 16, 2025

Round 1 Decision Notification
December 4, 2025

Round 2 Application Deadline
January 6, 2026

Round 2 Decision Notification
March 26, 2026

Round 3 Application Deadline
April 2, 2026

Round 3 Decision Notification
May 21, 2026

Chicago Booth Scholars Application Deadline
April 2, 2026

Chicago Booth Scholars Decision Notification
June 25, 2026

mbaMission Testimonials from Chicago Booth Applicants

Look no further!

I highly recommend working with Harshad [Mali] to help you with your business school applications. Through his help and a long few months, I got into GSB, Wharton, and Booth!

I actually started a little late (in November) for Round 2 deadlines, but Harshad was more than up for the challenge. He set expectations up front—we knew going in this is going to be an uphill battle.

From the onset, it was clear that Harshad was highly organized and methodical in his approach. Harshad is definitely not someone who will beat around the bush and/or sugarcoat. He is direct but thoughtful, which is the exact duo you will need while going through this process, especially when you get to a point where every day matters. I did this application process while working full-time, which definitely made my availability difficult, but Harshad was very flexible and available for late nights and weekends, whenever I needed him! He is unparalleled with his turnaround time, which definitely surpassed my expectations.

Part of the challenge of building out your application is not just having a good story but showing the story rather than telling the story. This is where I found Harshad to be a differentiator—he takes the time to get to know you, your interests, your passions, and who you are as a person and makes sure to reflect that in his process to helping build out your application. He will steer you away when you think certain information is valuable to have but is really just fluff (which was extremely useful when trying to meet those pesky word counts!) and push you to write more impact even when you think there isn’t anything left. During the mock interviews, he falls into school-specific persons that allow you to really practice through different styles of interviews.

Overall, Harshad genuinely wants you to succeed and will do his best to get you to the best place you can be. I recommended Harshad without reservation and to the fullest extent!

Harold Simansky—Superb Hourly Service

I highly recommend Harold Simansky for his hourly services. Through Harold’s resume and essay reviews, I was accepted with scholarship to Booth, Kellogg, Tuck, and Columbia.

Harold was extremely timely and communicative. His reviews—even when it was busy season for Round 2—were extremely efficient. When I had an urgent request due to an upcoming deadline, Harold was understanding and was quick to prioritize my work.

In terms of the feedback, it was clear that Harold had extensive experience in reviewing essays and tailoring them to each school. The essay feedback was very helpful and prescriptive, allowing me to quickly edit and turn around versions. Harold even shared my essays and resume with other reviewers at mbaMission for no charge. I really felt that I received more value than what I was paying for!

Highly recommend Melissa Merchant!

When I first started the MBA application process, I doubted whether my profile was competitive enough to get in to a top school. Melissa helped me identify and capitalize on the unique stories and experiences from my background, helping me craft applications where I could highlight my strengths and mitigate my weaknesses. I thought I knew what I wanted to write in my essays, but Melissa helped fine-tune my ideas and pointed out experiences that she felt were unique which I wasn’t considering before. She’s also a skilled editor—I tend to be a verbose writer, and Melissa easily cut 200+ words from my essays while still maintaining the content and emotions of my story. Additionally, she is an incredible mentor and cheerleader, answering my questions candidly but compassionately and reassuring me when I was overwhelmed or anxious about the process.

Ultimately, with Melissa’s help, I landed interviews at 4 M7 schools, and was admitted into two of them—Chicago Booth ($70k merit scholarship) and Columbia ($50k merit scholarship)! Melissa even went out of her way to review my scholarship negotiation essays and a waitlist update essay for another program. I’m extremely happy with these results and am confident that Melissa’s support and guidance were instrumental in helping me land them. If you’re in the market for an admissions consultant, look no further!

Chicago Booth School of Business: Everything You Need to Know