The Yale School of Management, or Yale SOM, as it is known to its students, has a mission of “educating leaders for business and society.” The program focuses on preparing leaders who will have an impact in areas at the intersection of business and society, including sustainability, asset management, health care, education, financial stability, the role of women in business, and global leadership.
Yale SOM achieves its mission through its comprehensive, integrated curriculum, designed for MBA students to understand the whole organization. Yale relies on an innovative case study method that includes “cooked” and “raw” case studies. Cooked case studies are the kind typically seen in the traditional case study approach that several top MBA programs use. Yale School of Management also pioneered the raw case study method, in which information is presented from various angles and in multimedia formats, and students must identify what elements are actually relevant to the case—much like in real life. Among top business schools, Yale SOM is the most connected to its parent university, which is also a draw for many candidates. Compared with peer institutions, Yale School of Management has a much higher percentage of joint degree students, specializing in such areas as forestry, environmental management, law, global affairs, and public health while also working toward their MBA.
Although the Yale School of Management was previously thought of primarily as a “finance school,” the largest proportion of graduates tend to enter positions with a consulting function. Of the Class of 2024, 54.2% did so, while 23.1% accepted finance function roles, 10.0% marketing/sales, and 5.0% general management (including sustainability).
The Yale School of Management Insider’s Guide
After consulting with Yale School of Management students, admissions committee members, and alumni about their experiences, we have prepared our Insider’s Guide to the Yale School of Management. We take an in-depth look at life at Yale SOM, highlighting how the school’s location, class size, curriculum, teaching methods, facilities, alumni involvement, and rankings all affect its culture and MBA experience. Then we delve into Yale SOM’s faculty and professional student clubs, revealing how they facilitate the careers of Yale SOM students. Through our guide, you will learn more about the Yale School of Management’s integrated curriculum and raw case format, as well as hands-on experiences such as the Net Impact Case Competition and the Integrated Leadership Case Competition. Yale’s high-caliber finance faculty offers more than 40 courses, and the International Center for Finance supports research in this area. As one of the first top MBA programs to require an international component for graduation, Yale SOM offers exceptional resources in international business and general management, and in other areas, such as marketing and health care.
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Yale SOM Essay Analysis, 2024–2025
The Yale School of Management (SOM) is one of the few top MBA programs that give candidates just one required application essay with which to make an impression on the admissions committee. The school offers applicants a choice of three topics to, as the admissions committee states, “ensure that you’re able to write about something important to you.” Applicants can expound on a significant commitment and its underlying impetus and meaning (until last year, this essay had been required), discuss a particularly significant community involvement, or describe a major challenge they have faced. The essay has a 500-word maximum, so you need to be clear, direct, and rather succinct in your response, without much preamble or extraneous text. If you feel your primary essay does not allow you to share an aspect of your profile that you believe is particularly important or compelling, or if you have an issue in your candidacy that would benefit from further explication, you can use the “optional information” space to fill in the blanks.
Required Essay: We want to know what matters to you, and our essay question is designed to help us gain insight into your background, passions, motivations, responsibilities, ideals, identities, challenges, or aspirations, depending on where you take your response. To ensure that you’re able to write about something important to you, we offer you three essay prompts from which to choose:
- Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. Why is this commitment meaningful to you and what actions have you taken to support it? (500-word limit)
- 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? (500-word limit)
- Describe the most significant challenge you have faced. How have you confronted this challenge and how has it shaped you as a person? (500-word limit)
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Yale SOM MBA Class Profile (Class of 2026)
Class Size |
347 |
Median GPA |
3.68 |
GPA Range (Middle 80%) |
3.31–3.94 |
Median GMAT |
730 |
GMAT Range (Middle 80%) |
700–760 |
Median GRE (Verbal) |
164 |
Median GRE (Quant) |
166 |
GRE Verbal Range (Middle 80%) |
159–170 |
GRE Quant Range (Middle 80%) |
161–170 |
Average Years of Work Experience |
4.9 |
Women |
39% |
LGBTQ+ |
12% |
International Passport Holders (includes U.S. permanent residents and dual citizens) |
48% |
Countries Represented (including the United States) |
42 |
U.S. Students of Color (percentage of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who identify as Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Islander, or Multiethnic) |
56% |
U.S. Underrepresented Students of Color (percentage of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who identify as Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Islander, or Multiethnic) |
16% |
Yale SOM Rankings
The Yale School of Management has done quite well in recent MBA rankings. In the Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2023–2024 domestic survey, the SOM was in 15th place. The program was also ranked 15th internationally and tenth domestically in the Financial Times’ 2024 survey. The school was ranked fifth in the 2023 Poets&Quants survey of U.S.-based MBA programs. Finally, in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 rankings, the business school was in seventh place and was also listed in the following specialty rankings: nonprofit (1), management (8), international (18), executive MBA (16), finance (16), marketing (15), and business analytics (36).
Yale SOM MBA 2024 Acceptance Rate
The Yale School of Management’s acceptance rate hovers around 29%. This competitive rate underscores the institution’s commitment to cultivating a diverse and highly qualified cohort of future leaders. For prospective MBA students, gaining admission to Yale SOM means joining an elite network of thinkers and innovators who are driven to make a significant impact on the global stage.
As you consider your MBA journey, understanding what sets Yale apart is crucial. Known for its integrated curriculum and emphasis on real-world problem-solving, Yale SOM offers an unparalleled educational experience that prepares students to tackle complex global challenges. With a focus on leadership and ethics, the program attracts individuals who are not only academically accomplished but also possess a strong desire to make a meaningful difference. If you’re ready to take the next step in your career and join a community that values collaboration, innovation, and social responsibility, Yale School of Management could be the perfect fit for you.
Yale SOM Deadlines (2024–2025)
Round 1 Application Deadline
September 10, 2024
Round 1 Decisions
December 5, 2024
Round 2 Application Deadline
January 7, 2025
Round 2 Decisions
March 20, 2025
Round 3 Application Deadline
April 8, 2025
Round 3 Decisions
May 15, 2025