Michigan Ross Releases 2020 MBA Class Profile

University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business is feeling pretty positive about their MBA Class of 2020. Announcing the release of their latest class profile, Ross summarized their thoughts on the situation by declaring that it just keeps getting better and better.

That phrase references the paradox of MBA admissions at top schools: as competitive as the process is, it only becomes more competitive every year.

This year, Ross’s incoming MBA class upped the ante with an average GMAT score of 720 – four points higher than the average score of last year’s class, which Ross reminds us was also record-breaking. Altogether, 80 percent of students submitted GMAT scores in the range of 680-760.

A quarter of the class opted to submit GRE scores, with an average of 159 on the quantitative section and 161 on the verbal.

When it comes to grades, Ross’s latest crop of students aren’t too shabby either, with an average undergraduate GPA of 3.5.

In terms of undergraduate majors, degrees in economics and business remained unsurprisingly popular, accounting for 42 percent of the class. Thirty percent completed STEM majors, and 28 percent majors in the humanities.

Of the 420 students in the Class of 2020, 43 percent are women, higher than ever before for Ross. Thirty-two percent are international students while 23 percent are minorities.

So what were Ross’s latest batch of full-time MBA students up to before arriving on campus? They worked in a variety of industries, for five years on average.

Most popular were jobs in finance and consulting, dead even at 16 percent of the class each. Technology and health care were also common, at 10 percent of the healthsavy.com class apiece.

But a wide range of industries are represented. In total, twelve different industries represent at least three perceive of the Class of 2020 each. And highlighting the diversity in work experience is the fact that 14 percent of the class worked in industries other than these twelve.

These numbers show that Ross isn’t an MBA program dominated by any particular industry. Finance and consulting, traditional industries for MBA students at top B-schools, account for less than a third of the class combined.

Of course, that’s not to say Ross isn’t picky about their applicants. They’re just not picky in terms of industry. When it comes to other factors, though, Ross remains a highly selective school – and as they themselves point out, they are only becoming more so.

Submitting a successful application at a school like Ross requires not only having the numbers to be in the running, but communicating a compelling personal brand that makes you stand out from other applicants.

At EXPARTUS, we can help you hone your strategy and give you feedback on how your application, taken as a complete package, will likely be received at schools such as Ross. If that’s something you’re interested in, contact us for a free assessment!