About Berkeley Haas
The Berkeley Haas mission is “to develop leaders who redefine how we do business.” Its distinctive culture is framed by four defining principles:
- Question the status quo
- Confidence without attitude
- Students always
- Beyond yourself
Haas aims to cultivate innovative leaders who know how to put new ideas to work and to do so responsibly. By leveraging the energy that’s ever-present in the innovative business ecosystem of the San Francisco Bay Area, the program emphasizes how to seize opportunities, challenge conventional wisdom and act creatively. As the website states, “Our entire culture is about fresh thinking. This is Berkeley, after all.”
Anchored in a rigorous general management curriculum, the program aims to impart multidimensional leadership skills that can be applied in any type of organization, including global firms, start-ups, nonprofits, or graduates’ own entrepreneurial ventures. Haas links its courses and programs across disciplines at Berkeley and puts a premium on flexibility, allowing students to customize a program of study to their interests and design their own electives.
Strengths and Specializations
Entrepreneurship, finance, general management, healthcare, innovation, international management non-profit/social responsibility, organizational behavior, technology
Graduating Class of 2026
Number of Applicants: 2904 (in 2023)
MBA Class Size: 295
Avg. Work Experience: 5.7 years
Avg. GPA: 3.65
Avg. GMAT: 730
International Students: 38%
Female Students: 42%
Tuition: $85,406/year
Post-MBA Careers (class of 2023)
Sector: Technology (29.8%); Consulting (27.6%); Finance (14.5%); Health/Biotech/Pharma (7.5%); Starting Own Business (3.4%)
Top Recruiters: Amazon, Apple. Bain & Company, BCG, C3.ai, Cisco, Deloitte, Evercore, EY- Parthenon, McKinsey, Microsoft, PayPal, Strategy&, Tesla, TikTok
Avg. Salary: $162,831; Salary Increase: 121% (sources: FT Rankings 2024)
Employment offered within 3 months of graduation: 89.9%
Berkeley Haas Rankings
Admissions
Deadlines for 2024-2025:
R1: September 12, 2024
R2: January 9, 2025
R3: April 3, 2025
Essays
Essay #1
What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (300 word limit)
Essay #2
How will an MBA help you achieve your short-term and long-term career goals? Short-term career goals should be achievable within 3-5 years post-MBA, whereas long-term goals may span a decade or more and encompass broader professional aspirations.(300 word limit)
Additional Essay: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Belonging (DEIJB) Experience
One of our goals at Berkeley Haas is to develop leaders who value diversity and to create an inclusive environment in which people from different ethnicities, genders, lived experiences, and national origins feel welcomed and supported.
Describe any experience or exposure you have in the area of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging whether through community organizations, personal, or in the workplace?
Candidates seeking consideration for mission-aligned fellowships may use this space to reflect on their commitment to the mission of those fellowships. (300 words)
VIDEO
The Berkeley MBA program develops leaders who embody our four Defining Leadership Principles. Briefly introduce yourself to the admissions committee, explain which leadership principle resonates most with you, and tell us how you have exemplified the principle in your personal or professional life. (Not to exceed 2 minutes.)
Fortuna Tips & Advice
View our team’s strategy & tips for tackling the Berkeley Haas Essays and Video.