About Chicago Booth
As the second oldest business school in the country, Chicago Booth has a long history of transforming business education and deepening their understanding of the forces driving business. Booth’s “firsts” include the first business PhD program, the first Executive MBA program, the first required MBA leadership program and the first business school to boast a Nobel prize winner on its faculty. (Over the years that number has increased to 10). It is also the only school that has trademarked its education philosophy – the “Chicago Approach.” As you might expect, Booth has a very distinctive culture – one that is not for everyone.
Chicago Booth thrives on a culture of inquiry and innovation, an integral part of a university that is very clearly focused on research and claims a long history of world-changing insights, from developing the first sustained nuclear reaction, to improving understanding of the origins of the universe and enhancing our understanding of economics and business. The Admissions Committee is looking for individuals who like to challenge conventional wisdom, dig deep into issues and thrive in situations where they take the lead in solving problems.
The MBA program offers extraordinary flexibility in its curriculum, with only a single required course. The school assumes that its students know what they are looking for in an MBA, and don’t think it is useful to study material they have already mastered. Students can specialize in the areas that build on their experiences and that will prepare them for their future business lives.
This philosophy is a driving force of Chicago as a whole, and extends to the faculty, who are left to choose their pedagogical methodology. (You’ll see a wide range of teaching approaches at Booth, including case studies, standard lectures, experiential projects, role plays and more). Chicago Booth is for students who know where they are going, are ready to go a step further in their chosen discipline and want to be challenged with the theories and ideas of tomorrow.
Strengths and Specializations
Finance, economics, accounting, entrepreneurship, organizational behavior, strategy, data driven marketing, analytics, social entrepreneurship
Graduating Class of 2025
Number of Applicants: 4,184
MBA Class Size: 637
Avg. Age: 28
Avg. Work Experience: 5 years
Avg. GPA: 3.6
Avg. GMAT: 728
International Students: 36%
Female Students: 42%
Tuition: $80,961/year
Post-MBA Careers (class of 2023)
Sector: Consulting 38.6%; Finance 32.6%; Technology 15.5%; Starting Own Business 4.1%
Top Recruiters: McKinsey, Bain, Amazon, BCG, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, PwC Strategy&, , Kearney, Alpine Investors LP, C3.ai, Capital One, Credit Suisse, Google, LEK Consulting, Lazard Freres & Co., ServiceNow, Bank of America, Brookfield Asset Management Inc., Evercore Partners, EY-Parthenon, JP Morgan, Nike, Pepsico
Avg. salary: $175,000; Salary Increase: 126% (source: FT Rankings 2024)
Employment offered within 3 months of graduation: 95.6%
Chicago Booth Rankings
Admissions
Deadlines for 2024-2025:
Round 1: September 19, 2024
Round 2: January 7, 2025
Round 3: April 3, 2025
Essays
Essay #1. How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250-word minimum)
Essay #2. An MBA is as much about personal growth as it is about professional development. In addition to sharing your experience and goals in terms of career, we’d like to learn more about you outside of the office. Use this opportunity to tell us something about who you are. (250-word minimum)
Fortuna Tips & Advice
View our team’s advice on tackling the Chicago Booth MBA Essays.