Looking at the Stanford MBA class profiles over the years, you may notice that the percentages always shift a bit here or there. With our small class size, even two students can, and do, create such variations. Since our candidate pool is ever changing, the numbers in the entering class change, too.
These fluctuations also speak to our admission process. We don't admit categories; we admit individuals. There are no quotas or targets in the Stanford admission process, and we assess each applicant based on her or his own merit. This is why we consider a class profile illustrative, rather than informative. In truth, there is no metric that can capture an individual's potential.
The MBA Class of 2015 is no exception. We welcomed 406 students this year, the largest class in the history of Stanford GSB. Not only are there more students in the class, but also greater diversity of experience and background. Here are some of the other shifts in the Class of 2015 profile:
- The class comprises a record number of international and U.S. schools.
- Representation of both women and U.S. minorities in the class increased.
- Students joined the Stanford community directly from a record 300 organizations. More than 67% of students are the sole classmate joining Stanford directly from that organization.
- As always, there was fluctuation in industry representation, with increases in biotech, consulting, and consumer-products sectors.
- The number of humanities and sciences majors in the class jumped, while a handful fewer students studied business or engineering.
- Average TOEFL and GMAT scores crept up slightly. The score ranges, however, stayed consistent.
- Average years of pre-MBA work experience fell slightly from last year's decade-long high. The range of years of work experience also narrowed slightly.