Stanford Graduate School of Business – situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, boasting of consistent rankings as one of the top 3 business schools, and serving as a launchpad for several successful entrepreneurs, is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious B-schools in the world.
With an acceptance rate of a mere 5.7% and a staggering yield rate of 89.1%, Stanford is renowned as the most selective business school in the world. Therefore, the admissions process becomes highly competitive for Stanford GSB. A number of parameters can make or break one’s chances of getting through a B-school, especially when we talk about Stanford, however, this article focusses on the first stepping stone i.e.the GMAT score.
The goal of this article is to help you narrow down a good GMAT score for Stanford MBA by analyzing different aspects of the data available from past applicants to this business school.
For those wanting to study at Stanford, it would be a good idea to take a thorough look at how to get into Stanford GSB
While a lot of parameters could be subjective, we will present an empirical analysis of current and past trends to figure out a good GMAT score for Stanford
Here’s what you will read next:
- 5-year GMAT score trend of Stanford
- How to decide on a GMAT score for Stanford
- What is a good GMAT score for Stanford
- What is a good GMAT score for Indians applying to Stanford
5-year GMAT score trend of Stanford GSB MBA
A 5-year GMAT score trend report helps us take a macroscopic view to understand the likelihood of an applicant being admitted to Stanford. Mentioned below is a summary of the average GMAT scores of the incoming class of Stanford MBA from 2014 to 2018.
| 5 year GMAT score trend for Stanford GSB | |||||
| Year | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |
| Stanford GMAT score | 732 | 737 | 737 | 733 | 732 |
Consistently boasting of the highest average GMAT score of any full-time MBA program across the world, Stanford will most likely retain its reputation in the coming years as well.
The average GMAT score for the incoming class has been between 732 and 737 from 2014 to 2018.
We usually follow a simple process to approximate a safe score for being able to get an admission call from some of the top B-schools in the world.
According to this process, 750+ would seem like a good score for Stanford (adding 20 points to the latest batch average GMAT). However, with Stanford being extremely stringent in admitting students having one of the lowest acceptance rates of all business schools, we cannot jump to a conclusion based on this information.
Stanford’s admission process is so rigorous that if all parts of your application do not stand out, then even an extraordinarily high GMAT score won’t help you much.
If you are looking at applying to other business schools as well here is 5-year GMAT score trend report of 50 top US and European business schools
How to decide on a GMAT score for Stanford?
Now instead of just looking at macroscopic data, let’s move closer to understanding how the whole admission process worked for the class of 2021. For this purpose, we will be considering data of actual students who got an interview call and those who were finally selected at Stanford.
Methodology
To figure out a good GMAT score for Stanford, let’s take a closer look at some raw data secured from the decision tracker page on gmatclub. This data has been collated for candidates who have applied for admission to Stanford full-time MBA class of 2021.
The scope of this article covers an analysis of GMAT scores of the applicant pool, shortlisted candidates, waitlisted candidates, and finally the ones who were admitted to Stanford.
| Stanford GMAT Score | Applications | Interview Invite | Admitted |
| 790 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 780 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 770 | 15 | 6 | 3 |
| 760 | 22 | 8 | 3 |
| 750 | 24 | 6 | 3 |
| 740 | 19 | 4 | 2 |
| 730 | 28 | 10 | 3 |
| 720 | 16 | 7 | 4 |
| 710 | 19 | 7 | 5 |
| 700 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 690 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 680 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 670 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 660 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 650 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 640 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 570 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 560 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 200 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Observations
- Known to be one of the toughest B-schools to get into, Stanford didn’t invite anyone below a score of 700 for interviews
- A considerable number of applicants between the range of 710 and 770 were shortlisted for the interview. As a matter of fact, there are a greater number of applicants in this range as well
- The invite rate for interviews lies in the range of 36% to 40% for a score between 710 and 770
- 700 served as a cut-off score for Stanford for the class of 2021 taking a jump of 40 points from last year’s minimum score of 660 at the interview stage
- Surprisingly, the conversion rate (admission to invite ratio) is highest for the score of 710, standing at a whopping 71% for the class of 2021
Inference
- Going by the data for the class of 2021, a score in the range of 710 to 770 is a good GMAT score for qualifying an interview call from Stanford.
- The chance for securing an interview does not increase drastically as we move up in the scoring ladder. As we can see only 6 out of 24 applicants with a score of 750 got an interview call, while 7 out of 19 applicants with a score of 710 got an invite.
- For applicants scoring in a range of 710 to 770, an interview invite will depend on the profile and other aspects of the application
In order to help candidates with the next stage- Here are 10 ways to boost your MBA profile
With a high yield ratio of approximately 90%, the movement in the admit list of Stanford is quite low. Here’s a list of waitlisted candidates and their scores:
| GMAT Score | Waitlisted |
| 780 | 1 |
| 770 | 3 |
| 760 | 0 |
| 750 | 2 |
| 740 | 1 |
| 730 | 1 |
| 720 | 2 |
| 710 | 2 |
| 700 | 1 |
| 690 | 0 |
| 680 | 0 |
| 670 | 0 |
| 660 | 0 |
| 640 | 0 |
| 610 | 0 |
No candidate below a score of 700 was waitlisted. From the data available to us, only 1 out of the waitlisted candidates got the final admit with a GMAT score of 770 and an Investment Banking profile.
What is a good GMAT score for Stanford GSB?
To get an admission in one of the world’s most recognized and coveted B-schools can certainly not be a cakewalk. It takes a brilliant profile, stellar recommendations clubbed with an exceptional GMAT score to be noticed by the admissions committee at Stanford.
While a score of 710 combined with a great track record and impressive interview could lead you to the gates of Stanford, we recommend aiming for a score of 750 or higher considering high average GMAT scores and a very low acceptance rate. We cannot forget that for the Stanford MBA class of 2020, only 3 candidates with a score of 710 got an interview invite.
In any case, remember to focus comprehensively on admissions to this ultra-selective B-school.
What is a good GMAT score for Indians applying to Stanford?
The Indian candidate pool is over-represented in terms of applications to most top B-schools. Let’s see how the Indian diaspora fairs when it comes to admissions to Stanford.
Here’s a list of GMAT scores of Indian candidates who applied to Stanford for admission to the incoming class of 2021.
| Stanford GMAT Score | No. of Indian applicants |
| 780 | 2 |
| 770 | 0 |
| 760 | 3 |
| 750 | 3 |
| 740 | 1 |
| 730 | 3 |
| 720 | 3 |
| 710 | 1 |
| 700 | 1 |
- 19 Indians applied to Stanford with GMAT scores of 2 Indians not accessible to us
- 6 received an interview invite (GMAT scores of 760,730,720,720, scores of 2 students not known)
- Unfortunately, none of the Indian applicants that we have the data for received admits for the batch of 2021. However, that will not be the case as every year Indian students make it to Stanford GSB
- However, no need to lose hope, as 2 Indian applicants were admitted to Stanford for the class of 2020 (GMAT scores 770 and 730)
Considering the highly competitive pool of Indian candidates, we suggest aiming for a score of 760 or above to be able to increase the chances of getting an interview invite from Stanford. If complemented with a brilliant profile and a perfect application, a score above 740 can help an Indian candidate make the cut for the interview.
One of the candidates, Mansi Dhiman, who scored 770 on the GMAT was an e-GMAT student and went on to receive admits from 5 top business schools viz. Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Kellogg, and INSEAD. She joined the Harvard MBA class of 2020.
Therefore, with so much competition in the Indian applicant pool, a good GMAT score for Indians applying to Stanford should be at least 760.
If you want to try out the e-GMAT course that helped Mansi score a 770, sign up for our Free Trial.
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What are your thoughts on our analysis? Is there something we can add to make this article on ‘What is a good GMAT score for Stanford GSB’ better? Let us know your thoughts.
*Stanford GSB logo used in the image is the property of Stanford University
