Harvard Business School is one of the most prestigious business schools in the world. In fact, the first name that comes to mind when thinking of an MBA is Harvard Business School. Apart from the 2-year full-time MBA, HBS offers Executive MBA programs, online programs, and 8 doctoral programs. HBS is the business school which originally used the case method as the primary method of teaching. It was designed to prepare students to face real business challenges.
However, the current HBS MBA curriculum is a mix of case method and experiential courses. The school has introduced a FIELD course, which is an acronym for Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development, which is a series of interactive workshops for first-year students. In the second year, FIELD global immersion sends student teams into global markets to help partner organizations develop a new product or service. An elective FIELD course provides seed capital to students to launch a ‘micro- business’ as termed by HBS.
Therefore, before thinking on how to get into Harvard Business School, let’s take a look at detailed information of HBS class profile and career prospects. The objective of this article is to help you research how HBS can help you achieve career goals.
Here is the outline of the article:
- Harvard Business School at a glance
- HBS MBA Fees, Class profile, median salary, GMAT score
- HBS MBA Application Deadlines 2019-2020
- HBS MBA employment and salaries
- Harvard Business School MBA – Notable Alumni
- Other MBA programs you should consider
General information on the Harvard Business School
Location – Soldiers Field, Boston, MA 02163
Dean – Nitin Nohria
Admissions Office – MBA Admissions, Harvard Business School, Dillon House, Boston, MA 02163
Phone: +1-617-495-6128
Email: admissions@hbs.edu
Social media – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn
Want to know more about other business schools? Here is a list of articles with detailed information on Stanford, Wharton, Kellogg, Booth, INSEAD, and many more.
Harvard Business School MBA Class profile, cost of attendance, median salary, GMAT score
Below are the details on the HBS MBA program’s class profile, cost of attendance, median salary. Here is the list of the total cost (tuition fee + living expenses) of top MBA programs across the world.
| S. No. | Harvard Business School | Numbers |
| 1 | Average GMAT score | 730 |
| 2 | Average GPA | 3.71 |
| 3 | Class Size | 930 |
| 4 | GMAT Range | 610 – 800 |
| 5 | Work Experience (Average) | 4.3 years |
| 6 | Tuition Cost (per year) | $73,440 |
| 7 | Average Age | 27 |
| 8 | % Employed within 3 months after graduation | 95% |
| 9 | Median Base Salary | $140,000 |
| 10 | Median Signing Bonus | $28,750 |
What GMAT score is considered a good score? Read this article to know what is a good GMAT score for HBS.
Getting into HBS requires an envious GMAT score. We can help you with a personalized study plan and give you access to quality online content to prepare. Write to us at acethegmat@e-gmat.com. We are the most reviewed GMAT prep company on gmatclub with more than 1850 reviews (as on Sep 3, 2019). Why don’t you take a free trial and judge it for yourself?
HBS MBA incoming class profile 2018
Here are the detailed statistics on Harvard Business School MBA incoming class of 2018. Harvard Business School’s admission process is highly competitive and therefore, it boasts a low acceptance rate. The acceptance rate for HBS 2018 admissions was 9.4%. Moreover, the yield rate of HBS is the highest, which is 91%.
| Applications received by HBS | 9,886 |
| Enrolled | 930 |
| HBS GMAT Scores (middle 80%) | 700 – 760 |
| Undergraduate GPA (middle 80%) | 3.2 – 3.9 |
| Work Experience (middle 80%) | 3 – 15 years |
| Average age (middle 80%) | 25 – 31 |
| % of women in the class | 41% |
| % of international citizens | 37% |
| Countries represented | 69 |
Here are the 7 steps to getting into Harvard Business School. If you are interested in Stanford, then this article will guide you on how to get into stanford MBA.
Pre-MBA industry of HBS MBA incoming class 2018
The below data gives the details of the pre-MBA experience of HBS incoming class of 2018 (graduating class of 2020). 48% of the class had experience in consulting, communications, and Venture capital/ private equity.
| Pre-MBA Industry – HBS Incoming class of 2018 | ||
| Consulting | 149 | 16% |
| Consumer Products | 56 | 6% |
| Energy/Extractive Minerals | 55 | 6% |
| Financial Services | 102 | 11% |
| Gov’t, Education, & Non-Profit | 63 | 7% |
| Health Care/Biotech | 65 | 7% |
| High Tech/Communications | 148 | 16% |
| Industrial/Heavy Manufacturing | 37 | 4% |
| Military | 45 | 5% |
| Other Services | 55 | 6% |
| Venture Capital/Private Equity | 155 | 16% |
HBS MBA Application deadlines 2019 – 2020
For the 2019 admissions, Harvard Business School dropped its third round. Instead, it dedicated the previous round 3 exclusively for its deferred MBA program HBS 2+2. Here are the application deadlines for 2019 admissions.
| HBS admission rounds | Application Deadline | Decisions |
| Round One | September 4, 2019 | December 10, 2019 |
| Round Two | January 6, 2020 | March 31, 2020 |
| HBS 2+2 | April 2, 2020 | June 3, 2020 |
Getting into HBS requires an envious GMAT score. We can help you with a personalized study plan and give you access to quality online content to prepare. Write to us at acethegmat@e-gmat.com. We are the most reviewed GMAT prep company on gmatclub with more than 1850 reviews (as on Sep 3, 2019). Why don’t you take a free trial and judge it for yourself?
HBS MBA employment and salaries
The graduating class of 2018 reported a median salary of $140,000 and a median signing bonus of $25,000. 65% of the class received the signing bonus. 29% of the class accepted employment in the Financial services industry, followed by 25% in consulting and 19% in technology.
Employment by industry
Consulting and financial services industry paid the highest median base salary of $150,000 to the 2018 graduating class of HBS MBA program. However, the contrast lies in the signing bonus where 94% of the students joining the consulting industry received a signing bonus as compared to only 43% joining the financial services industry. Here is the detailed data on industry-wise employment of 2018 class of HBS.
| Percentage | Median Base Salary | Median Signing Bonus | Receiving Signing Bonus | |
| Consulting | 25% | $150,000 | $25,000 | 94% |
| Consumer Products | 3% | $115,000 | $35,000 | 85% |
| Entertainment / Media | 4% | $130,000 | $25,000 | 40% |
| Entertainment | 4% | $130,000 | $25,000 | 40% |
| Financial Services | 29% | $150,000 | $40,000 | 43% |
| Investment Banking / Sales & Trading | 6% | $125,000 | $50,000 | 94% |
| Investment Management / Hedge Fund | 6% | $150,000 | $35,000 | 33% |
| Venture Capital / Private Equity / LBO | 15% | $150,000 | $22,500 | 27% |
| Other Financial Services | 2% | $100,000 | $15,000 | 46% |
| Health Care | 6% | $125,000 | $25,000 | 75% |
| Biomed / Pharmaceutical | 3% | $130,000 | $25,000 | 80% |
| Health-Related Services | 3% | $125,000 | $25,000 | 69% |
| Manufacturing | 5% | $130,000 | $20,000 | 76% |
| Aero / Auto / Transport Equipment | 1% | $145,000 | * | * |
| Cleantech | <1% | $125,000 | * | * |
| Energy / Extractive Minerals | <1% | * | * | * |
| Highly Diversified | 2% | $130,000 | $30,000 | 100% |
| Other Manufacturing | <1% | * | * | * |
| Nonprofit / Government | 2% | $95,000 | * | * |
| Government | 1% | $95,000 | * | * |
| Nonprofit | 1% | $95,000 | * | * |
| Retail / Trading | 3% | $132,500 | $27,500 | 63% |
| Services | 3% | $120,000 | $17,500 | 38% |
| Real Estate | 3% | $120,000 | $15,000 | 39% |
| Other Services | <1% | * | * | * |
| Technology | 19% | $130,000 | $30,000 | 72% |
| Consumer Electronics | 1% | $140,000 | $50,000 | 89% |
| E-Commerce | 4% | $130,000 | $50,000 | 91% |
| Equipment / Hardware / Networking | <1% | * | * | * |
| Internet Services | 5% | $130,000 | $25,000 | 83% |
| Software | 6% | $135,000 | $20,000 | 55% |
| Other Technology | 2% | $120,000 | $20,000 | 50% |
| ALL INDUSTRIES | 100% | $140,000 | $25,000 | 65% |
Employment by job function
Here are the detailed figures on function wise employment accepted by the 2018 graduating class of HBS.
| Percent | Median Base Salary | Median Signing Bonus | Receiving Signing Bonus | |
| Business Development | 8% | $130,000 | $22,500 | 49% |
| Consulting | 26% | $150,000 | $25,000 | 93% |
| Finance | 29% | $150,000 | $40,000 | 44% |
| Corporate Finance | 1% | $120,900 | $35,000 | 88% |
| Investment Banking / Sales & Trading | 5% | $125,000 | $50,000 | 94% |
| Investment Management / Hedge Fund | 4% | $150,000 | $25,000 | 35% |
| Venture Capital / Private Equity / LBO | 14% | $150,000 | $25,000 | 27% |
| Other Finance | 3% | $120,000 | $20,500 | 30% |
| General Management | 16% | $125,000 | $25,000 | 72% |
| Operations / Manufacturing | 3% | $120,000 | $20,000 | 53% |
| Project Management | 1% | $130,000 | $20,000 | 78% |
| Rotational / Leadership Development | 4% | $125,000 | $27,500 | 78% |
| Other General Management | 7% | $130,000 | $30,000 | 77% |
| Marketing | 11% | $135,000 | $25,000 | 79% |
| Brand Management | <1% | $110,000 | * | * |
| General Marketing | 1% | $120,000 | $20,000 | 100% |
| Product Management | 8% | $137,500 | $27,500 | 78% |
| Sales | <1% | * | * | * |
| Other Marketing | <1% | * | * | * |
| Strategic Planning | 8% | $130,000 | $25,000 | 51% |
| Other | 3% | $127,500 | $25,000 | 72% |
| Product Development | <1% | * | * | * |
| Real Estate | 1% | $120,000 | * | * |
| All Other | 1% | $130,000 | $37,500 | 86% |
| ALL FUNCTIONS | 100% | $140,000 | $25,000 | 65% |
Employment by location
86% of the HBS graduating class of 2018 found employment in the United States with a median base salary of $142,000. 41 % of the class found employment in the North-East with 24% finding jobs in New York.
Below are detailed figures on employment location of 2018 graduating class of Harvard Business School.
| Percent | Median Base Salary | Median Signing Bonus | Receiving Signing Bonus | |
| Mid-Atlantic | 4% | $147,500 | $25,000 | 48% |
| Washington – DC | 2% | $150,000 | $25,000 | 46% |
| Other Mid-Atlantic | 2% | $145,000 | $25,000 | 50% |
| Midwest | 7% | $135,000 | $25,000 | 83% |
| Chicago – IL | 4% | $147,000 | $25,000 | 77% |
| Other Midwest | 3% | $130,000 | $25,000 | 90% |
| Northeast | 41% | $145,000 | $25,000 | 61% |
| Boston – MA | 11% | $147,000 | $25,000 | 63% |
| New England (Except Boston) | 4% | $137,500 | $27,500 | 78% |
| New York – NY | 24% | $140,000 | $30,000 | 56% |
| Other Northeast | 2% | $145,000 | $25,000 | 82% |
| South | 4% | $148,500 | $25,000 | 92% |
| Atlanta – GA | 2% | $152,000 | $25,000 | 92% |
| Other South | 2% | $117,500 | $25,000 | 92% |
| Southwest | 4% | $147,000 | $25,000 | 76% |
| Texas | 3% | $150,000 | $25,000 | 88% |
| Other Southwest | 1% | $125,000 | * | * |
| West | 26% | $140,000 | $25,000 | 70% |
| California – Bay Area | 16% | $145,000 | $25,000 | 65% |
| California – Los Angeles Area | 5% | $147,000 | $25,000 | 64% |
| California – Other | <1% | * | * | * |
| Pacific Northwest | 5% | $130,000 | $50,000 | 97% |
| Other West | <1% | * | * | * |
| Asia | 4% | $125,000 | $25,000 | 43% |
| China | <1% | * | * | * |
| Hong Kong, SAR | <1% | * | * | * |
| India | <1% | * | * | * |
| Other Asia | 3% | $115,000 | $22,500 | 50% |
| Australia & Oceania | <1% | * | * | * |
| Canada | 1% | $138,500 | $20,540 | 67% |
| Europe | 5% | $125,000 | $23,800 | 43% |
| United Kingdom | 3% | $125,000 | $19,657 | 33% |
| Other Europe | 1% | $125,000 | $26,900 | 67% |
| Latin America | 3% | $90,000 | $25,000 | 81% |
| Brazil | <1% | * | * | * |
| Other Latin America | 2% | $90,000 | $22,500 | 77% |
| Middle East & North Africa | <1% | * | * | * |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | <1% | * | * | * |
| UNITED STATES | 86% | $142,000 | $25,000 | 67% |
| INTERNATIONAL | 14% | $122,101 | $25,000 | 56% |
| ALL LOCATIONS | 100% | $140,000 | $25,000 | 65% |
Harvard Business School – Notable Alumni
Harvard Business School has a very strong base of 83,000+ alumni in 171 countries. Here are some notable alumni of Harvard Business School.
- Walter Haas – Former CEO of Levi Strauss & Co.
- Robert S. McNamara – Former Secretary of Defense
- Philip Caldwell – Former CEO of Ford Motor Company
- Robert Kraft – Chairman of the Kraft Group (and owner of the New England Patriots)
- Michael Bloomberg – Founder of Bloomberg and former mayor of New York City
- Stephen Schwarzman – Chairman and CEO of the Blackstone Group
- Mitt Romney – Former Massachusetts Governor and Presidential Candidate
- George W. Bush – Former President of the United States
- Anne Moore – Former CEO of Time, Inc.
- Meg Whitman – Chairman and CEO of Hewlett Packard
- Jamie Dimon – Chairman of JPMorgan Chase
- Jeffrey Immelt – Chairman and CEO of General Electric
- Michael Lynton – CEO of Sony Entertainment and Sony Pictures
- Abigail Johnson – Chair of Fidelity Worldwide Investment
- Sheryl Sandberg – COO of Facebook and author of Lean In
- Sal Khan – Founder of Khan Academy
- Rajat Gupta – Former Managing Director of McKinsey & Co.
- G. Lafley – Chairman of Procter & Gamble
- Fritz Henderson – Former President of General Motors
- Liam Byrne – Former Education Minister in the United Kingdom
MBA Program Consideration Set:
Stretch Schools: None
Match Schools: Stanford, Chicago Booth, Wharton, Columbia, Dartmouth Tuck
Safety Schools: Kellogg, MIT Sloan, Berkeley Haas, Duke Fuqua, Virginia Darden
Information Source – HBS MBA employment report