Columbia Business School welcomed 982 students to the MBA program in the fall of 2025. While the classes joining the CBS MBA program in 2025 have different start times (August and January), their stats are reported as a whole.
According to this year’s class profile, CBS received 7,477 applications this past admissions season, compared to 7,487 for the class entering in 2024. While 758 students began their CBS MBA in August this year, the J-Term class saw 224 candidates. Those who began the CBS MBA in August this year will graduate in 2027 while J-Term candidates will graduate in 2026.
International Students, Women, and US Minority Representation
Women make up 46 percent of the latest CBS MBA class. International students comprise 41 percent of students, which is five percent lower than last year’s 46 percent. U.S. minority representation increased four percentage points over last year to 48 percent of the latest class.
CBS reports minority representation using federal guidelines, under which students who identify, for example, as Hispanic and any other race are represented as Hispanic only, and students who identify as more than one race are represented as multi-race only. Under the federal reporting guidelines, Black/African American students make up seven percent of the class, Hispanic/Latinx students 12 percent, Asian Americans 25 percent, and multiracial students three percent.
| Women | 46% |
| International Students | 41% |
| U.S. Minorities | 48% |
| Average Work Experience | 5 years |
Professional and Academic Background
During their undergraduate years, 19 percent had studied economics or engineering, followed by 13 percent earning degrees in social sciences. Eight percent earned undergraduate degrees in the sciences. The average undergraduate GPA landed at 3.6, matching last year’s class.
| Average Undergraduate GPA | 3.6 |
| Percent majoring in business | 30% |
| Percent majoring in economics | 19% |
| Percent majoring in engineering | 19% |
| Percent majoring in social sciences | 13% |
The average GMAT (10th edition) score increased over last year’s class from 732 to 734. For the GMAT (Focus) edition, the average score landed at 690. For those who took the GRE, both the average Verbal and Quant scores came in at 163.
| Average GMAT (10th edition) Score | 734 |
| Average GMAT (Focus) Score | 690 |
| Average GRE Score – Verbal | 163 |
| Average GRE Score – Quant | 163 |
Students in the class have an average of five years of professional experience. The industry distribution is largely unchanged from the previous year, with 30 percent having worked in the financial services industry, 23 percent from a consulting background, and 12 percent coming from tech. Ten percent hailed from media/marketing and six percent joined CBS from healthcare.
