The new profile information for the MBA Class of 2028 at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania is out. This year, 858 students enrolled from an applicant pool of 6,829; last year, 888 students matriculated out of 7,613 applicants.
“In reviewing applications from the Class of 2028,” the report opens, “we found a class that is accomplished, ambitious, and cooperative. Nearly half have been mentors or tutors and almost a third have coached or taught young people. Over 30% received academic honors as an undergraduate student and 12% competed as varsity or national team athletes. In terms of outcomes, close to 20% arrived at Wharton with entrepreneurial goals, while more than a dozen have aspirations to run their family business.”
Professional and Academic History
The Wharton MBA Class of 2028 arrived on campus with an average of five years of professional experience. Thirty-two percent hailed from consulting, making it the most popular pre-MBA industry another year running. Private equity and venture capital followed at 12 percent and the nonprofit and government sector at 11 percent. Rounding out the top five industries are tech and investment banking at 10 percent and eight percent, respectively.
Going back to their undergraduate years, 33 percent of the latest Wharton MBA class majored in humanities. Thirty-one percent had pursued STEM studies and 30 percent earned degrees in business. Seventeen percent of students in the class graduated from schools outside the U.S. Like their second-year classmates, their average undergraduate GPA landed at 3.7 (based on universities with a 4.0 scale).
| Average Undergraduate GPA | 3.7 |
| Percent majoring in humanities | 33% |
| Percent majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math | 31% |
| Percent majoring in business | 30% |
For those who took the GMAT, the Wharton MBA class averaged a score of 685–nine points higher than last year. The average GRE scores came in at 163 for Verbal and 163 for Quant.
| Average GMAT Focus Score | 685 |
| GRE Quant Average | 163 |
| GRE Verbal Average | 163 |
157 new students (18 percent of the class) are enrolled in one of Wharton’s interdisciplinary or dual-degree programs: the Lauder MBA/MA Joint Degree in International Studies (69), the Carey JD/MBA Program (15), or the MBA in Health Care Management (73). Thirty-nine students joined the Wharton MBA program this year through the Moelis Advance Access Program.
Student Characteristics
Women make up 41 percent of the class, only a three percent decrease from last year. Twenty-two percent are international students–a four percent drop from last year–representing 63 countries. Seven percent are first-generation college students.
Turning to the racial and ethnic class demographics, U.S. minorities comprise 47 percent of the class (based on the 77 percent of students that are U.S. passport holders only; percentages calculated out of 858 students). Based on Federal guidelines, 10 percent identify as Black/African American, eight percent as Hispanic/Latinx, and 27 percent as Asian American. Another two percent identify as multi-race.
| Women | 41% |
| International Students | 22% |
| Countries Represented (by citizenship) | 63 |
| U.S. Minorities | 47% |
| Average Work Experience | 5 years |
See the full Wharton MBA class profile for 2028 here.
