Haas School of Business – University of California, Berkeley

FAQ

What is the tuition for Haas’s MBA program?

The tuition for Haas’s MBA program is $67,424 for California residents and $76,433 for non-residents.  Haas estimates that with additional expenses such as living expenses and textbooks, students will pay up to $107,168 as residents or $116,178 as non-residents.

How hard is it to get into Haas’s MBA program?

The acceptance rate for Haas is 13.2% It is important to consider the acceptance rate in the context of the student profile of those who are admitted. For example the average GMAT score is 729.

What is the average GMAT score for admission to Haas’s MBA program?

The average GMAT score for the incoming class at Haas is 729. The GMAT middle 80% range is 700 to 760.

Does the Haas MBA program accept the GRE?

Yes. The Haas MBA program has accepted the GRE for a few years now.

What is the average GRE score for admission to Haas’s MBA program?

The average GRE score for the incoming class at Haas is 161 Verbal, 163 Quant.

What is the minimum number of years of work experience required for admission to Haas’s MBA program?

Haas does not state a minimum requirement for years of work experience. However, it is important for candidates to be aware that they are being considered against other candidates with an average of 5.5 years of experience.

What is the average number of years of work experience for admission to Haas’s MBA program? (or, What is the average age of a Haas MBA student?)

The average number of years of work experience among students in Haas’s MBA program is 5.6.

What is the average starting salary for graduates of the Haas MBA program?

The average starting salary for Haas MBA graduates is $143,696. The salary will vary by industry, with consulting and finance jobs generally commanding the higher salaries.

How long is Haas’s full-time MBA program?

Haas offers a traditional 2 year MBA program.

What are the application deadlines for Haas’s MBA program?

The Round 1 MBA application deadline is September 22, 2022. The Round 2 application deadline is January 5, 2023. The Round 3 deadline is April 6, 2023.

What percent of Haas MBA students are women?

The percentage of the class at Haas that are women is 45%.

What type of interview does Haas use for MBA admissions?

Haas offers interviews by invitation. The interviews are resume-based. This means the interviewer has not had access to the application materials.

VIDEOS

Admissions

The Class Profile

247 students enrolled at Berkeley Haas in 2022. First-year Haas MBA students scored an average GMAT score of 729 with the middle 80% of scores ranging from 700 to 760. Those who took the GRE averaged 161 Verbal and 163 Quant. The average undergraduate GPA for the group was 3.64, with the middle 80% having no lower than a 3.4 GPA.

In regards to their undergraduate studies, engineering claims 23% and economics claims 15% of the Class of 2024. Another 13% had majored in business commerce, and 15% majored in social sciences.  The group had an average of 5.6 years of work experience. Twenty-three percent had a background in consulting and 18% worked in financial services before joining Haas. High tech/electronics followed at 13%, then healthcare/pharma/biotech at 9%. Six percent of the latest class came from not-for-profit roles.

Forty-one percent of first-year MBA candidates are international. The group represents 45 countries. Women comprise 46% of the Class of 2024.  Finally, 45% of U.S. citizens and permanent residents identify as members of a U.S. minority group, which comprises students of African American, Hispanic American, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Island­er, Asian American and East Indian/Pakistani heritage. Seventeen percent of U.S. citizens and permanent residents identify as underrepresented minorities.

Application Procedures

Applicants can elect to apply to Haas during one of three admissions rounds, which usually occur in September, January and April. Haas requires applicants to submit their completed online application along with a résumé, essays, GMAT and TOEFL or IELTS scores from students who received degrees from countries whose official language is not English, transcripts from all collegiate and post-collegiate academic institutions attended, and two professional letters of recommendation. Interviews are conducted on an invitation-only basis and are required for admission to the MBA program.

Application Requirements

The following material are required to apply for the Berkeley Haas MBA:

• Online application
• $200 application fee
• Current resume (submitted online)
• Admissions essays
• Two professional letters of recommendation
• University transcripts
• GMAT or GRE score report
• English language proficiency
• Interview

Interview Reports

Berkeley Haas MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Alumna / Zoom

The interview started off with the interviewer introducing herself and background (e.g., when did she join Haas, career shift) and then she asked me questions. After my responses, she shared her opinion about that as well (e.g., I strongly agree with that, I have personal experience on this as well). Ended with “I will share […]

Berkeley Haas MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / First-Year Student / Virtual

Very candid conversation. Thoughtful and great follow-up questions. Had to be alert and think in the moment. Nothing tricky, just a very intellectual and well facilitated conversation. Questions: Tell me about yourself. Why MBA? Why Haas? Why now? DEI experience and embodiment at Haas. Biggest risk you’ve taken. Did you ever inspire someone to go […]

Berkeley Haas MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Alumnus / On Campus

My interview was conducted by an alumnus in-person, on campus. The interviewer only had access to my resume prior to the interview, and they matched the interviewer to me based on my job experience and goals. I found the interview to be harder than other MBA interviews based on the tone of the interview (much […]

Berkeley Haas MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Google Meet

Interview date – Nov 2nd 2022 Result – Admitted I have heard that Haas interviews have 1 or 2 unexpected questions. I felt it during my interview as well. Haas gives importance to diversity – that is evident from their website and they ask a question related to DEI in the interview for sure. The […]

Berkeley Haas Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / On-Campus

I went through an interview day at the Haas campus. There was a lunch, campus tour, student panel, and a team building session with fellow candidates who were there, followed by a reception/happy hour. All in all it was about a 7-hour long day including the interview and a great time meeting fellow prospective students […]

Berkeley Haas Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Virtual

Interviewed with a second year, was conversational and the interviewer was very friendly and willing to share own experiences. Started with a brief about the procedure and how the interview will go on and then intro about self. Then the questions were as follows – – Intro – Why MBA? Why Haas? – in same […]

Berkeley Haas Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Virtual

The overall environment of the interview was very conversational and relaxed. It lasted 45 minutes. In the beginning, the interviewer presented himself and explained how the interview would go. He did not ask for a personal or professional presentation, he mentioned that he already had read my resume. 1. Why Haas? 2. How will you […]

Berkeley Haas MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Off Campus

The interview was very conversational and lasted for about 45mins. 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. Why MBA? Why Haas? 3. How will you foster DEI? 4. Tell me about a time you motivated your team members. What was the outcome? 5. Another question about why I’m interested in Haas. 6. Questions for the interviewer. […]

Berkeley Haas Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Zoom

The interview was with an alumnus who had graduated 3-4 years ago. He was not from the US, so we connected on both being internationals. the interview itself was very candid and open, it felt like a conversation. He would usually comment on my answers. The questions he asked me where: 1. Tell me about […]

Berkeley Haas Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumna / Zoom

Interviewed in early November. As background, you get to pick an interview date and time, then you get an email with the interviewer name. You reach out to your interviewer, decide what technology platform (Google/Teams/Zoom) to use and then you set up the interview. In the interview, was asked to show form of ID, either […]

Haas Q&As

Admissions Director Q&A: Eric Askins of Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

In this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series, we learn the ins and outs of admissions at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Eric Askins, Executive Director of Admissions, leads the admissions and enrollment efforts at Berkeley Haas. Eric has spent over a decade in higher education with a mission of advancing access […]

Admissions Director Q&A: Berkeley Haas’s Morgan Bernstein

In this edition of our ongoing series, Admissions Director Q&A, we stop by the Bay Area of California.  Morgan Bernstein is the executive director of full-time MBA admissions at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, and a 2009 alumna of the program. Bernstein is deeply passionate about helping prospective students navigate the business school landscape, and […]

Admissions Director Q&A: Morgan Bernstein of UC Berkeley / Haas

Clear Admit is delighted to share admissions insights from Morgan Bernstein, the Executive Director of Full-time MBA Admissions at UC Berkeley / Haas.  Bernstein was part of the admissions team for five years before stepping into her current role, and she knows things from the other side as well. A successful applicant herself, she graduated […]

Berkeley / Haas LiveWire and DecisionWire

Academics

Faculty

Haas employs 74 tenure-track faculty members. These scholars and practitioners help lead Haas’s more than 10 research institutes and centers, and participate in seven multidisciplinary programs, which cover topics ranging from business innovation to nonprofit and public leadership. The Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation, for example, enables faculty to publish articles, create teaching materials and lead research projects on “open innovation,” a more dispersed industry innovation model. 

Curriculum

Professors at Haas make use of a variety of teaching methods, including case studies, seminars, simulations, group projects and guest speakers. Haas places an emphasis on hands-on learning, with certain courses providing students the opportunity to gain consulting experience by working in Silicon Valley firms. 

Haas operates on a two-semester schedule, with MBA classes running from late August through early December and from mid-January through May; commencement takes place shortly thereafter. For first-year students, each semester is further divided into two quarters. Within the academic year, all students have short breaks for Thanksgiving and other holidays, as well as a one-month break between the fall and spring semesters. 

During the first year, Haas students are required to take 12 core courses which account for roughly half of the 51 semester units needed to graduate. The core covers foundational business principles in accounting, finance, economics, marketing, operations, strategy, leadership, decision-making and management. Each of the required courses places an emphasis on team learning, with students working in small groups on projects and assignments. A core course may be waived if a student passes a waiver examination, and these are available for seven of the 12 core courses. These examinations are akin to the course’s final examination and are given the week before the start of each semester. All students must also fulfill an experiential learning, or “applied innovation” requirement by completing at least one of over a dozen programs. These include working in small teams on projects for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations, as well as developing socially responsible strategies for large corporations.

MBA students may begin taking elective courses in the spring semester of their first year. Haas provides a broad range of elective courses from which to choose, and students may even design their own courses together with members of the faculty. The school emphasizes hands-on learning and offers over 20 courses to satisfy the Applied Innovation requirement, ranging from international consulting projects to people development to strategies surrounding sustainable business practices. Haas also provides students with 13 Areas of Emphasis, which are high-level recommendations of courses, extracurricular activities and summer internships that students can follow to prepare for entry into related careers.

Other MBA Degree Options

In addition to the 21-month full-time MBA program, Haas offers a four-year JD/MBA program with either UC Berkeley’s School of Law or UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. Also available are an MBA/MPH program with the UC Berkeley School of Public Health and an MBA/MA program in Global Studies with various UC Berkeley Schools. Part-time options include an evening and weekend MBA program. 

Areas of Emphasis at Haas

• Finance
• Marketing
• Strategy & Consulting
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Energy and Clean Technology
• Entrepreneurship
• Equity Fluent Leadership
• Global Management
• Health Management
• Social Sector Leadership
• Real Estate
• Sustainable & Impact Finance
• Technology

Degree Options at Haas

Full-time MBA
http://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/

Concurrent Degrees
JD/MBA
http://haas.berkeley.edu/MBA/academics/concurrent-degrees.html

MBA/MPH
https://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/careers/healthcare

MBA/MA
http://haas.berkeley.edu/MBA/academics/concurrent-degrees.html#internationalandareastudies

MBA for Executives
http://mbaforexecs.haas.berkeley.edu/

Evening & Weekend MBA
http://ewmba.haas.berkeley.edu/

Applied Innovation  Courses

• [email protected]
• Social Sector Solutions
• International Business Development
• Cleantech to Market
• Strategic and Sustainable Business Solutions
• Design Sprint for Corporate Innovation
• Design, Evaluate and Scale Development Technologies
• People Development
• Real Estate Investment Analysis
• Hedge Fund Strategies
• The Haas Socially Responsible Investment Fund
• Design and Development of Web-Based Products and Services
• Lean Launchpad
• Social Lean Launchpad
• The Startup Lab
• Applied Data Analytics

Campus Life

Clubs, Conferences & Competitions

Haas offers its students many opportunities for extracurricular involvement, including over 50 student organizations to choose from, with a wide array of professional, athletic and cultural groups on hand. Many MBA students become involved in Challenge for Charity events such as competitions, shows and auctions geared at raising money for the Special Olympics and other charitable organizations. In addition, a large portion of MBA students volunteer their time to the [email protected] program, where they act as mentors for underprivileged high school students. 

Approximately ten conferences are regularly hosted by Haas faculty and students. These comprise both industry- and affiliation-related events, such as the Berkeley Energy Symposium and Women in Leadership Conference. Haas also sponsors the Haas Healthcare Conference, the UC Berkeley Startup Competition and the Global Social Venture Competition. Furthermore, MBA students have the opportunity to create their own competitions.

Campus Spaces

Designed by architect Charles Moore, Haas’s campus is comprised of three buildings—one each for classrooms, student services and faculty—linked together that face a main courtyard. Among the school’s facilities are a career center, a high-tech computer lab, a café and an economics and business library.

While most Haas students choose to live off campus, a fair number of students take advantage of Haas’s on-campus housing options. These include university residence halls as well as several apartment complexes devoted to housing UC Berkeley graduate students. The university also provides a housing service called Cal Rentals, through which students can receive counseling about their housing options. Students who wish to live off campus can refer to Cal Rentals for a listing of off-campus rental opportunities. 

MBA Careers

Career Services

The Haas Career Management Group provides extensive support for MBA students by hosting on-campus interviews, corporate presentations and electronic job postings through CareerNet. The Career Management Group also offers students informal ways to meet employers year-round through career panels, alumni mixers, industry firm nights, job fairs and corporate visits. In addition, individual career advisors are available to aid students in developing their job search skills and tackling the recruiting process. Full-time recruiting for second-year students takes place in the fall and spring semesters, and internship recruiting for first-year students occurs in the spring.

Career Statistics

The mean base annual salary of 2022 Haas graduates was $152,831, with an average signing bonus of about $33,418. Nearly 30% of the Class of 2022 went on to work in consulting positions, with technical positions as the second most popular function at nearly 19%. Meanwhile, 15% of Haas’s 2022 graduates accepted positions in corporate roles, another 13% opted for finance roles, and nearly 8% of students entered marketing.

One-third percent of students in the Class of 2022 found jobs in the technology industry after graduating. This is not surprising given that the top recruiters in 2022 included technology firms such as Amazon, Meta, and Cisco. The next most chosen industry was consulting, at just over 28% of the class, and 14% of students accepted positions in financial services. More than 6% of students entered the retail industry and another 5% went into pharma/biotech/healthcare. The remainder of the class secured employment in energy and other industries.

Of the 253 graduates who reported regional placement, 96% settled in North America and 4% chose to work internationally. Eighty percent of graduates settled in the West of the U.S. The Northeast claimed over 7% of graduates. Four percent or less settled in other regions of the U.S.

Financing

The tuition and fees for the 2022-2023 academic year is $67,424 for California residents and $76,433 for non-residents. However, Haas estimates that with additional expenses such as living expenses and textbooks, students will pay up to $107,168 as residents or $116,178 as non-residents in that time. Haas offers both merit- and need-based scholarships to help students with the program’s cost. While some merit-based scholarships are awarded to applicants at the time of admission, others require the completion of separate applications. Both two-year and one-year scholarships are available, and Haas requires that the recipients of two-year grants maintain at least a 3.0 GPA throughout business school. Students also have an array of loan options at their disposal, including federal loan offerings for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. In addition, Haas publishes a compiled list of preferred lenders with different loan options for students to consider. For international students, a risk-share loan is available that does not require a U.S. co-signer.

Cost of Attendance

Tuition & Fees

• CA Resident $67,424
• Non-Resident $76,433

Health Insurance $6,372
Housing & Food $26,416
Books & Supplies $672
Transportation $3,376
Personal Expenses $2,908
Totals:

• CA Resident $107,168
• Non-Resident $116,178

Recent Berkeley / Haas News

MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series Summer 2023

We’re sure you’ve already heard that the application essays are a crucial component of the MBA application. So how can you ace this part of the admissions process without the use of sample

The Week Ahead: MBA Deadlines & Decisions, May 8-12, 2023

Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Late Rounds Continue Late admissions rounds continue with additional d

Upcoming Virtual Event Series: MBA Application Overview

You’ve got your grades and (maybe) your test scores. You’ve put in the time and effort at work, and have accomplishments and skills to show for it. You’re also active and involved in

The Week Ahead: MBA Deadlines, April 17-21, 2023

Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Round 3 application deadlines continue. Round 2 decisions have comple

The Week Ahead: MBA Deadlines & Decisions, April 3-7, 2023

Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Round 2 final decisions are coming. Round 2 decisions continue to rol

The Week Ahead: MBA Deadlines & Decisions, March 20-24, 2023

Welcome back to the series, The Week Ahead, in which we provide a brief rundown of what is happening in MBA admissions this week! Round 2 final decisions are coming. Round 2 decisions are starting to

‘Big Tech’ Jobs & Careers Remain Popular with MBA Graduates

Take a closer look at MBA graduates’ tech industry jobs placement overall and at Big Tech firms for the full-time MBA Classes of 2018 to 2022. Despite a recent decline in tech industry hiring, t

Berkeley Haas MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Alumna / Zoom

The interview started off with the interviewer introducing herself and background (e.g., when did she join Haas, career shift) and then she asked me questions. After my responses, she shared her opini

Berkeley Haas MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / First-Year Student / Virtual

Very candid conversation. Thoughtful and great follow-up questions. Had to be alert and think in the moment. Nothing tricky, just a very intellectual and well facilitated conversation. Questions:Tel

Interview Report Round-Up: Berkeley Haas, CBS, and UVA Darden

In this week’s Interview Report Round-Up, we take a look at applicants’ reported interview questions and more with Berkeley Haas, Columbia Business School and UVA Darden as shared in our Inter