Simon Business School – University of Rochester

FAQ

What is the tuition for Simon’s MBA program?

The tuition for Simon’s MBA program is $47,000 per year. The total cost of the Simon MBA program is $68,644 per year; this includes budgeted living expenses.

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

The GMAT middle 80% range is 610 to 710.

Does the Simon MBA program accept the GRE?

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

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

The GRE middle 80% ranges are Quant 148 – 163 and Verbal 154 – 164.

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

Simon 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 Simon’s MBA program? (or, What is the average age of a Simon MBA student?)

The average number of years of work experience among students in Simon’s MBA program is 5.5. On average, Simon students are 28 years old.

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

The average total compensation for Simon MBA graduates is $122,000.

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

Simon offers a traditional 2 year MBA program.

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

The Round 1 MBA application deadline was October 15, 2018. The Round 2 deadline was January 5, 2019. The Round 3 deadline was February 15, 2019. The Round 4 deadline was March 31, 2019. The Round 5 deadline was May 1, 2019.

Admissions

Class Profile

Thirty-eight percent of Rochester Simon’s Class of 2020 full-time MBA students pursued degrees in business and commerce during their undergraduate studies, and 24% studied humanities and social sciences. Fifteen percent studied engineering in college while the remaining focused on economics, math, or science. Upon matriculation at Simon, students averaged 28 years in age with more than five years of full-time work experience. The middle 80% of GMAT scores was 610–710. In total, the program was comprised of 35% women, with 31% identifying as a member of a minority group. Students hail from 17 countries overall.

Application Procedures

Simon Business School offers applicants five admission rounds, taking place between October and May. The school encourages applicants to apply on or before the early January deadline to receive priority admission and scholarship consideration. The application requirements for Simon include completing the school’s online application form and submitting an essay, a current résumé and work history, an interesting fact, contact information for two professional references, and scanned official transcripts for each college attended. Applicants also must report their GMAT or GRE test results and, where applicable, TOEFL or IELTS scores. All MBA students are required to successfully demonstrate strong English communication skills. Simon recommends a TOEFL score of 100 or higher, with sub-scores in the mid-20s; or an IELTS score of 7.5 or higher with sub-scores of 7 or higher.

Interviews through InitialView are recommended for international students. A $90 application fee is required, though the fee is waived for active-duty military and veterans as well as full-time MBA applicants who meet certain criteria (e.g., university or partner-university alumni, exceeding certain academic or professional milestones, etc.).

Application Checklist

Online application form

Current résumé

Work history 

One required essay 

An interesting fact

Scanned official transcripts

GMAT or GRE scores

TOEFL or IELTS scores

Contact information for two professional references 

$90 application fee

Interview Reports

Rochester / Simon MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Off-Campus Hub

A Rochester / Simon MBA interview questions and report submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 MBA applicant. The interview was extremely conversational, we started with at least 15-20 minutes discussing her visit to my country (Dec 2018) and my travel to this city (I drove into the city that morning). The interview was held […]

Rochester-simon Q&As

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Rochester-simon LiveWire and DecisionWire

Academics

Faculty

The Simon Business School employs about 70 full-time MBA faculty members. They teach across 8 academic areas and concentrate their academic research in 28 fields of expertise. While Simon is the smallest of the top-ranked business schools, its faculty is responsible for writing the most-cited business article of all time, The Theory of the Firm. The school’s smaller class sizes allow professors and students to work one-on-one and develop strong long-term professional relationships.

Curriculum

The school’s academic year is broken into quarters that last an average of 7 weeks. First-year full-time MBA students have an orientation and pre-Fall quarter that start in late July; international MBAs start in mid-July. Fall Quarter classes generally begin in late August and late October and end in mid-October and mid-December, respectively. Classes resume for the Spring in mid-January and mid-March and conclude in early March and early May, respectively. Classes take places Monday through Thursday and 68 credits are required for graduation.

The full-time MBA program consists of 29 courses: nine core classes (spanning finance, economics, marketing, management, communication, and analytics), a Communicating Business Decision sequence, a client project, and 15 electives, completed over 22 months. During that time, students focus on one or several concentrations to develop their own particular expertise. In addition to the coursework, students have the opportunity to study abroad, build leadership skills for class projects and corporate cases, participate in more than 30 academic and social clubs, and complete internships over summer break. Overall, the curriculum aims to integrate analytical skills with real-world opportunities tailored to each student’s concentration.

Simon students learn to address business issues and find solutions through a three-step process called “FACt,” or “Frame, Analyze, Communicate,” which teaches them to apply classroom theories in practical situations. Simon considers the approach integral to all aspects of the curriculum and key to sound decision-making, insights, and empowerment in post-graduate, global business settings.

Other MBA Degree Options

Along with its 22-month full-time MBA program, Simon offers a part-time MBA program for professionals. Students have three-hour classes that meet one night per week. Students can start in either the fall with the cohort or in another quarter outside of the cohort. The professional MBA program allows students to earn an MBA in as little as 2.5 and on average in 3.3 academic years. The school also has an executive MBA program for individuals at a more advanced stage in their careers, meeting every other Saturday and one Friday per month. The second-Saturday classes may be attended remotely online as needed. Finally, Simon offers a joint degree, an MD/MBA with the University Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.  Students complete the MBA core courses in their first year, then return for electives after two years as a full-time medical student.

Specializations (Full-Time MBA only)
Asset Management
Banking 
Corporate Finance
Venture Capital & Private Equity
Brand Management
Product Management
Operations
Pricing 
Strategy
Technology

Minors (Full-Time MBA only)
Accounting
Analytics
Entrepreneurship
Health Sciences Management
Global Business
Leadership

Concentrations (Professional MBA only)
Finance
Competitive and Organizational Strategy
Corporate Accounting
Marketing
Entrepreneurship
Business Systems Consulting
Computer and Information Systems
Health Sciences Management
Operations Management
Public Accounting

Degree Offerings

Full-Time MBA

https://www.simon.rochester.edu/programs/full-time-mba/index.aspx 

Executive MBA

https://www.simon.rochester.edu/programs/executive-mba/index.aspx

Part-Time MBA

https://www.simon.rochester.edu/programs/ptmba/index.aspx 

MD/MBA Program

http://www.simon.rochester.edu/programs/full-time-mba/academics/programs/md-mba-program/index.aspx 

Campus Life

Clubs, Conferences and Competitions

Simon Business School students have a variety of opportunities to get involved with the school community. There are more than 30 student-led groups that span diversity and educational, social and athletic, and professional and corporate categories. Signature events include the West Coast Tech Trek, a venture capital investment competition, and the Taste of Rochester culinary outing.

The Graduate Business Council collaborates with administrators, faculty, and student organizations to host sociable, year-round events and activities. Organized group volunteer projects and programs like the Practicum on Urban Entrepreneurship invite students to work within local communities, while applying some of their core business tactics. Several more concentration-specific experiential programs are offered as well, such as the Simon Student Venture Fund, for which students collaborate with analysts, entrepreneurs, and alumni to make data-driven investment decisions and manage the fund. 

The school makes a pointed effort to support diversity and inclusivity, with programs to support women in business, members of the military, and students representing 17 different countries. For example, five members of the MBA Class of 2018 founded the Simon Inclusion Ambassadors, one of Simon’s newest programs. Through it, ambassadors seek to foster dialogue and mutual respect in classrooms and across campus through greater individual and cultural awareness.

Campus Spaces

Simon Business School is located in Schlegel and Gleason Halls on the 154-acre River Campus, just south of downtown Rochester on the Genesee River. At the center of campus is the Eastman Quadrangle, named for Eastman Kodak founder and benefactor George Eastman. The central “Quad” is home to the original 1930s River Campus buildings housing faculty of arts, sciences and engineering, including the landmark Rush Rhees Library. The Simon School of Business is located on the River Campus, as is the Warner School of Education.

MBA students and their families are welcome to apply for housing in three different graduate student residential buildings on campus. Simon’s graduate communities find support with university directors and staff and are encouraged to get involved with their local communities through potluck dinners, group outings, recreational activities, and even community gardening.

MBA Careers

Career Services

Simon’s Career Management Center provides many ways for students to develop professionally during their time at the school. These services include one-on-one career coaching, assessing student interests, developing search action plans, generating leads and interviewing, and helping with internships or full-time positions. The center also invites “executives in residence” to consult with students about their particular fields, such as manufacturing, technology, real estate, health care, media, and banking.

The school hosts on- and off-campus events all year round both in Rochester and New York City, providing many opportunities for students to network with alumni, admissions counselors, faculty, and potential employers. A few of the on-campus events include career fairs, Experience Simon Weekend, Graduate Programs Open House, and niche conferences like Women’s Forum, Diversity Forum, and the MBA Veterans Conference. Additionally, the center offers specialized career assistance for international students, such as visa guidance for short- or long-term employment.

First-year students will find assistance through Career Management Center starting at pre-orientation and continuing through, and even beyond, the full-time MBA program. Simon’s “Day 1” process allows students to explore the major MBA career functions and ways to boost knowledge of various industries. The Day 1 steps are available at the center and online, encouraging incoming students to prepare in advance deliverables like market assessments, online profiles, and targeted employers lists. 

Career Statistics

Simon’s Career Management Center reported that Simon students were especially successful, with 99% of the Class of 2019 securing internships (primarily in technology and financial services), and 93% of those pursuing full-time work accepting positions within three months. Of the full-time MBA graduates, 71% accepted positions based on Simon Business School–facilitated activities. 

Of the Class of 2018 graduates, 34% entered financial/accounting. The next most popular function was marketing/sales, which claimed 29% of students. Among the graduates, 12% chose consulting, and 7% information technology. Thirty-seven percent of the Class stayed in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic while the next most popular destination was the South, which claimed 32% of graduates.  Twenty-one percent settled in the West, followed by 10% in the Midwest Eight percent of the Class of 2018 headed abroad for work.

Financing

Simon Business School’s 2019-2020 tuition is $47,000 a year. With additional fees as living expenses, activity fees and books, however, the estimated cost of attendance is $68,644 ($66,196 without health insurance). The school awards nearly $5 million in scholarships and fellowships every year, and 80% full-time MBA students receive significant merit-based awards. Financial aid and loans are also available to both domestic and international students, as are graduate fellowships, employer-tuition benefits, and outside scholarships. International MBA students may apply for the International Student Loan Program (ISLP) funding. 

Estimated Cost of Attendance

Tuition: $47,000

International Services and Programming Fee: $850

Room, Board, Transportation: $13,300

Mandatory Health Fee: $636

Books: $1,310

Personal Expenses: $2,500

Activity Fee: $600

Health Insurance (Optional): $2,448

Total $68,644

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