Ross School of Business – University of Michigan

FAQ

What is the tuition for Ross’s MBA program?

The tuition for Ross’s MBA program is $68,646 per year. The total cost of the Ross MBA program is $92,834 per year; this includes budgeted living expenses.

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

The acceptance rate for Ross is 35.9% 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 720.

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

The average GMAT score for the incoming class at Ross is 720. The GMAT range is middle 80% 680 – 760.

Does the Ross MBA program accept the GRE?

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

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

The average GRE score for the incoming class at Ross is 159 Quant average 161 Verbal average.

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

Ross 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 years of experience.

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

The average number of years of work experience among students in Ross’s MBA program is 5. The average age of a Ross MBA student is 28 years.

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

The average starting salary for Ross MBA graduates is $126,500. The salary will vary by industry, with consulting and finance jobs generally commanding the higher salaries.

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

Ross offers a traditional 2 year MBA program.

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

The Round 1 MBA application deadline is October 1, 2018. The Round 2 application deadline is January 7, 2019. The Round 3 deadline is March 18, 2019.

What percent of Ross MBA students are women?

The percentage of the class at Ross that are women is 43%.

What type of interview does Ross use for MBA admissions?

Ross offers interviews by invitation. The interviews are blind. This means the interviewer has not had access to the application materials. Ross also offers an option team exercise, for invited interviewees.

Admissions

The Class Profile

The average GMAT score among the 423 students in the Ross Class of 2020 was 720, with 80% of the class scoring between 680 and 760.  

The majority of the Class of 2020 came from quantitatively focused academic backgrounds; a full 42% of students have undergraduate degrees in business or economics, while 30% entered with a degree in STEM fields (science, engineering, mathematics, or technology) and 28% in the humanities. Students in the Class of 2020 entered the MBA program with an average of five years of work experience. The class mostly comprises citizens of North America at 68%, with 32% international students from 40 countries. Women constitute 43% of the Class of 2020, and 23% of the class identify as a member of a minority ethnic group.

Application Procedures

Prospective students can apply to Ross in one of three admissions periods, which typically occur in October, early January and late March. To be considered for admission to the MBA program, applicants must submit a current résumé, application form, essays, undergraduate and postgraduate transcripts, one letter of recommendation and a nonrefundable $200 application fee.  The admissions committee also requires that applicants submit GMAT or GRE scores and, if applicable, scores from the TOEFL or IELTS exams. The school notes that participation in a “team exercise” held either on campus in Ann Arbor or at one of several international locations is highly recommended. Interviews are required for admission to the program and are conducted on an invitation-only basis, typically by a member of the admissions staff or an alumnus.

Application Checklist

• Data Forms
• GMAT/GRE and TOEFL/IELTS Score(s)
• Résumé
• Application Fee
• Recommendation
• Academic transcripts
• Essays

Interview Reports

Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions: Round 3/ 2nd year MBA student / on campus

My interview at Ross was very informal with a 2nd year male interviewer. Questions Walk me through your resume. Why Ross? Why an MBA? What is your greatest strength? Tell me about a time you failed? What is your leadership style like? These questions were pretty relaxed and he took a couple of notes. We […]

Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions: Round 2 | Alumni | Bay Area

I Interviewed with Ross at the alumni’s office in downtown San Francisco. Lasted about 45 minutes. Questions: Went into a lot of detail with my resume. Asked questions about both my role/results and the overall the business model of a company I had worked at 5 years ago. Spent about 20 minutes on just resume […]

Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions: Round 2 / Second-year student / Ann Arbor Visit Day

My interview at Ross lasted about 45 minutes. Very conversational, with no real hard-hitting questions. Questions: My interviewer asked about my background what I hope to gain at Ross why I had chosen my particular career path 3 behavioural questions I made time to also ask her questions about herself or her experience at Ross. […]

Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions: R2 / Alumnus / Off-campus

The interview was rather informal, held in a local Starbucks. My interviewer, an alumnus, was very friendly and started the interview telling me about her career and her experience at Ross. Then, we formally started the interview switching to English (we are from Peru so we speak Spanish). Questions Walk me through your resume Why […]

Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-Campus

The Ross MBA interview was conversational and pretty straight-forward. From what I noticed, she had a list of questions that may have been provided by the adcom. She also had my resume, and came prepared. The first few were stock MBA interview questions Tell me about yourself. Things seem to be going well. Why MBA […]

Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions: Round 2 / Second-year student / Skype

The Michigan / Ross MBA interview was very conversational and honestly quite short. It is a blind interview with the student having seen only my resume. She came prepared with a few questions based on my resume. She explained that the interview would be quite short and she would only ask a limited number of […]

Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions: Round 1 / Second-year student / On campus

Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan MBA interview with advice: A lot of info is provided upfront by the adcom that lets you introduce yourself to all of your fellow interviewees on a GroupMe and coordinate rides/dinner the night before on a google sheet. I think it’s probably important to participate […]

Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions: Round 1 / Alumnus / Off-Campus Hub

A Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan MBA interview report with questions was submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant off-campus. Interview took place at a neighborhood coffee shop with an alum and was very relaxed. The questions were very standard and the alum left time for questions at […]

Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions: Round 1 / 2nd Year Student / On-Campus

A Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan MBA interview report with questions was submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant on-campus. Interviewed on campus during a designated interview day at Ross. It’s a full day of activities, but the interview is the first thing we did as soon as […]

Michigan / Ross MBA Interview Questions: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-Campus

The following Michigan Ross MBA interview questions & report were submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant. Good luck to them! This was my first interview in R2. I received my interview invite within 2 weeks of application submission , and interviewed within 4 weeks of the application submission. I interviewed in a barista cafe in front […]

Ross Q&As

Admissions Director Q&A: Soojin Kwon of Michigan’s Ross School of Business

We began interviewing admissions directors at leading business schools back in 2008, and we circle back regularly to capture changes and new developments in the dynamic field of graduate management admissions. We are thrilled to continue the Clear Admit’s Admissions Director Q&A Series with Soojin Kwon, who has led MBA admissions at the University of Michigan’s […]

ICYMI: Adcom Director Shares Her Own Responses to New Ross Short Answer Essay Prompts

In a recent post to her Admissions Director Blog, Soojin Kwon, director of admissions at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, gave a glimpse into life at Ross before school had even started. She highlighted the Ross Impact Challenge that new students take part in during orientation and the MBA2-led MTreks that followed—taking […]

Inside the Revamped Ross Admissions Process

As you navigate the MBA application process, do you ever feel like the websites, brochures and talking points for top MBA programs have blended together? Indeed, it has become more important than ever for schools to rely on innovative ways to differentiate themselves. At the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of […]

Ross LiveWire and DecisionWire

Academics

Faculty

There are approximately 150 full-time faculty members at Ross, with an additional 60 or so adjunct or visiting professors, whose classes span 13 areas as well as the undergraduate, master’s and Ph.D. programs. Ross’s professors also contribute to the school’s 19 research centers and institutes, which range in focus from entrepreneurship to tax policy research.

Curriculum

Professors at Ross teach using a mix of case studies, classroom discussion and lectures with an emphasis on experiential learning. This emphasis is particularly notable in the school’s Multidisciplinary Action Projects (MAP), in which teams of students spend a term completing consulting projects for real companies. Ross also offers a variety of courses, extracurricular opportunities and competitions for students looking for further practical experience. First-year students are typically divided into six sections of approximately 80 students each, and each section takes the same required first-year courses together.

The academic year for the full-time MBA program begins in early September and ends in late April. The first year is divided into four seven-week terms, with students taking three to four classes for the first three terms and concluding with MAP for the last term in late spring. Students at Ross may also pursue a term-long independent study project if they are in good academic standing. In the second year, students take elective courses that last either seven or 14 weeks. There are short breaks between the fall, winter and spring terms.

Ross requires each full-time student to complete 57 credits worth of classes in two years in order to graduate with an MBA degree. A total of approximately 30 of those credits are completed through the 10 core courses first-year students take. These courses span from accounting to marketing and are almost all eligible to be waived.  To waive core courses or other degree requirements, students may opt for an exam, demonstrate prior academic or professional experience in the material or cite a professional designation such as a CPA. Along with the core courses, students must also complete the required course “Competing in the Global Business Environment” and fulfill requirements in communication and Law/Ethics by choosing from a list of eligible courses or securing a waiver. Ross students are required to complete at least 25 credits worth of electives, 10 of which can be graduate coursework in other University of Michigan departments. While Ross does not offer any majors, the school does break down its courses by department and offers career path guides to aid students in selecting elective courses. Students looking to gain further exposure to international business may also spend a semester studying abroad at one of Ross’s 19 exchange partner schools.

Other MBA Degree Options

In addition to its two-year full-time MBA program, Ross offers evening and weekend part-time MBA programs, a 21-month Executive MBA program, and a 16-month Global MBA in which students spend three months abroad in Asia followed by thirteen months in Ann Arbor. Ross has established more than 20 dual degrees with other University of Michigan – Ann Arbor departments in areas such as law, engineering, education and more regionally based studies. Students also have the option to create their own dual degree programs within the University.

Academic Departments at Ross

• Accounting
• Business Communication
• Business Economics and Public Policy
• Business Law
• Finance
• Management and Organizations
• Marketing
• Strategy
• Technology and Operations

Degree Offerings at Ross

Full-time MBA Program
https://michiganross.umich.edu/graduate/full-time-mba

Evening/Weekend (Part-Time) MBA Program
https://michiganross.umich.edu/programs/evening-mba

Global MBA Education
https://michiganross.umich.edu/programs/global-mba

Executive MBA Education
https://michiganross.umich.edu/programs/executive-mba

Campus Life

Clubs, Conferences & Competitions

Students at Ross contribute to an extensive range of clubs and other extracurricular activities. Currently, there are over 70 clubs open to full-time MBA students, covering professional, community, diversity and social interests. One popular club is the Community Consulting Club (CCC), through which undergraduate and graduate students perform nonprofit consulting projects for Southeastern Michigan organizations. Members of the CCC complete 10 to 15 projects per year, such as designing a growth strategy for the Ann Arbor Hospice or creating a base of corporate sponsors for Habitat for Humanity. Ross students may also participate in more traditional career-based clubs such as the Finance Club and the General Management Club or in more casual, socially oriented clubs like the Ice Hockey Club and Risky Business, the rock band at Ross. Ross’s clubs and research centers work to host a number of conferences each year on topics including business in Asia, and energy-efficient markets, among others.

In line with its emphasis on experiential learning, Ross students are offered multiple opportunities to compete in business-related competitions. For instance, the Leadership Crisis Challenge puts student teams in the position of senior executives facing a crisis scenario at a major company as they compete for a scholarship and other prizes. Meanwhile, the Ross Energy Club offers an annual renewable energy case competition each February in which teams of MBA students from top business schools travel to Ross to present solutions to cases written by the club.

Campus Spaces

The Ross School of Business building lies at the southern end of the University of Michigan’s central campus and encompasses most of the business school’s classrooms, faculty offices and informal meeting areas. The building also includes a large auditorium, a fitness center and a café, in addition to a reception hall and a full-service hotel. Meanwhile, the Davidson Winter Garden—a glass-enclosed lounge area—serves as a common meeting place for students, faculty and guests.

Both on- and off-campus housing is available to full-time MBA students. The Northwood Community Apartments is Michigan’s on-campus housing facility for graduate students, students with families and faculty, though demand for the apartments runs high. Off campus, a majority of students rent apartments in such popular neighborhoods as South U, South of Hill and Southeast Side.

MBA Careers

Career Services

The Office of Career Development (OCD) takes a two-pronged approach to assisting students’ career search efforts. The career counseling staff individually counsels students on their job searches and offers regular career workshops. Meanwhile, the recruiter relations staff oversees the on-campus interview process, job postings and recruiter events. The OCD provides students with a variety of means to meet recruiters, including networking hours, on-campus presentations and off-campus site visits. Interviewing for full-time positions begins the last week of September, and interviewing for internships begins in late January. 

Career Statistics

Roughly 91% of the Ross Class of 2018 seeking employment had received a job offer at the time of graduation, and that number climbed to 94% within three months of graduation. The mean base salary for a Ross graduate was $126,500 with an average signing bonus of $32,807. Consulting was the most popular function post-graduation, claiming over 33% of the class; meanwhile, finance and marketing functions attracted roughly 17% and 23% of the class, respectively. About 12% of 2018 graduates found general management roles, while the rest took positions in strategic management, operations or other functions. 

The most popular industry by far for the Class of 2018 was consulting, as over 30% of students entered that industry. Over 27% percent of the class entered the technology and telecom services industry, while financial services and investment banking combined accounted for 16% of the class and roughly 6% entered the consumer goods industry. Other industries of interest to Ross graduates included public healthcare and manufacturing, both receiving 8% or fewer of the class. 

Following a common trend among business schools, Ross sent approximately 34% of its 2018 graduates to jobs located in the same region as the school: the Midwestern U.S. About 29% of the class went to the Western U.S., and 17% of the class headed to the Northeast. An additional 9% of the class took positions overseas, and the remainder opted to work in other regions of the U.S.

Financing

Tuition for the 2018-2019 academic year was $63,646 for Michigan residents and $68,646 for non-residents. With the addition of textbooks, housing expenses and other personal expenditures, Ross estimates that the total cost of attending is $87,834 for in-state students and $92,834 for those from out of state. To help finance their education, students are automatically considered for scholarships when they are granted admission, and no additional application is necessary. These scholarships are awarded based on academic, professional and personal accomplishments and potential value to the community, with awards ranging from $10,000 to full tuition. Ross also offers scholarships through the Tauber Institute for Global Operations and the Frederick A. and Barbara M. Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. In addition, students are encouraged to apply for other scholarships offered by the University of Michigan, as well as private scholarships. Students seeking further financial support may apply for a federal loan through the Federal Direct Lending Program if they are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. International students may secure loans through private lenders, although the school notes that these loans will require a U.S. co-signer.

Cost of Attendance (per year)

Tuition

• MI State Resident $63,646
• Non-MI State Resident $68,646
• Food & Housing $15,570
• Books, Course Packs and Supplies $1,716
• Federal Loan Fees $222
• Other/Personal (Healthcare) $6,352
• Registration Fees $328

Total

• MI State Resident $87,834
• Non-MI State Resident $92,834

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