Yale SOM MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2025-2026], Class Profile
Yale School of Management (SOM) is one of the few MBA programs that requires only one application essay. The school aims to gain a deep understanding of each applicant’s personal journey. It’s important to carefully choose the prompt that aligns best with your experiences and feels most relevant to you. Ready to get to work on your Yale SOM application? Read on.
Yale SOM application essay tips
Last year’s three essay options were very well received by applicants, so Yale SOM is using them again this year. The three prompts offer applicants the chance to write about what truly matters to them, whether that is a particular personal or professional commitment, a community, or a challenge. Take your time to ponder what has been most important or impactful in your life and choose the prompt that relates best to it. The Yale SOM adcom doesn’t have a particular preference for any of the prompts. Instead, they want you to select the one that feels more relevant and personal to you – the one that will allow you to convey the best story about who you are. Additionally, they are not interested in how your response connects to your reasons for pursuing an MBA or your choice of Yale SOM. They are focused on learning about you as an individual.
Essay Option #1
Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. Why is this commitment meaningful to you and what actions have you taken to support it?
This essay question is based not only on the premise that actions speak louder than words but also on the premise that past behavior predicts future behavior.
So, in your essay, you want to show that you are a person who follows through on commitments. Think about times when you have made a significant commitment and fulfilled it. Do you tend to make big commitments? What are the results? What impact have you had as a result of your most important or consequential commitment? What was the impact on you?
An anecdotal response, in which you tell the story of the commitment you made, could be very effective. What was the challenge or problem that triggered the commitment? How did you follow up? What was the outcome, and why is it meaningful to you? Did you successfully solve the initial problem or achieve your goal(s) in meeting the challenge?
You can start your essay with the moment of challenge or with the moment of triumph. If you choose the latter, be sure to go back, provide context, and recount your story of commitment, resolve, hurdles overcome, and challenges handled. If the impact has lasted – on you and others – succinctly include that part of the story, too.
Essay Option #2
Describe the community that has been most meaningful to you. What is the most valuable thing you have gained from being a part of this community and what is the most important thing you have contributed to this community?
If you choose to respond to this prompt, start by thinking about a community you either belong to currently or belonged to in the past, and choose the one in which – and from which – you believe you have learned the most, or to which you have contributed the most.
This could be related to a volunteer activity you regularly participate in, a network or community of like-minded people you belong to, or even a professional organization you are part of.
If you choose to write about a community you belonged to many years ago, be sure to discuss how that experience is still relevant today, how it affected you, and in what way.
We recommend dedicating the first third of your essay to describing the community and the nature of your involvement. Then, spend the second third discussing what you have learned from your experiences in – and potentially from other members of – that community, focusing especially on the one or two most important ones. In the final third of your essay, highlight the most important contributions you have made to the community.
Essay Option #3
Describe the most significant challenge you have faced. How have you confronted this challenge and how has it shaped you as a person?
Using the SAR (Situation, Action, Results), STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result), or CAR (Context/Challenge, Action, Result) framework, describe for the adcom the most important challenge you have had to address in your life, either personal or professional. In the first part of your essay, clearly describe the issue and why it was or has been difficult for you. Then, discuss how you confronted the challenge, what you specifically did to deal with and overcome it. Finish with how the experience helped shape you into the person you are today. Explain for the adcom what you learned and how you grew as a result.
A key part of this prompt are the words “most significant.” Don’t just talk about any challenge you have faced; it needs to be the most meaningful one you have dealt with. It has to be something that has shaped you into the person you are today. Explain how it has allowed you to grow and why you are better because of it.
Optional Information
If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation, please provide a brief description here. (200 words maximum)
If you have a lower-than-average GPA, a low test score, or a gap in your resume, this is the place to explain those circumstances. However, Yale SOM is interested not only in understanding the reasons behind your weak score but also in learning more about you as a person. If you feel that your statistics align with Yale SOM’s class profile and nothing in your candidacy requires explanation, you can use this essay to elaborate on an extracurricular activity, a hobby, or another aspect of your profile that has not been adequately addressed elsewhere.
Short-Answer Questions
Do not view these responses as mere afterthoughts; your job descriptions and activity history are crucial. Write and edit these sections carefully. Focus on your achievements, quantify results whenever possible, and emphasize Yale’s commitment to “educating leaders for business and society” in your responses.
Behavioral Assessment
The Behavioral Assessment takes approximately 20 to 25 minutes to complete and is designed to help the adcom complete a picture of who you are. This is not an emotional intelligence (EQ) evaluation; rather, it aims to provide insights into your academic potential. There are no right or wrong answers, so please respond to the questions honestly and to the best of your ability.
Yale SOM application deadlines
| Round 1 | September 10, 2025 |
| Round 2 | January 6, 2026 |
| Round 3 | April 14, 2026 |
Source: Yale SOM website
***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with Yale SOM directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***
Yale SOM class profile
Here is a look at the Yale SOM Class of 2026 (data taken from the Yale SOM website):
Total enrollment: 347
Women: 39%
International passport holders (includes U.S. permanent residents and dual citizens): 48%
LGBTQ+: 12%
First-generation college students: 20%
Joint-degree students: 8%
Average years of work experience: 4.9
U.S. students of color (identify as American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Other Pacific Islander, Asian American, Black/African American, or Hispanic/Latinx): 56%
U.S. underrepresented students of color (identify as American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Other Pacific Islander, Black/African American, or Hispanic/Latinx): 16%
Median undergraduate GPA: 3.68
Middle 80% range of undergraduate GPA: 3.31-3.94
Median GMAT 10th Edition: 730
Middle 80% range of GMAT 10th Edition: 700-760
Median GMAT Focus Edition: 675
Median GRE Verbal: 164
Middle 80% range of GRE Verbal: 159-170
Median GRE Quant: 166
Middle 80% range of GRE Quant: 161-170
Students with GRE scores: 38%
Countries represented: 42
Citizenship by region (based on primary and secondary citizenship):
- North America: 65%
- Asia Pacific: 24%
- Africa and Middle East: 5%
- The Caribbean and Latin America: 4%
- Europe: 2%
Undergraduate majors:
- STEM: 34%
- Business: 28%
- Humanities and Social Sciences: 20%
- Economics: 18%
Pre-MBA industry:
- Financial services: 24.4%
- Consulting: 22.2%
- Technology: 13.6%
- Nonprofit: 8.9%
- Government: 7.6%
- Healthcare: 7.0%
- Media/Entertainment: 4.1%
- Manufacturing: 2.8%
- Energy: 2.5%
- Consumer packaged goods: 2.2%
- Retail: 1.9%
- Other: 1.6%
- Transportation/Logistics: 0.6%
- Hospitality 0.3%
- Real estate: 0.3%
Pre-MBA function:
- Consulting: 34%
- Finance/Accounting: 20%
- Other: 18%
- General management: 9%
- Operations/Logistics: 7%
- Marketing/Sales: 6%
- Information technology: 4%
- Human resources: 1%
Pre-MBA sector:
- For-profit: 80%
- Government: 11%
- Nonprofit: 9%
Former associate director of admissions at the Yale School of Management, director of MBA admissions at MSU Broad, and consultant at Cardiff Business School in the United Kingdom, Esmeralda Cardenal has guided Accepted clients to acceptance in various graduate programs since 2015, including MBA and master’s in finance, business analytics, data science, sustainability, and public policy. Want Esmeralda to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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