Applying for Your MBA Through The Consortium: Best Deal in Town

Our consultants receive a lot of questions from clients about applying to MBA programs through The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management. I’ve heard myths flying around that suggest that applying to one (or more) of the 20 Consortium schools through The Consortium’s application is disadvantageous. But as the former director at two Consortium schools, I can assure you that nothing could be further from the truth — provided you meet The Consortium’s minimum qualifications.

Though the requirements, the schools, and the corporate partners have changed over its 55-year history, The Consortium is not only the best deal in town; it also gives Consortium members an alumni network that expands throughout the 20-member schools.

The Consortium history and mission

Initially, The Consortium provided opportunities for young African-American men to have a fair chance at rising up the corporate ladder via the MBA. Later, The Consortium added Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and women to its mix. Membership came along with the fellowship.

However, after the Supreme Court decided on the Gratz vs. Bollinger and Grutter vs. Bollinger cases, The Consortium opened up its doors to offer membership to selected applicants that further the mission of The Consortium to promote “inclusion of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans in American business”. Members do not have to belong to these groups, but they do need to demonstrate the mission through community and professional action. Thus, membership is no longer race-based, but rather mission driven. Applicants must also demonstrate the ability to succeed in a Consortium member school’s MBA program.

Consortium member benefits

Like the undergraduate Common Application, candidates can apply to up to six Consortium schools with only one application for a fraction of the cost that the candidate would incur by applying to each of the schools separately. The catch: the candidate must rank the schools. I always recommend to my clients that they rank the schools from the most preferred to the least preferred. However, in order to obtain a fellowship, I believe there is a strategy involved in the ranking.

To be sure, The Consortium membership assures the candidate access to the orientation and corporate partners. In fact, many members receive internship offers prior to the start of school.

To summarize the benefits:

1. Applicants can use a single application for up to six schools at one low cost.
   
   
2. Members gain access to a vast alumni network of 21 schools that includes mentorship from Consortium alumni (formal or informal).
   
   
3. If selected as a member, students gain access to corporate sponsors at orientation.
   
   
4. If selected as a fellow, students receive full tuition and stipend.

READ: The Consortium Application: Tips for Your CGSM Essays >>

Consortium member schools

Consortium Member School	Average GMAT Score	Average Undergraduate GPA
Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business	680	3.32
Columbia University, Columbia Business School	732	3.60
Cornell University, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management	691	3.33
Dartmouth College, Tuck School of Business	720	3.50
Emory University, Goizueta Business School	675	3.00
Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business	691	3.34
Indiana University-Bloomington, Kelley School of Business	652	3.32
New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business	723	3.60
Rice University, Jones Graduate School of Business	690	3.42
Stanford Graduate School of Business*	733	3.80
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School	694	3.34
The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business	704	3.44
University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business	727	3.65
University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA Anderson School of Management	707	3.49
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Michigan Ross School of Business	711	3.45
University of Rochester, Simon Business School	670	3.39
University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business	707	3.60
University of Virginia, Darden School of Business	703	3.50
University of Washington, Foster School of Business	692	3.38
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin School of Business	649	3.40
Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School	687	3.40
Yale University, Yale School of Management	720	3.62

* The Consortium’s Board of Trustees approved Stanford GSB’s membership on February 8, 2022, which will be effective beginning July 1, 2022. 

To learn more about applying through The Consortium and the strategy behind the rank order, please contact me for a consultation. Moreover, Accepted will offer Consortium applicants a special coupon code for 10% off all purchases of $2000 or more for services to help you apply through The Consortium. The best deal in town just got even better.

By Natalie Grinblatt Epstein, former admissions dean/director at three top business schools. Natalie has reviewed over 70,000 applications, interviewed over 2,500 candidates, and has trained nearly 700 admissions directors and alumni volunteers to select outstanding candidates for admission. Her clients gain admission to top programs including Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, Cornell, Columbia, Berkeley, and NYU. Natalie holds an MBA from Michigan Ross. Want Natalie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• Top MBA Application Essay Questions: How to Answer Them Right
• What the Consortium for Graduate Schools of Management Can Do for MBA Applicants, a podcast episode
• Approaching the Diversity Essay Question