NYU Stern MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2025-2026], Class Profile
In addition to its traditional two-year, full-time MBA program, NYU Stern offers a menu of options in graduate management education, including a one-year Technology & Entrepreneurship MBA and a one-year Luxury & Retail MBA. Stern MBA students can select up to three specializations or choose not to specialize at all.
Stern wants to know who you are, and the school focuses on “IQ+EQ.” The adcom asks for an EQ recommendation rather than a simple recommendation letter that extols your great work skills. This indicates how strongly they feel about having students who have superior experience, strong academics, and above all, the maturity and wisdom to implement change. Matthew Moll, a director of MBA admissions at Kellogg, states,
“Sternies are committed to looking honestly at their EQ – their emotional quotient or emotional intelligence. How do we improve as leaders? When do we step back and support? What can we do to address challenges differently?”
Keeping all this in mind, let’s get to work on your NYU Stern application! Here is some expert advice to help you get accepted.
NYU Stern application essay tips
Essay #1
Change: _____ it.
(350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while at Stern? Examples:
- Change: Dare it.
- Change: Dream it.
- Change: Drive it.
- Change: Empower it.
- Change: Manifest it.
- Change: [Any word of your choice] it.
If you’ve looked at NYU’s website you will have seen that “change” and “innovation” are key words throughout. As you approach this question, you need to think about what change means to you. But what is more important than the specific verb you choose to fill in the blank is the rest of the question. Why are you choosing it? Do you have one or two examples that show how you have effected change in your work or personal life? A strong example will state the problem, and then you’ll talk about why this situation or problem pushed you to act, what you actually did, and of course, the result of your actions. Finally, given your reasons and your verb choice, how will you embody this motto while at Stern? Look at the student clubs you could be involved with and the research centers you could contribute to. If they don’t have a club or research center in the area that concerns you, then offer to start a new club or do a special topics class with a professor that might interest others.
You must do your research. What are the curricular and extracurricular opportunities at NYU Stern that will allow you to live your tagline while you are a student there? Check out Admissions Straight Talk Episode 525, “How to Get Accepted to NYU Stern,” in which Executive Director for MBA Admissions Lindsay Loyd discusses Stern’s Change Studio (see 8:29).
Essay #2
Personal Expression (a.k.a “Pick Six”)
Introduce yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements:
- A brief introduction or overview of your “Pick Six” (No more than 3 sentences).
- Six images that help illustrate your interests, values, motivations, perspective and/or personality.
- A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.
Note: Your visuals may include photos, infographics, drawings, or any other images that best describe you. Your document must be uploaded as a single PDF. The essay cannot be sent in physical form or linked to a website.
Nedjee Corriolan, an assistant director of MBA admissions at Stern, shares her advice on tackling this essay:
“From your first image to the very last image, you’re creating a visually dynamic story. It’s important to understand what the message behind each photo is so you can capture the narrative in your brief caption.”
She states that the “why” means more than the “what.”
To emphasize the importance of “change,” Stern launched a program called “Introducing Change: Studio,” which allows students to choose courses from “Dare it. Dream it. Drive It.” As you are selecting your images, ask yourself these questions: Why is this important to me? And what does this show about who I am? Corriolan suggests that you show the images to a friend and ask them what the images convey about you. Does what they say match your idea for a caption? Maybe your friend has other ideas. Brainstorm and see what you can come up with. This is a fun essay, so you should have fun putting it together! It doesn’t have to be about your professional achievements – that is covered elsewhere in your application and resume. You are not your job. Think about who you are in your life outside of work and what is important to you. Although you have the option of including something professional or related to your goals, make sure that your images complement those goals. Let your individuality shine in this essay to differentiate you from other candidates. This can be a great place to reveal personal interests, hobbies, or community service commitments.
Remember, each caption is only one sentence, so don’t pick an image that will require a complicated explanation. It might relate back to one of your essays, but really, it should showcase a new facet of your personality.
NYU Stern Associate Dean of MBA Admissions and Program Innovation Isser Gallogly explained to us at Accepted that today, images are used as much as words are for communications. He strongly feels that combining images with a few sentences and captions might be more comfortable for applicants accustomed to communicating on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms. So let your visual talents shine. You can go deep into one special interest or let your six picks show different facets of you and your experience.
You can use word clouds, graphs, infographics, charts, and of course pictures. Basically anything two-dimensional that will go into a PDF for uploading can work for Stern’s Pick Six essay.
Essay #3
Additional information (optional)
(500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee and/or give context to your application. This may include important aspects of yourself not otherwise apparent in your application, including but not limited to: hardships you have encountered, current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake a standardized test or English proficiency test, or any other relevant information.
If you are a reapplicant, please utilize this optional essay to highlight any changes since your last application.
Stern provides several suggestions regarding what to include in this essay. However, if you have something significant you would like the adcom to know and that topic isn’t mentioned in the school’s prompt, don’t worry. The prompt is open enough that you can still use this optional essay to explain it. Just don’t duplicate information that’s found elsewhere in your application.
NYU Stern application deadlines
| First deadline | September 15, 2025 |
| Second deadline | October 15, 2025 |
| Third deadline | January 15, 2026 |
| Fourth deadline | April 15, 2026 |
Source: NYU Stern website
***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with NYU Stern directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***
NYU Stern Class Profile
Here is a look at NYU Stern’s full-time, two-year MBA Class of 2026 (data taken from the NYU Stern website).
Applicants: 4,550
Admits: 1,141
Admission rate: 25%
Number enrolled: 352
Women: 47%
U.S. military veterans/active duty: 11%
LGBTQ+: 11%
Students with international citizenship: 40%
Countries represented: 50
Average age: 28
Age range: 22-39
Minorities: 46%
Underrepresented minorities: 22%
Race and ethnicity (multidimensional guidelines)
- White, Non-Hispanic: 53%
- Asian American: 25%
- African American, Black: 12%
- Hispanic, Latino: 12%
- Did not specify: 9%
Average GPA: 3.64
GPA range (80%): 3.34-3.93
GPA range (100%): 3.03-4.00
GMAT average: 733
GMAT range (80%): 690-760
GMAT range (100%): 650-780
GRE Quant average: 164
GRE Quant range (80%): 159-170
GRE Quant range (100%): 152-170
GRE Verbal average: 164
GRE Verbal range (80%): 159-169
GRE Verbal range (100%): 153-170
Standardized test type:
- GMAT: 45%
- GRE: 23%
- Test waiver: 13%
- EA: 8%
- NYU test waiver: 6%
- MCAT/LSAT/DAT: 5%
Students with work experience: 99%
Average years of work experience: 5
Range of years of work experience: 0-16
Prior industries:
- Financial Industries: 22%
- Consulting: 19%
- Technology: 10%
- Military, Government: 7%
- Other: 7%
- Consumer Products, Retail: 6%
- Entertainment, Media: 5%
- Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals: 5%
- Advertising, Public Relations: 5%
- Nonprofit, Arts, Education: 4%
- Real Estate: 3%
- Law: 3%
- Engineering: 2%
- Manufacturing, Import/Export, Trade: 1%
- Energy: 1%
Dr. Christie St-John has more than 25 years of higher ed and admissions experience, including ten years in admissions at Dartmouth Tuck. She was formerly the director of MBA recruiting and admissions, director of international relations, and an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt University. Having also served on the board of directors of the MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance and the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management, Christie has a deep knowledge of MBA and other graduate admissions. Want Christie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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