by Kelly Wilson
UCLA Anderson MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2025-2026], Class Profile
Business schools, in general, must keep up with the rapid pace of change, particularly as technology has a significant influence on business. Technology and analytics skills are essential for success, yet leaders must also possess complementary soft skills to inspire teams to achieve their goals and have a positive impact on the world. UCLA Anderson believes that these are characteristics of what it calls a “transformative leader.” The business school’s curriculum and culture support its students’ development into such leaders.
UCLA Anderson’s website claims that its culture is distinguished by three pillars:
- Share Success: We believe in inclusive collaboration for meaningful results.
- Think Fearlessly: Our faculty and students arrive at innovative solutions to solve complex business problems.
- Drive Change: We are Transformative Leaders who catalyze action around a purpose, to create organizational and societal impact.
Anderson’s culture plays a significant role in shaping the school’s students into the transformative leaders of tomorrow, inspiring them to make a real difference in the world.
The adcom provides the following preamble to its application essay prompts:
Essays are meant to complement the information provided throughout your application to highlight how an MBA fits into your career goals and journey. Strong essays are introspective, genuine, and succinct – while showcasing a clear vision for your future and the impact you plan to make on the Anderson community. Essentially, we want to learn more about who you are and why an MBA from UCLA Anderson is the right next step in your life.
Don’t be fooled by Anderson’s short-answer approach to its application essays. Take the time to consider what you want to convey in your application. Determine which critical elements of your candidacy to highlight in your essays, possibly in greater depth than your resume, transcripts, or other application sections provide. Do not respond to these essay questions until you have spent time reflecting on your past experiences and plans for the future. Understand what motivates you to earn an MBA and why you want to pursue your chosen career path.
Ready to get to work on your UCLA Anderson application? Read on.
UCLA Anderson application essay tips
Short Essay #1
Why is the MBA the right degree for you to pursue both personally and professionally? (150 words)
The adcom is interested in learning about your motivations and self-awareness. Authentically present formative information that has influenced your decision to step away from your career at this point to pursue your MBA. Be specific about how your decision is driven personally or professionally. Are you trying to build foundational knowledge or upskill for the next stage of your career? What has contributed to this decision? What skills do you need to acquire to make this change? What opportunities are available through this program that provide you with a means to take this next step? Your answer will set the stage for your responses to the following questions.
Short Essay #2
Describe your post-MBA short-term and long-term career goals. (150 words)
When you fill out the career section of the application, you will be asked to choose your desired industry and function. This essay will align with your selections, because this is where you will provide context for your professional plan. Think of your long-term goal as a guiding marker that will shape your career path over the next eight to ten years. As you outline your post-MBA goal, the adcom should be able to see that it’s a plausible, albeit ambitious next step. If you’re making a career pivot, be sure to highlight your transferable skills.
Short Essay #3
What makes UCLA Anderson a top choice for you, and how will you engage with and contribute to the community? (250 words)
In Short Essays #1 and #2, you have identified your motivation and career goals; this question builds on those answers. Adding to transferable skills you mentioned, consider what knowledge and skills you must develop to be a competitive candidate for the position you want to obtain after graduating from the program. Are there specific things that will help you in the longer term? You need to understand the school’s Leadership @Anderson activities and offerings. How will you take advantage of what is available while you are an Anderson student? Going beyond what you will gain from the experience, describe how you will positively affect the lives of your classmates.
To answer these questions effectively, you must thoroughly understand the UCLA Anderson program and student experience. In addition to reviewing the program’s website, connect with members of Anderson’s Admissions Ambassador Corps to gain an insider’s perspective on the student experience at the school.
Optional Essay
Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words maximum)
Whether you are applying for the first time or as a reapplicant, this optional essay allows you to convey information to the admissions committee that you haven’t been able to elsewhere in your application. It is entirely optional, so use your discretion in deciding whether to write this essay and what to share in it.
Reapplicant Essay
Reapplicants are those who submitted a completed MBA application within the previous two years (that is, who applied for the MBA program starting in 2024 or 2025) and received a final decision. The process to reapply is streamlined:
- Create a new application.
- Indicate on the Program page of the application that you are a reapplicant.
- Reapplicants are required to answer the Short Essay Prompts. It is suggested, but not required, to also answer the Optional Essay.
- Submit only one new recommendation (can be same recommender as previous application)
- Watch for decision notifications according to the standard release schedule.
You will have the opportunity within the reapplicant section of the school’s application to highlight any updates to your candidacy since your previous submission. Have you obtained any licenses or certifications during this time? Perhaps you took on a leadership role at work or are serving on a community board. This is a chance for you to shape the narrative about your growth and how you have enhanced your candidacy.
UCLA Anderson application deadlines
| Application deadline | Decision release date | |
| Round 1 | October 1, 2025 | December 12, 2025 |
| Round 2 | January 6, 2026 | March 27, 2026 |
| Round 3 | April 7, 2026 | May 15, 2026 |
Source: UCLA Anderson website
***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with UCLA Anderson directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***
UCLA Anderson class profile
Here is a look at UCLA Anderson’s full-time MBA Class of 2026 (data taken from the UCLA Anderson website):
Applications received: 3,079
Class size: 305
Mean GPA: 3.5
Middle 80% GPA range: 3.1-3.8
Mean GMAT: 714
Middle 80% GMAT range: 670-750
GRE average combined score: 327
GRE Verbal average: 162
GRE Verbal range: 159-169
GRE Quant average: 165
GRE Quant range: 157-167
Pre-MBA industries:
- Finance: 21%
- Technology: 16%
- Consulting: 12%
- Healthcare: 10%
- Government, Education, Impact, Public Sector: 9%
- Marketing/CPG: 8%
- Media/Entertainment: 5%
- Manufacturing: 5%
- Retail: 5%
- Other, Energy, Law, Hospitality: 5%
- Real Estate: 4%
Average years of work experience: 5.4 years
Undergraduate Majors:
- Business: 34%
- Engineering: 22%
- Humanities/Social Sciences: 14%
- Economics: 11%
- Other: 11%
- Biological/Physical Sciences: 8%
Women: 43%
LGBTQ+: 8%
Military veterans/Active duty: 4%
International students: 41%
Students switching careers: 87%
Average age: 29
Age range: 22-38
You’ve worked so hard to get to this point in your journey. Now that you’re ready for your next achievement, make sure you know how to present yourself to maximum advantage in your UCLA Anderson application. In a hotly competitive season, you’ll want a member of Team Accepted in your corner, guiding you with expertise tailored specifically for you. Schedule a free consultation today!
As the former executive director of admissions at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School and assistant dean of admissions at Georgetown’s McDonough School and the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School, Kelly Wilson has 23 years’ experience overseeing admissions committees and has reviewed more than 38,000 applications for the MBA and master’s programs in management of information systems, computational finance, business analytics, and product management. Want Kelly to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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