Accepted’s B-School Selectivity Index shows that UCLA Anderson is 20th in selectivity and 18th in the U.S. News’ ranking. Its average GMAT is 707, down ten points from last year. The acceptance rate at Anderson has climbed steadily, from 20.7% for the class that entered in 2016 to 22.3% for the class that entered in 2017 to 24.3% for the class that entered in 2018 to 30.5% two years ago. The acceptance rate for the rate that entered in 2020 is 34.4%. Many other MBA programs also saw increasing acceptance rates during this period.
The essay advice that UCLA Anderson provides on its website is excellent, not just for Anderson’s essays, but for most MBA essays. Read it carefully.
UCLA Anderson 2021-2022 MBA application
We look forward to learning about your perspectives and plans via your essay responses. Essays complement the answers you provide throughout the application to show us your whole profile. The best applications are introspective, genuine and succinct in directly answering our questions and showing clear plans for the future.
UCLA Anderson MBA essay question
For the 2021-2022 application year, we have one essay question that is required for first-time applicants and optional for reapplicants:
How have recent events influenced the impact you would like to make in your community, career, or both?(250 words maximum)
We welcome reflection on any events that influenced you in your personal or professional lives, or in society in general, and look forward to learning about specific ways you want to leave your mark.
The last two years have been a period of unparalleled change and uncertainty. The global pandemic and shutdown. Perhaps your own illness or that of loved ones. Social unrest, particularly in the U.S. Elections, and challenges to the results.
What an era!
How has all this affected you? How has a personal event that didn’t end up on the front page influenced you? Have any of these experiences motivated you to act? Are you helping neighbors in vulnerable populations? Do you have an enhanced appreciation for family and friends, now that you can once again see them (assuming you can)? Were you participating in demonstrations? Getting out the vote? Writing letters to elected representatives? Have your plans for the future changed? How so? And why?
Anderson expects you to answer this large question in a small space. You can start by succinctly describing the incident that had the biggest influence on you. What was your reaction to the event? What did you do? What was the impact of your actions on you and others?
As you prepare your answer, keep in mind that Anderson’s primary values are: “Share success. Think fearlessly. Drive change.” Does your response reveal these traits, or at least two of them? It should.
UCLA Anderson MBA optional question
No preference is given in the evaluation process to those who choose to respond to this optional essay, so please use your best judgment:
Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? Please use your best judgment. (250 words maximum)
If there are extenuating circumstances that would add perspective or context for a weakness, you can discuss them here. A few years ago, UCLA added the following: “Please do not submit redundant information in the Optional Essay.” Good advice for all optional questions. For more suggestions, please see Optional Essays: When and How to Write Them.
Special instructions for reapplicants
Reapplicants are those who applied to the MBA program within the last two application years, so those who applied three or more years ago are considered new applicants.
Reapplicants may answer one or both of the essay questions above as options, and they must provide additional updates within text boxes given in the application for any new test scores, career developments, or other changes since their last application.
For expert guidance with your UCLA Anderson MBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Packages, which include comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to UCLA Anderson’s MBA program and look forward to helping you too!
UCLA Anderson 2021-2022 MBA application deadlines
| Application Deadline | Decisions Released | |
| Round 1 | October 5, 2021 | December 14, 2021 |
| Round 2 | January 4, 2022 | March 22, 2022 |
| Round 3 | April 12, 2022 | May 17, 2022 |
Source: UCLA Anderson website
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***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***
By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted. Linda earned her bachelors and MBA at UCLA, and has been advising applicants since 1994 when she founded Accepted. Linda is the co-founder and first president of AIGAC. She has written or co-authored 13 e-books on the admissions process, and has been quoted by The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News, Poets & Quants, Bloomberg Businessweek, CBS News, and others. Linda is the host of Admissions Straight Talk, a podcast for graduate school applicants. Want an admissions expert help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!
Related Resources:
- 5 Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your MBA Application Essay, a free guide
- Expert Advice for Applicants and an Inside Look at UCLA Anderson from an Intl MBA, a podcast episode
- How to Answer MBA Application and Interview Questions about COVID-19 and Other Major Events of 2020
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