According to a report by Fortuna Admissions, a coaching service for aspiring MBA students, 50% of the Stanford MBA Class of 2023 came from just 15 top US colleges. This figure dropped slightly to 47% for the Class of 2024.
The top five feeder schools made up a significant portion of these figures, consisting of four Ivy League schools and Stanford itself. Among these, Harvard led the way, helping admit 37 students in 2023 and 31 in 2024; followed closely by Stanford with 26 and 16, respectively. Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, and Dartmouth College rounded out the top contributors, with a collective total of 81 admits across the two years.
While more than 150 universities were represented within the Stanford MBA classes of 2024 and 2023, and the cohort comprised 46–47% international students from 63 countries, the report revealed that having a US educational background offered a significant advantage during admissions. For example, between 73% and 75% of students completed their undergraduate studies in the US, a figure that rose to 82% when including those who earned US graduate degrees.
Beyond institutional representation, Fortuna’s analysis of academic backgrounds revealed further insight into the students entering the class. Among US college graduates, economics was the most common undergraduate major (22%), though it was often paired with second majors in fields like computer science, environmental science, or international relations.
Common graduate pathways included technical master’s degrees—particularly in computer science, data, and data analytics—specialized business master’s programs such as financial engineering, as well as policy-focused degrees.
The report also noted a growing number of students holding specialized certificates and non-degree credentials, especially in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain.
In terms of professional backgrounds, finance (26%), consulting (20%), and technology (14%) were the most represented industries across both cohorts.
The analysis of 700 Stanford GSB student profiles also highlighted steady gender representation, with women making up 44% of the class in both 2023 and 2024.
