The GPA and GMAT scores you'll need to land a spot at the top 20 US business schools, in one chart

GettyImages 595070421

Each year, education specialists at QS Quacquarelli Symonds rank the best business schools.
QS has analyzed what it takes to get into America's top 20 business schools using its own data and information from US News & World Report.
Successful applicants had a GPA of 3.30 or more and a GMAT score higher than 666.
As testing for the GMAT moves online and schools change their application requirements, it's important to keep in mind that applying for an MBA program will look different this year.
Here's the criteria you need to get into America's top business schools.
Click here for more BI Prime content.

It's difficult to land a spot at one of the US's top business schools — candidates must have a high GPA and GMAT score to stand out among thousands of applicants.

While the requirements are strict, earning your MBA has many advantages. It's typical for MBA graduates to earn more than $100,000 per year. Now, as universities across the country shut down because of the novel coronavirus, earning an MBA may give you a leg up in your career, according to Daniel Kahn, an analyst at the education-data firm QS Quacquarelli Symonds.

"The problem-solving skills that MBA graduates learn along with the technology competence will surely help in creating strategies and solutions for the world to adapt to the new norm," Kahn told Business Insider.

If you're applying for an MBA this year, things may look a bit different than normal. The GMAT, the main aptitude test that MBA applicants are usually required to submit in applications, moved online in April — and the remote test might be here to stay.

"If students like the flexibility of taking the test at home and schools are happy with the security and reliability of the exam, it wouldn't surprise us if the GMAT Online became a more regular feature in the future," Stacey Koprince, content and curriculum lead at Manhattan Prep, told Business Insider.

Some competitive MBA programs have decided to waive the GMAT altogether. As schools begin to temporarily loosen their requirements for taking the GMAT, The University of Virginia's Darden School of Business and the Wisconsin School of Business both waived GMAT scores for the 2021 application cycle.

But each MBA program has adopted a different approach, so make sure to check out their admissions website before applying. Harvard Business School, for example, is not waiving the GMAT, saying that the test is still a critical part of the application process. The schools on this list have not announced plans to waive the GMAT for the 2021 application cycle.

This could be something for potential MBA program applicants to keep in mind, but Koprince recommended that applicants consider more than just testing requirements when deciding which schools to apply for.

"The standardized test requirement should not be the determining factor," Koprince said. "If you want to apply to certain schools and they are waiving the testing requirement, that's a great bonus—but don't apply to a school just because the test requirement was waived."

QS Quacquarelli Symonds used an original analysis and data from US News & World Report to compile a list of requirements for America's top business schools. The data is pulled from QS's 2020 global ranking, and some of the numbers in the chart skip to show where the US schools fall on the overall global ranking. MBA programs with an equal sign listed alongside the school mean that there was a tie.

If you're looking to get an MBA, here are the GPA and GMAT scores candidates need to get into the US's top business schools, according to analysts at QS Quacquarelli Symonds and data from US News & World Report.

top business schools in us