MBA Application Deadlines: Which Round Should You Apply In?

MBA Round 1: Ideal … But Only If You Start Early!

Round 1 MBA deadlines typically fall in September or October. As stated above, applying for your MBA in Round 1 presents many benefits. First, submitting an application in this round will demonstrate to the admissions committee that they are among the top programs on your list. When you put the work in to make the first deadline, it shows the admissions committee that their school is one of your favorites. Because programs are motivated by the annual business school rankings, and a healthy spirit of competition, to optimize their yield (i.e., offers made divided by offers accepted), they might consider overlooking a few weak spots in the profiles of a Round 1 applicant if they are reasonably sure that a prospective student will accept an admissions offer.

Secondly, remember that in Round 1, the admissions committee has all of its seats open to next year’s class. Although they will have a target number, they have the flexibility to exceed that number. That’s not the case in Round 2, once those seats are filled.

Lastly, your application can have a longer “lifespan” if you apply in Round 1. Round 1 applicants can earn a spot on the waitlist. That means they can be reconsidered against Round 2 and even Round 3 candidates. On the other hand, there are fewer spots on the waitlist for Round 2 applicants and practically none for Round 3 candidates.

While the positives of MBA Round 1 certainly outweigh the negatives, applying in the first round does present a few challenges. These days some of the strongest candidates within over-represented segments of the application pool (e.g., management consultants) are all applying in Round 1. For that reason, admissions committees must make some difficult choices about which candidates they admit. Consequently, admissions committees may opt to waitlist some of the strong candidates from particular industries or fields to compare them against Round 2 and Round 3 candidates before making an admissions offer.

A final consideration about Round 1 is that the early deadline may make it challenging to apply early. Unless you get a headstart, you will have less time to prepare your written applications than if you wait until after the first of next year. Given the alternative between rushing to submit in Round 1 and taking additional time to put together a sterling MBA application in Round 2, you should opt to wait and devote the extra time to making your MBA application as strong as possible.

MBA Round 3: Mainly Cons

We are sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but for the vast majority of b-school applicants, Round 3 is like one of the rings in Dante’s inferno — a place of heartbreak and eternal suffering. Unless your profile is beyond exceptional and you are one of the luckiest people you know, you would be joining a game that is more or less over. Rather than applying in Round 3, MBA Prep School’s advice is to start working on your applications in the spring and delay applying until Round 1 of the following MBA application season.

Apply Early to Your Dream Business Schools

An application timing strategy that has worked well for MBA Prep School applicants applying to multiple schools is targeting “dream” schools in Round 1 and “back-up” schools in Round 2. That way, if you receive an acceptance letter to your dream school in Round 1, you’re done with your MBA application campaign!

There is one caveat to keep in mind, don’t wait to hear from your Round 1 MBA programs before starting work on Round 2 applications! You aren’t likely to know the outcome of your first-round application until mid-December. Because you will learn your fate a few weeks before the Round 2 deadlines, you will need to be poised to submit applications to your second-choice schools.