Dartmouth Tuck

Hanover, NH · Private · 2-year full-time

Average GMAT Focus: 671
Average GPA: 3.60
Class size: 304 (Class of 2027)
Median base salary: $175,000 (Class of 2025)
Program tuition: $175,072 (≈ 2 × first-year tuition)

Deadlines

Round 1: Sept. 24, 2026
Consortium 1: Oct. 15, 2026
Round 2: Jan. 5, 2027
Consortium 2: Jan. 5, 2027
Round 3: March 24, 2027

Essays

Short-term and long-term goals (300 characters)

In the Application Specifics section of the application form, share your short-term and long-term post-MBA professional goals in 300 characters or less.

Essay 1 (2,000 characters)

Your professional goals are described elsewhere in your application. What led you to those goals and to your understanding of where you need to grow? Why is Tuck the right environment to support that growth and help you achieve your ambitions?

Essay 2 (2,000 characters)

People are often shaped by experiences that are not fully reflected in their resume. Tell us about an important aspect of who you are that has shaped you as a person. How will your perspective enrich the Tuck community?

Essay 3 (2,000 characters)

Describe a time when supporting another person was not easy or straightforward. What made it difficult, how did you respond, and what did you learn?

Reapplicant essay (reapplicants only) (2,000 characters)

How have you strengthened your candidacy since you last applied? Reflect on how you have grown personally and professionally and how your understanding of Tuck has developed.

Optional essay (2,000 characters)

Please provide any additional insight or information that you have not addressed elsewhere (e.g., atypical choice of references, factors affecting academic performance, unexplained job gaps or changes). Complete this question only if you feel your candidacy is not fully represented by this application.

Editor's notes

Round 1 closes Sept. 24 at 5 p.m. Eastern. After that, the date that matters is Dec. 1: a complete Round 2 application, test score and both letters included, submitted by then is guaranteed an interview. Every admitted Tuck student interviews, so that's worth planning your fall around. Tuck says guaranteed and invited interviews count the same, but only one of them is guaranteed.
Tuck publishes exactly how it maps your file to its four criteria, and the essays split cleanly: two for "aware," one for "encouraging." Write Essay 3 about one relationship where helping cost you something. Tuck's own essay guide warns against large-group and hero stories, so a team-leadership win is the wrong material here.
You get 2,000 characters per essay, about 300 to 350 words. Tuck warns that tricks to squeeze past the limit will be viewed negatively. Cut the setup, not the reflection.
Pick recommenders who can answer the constructive-feedback question well, because Tuck asks it directly. Then tell them the policy: they must write the letter alone and can use AI only for ideas and editing. If you draft or translate your own letter, you've broken Tuck's honor principle.