Wharton (Penn)

Philadelphia, PA · Private · 2-year full-time

Average GMAT Focus: 676
Average GPA: 3.70
Class size: 888 (Class of 2027)
Median base salary: $185,000 (Class of 2025)
Program tuition: $175,940 (≈ 2 × first-year tuition)

Deadlines

Round 1: Sept. 8, 2026
Round 2: Jan. 5, 2027
Round 3: March 31, 2027
Deferred Admissions (Moelis): April 21, 2027

Essays

Essay 1, short answer a (50 words)

What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal?

Essay 1, short answer b (150 words)

Describe your medium- and long-term professional goals after your Wharton MBA.

Essay 2 (350 words)

Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to add meaningful value to the Wharton community?

Reapplicant essay (required for reapplicants) (250 words)

Please use this space to share with the Admissions Committee how you have reflected and grown since your previous application and discuss any relevant updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, and extracurricular/volunteer engagements).

Additional information essay (optional) (500 words)

Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee. This space can also be used to address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider.

Editor's notes

Round 1 closed Sept. 8, so Round 2 on Jan. 5, 2027, is your real deadline. Wharton itself calls Round 3 more competitive and steers visa-needing international applicants to the first two rounds. If you want Lauder or the Carey JD/MBA, Round 2 is your last chance this cycle.
Prepare for the Team Based Discussion as a teamwork exercise, not a speech. It's 35 minutes with five or six strangers working toward one outcome, then a 10-minute one-on-one where you reflect on how it went. Wharton says no one is admitted without an interview. Practice building on someone else's idea out loud.
You get one recommender now, so choose the person who has watched you work up close. Wharton says a detailed letter from a supervisor, colleague or client beats a famous title. Give them your resume and essays, as the school suggests, so the letter and your Essay 2 describe the same person.
The goals essay is split in two on purpose. Short answer a is the what; short answer b is the why and the longer arc. Keep them consistent with your resume, because Wharton reads every file twice, independently.