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If you’re thinking of pursuing your MBA at Yale University’s School of Management, you’re probably wondering whether you’ll need to take the GMAT and what kind of GMAT score you may need to earn to be a competitive applicant.
In this article, I’ll answer all of the most common questions about taking the GMAT for Yale. I’ll include what types of scores you need, what the Yale average GMAT scores for MBA admissions are, and more. I’ll also provide some tips on figuring out how to set your score goal for Yale.
If you’re planning to apply to Yale SOM, this is the blog for you!
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
- Does Yale Accept GMAT Scores with MBA Applications?
- Does Yale Require the GMAT for MBA Admissions?
- Does Yale Prefer GMAT or GRE Scores?
- What Is the Average GMAT Score for Yale?
- What Is a Good GMAT Score for Yale?
- How Hard Is It to Get into Yale Business School?
- In Conclusion
- What’s Next?
Note that in this blog, we’re going to focus on Yale’s full-time MBA program. Let’s get started by talking about whether Yale accepts GMAT scores with MBA applications.
Does Yale Accept GMAT Scores with MBA Applications?
If you’re planning to take the GMAT to apply to Yale SOM or you already have a GMAT score you’d like to use for Yale, you’ll be happy to know that Yale SOM accepts GMAT scores for admissions to its full-time MBA program.
Now, you may be wondering, is a GMAT score required?
Does Yale Require the GMAT for MBA Admissions?
Applicants to Yale’s full-time MBA program may submit either a GMAT or GRE score for admissions. So, if you don’t want to take the GMAT, you may take the GRE instead.
You must choose one of those two exams, however, because applicants to Yale SOM must submit a test score. Additionally, keep in mind that the scores you submit must be less than 5 years old (the standard validity window for GMAT and GRE scores). Thus, you may submit “legacy” GMAT scores or post-2023 GMAT scores.
If you’re unsure whether to take the GMAT or GRE, this article answers some key questions to help you decide.
KEY FACT:
Applicants to Yale’s full-time MBA program may submit either a GMAT or GRE score for admissions.
Of course, having the choice between two admissions tests begs the question, which test does Yale prefer?
Does Yale Prefer GMAT or GRE Scores?
Yale SOM states very clearly on its website that it has no preference between the GMAT and the GRE. It also accepts either in-person or online test administration. In fact, Yale SOM’s website states:
“The Admissions Committee has no preference between the exams, and we’re well versed in evaluating scores from each. As you consider which one to take, it may make sense to try practice questions from each (or even an entire test!) to see which one feels better to you.”
So, don’t worry about submitting either a GMAT score or a GRE score to the Yale admissions committee. In fact, 38% of the students who enrolled in Yale’s MBA class of 2026 submitted GRE scores with their applications.
KEY FACT:
Yale SOM states that it has no preference between the GMAT and GRE for MBA applicants.
Now you know what the testing requirements are for Yale MBA admissions. Let’s take a look at what kinds of GMAT scores admitted students at Yale SOM have.
What Is the Average GMAT Score for Yale?
As you might expect, the Yale average GMAT score for the class of 2026 is pretty impressive, as are other recent class averages. Let’s take a look at some key legacy GMAT score metrics of Yale SOM classes over the past 3 years.
Yale SOM MBA Class GMAT Scores: 2024-2026
| Class of … | GMAT Average | GMAT Median | GMAT Range | Mid-80% Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 726 | 730 | n/a | 700-760 |
| 2025 | 723 | 720 | 580-780 | 640-730 |
| 2024 | 723 | 725 | 630-780 | 700-760 |
We can see that Yale SOM MBA students in recent class years have scored, on average, in the mid-720 range. Furthermore, the average GMAT score ticked up in the class of 2026.
Take a look at the middle 80% GMAT range, or “mid-80%.” It tells us that 80% of students in the class scored within that range, 10% of the class scored below that range, and 10% scored above. The full GMAT range was not available for the class of 2026.
In the case of the Yale SOM class of 2026, 80% of enrolled MBA students who submitted GMAT scores scored within the 60-point range from 700 to 760. This range is significantly higher than the 640-730 range for the class of 2025.
KEY FACT:
The Yale average GMAT score for the class of 2026 is 726, and the median score is 730.
What Is a Good GMAT Score for Yale?
Going by the averages and medians we just saw, can you safely conclude that you’ll be a shoo-in at Yale with a legacy GMAT score of 730 (Q50/V40)? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t a simple yes.
Generally speaking, a good GMAT score for any MBA program will be equal to the average or median GMAT score of admitted students. However, in reality, GMAT averages and medians are just a starting point when you set your score goal.
Often, students don’t realize that the average or median GMAT score at a school isn’t necessarily a competitive GMAT score for every applicant, because admissions committees weigh numerous factors when considering each applicant. So, when they consider the other elements of an applicant’s profile — GPA, work experience, recommendations, background, essays — a “good” GMAT score for one person may not be so good for another.
Thus, there is no universal “magic number” when it comes to the GMAT; every applicant is different. So, when determining what score will make you a competitive Yale applicant, you must weigh your unique strengths and weaknesses. Let’s discuss this concept further.
TTP PRO TIP:
There is no universal “magic number” when it comes to the GMAT. A “good” GMAT score for one person may not be so good for another.
Balancing Your GMAT Score With Other Factors
We just learned that looking at class average and median GMAT scores is just the first step in determining what GMAT score you need to be competitive at Yale (or any MBA program). The second step is to carefully analyze your strengths and weaknesses in the other areas of your applicant profile. You can then adjust your target GMAT score higher or lower than the average depending on whether there are other aspects of your application that you need to compensate for.
Once again, looking at class averages is a good way to set your baselines when thinking about the strengths and weaknesses in your profile. (You can always find the data you’ll need in the most recent Yale MBA class profile.) After all, there doesn’t necessarily have to be anything “wrong” with your application to necessitate a higher-than-average GMAT score. In fact, it could be that your application would be considered outstanding in every respect at many MBA programs.
However, when your sights are set on a particular program, you must determine what would be “outstanding” at that program in particular. Quite literally, you should ask yourself some questions. “How does my application stand out?” “ What will get me noticed?” (in a good way, of course). In other words, how do you stack up against the average Yale SOM student?
How Do You Stack Up?
Let’s say you’re basically on par with the majority of Yale MBA students in most or all respects. Then it’s a pretty good bet that there will be many other applicants just like you. In other words, although you may have a perfectly fine and impressive applicant profile, you could run the risk of getting lost in a sea of similar applicants.
Thus, earning a GMAT score that beats the class median could help your application stand out. In fact, people in overrepresented groups in MBA admissions typically need higher GMAT scores than they otherwise would. This would make them competitive at top programs.
If you’re basically on par with the majority of Yale MBA students in most or all respects, then it’s a pretty good bet that there will be many other applicants just like you.
On the other hand, if your applicant profile is already unique in some respects, you may be quite competitive at Yale with a GMAT score that matches the average or median (or in some cases, is even below the average).
To better illustrate this point, let’s look at a couple of hypothetical cases. We’ll use data from the Yale SOM class of 2026 profile.
Case Study: Yale Applicant A
Yale Applicant A is a white male with an undergraduate degree in STEM. He has a GPA of 3.7 and 4.5 years of work experience in consulting.
Let’s look at how Applicant A stacks up next to the Yale SOM class of 2026:
Average GPA: 3.65
Average years of work experience: 4.9
Gender: 61% male
In addition to the stats above, the top work background for the class of 2026 is Finance, at 26% of the class, with Consulting in second place, at 24% of the class. Also, STEM is the most popular undergraduate major, at 34%, ahead of Business at 28%.
Leaving aside variables such as recommendations and essays for now, given the makeup of the class of 2026, it appears quite likely that Applicant A will be competing against many other applicants whose profiles look very similar to his.
Thus, to help his application stand out among the crowd, Applicant A sets a minimum GMAT score goal of 760, the top of the mid-80% GMAT range.
Case Study: Yale Applicant B
Yale Applicant B is a Hispanic female with an undergraduate degree in Economics. She has a GPA of 3.9 and 6 years of work experience in government.
Let’s look at how Applicant B stacks up next to the Yale SOM class of 2026:
Average GPA: 3.65
Average years of work experience: 4.9
Race/ethnicity: 12% Hispanic/Latinx
Gender: 39% female
In addition to beating the average GPA and work experience, Applicant B has a fairly uncommon professional background: only 8% of the class of 2026 hails from the government sector. Furthermore, Economics is not a common undergraduate major, at 18% of the class.
Again, let’s set aside the variables of recommendations and essays; given the make-up of the class of 2026, Applicant B has a rather uncommon profile.
So, to be on the safe side while leaving plenty of time to work on the rest of her application, Applicant B sets a score goal of 730, the class median, keeping in mind that she probably needn’t retake the exam if she scores 720.
How Hard Is It to Get into Yale Business School?
One of the most common questions I hear from students considering applying to the Yale School of Management is, “Is Yale’s MBA program hard to get into?”
In one sense, the answer is yes. Yale SOM is a top 10 school (rated #10 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 list of the best business schools) that boasts undeniably impressive stats among its students. So, compared to the top 30 MBA programs, Yale would generally be considered “hard to get into.”
In another sense, however, we’ve seen that the answer varies from one applicant to the next. For someone with a higher-than-average GPA, top-tier test scores, and stellar recommendations, Yale might not be as “hard to get into” as it will be for someone whose profile is lacking in one or more of those areas.
All that said, we do have some data about Yale SOM’s acceptance rate. This can help us get a more concrete sense of just how “hard to get into” the MBA program is. Let’s take a look.
Yale MBA Acceptance Rate
Below is a graph of the Yale SOM’s MBA program acceptance rate from 2022-2026.
It’s worth noting that many of the applicants who were accepted to the class of 2022 would have been applying during 2020, around the time when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. At that time, many MBA programs, including Yale, experienced a significant decrease in the number of applications. Thus, a relatively high acceptance rate of 30% was not a surprise.
The spike in the acceptance rate for the class of 2022 was followed by a 20% decrease the following year. This resulted in a 24% acceptance rate for the class of 2023. This was the result of a 12% increase in the number of applicants and an 11% decrease in the number of admitted students.
The classes of 2024 and 2025 saw decreases in the number of applicants, resulting in increases in the acceptance rates.
Finally, the class of 2026 showed a 21% increase in the number of applicants from 2025. This mirrored the surge of applications that year to top business schools, after several years of decreases. Yale’s acceptance rate dropped to 27%.
So, to be safe, we can say that the Yale MBA acceptance rate generally hovers at about 28%.
KEY FACT:
Yale SOM’s acceptance rate for MBA applicants generally hovers at about 28%.
In Conclusion
To summarize, although Yale SOM undoubtedly has a highly competitive admissions process, if you’re strategic in setting your GMAT score goal, you’ll give yourself the best shot at standing out among your peers.
To set your Yale SOM GMAT score goal, complete the following 3 steps:
- Look at the average and/or median GMAT score in the most recent class profile. That score will be your baseline.
- Compare the other aspects of your applicant profile with the corresponding data points in the class profile.
- Adjust up or down from (or stay at) the baseline depending on how your profile stacks up to those of accepted students.
Additionally, keep the following key points in mind:
- If you’re in an overrepresented group(s), aim for a GMAT score that beats the Yale SOM median. Look at the top end of the mid-80% range or higher.
- Even if you’re in an underrepresented group(s), a safe bet would be to aim for a GMAT score that at least meets the Yale SOM median.
What’s Next?
Thinking of applying to other top business schools similar to Yale School of Management? Check out this guide to GMAT scores at top MBA programs.
Ready to take your GMAT prep to the next level? Try a free, 5-day, all-access trial of the TTP GMAT Course. With personalized study plans and live, expert support, we’ve got you covered, whatever your score goal or target schools.
