The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is a world-renowned business school, and many aspiring entrepreneurs and future C-suite executives set their sights on Wharton for its rigorous analytical curriculum, impressive roster of professors, and vast network of well-placed MBA alumni. However, Wharton’s acceptance rate is only 22.8%, and its admissions process is highly rigorous, with its MBA Admissions Office showing an independent streak. Whereas many other MBA admissions officers have coalesced around the same questions for recommenders, Wharton’s admissions officers have created their own. And while every other top-ranked MBA program conducts one-on-one interviews, the Wharton Admissions Office has created a one-of-a-kind Team-Based Discussion (TBD). This is why if Wharton is your dream school, you should acquire as much information about the admissions process as possible before you apply.
If you have set your sights on the Wharton MBA program, mbaMission offers a depth of resources and services to help you on your journey.
The Wharton School Insider’s Guide
After consulting with Wharton MBA students, admissions committee members, and alumni about their Wharton experiences, we have prepared our Insider’s Guide to the Wharton School. We take an in-depth look at life as a Wharton student, highlighting how the school’s location, class size, curriculum, teaching methods, facilities, alumni involvement, and rankings all affect its culture and MBA experience. Then we discuss Wharton’s well-respected faculty and professional student clubs, revealing how they facilitate the careers of Wharton MBA students. Learn more about Wharton beyond its perennial strength in finance. For example, delve into its entrepreneurial offerings through its Venture Lab, hosted in the university’s new entrepreneurship center, Tangen Hall. Or discover more about opportunities to study internationally through the Wharton-INSEAD alliance, the Global Immersion Program, Global Modular Courses, and MBA Leadership Ventures expeditions. Finally, learn how Wharton dean Erika James is shaping the institution for the future, notably by making it the first MBA program to have more female than male students. The more you discover about the Wharton MBA, the more you will likely want to learn.
The Wharton Interview Guide
Have you ever been in a four-to-six-person group interview in which you had to present your own ideas and then critique—and be critiqued by—others? If you are fortunate enough to be invited for an interview at Wharton, you will have just such an experience because this is the nature of the Wharton Team-Based Discussion (TBD). Because of the unique aspects of the Wharton TBD, we strongly suggest reading our free Wharton Interview Guide. In this guide, we give you a deeper understanding of the TBD process, share insights from former mbaMission clients who have completed the TBD, and provide our tips for success. Further, while the Team-Based Discussion is the main component of the Wharton interview experience, our guide also offers insight into the brief one-on-one interview that follows the group discussion.
Wharton Essay Analysis, 2023–2024
As a pair, the prompts for two application essays the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania requires essentially ask applicants to describe a kind of give-and-take with respect to their engagement with its MBA program. For Essay 1, you must discuss what Wharton can do for you, and for Essay 2, the focus is on what you can do for Wharton. Your greatest assets in crafting strong essay responses for both will be (1) a profound understanding of the school, its culture, and all it offers and (2) your ability to infuse your essays with a high level of detail. So, be knowledgeable, be authentic, and be thorough, and you should be well positioned to submit compelling, effective essays.
- Essay 1: How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)
- Essay 2: Taking into consideration your background—personal, professional, and/or academic—how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)
Click here to read our analysis
Wharton MBA Rankings
Wharton typically places among the top five in business school rankings. The 2022 Poets&Quants national ranking placed Wharton at number one, and in the 2023 U.S. News & World Report survey, Wharton was ranked third. In addition, Wharton was included among the top five MBA programs in the country in the following U.S. News & World Report 2023 specialty rankings: executive MBA (1); finance (1); real estate (1); accounting (2); marketing (2); business analytics (4); and management (5). Finally, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked the school seventh in the country in 2023.
Wharton Deadlines (2023-2024)
Round 1
September 6, 2023
Round 1 Decision
December 14, 2023
Round 2
January 4, 2024
Round 2 Decision
March 26, 2024
Round 3
April 2, 2024
Round 3 Decision
May 13, 2024
