To help you through the application process, we’d like to share with you our admissions overview and philosophy.

We consider the admissions process “crafting a class.” We strive to find candidates who will excel as individuals and will help contribute to a great experience for the entire class. MBA learning is as much about the students in the class as it is about the professors and staff who guide the learning process. This means we seek candidates from many different backgrounds – from all parts of the U.S. and the world, from a wide range of socio-economic groups, from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, with degrees ranging from the arts to business to the sciences, and with experience ranging from Fortune 100 corporations to non-profits and start-ups.

Our incoming classes typically range from 75-110 students. We do not approach the process with a set number of “seats.” Rather, we admit all those candidates who we believe would be great additions to the next incoming class. You’ll therefore see that our class sizes vary from year to year depending on the number and quality of applications we receive.

Each year, we admit between 30 to 40 percent of the candidates who apply. We review every candidate’s qualifications fully, assessing each person across a variety of competencies. We look for candidates with good preparation and with strong capacity and potential for growth. As very few candidates are equally strong in all areas, we try to identify how a candidate can offset a weakness in one aspect with strengths in other areas. Lastly and critically, we look for candidates who embody the Penn State spirit – a strong ethic of cooperation and teamwork, and who are enthused about becoming part of the Penn State Smeal MBA community.