Average Age and Work Experience at the Top MBA Programs
We have collected data from all the top MBA Programs, according to Financial Times’ Global MBA Rankings (2018, in this post). The tables represent the nature of the class profile in the programs. These are in no-way indicative of cut-offs or benchmarks.
We have broken up the tables according to geographical locations. Each location shows the general pool of applications, with North America sharing most of the 4-5 years of work experience candidates within 30 years and Europe and Asia pushing towards a higher end. The Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) are known to mostly enrol students who are fresh out of college, post CAT. Hence the youthful numbers and relatively low work experience.
Note: These tables are representative lists. Please refer to the official pages for changes and updates.
Average Age and Work Experience for MBA in USA
| FT Ranking | Business School | Average Age | Average Work Experience (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford Graduate School of Business | 27 | 4 |
| 3 | University of Pennsylvania Wharton | 28 | 5 |
| 5 | Harvard Business School | 27 | 4.2 |
| 6 | University of Chicago Booth | 28 | 5 |
| 7 | Columbia Business School | 28 | 5 |
| 9 | MIT Sloan | 28 | 4.9 |
| 10 | University of California Berkeley-Haas | 28 | 5 |
| 12 | Northwestern University Kellogg | 28 | 4.2 |
| 15 | Yale School of Management | 27.5 | 5 |
| 16 | Darmouth College Tuck | 28-29 | 5.3 |
| 17 | Cornell University Johnson | 28 | 5 |
| 19 | Duke University Fuqua | 29 | 5-6 |
| 23 | New York University Stern | 28 | 5.3 |
| 25 | UCLA Anderson | 29 | 5 |
| 26 | University of Michigan Ross | 28 | 5 |
| 30 | Georgetown University McDonough | 28 | 5.4 |
| 32 | University of Virginia Darden | 27 | 4 |
| 37 | University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler | 27 | 5 |
| 40 | Carnegie Mellon Tepper | 28 | 5.7 |
| 44 | University of Texas at Austin McCombs | 28 | 5.8 |
| 45 | Rice University Jones | 28 | 5.6 |
| 47 | Emory University Goizueta | 26 | 4 |
| 48 | University of Washington Foster | 28 | 5.7 |
| 50 | Washington University OlinWashington University Olin | 28 | 4.8 |
| 51 | Arizona State University Carey | 29 | 5.5 |
| 54 | Georgia Institute of Technology Scheller | 28 | 5 |
| 55 | Purdue University Krannert | 29 | 5.5 |
| 55 | University of Maryland Smith | 29 | 5 |
| 58 | University of Florida Hough | 27 | 4 |
| 59 | University of Southern California Marshall | 28 | 5 |
Average Age and Work Experience for MBA in Canada
| FT Ranking | Business School | Average Age | Average Work Experience (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78 | McGill University Desautels | 28 | 5 |
| 86 | University of Toronto Rotman | 27 | 4.3 |
| 90 | Western University Ivey | 28 | 4.8 |
Average Age and Work Experience for MBA in UK
| FT Ranking | Business School | Average Age | Average Work Experience (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | London Business School | 29 | 5 |
| 13 | University of Cambridge Judge | 29 | 6 |
| 27 | University of Oxford Said | 28 | 5 |
| 36 | Alliance Manchester Business School | 29 | 6 |
| 41 | Warwick Business School | 32 | 9 |
| 46 | City University Cass | 30 | 7 |
| 51 | Imperial College Business School | 28 | 6 |
| 61 | Cranfield School of Management | 32 | 10 |
| 64 | Durham University Business School | 31 | 9 |
| 70 | Lancaster University Management School | 31 | 7.5 |
| 73 | University of Edinburgh Business School | 31 | 7 |
| 92 | Leeds University Business School | Not specified | > 3 |
| 98 | University of Strathclyde Business School | 31 | 9 |
| 100 | University of Bath School of Management | 30 | 7 |
Average Age and Work Experience for MBA in Europe
| FT Ranking | Business School | Average Age | Average Work Experience (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | INSEAD (France/Singapore) | 29 | 6 |
| 11 | IESE Business School (Spain) | 28 | 4 |
| 20 | Esade Business School (Spain) | 29 | 5 |
| 21 | HEC Paris (France) | 30 | 5.8 |
| 41 | Warwick Business School | 32 | 9 |
| 24 | IMD (Switzerland) | 31 | 7 |
| 29 | SDA Bocconi (Italy) | 29 | 5.5 |
| 37 | Rotterdam School of Management Erasmus University (Netherlands) | 29 | 6 |
| 60 | University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) | 30 | 6 |
| 61 | Mannheim Business School (Germany) | 30 | 5-6 |
| 75 | Edhec Business School (France) | 30 | 8 |
| 80 | The Lisbon MBA (Portugal) | 31 | 7 |
| 88 | ESMT Berlin (Germany) | 30 | 7.5 |
| 94 | WHU Beisheim (Germany) | 29 | 5.3 |
| 94 | University College Dublin Smurfit (Ireland) | 30 | 8 |
| 96 | Essec Business School (France) | 30 | 6-7 |
| 99 | EMLyon Business School (France) | 31 | 7 |
| 100 | Copenhagen Business School (Denmark) | 30 | 6 |
Average Age and Work Experience for MBA in Asia
| FT Ranking | Business School | Average Age | Average Work Experience (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | INSEAD (France/Singapore) | 29 | 6 |
| 8 | CEIBS (China) | 29 | 5.8 |
| 14 | HKUST Business School (Hong Kong) | 28 | 5 |
| 18 | National University of Singapore Business School (Singapore) | 32 | 7 |
| 22 | Nanyang Business School (Singapore) | 28 | 6 |
| 28 | Indian School of Business (India) | 26.6 | 4.2 |
| 31 | Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (India) PGPX | 32 | 9 |
| 33 | University of Hong Kong (HK) | 28.6 | 5.6 |
| 34 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University Antai (China) | 30 | 6.1 |
| 35 | Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (India) EPGP | 30 | 7 |
| 42 | Fudan University School of Management (China) | 32 | 8 |
| 43 | CUHK Business School (China) | 30 | 6.9 |
| 49 | Singapore Management University Lee Kong Chian (Singapore) | 30 | 5-7 |
| 51 | Sungkyunkwan University GSB (S Korea) | 31 | ~7 |
| 78 | Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (India) PGPEX | ~30 | 8 |
Average Age and Work Experience for MBA in Australia
| FT Ranking | Business School | Average Age | Average Work Experience (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | AGSM at UNSW Business School | 29.6 | 6.7 |
| 66 | Melbourne Business School | 28 | 5.7 |
Related information about MBA average age and work experience
Most schools either specify a minimum requirement for work experience, or they specify their flexibility when it comes to quality admissions. Admission is usually based on a purely holistic criteria.
B-schools have been known to entertain candidates with a strong and exceptional background, irrespective of work experience. Hence, it is best you research your options suited to your needs and profile. Meanwhile follow the links below for additional relevant information.
- Is work experience necessary for MBA?
- Top MBA in USA without work experience for freshers
- What type of work experience is required for MBA abroad?
- Average age for MBA in India and Abroad
- MBA after 30: Am I too old for a full-time B-School degree?
Inspiring success stories | How we help applicants
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11 Comments
Hi Sameer, I am textile engineer and I have been working as a production engineer for almost 2year and before that I had worked as a merchandiser in textile manfacturing industry for 6 months. Now i want to do executive mba in 2019 . so please tell me that this experience is sufficent for 1year program and Is this experience count in mba programme.?
I am having 2+ years of work experience.
Marks in 10/12/BTech-56/63/75.
Want to pursue MBA . Which MBA option would be best 2 year, 1 year, Distance through niit imperia,certificate courses from IIM?
PLZ HELP & ADVICE if any other option are good.Plz tell regarding that too.
To maintain a company well, which kind of MBA course is suitable and required.
Hi! samir
I am 47 year old done MBA Finance distance education, i worked in so many firm from typist to account assistant, but i am facing problem now to get job. Please sujjest.
Hi Sameer
I see you are answering all the questions in your blog, that’s really nice. What are the chance for an Army jawan to complete his MBA from the B school.
arun
@Abhi: The experience will count, but it’ll be less for most international programs. A better option would be to work for a coupel of years more before applying.
@Arvind: Full-time programs work the best. If you can wait for a couple of years, you can consider any good 2-year MBA program in the US, or 1 year programs in india (like ISB), Asia, Europe.
@Abhi: All good MBA programs cover the basics of running a business. Once the basic foundations are covered, you’ll have the opportunity to specialise in your area of interest. Here’s what they’ll cover as part of the basic syllabus: https://www.mbacrystalball.com/mba-syllabus
@Saraswati: Distance education degrees generally aren’t valued as much as full-time courses. If you’re current skills aren’t helping you get a job, you could consider gaining news skills that are in demand.
@Arun: We’ve covered several perspectives for ex-Army officers who are considering an MBA for a career change:
https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/2012/11/26/gmat-mba-indian-army-officers/
Hi Sameer,
Thanks for posting these details. I would like to know about the older candidate who is 36 years of age (Working in Tech since 12 years) and willing to apply for Full-Time MBA. Is there any list of schools that accept Older candidates?
@Jason: Here are a few that you could check out: https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/2018/05/14/sloan-fellows-program-review-mit-lbs-stanford/
Also read this article: https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/2012/11/13/mba-age-over-30-too-old-for-bschool/
Hi Sameer,
I’m having 3 years of work experience, graduated in Mining Engineering from IIT.
Marks in 10/12/B.Tech – 90/96/8.5
Planning to apply for MBA in 2019 fall, by when I’ll have 4 years of work ex. But, I’ve shifted my jobs quite frequently. In a central govt company then a startup and now in a political strategy organisation. Does this diverse experience will lower my chances of getting admits from top colleges ? Please give me your suggestion on it.
Dear Sameer,
I am 56 years old M.Tech Applied Geology from erstwhile University of Roorkee (now IITR). After a stint of gazetted job in Govt I went abroad and worked in SCM, Marketing and Finance over 27 years. In between through correspondence I did MBA and MCA. I still have a strong flair for learning. I intend to join an elite MBA program abroad. I would appreciate receiving your expert advice after MBA will I get a handsome job?
Thanking you
@Babu: Hats off to your enthusiasm to pursue another degree at 56. While I do know someone who completed an MBA at 60 (who agreed to share his experience on our blog and then disappeared!), I don’t see top MBA employers lining up with job offers after an MBA, given their general preference to recruit younger professionals who can be molded into the company culture. If knowledge is what you’re looking for, that’s one area where you will not be disappointed.