Let’s take a look at the top 50 average GMAT scores by school. These averages include only full-time U.S.-based MBA programs and are based on data compiled in 2016.

Remember that most of the info available out there is on the average (mean) GMAT score, which can be skewed by outliers like one or two very low or very high scores from exceptional students. A few schools release info about their median GMAT score, which means there are an equal number of scores below and above that score. 

Schools and Average GMAT Score:

Stanford Graduate School of Business 733

U. Penn Wharton School of Business 732

University of Chicago Booth School of Business 726

Harvard Business School 730 (median)

Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University 724

Yale School of Management 721 (median)

NYU Stern School of Business 720

Tuck College of Business at Dartmouth 717

MIT Sloan School of Management 716

Columbia Business School 715

UC Berkeley Haas School of Business 715 (median)

UCLA Anderson School of Management 713

University of Michigan Ross School of Business 708

University of Virginia Darden School of Business 706

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School 701 (median)

Cornell University, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management 697

Duke Fuqua School of Business 696

Washington University, Olin Business School 695

UT Austin McCombs School of Business 694

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business 692

Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business 690

Vanderbilt University, Owen School of Management 690

University of Washington, Foster School of Business 688

Boston University 682

University of Notre Dame Mendoza School of Business 682

University of Florida Hough Graduate School of Business 681

University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management 680

USC Marshall School of Business 679 (median)

Emory University, Goizueta Business School 678

Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business 678

Rice University, Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business 676

BYU Marriott School of Management 674

Arizona State University W.P. Carey School of Business 672

University of Iowa, Tippie College of Business 670

University of Wisconsin-Madison 669

Indiana University Kelley School of Business 668

University of Rochester Simon Business School 667

Ohio State Fisher College of Business 664

MSU Eli Broad College of Business 664

University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business 658

SMU Cox School of Business 656

UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business 656

University of Illinois 654

Texas A&M Mays Business School 654

University of Georgia Terry College of Business 643

George Washington University 642

Penn State Smeal College of Business 636

Purdue Krannert School of Management 635

Temple University Fox School of Business 632

University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business 647

What If Your GMAT Score Is Lower Than Average?

If your GMAT score is low, don’t lose hope (after all, Harvard Business School did enroll a student with a 510 GMAT in 2014, so nothing is impossible). Average GMAT scores by school just give the middle of the program’s GMAT range, some students score higher while others score lower. If you’re just slightly below your goal (10-20 points), you shouldn’t worry too much — you’re still well within range for your target schools, even if your GMAT score won’t stand out the way you might hope.

If, on the other hand, your score is well below the average for your target schools, the best option is to prepare further, focus on your weaknesses, and retake the GMAT. Many students take the GMAT several times, and it isn’t looked down on by business schools. You can’t take the GMAT more than once a month, but you can take it as many times as you like. It’s not an inexpensive test, though, so you should get yourself as ready as possible before taking the exam a second or third time.

If you really can’t raise your score and are still 30+ points below average, you might want to adjust your list of schools. That might mean simply applying to some less competitive business schools that accept students with lower GMAT scores or looking at less traditional MBAs, like international, online or part-time programs. While there are some disadvantages to part-time and online MBA programs in particular, like fewer networking opportunities, there are many accredited, high-quality schools outside of the conventional realm.

Finally, if you’re really concerned about your GMAT score, there are some business schools that waive the GMAT requirement for students with extensive work experience or prior academic achievement. C