Wharton MBA alumni include best-selling authors, billionaire CEOs, venture capitalists, and even politicians. The salary prospects for Wharton MBAs are eye-watering and grads are highly competitive candidates at the world’s most elite companies. But how much does the career enhancing Wharton MBA cost?
Wharton charged entrants $84,830 in MBA tuition fees for the academic year 2024-25. For the two-year, full-time MBA program at Wharton, they should expect to pay double that—approximately $169,660 in tuition—which is actually lower than the tuition fees in 2023.
However, to calculate the total cost of the Wharton MBA in 2024, we need to look beyond Wharton's MBA tuition fees and consider living expenses, healthcare cover, and the cost of the materials and books needed for the duration of the program.
That’s what we did when putting together our BusinessBecause Cost of MBA Report, which calculates the total cost of an MBA at the world’s top business schools.
Wharton MBA Cost Breakdown
To come up with our Wharton MBA cost estimate, we broke down the total cost of the Wharton MBA, considering cost of tuition, living expenses, healthcare cover, and additional costs such as books and materials. Any extra fees at Wharton are included in the cost of tuition.
Based on our research, a conservative estimate of the total cost of pursuing an MBA at Wharton in 2024 is around $249,712.
Download the free BusinessBecause Cost of MBA Report 2024
Wharton MBA Cost
Total cost of pursuing the Wharton MBA in 2024, considering a two-year estimate for tuition fees, living expenses, healthcare insurance, and a one-year estimate for additional fees and other listed costs (such as books and materials):
Living expenses
Whether it's joining one of the numerous MBA clubs, attending networking events, or traveling the globe on student trips, Wharton MBA students can get involved in a variety of extra-curricular activities which can add additional expenses to the base cost.
Our estimated living expenses for the Wharton MBA however are minimum estimates, based on the lifestyle of a single student, covering on-campus accommodation and transport, and excluding these additional social activities.
It is worth noting that living expenses in Philadelphia, Wharton's location, are relatively low compared with larger, more populated cities such as New York or Los Angeles. In fact, rent prices are 55% lower in Philadelphia than New York.
Healthcare cover
Wharton’s listed healthcare costs cover the Wharton Student Health Insurance Plan, which costs $4,412.
We’ve doubled these costs to get a two-year estimate on healthcare cover at Wharton of $8,824.
Materials
Wharton charges additional required fees of $4,670, and predicts students in 2025 will spend $1,050 on books and supplies.
Wharton MBA cost comparison
The Wharton MBA is the sixth most expensive MBA program in the world in terms of overall cost, according to our most recent Cost of MBA Report (2024).
While Wharton is more expensive than Harvard, Yale, or any non-US business school, you’ll still pay more to pursue an MBA at Stanford, Columbia, Berkeley Haas, UCLA, and MIT Sloan.
Stanford, the world’s most expensive MBA program, costs an estimated $11k more than the Wharton MBA, in terms of total cost.
Top 10 Most MBA Programs Cost
In terms of MBA tuition fees, Wharton has the fifth highest of the world’s top business schools.
While the tuition fees are extremely high, due to the caliber of teaching and the school and university's reputation, living costs for Wharton MBA students sit lower down the table.
Wharton is eighth in terms estimated living costs for the two-year program, and only costs more than two of the other M7 business schools: Kellogg and Columbia.
Wharton’s healthcare cover is competitive with other US schools, costing much less than institutions such as Duke Fuqua, Stanford, and UCLA.
Funding your Wharton MBA
Wharton MBA fellowship program
There are a broad range of fellowships available at Wharton. All admitted students are considered for Wharton Fellowship support based on the application for admission.
Criteria for Wharton fellowship selection are as follows:
1. Unique personal qualities and background
2. Academic achievement
3. Exceptional professional development
4. Community involvement
Awards are offered in applicants' admission and financial aid letter. Fellowships are two-year awards, split equally over four semesters for a typical MBA student.
Paying $250k for two years sounds like a weighty sum, but Wharton MBA alums are rewarded with a generous and long-lasting return on investment. According to the Financial Times 2024 Ranking, graduates from the Wharton MBA gain a 121% salary increase, and their average salary three years after graduation is more than the cost of their whole two-year MBA, at $245,77.
If you're still concerned about affording two years without work while studying, we have some tips on how to save money during your MBA: negotiate your scholarship offer; don’t go too crazy in your first year and sign up for every activity going; if the company you’re interning with in the summer offers you a full-time job, see if you can negotiate a signing bonus ahead of time.
Download our free BusinessBecause Cost of MBA Report 2024 to discover everything you need to know about MBA costs at the world’s top business schools, with tips on MBA scholarships and increasing your MBA ROI.
