Many two-year MBAs—including those at M7 business schools—tend to have early deadlines for Round 1. Harvard, Columbia and Wharton, for example, close their first round in early September.
We asked David White, founding partner at admissions consultancy Menlo Coaching, for his advice on when is best to apply, Round 1, 2 or 3? Here's what he said.
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An introduction to MBA application rounds
Most of the top US MBA programs offer three admissions deadlines. Schools will share these details on their websites but you may be wondering: what are the advantages and disadvantages of applying in different rounds?
Often, your time constraints are a factor. Submitting in Round 1 means working hard to get an application in before that earlier deadline.
Submitting in Round 2 might give you more time to work on the application, but will you come across as a slacker? Are there fewer spots available in Round 2 or 3?
Let’s discuss the perceptions of admissions committees about first, second, and third round applicants and strategize about what your best decision might be under different circumstances.
Choosing an MBA application round based on your profile
The truth of the matter is, there is no simple answer when it comes to choosing your application round.
Instead, you should consider the specifics of your profile as an applicant. Here are some of the most important considerations:
⇨ GMAT score: If you have a strong GMAT score already, you might be able to apply in Round 1. If your score needs improvement, it may be a good idea to delay until Round 2 to give yourself more time to study and retake the test. It is difficult to balance a demanding full-time job, plus GMAT study, plus writing great applications.
⇨ Ranking of your target programs: Although it varies slightly, top ranked MBA programs will reliably receive large numbers of competitive applications in Round 1, but lower ranked ones will not receive as many. Therefore, there is likely a greater benefit of applying in Round 1 at highly competitive programs, and smaller benefit of Round 1 submission at less competitive programs. In fact, MBA programs outside the Top 20 can sometimes become highly motivated to fill their remaining seats in Round 2 and Round 3, occasionally making those rounds less competitive.
⇨ Your profile: There will be data available about how people in your industry and region fare in different rounds at different schools. If you come from a region, industry, or undergraduate major that’s common in the MBA applicant pool, the Round 1 advantage can be larger.
⇨ Networking: You might consider delaying your application until Round 2 if you have not yet had the time to attend info sessions and speak to students and alumni of your target programs. Taking these actions will give you a leg up on understanding the culture of the school, which can lead to a much stronger application.
⇨ Work concerns: You are likely employed, full-time, in a competitive industry when applying to MBA programs. Do you have enough time to create your best applications by Round 1?
⇨ Profile developments: If you are expecting to receive a promotion sometime soon, it might be worth delaying until you can list it officially on your resume
How do MBA admission committees view Round 1 applicants?
Once you have figured out your own profile and how that might bolster your chances for getting an acceptance letter, you should also consider the structure of the admissions process and how that can make it easier for some applicants to win admission in Round 1.
MBA programs thrive on diversity of all kinds: ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, industry, years of experience, undergraduate major.
When diversity is low in a program, there can be unproductive groupthink in the classroom or lower job placement at graduation. Overall, the MBA experience suffers if the program does not recruit a diverse class.
In turn, this means that there is generally a better chance of acceptance in Round one because the incoming class is wide open across all categories at that point.
By Round 2, the AdCom has to look more closely at which types of backgrounds remain unfilled in the incoming class.
That doesn’t mean they literally prefer candidates who apply in Round 1, but it does mean that Round 1 may give you an edge if you come from an over-represented applicant group, such as American men in finance, or men from India who studied engineering in college.
When is Round 2 a better option?
Given the diversity issue, you may think that Round 1 is always the better choice, but a strong application in Round 2 will beat a weak application in Round 1.
Raising your GMAT score is essential, because MBA programs must maintain their GMAT averages in order to maintain their MBA rankings. If you can raise your GMAT between Round 1 and later rounds, even by just 20 points, this is a great reason to apply in Round 2 or 3.
Similarly, networking with schools is incredibly important for writing good essays that make the AdCom feel like you are not just a good MBA candidate, you are a good candidate for their school in particular.
If you can’t get your networking or campus visits squared away early enough before the end of the summer, you will likely benefit from deferring your application to Round 2 or 3.
An upcoming work experience or promotion is also an important factor. Applying once you’ve already received a big promotion is much stronger than just having your letter of recommendation mention that a promotion might be coming soon.
Considering Round 2 data
It might often look like Round 1 is inevitably the better decision, especially if you have looked into resources such as the GMAT Club and the Clear Admit Decision Tracker.
The data available there can make it look like Round 1 always wins. But there are a few caveats attached to these data:
The decision tracker data pool is quite small and it over-represents international applicants, a group that tends to do better in Round 1.
In addition to thoughtful applications from applicants who have good reasons to delay, Round 2 also has a large number of weaker applicants who made a last-minute decision to apply.
If you prepare carefully, your Round 2 application could be much stronger than theirs.
Why you should always commit to your chosen round
It may seem tempting to split your applications across rounds so that you have more time to do the work of writing your applications, but this is usually a bad idea for a few reasons:
If you have all of your acceptance letters in hand at the same time, you can better negotiate for financial aid and avoid the risk of putting down a deposit at one school and then getting a better offer during a later round.
Filling out multiple applications isn’t as much extra work as it may appear. If you have a solid idea for your career goals, development plan, and personal story, writing school-specific essays is quite manageable.
You may actually cause yourself more hardship and strife. Round 1 decisions are announced only a short time before the deadline for Round 2.
As a result, it is unrealistic to apply during Round 2 after you have heard about Round 1. A disappointing Round 1 with no set Round 2 materials means you will be putting together all of your applications over the end-of-year holiday break.
By being strategic about which round you apply in, you can play to your strengths, have a solid plan going into your application year, and maximize your chances of acceptance.
For more insider tips on how to ace the MBA application process, download our MBA Application Guide | How To Secure Your Seat For 2026
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