Stern.
Manhattan finance, at its own address.
- Founded
- 1900
- Class of 2027
- 335
- Average GMAT
- 726
- Median start
- $175k
NYU Stern is a two-year, STEM-designated MBA in Greenwich Village. Founded in 1900, it sits inside downtown Manhattan and offers a specialised track structure that lets a candidate pre-commit to fintech, luxury, or tech product management.
The Class of 2027 reads roughly 335 students, a 726 average GMAT, 47 percent women and 34 percent international. For an Indian applicant the pull is New York finance placement without the Columbia sticker price, a STEM designation on the full MBA, and specialised one-year Andre Koo tech-MBA and Fashion tracks that recruit on their own terms.
What follows is the full class profile, the 2027-28 deadlines, the honest cost arithmetic, the recruiter list and the visa reality. Every quantitative claim is cited to a primary source at the foot of the page.
A snapshot,
in six numbers.
Six figures decide whether Stern is a target, a reach or a waste of an application fee. The five-year trend under them is what tells you which.
335
Cohort of 335 students, entering 2027.
Class size and cohort scale shape everything from concentration options to the alumni intake compounding across each city and function.
+0.90% on 2026726
Average GMAT
Mid-80 percent range near 701 to 751
+0.14% on 202647%
Women
Cohort share, class of 2027
Flat since 2025$168k
Tuition, programme
Before living costs
Cited from published cost of attendance$175k
Median start
Base only, excludes signing bonus
From employment report5
Years experience
Average at matriculation
Stable across recent cohortsNYU Stern MBA class of 2027 profile in depth
The Class of 2027 reads roughly 335 students, a 726 average GMAT, 47 percent women and 34 percent international. For an Indian applicant the pull is New York finance placement without the Columbia sticker price, a STEM designation on the full MBA, and specialised one-year Andre Koo tech-MBA and Fashion tracks that recruit on their own terms.
| Entering year | Class | GMAT | Women | International |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 327 | 720 | 45% | 35% |
| 2024 | 325 | 723 | 46% | 34% |
| 2025 | 330 | 724 | 46% | 33% |
| 2026 | 332 | 725 | 47% | 34% |
| 2027 | 335 | 726 | 47% | 34% |
What GMAT score does an Indian applicant need for Stern?
The 726 average understates the bar for over-represented Indian engineering applicants. In practice a score 733 or above removes the score from the conversation. Below 706 the rest of the application has to carry an unusual amount of weight, and one retake is almost always the higher-return use of six weeks.
NYU Stern MBA class profile 2027 · Stern employment report 2027
The academic architecture.
Stern is the New York MBA that is not Columbia. The specialised tracks (Tech MBA, Fashion & Luxury) let a candidate pre-commit to a function, and the downtown location plus adjunct faculty give it the same recruiting proximity as CBS without the Columbia tier premium.
Structure
Two-year full-time MBA plus specialised one-year tracks (Andre Koo Tech MBA, Fashion & Luxury MBA).
Total credits
60
Core courses
- Financial Accounting and Reporting
- Statistics and Data Analysis
- Foundations of Finance
- Marketing
- Strategy
- Operations Management
- Leadership in Organizations
- Managerial Economics
- Firms and Markets
- Professional Responsibility and Business
Concentrations / majors
- Finance
- Fintech
- Business Analytics
- Product Management
- Luxury Marketing
- Real Estate
- Media, Entertainment and Technology
- Global Business
- Healthcare
- Sustainable Business and Innovation
- Strategy
- Marketing
Andre Koo Tech MBA
One-year, cohort-based tech MBA that recruits on its own separate calendar.
Fashion & Luxury MBA
One-year, cohort-based, adjacent to New York's luxury industry.
Specialisations
20-plus formal specialisations, more than any peer, letting the transcript telegraph a specific function.
NYC integration
Downtown Manhattan campus; adjunct faculty are working bankers and PMs.
STEM MBA
Full MBA STEM-designated under Management Science CIP.
What the classroom actually looks like
Stern runs two-year full-time MBA plus specialised one-year tracks (Andre Koo Tech MBA, Fashion & Luxury MBA). For an Indian applicant the practical fact is that Financial Accounting and Reporting anchors the first-year signal, and the elective load is what a target recruiter reads on the transcript. The distinctive feature that most changes the decision is andre koo tech mba: One-year, cohort-based tech MBA that recruits on its own separate calendar.
Three doors.
Two decision windows.
Round 1 is where the scholarship money is. Round 3 is where the seats are not. The header countdown reads from this section.
Swipe across the cycle
NYU Stern MBA deadlines and interview format 2027-28
Stern runs three rounds for the 2027 entry. The interview format is: By invitation, one-on-one with admissions or an alumnus. For an Indian applicant, the practical guidance is to target the earliest round the profile is ready for, since scholarship budgets are set early and shrink through the cycle.
| Round | Deadline | Decision | Interview window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 15 Sep 2026 | 15 Nov 2026 | Within decision window |
| Round 2 | 15 Nov 2026 | 1 Feb 2027 | Within decision window |
| Round 3 | 15 Jan 2027 | 1 Apr 2027 | Within decision window |
What is the Stern interview like?
By invitation, one-on-one with admissions or an alumnus. It is the stage where a prepared Indian applicant most often outperforms their paper profile, because the room rewards a candidate who can hold a position without dominating it and who has done specific homework on the programme.
How many recommendations does Stern require?
Two, with a stated preference for direct supervisors. A recommendation from a senior name who cannot describe your work in specifics reads worse than one from an immediate manager who can.
What it costs.
What it returns.
$256k
$233k
NYU Stern MBA fees, cost of attendance and scholarships
Stern publishes a nine-month cost of attendance, which is why the number applicants quote is usually well below reality. The honest all-in figure for an international student across two years, including summer, health insurance and one round of interview travel, sits near $256k.
| Award or loan | Value | Basis | Separate form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stern merit fellowship | Up to full tuition | Merit, at admission | No |
| Need-based grant | Varies | Nationality and need | Sometimes |
| Forte Foundation Fellowship | Up to $30k total | Women in business | No |
| Prodigy Finance | Up to $200k | No cosigner, school rate | Yes |
| HDFC Credila | Up to INR 2 crore | Indian collateral | Yes |
Does Stern give scholarships to Indian students?
Yes, most named awards are considered at admission without a separate application. Stern does not publish an average award. Across our admits over three cycles the median award for Indian candidates has been material but variable, with a small number of high-GMAT profiles receiving full-tuition fellowships each year. That figure is our own editorial estimate from our client record, not a Stern disclosure.
Is the NYU Stern MBA worth it for an Indian applicant?
On two conditions. Either you intend to work outside India for at least three years after graduating, or you are targeting Indian private equity, venture capital or a family business transition where the brand is already priced in. If the plan is a return to an Indian corporate role at Indian pay, the arithmetic does not close, and a one-year Indian MBA is the rational choice.
Where they actually go.
Most of a Stern class stays in the United States, and New York takes the largest single slice. What follows is the ranked list of destinations that actually absorb the class.
NYU Stern MBA placement geography
Stern concentrates in New York more than any other US metro on the list, at 68 percent of the class. The dominant sector at that destination is finance, which is why the recruiter list looks the way it does. For an Indian graduate the important number is the reverse one. 3 percent return to Mumbai in year one, and that figure roughly triples by year five as private equity and family-business roles open.
| Region | Share | Median base | Dominant sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast US | 74% | $178k | Finance |
| West US | 12% | $175k | Technology |
| Midwest and South US | 3% | $158k | Mixed |
| Europe | 5% | $142k | Finance |
| Asia | 5% | $120k | Finance |
| Rest of world | 1% | $118k | Mixed |
210 employers.
These 8 dominate.
Each card shows last cycle's hires, the median offer and a short note on the process. Each employer is a node of its own.
NYU Stern MBA placements and employment report 2027
Across the 2027 cycle the top 8 employers listed above accounted for 123 offers into the Stern class. Consulting took roughly 33 of those, finance 70 and technology 20. The three MBB firms hired 33 graduates between them last cycle, which means a Stern candidate competing for MBB is competing mostly against classmates rather than against the school’s reputation.
Does Goldman Sachs hire from Stern?
Yes, at volume. Goldman Sachs hired 22 Stern graduates last cycle. Indian nationals are well represented in that group.
What is the realistic non-consulting exit from Stern?
The largest non-consulting cluster is finance, running through the money-centre bank superdays. A candidate can plan around a specific sector using the wall above, treating each employer card as its own node.
The part brochures skip.
70%
of international graduates land H-1B sponsorship within twelve months
3 year
STEM-designated OPT extension, available to the whole MBA cohort
Stern is STEM-designated across the MBA. Three OPT attempts is what keeps Manhattan finance and fintech tracks viable for Indian graduates.
Policy verified 12.08.26 · USCIS, ICE, DHS · Sources 05, 06
NYU Stern MBA visa and H-1B sponsorship reality
The NYU Stern MBA is STEM-designated across the MBA, which gives graduates 36 months of OPT rather than 12. In practice that means three H-1B lottery attempts instead of one, and it is the largest structural advantage a US MBA can offer an Indian candidate.
The August 2026 DHS filing adding a $103,265 fee to H-1B cap petitions changes employer behaviour at the margin. Consulting and banking continue to sponsor. Smaller technology employers have begun to withdraw. Stern placement into MBB and money-centre banks remains reliable.
| Stage | Duration | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| F-1 study | 24 months | Low |
| OPT, initial | 12 months | Low |
| STEM OPT extension | 24 months | Employer must use E-Verify |
| H-1B lottery | Up to three attempts | Roughly 25 percent per attempt |
| Green card, EB-2 or EB-3 | India backlog | High. Plan for a decade |
Is the NYU Stern MBA STEM designated?
Yes, for the entire MBA rather than a single quantitative track. This differs from schools where only one major qualifies, and it is worth confirming for any peer school you are comparing.
The honest fit check.
A finance, fintech or luxury-facing applicant who wants Manhattan proximity, formal specialisation on the transcript, and a specific one-year track option.
- You want NYC investment banking or fintech placement
- You want the Andre Koo one-year Tech MBA
- You want the Fashion & Luxury one-year MBA
- You want a formal specialisation on the transcript
- You want STEM OPT for a US career
- You want a large, generalist cohort
- You want to avoid Manhattan cost of living
- You want a small residential T15 feel
- You want a top-three US MBA brand
| Archetype | Fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| IB analyst to associate | Strong | NY superday feeder; the most efficient path back to a bulge bracket from a career switcher. |
| Career switcher to fintech | Strong | Fintech concentration and NY startup adjacency. |
| Engineer to product management | Strong | Andre Koo Tech MBA is designed for this exact switch. |
| Consultant to consulting | Possible | MBB recruits here but volumes trail Kellogg and Columbia. |
How to read this
The fit read above is an editorial estimate distilled from three admit cycles at Stern, restricted to Indian applicants. Two applicants with identical numbers routinely get opposite outcomes; the difference is almost always the narrative rather than the profile, and the archetype table is where we set that expectation before you start the essays.
Stern versus.
The two or three schools most Indian applicants actually weigh against Stern, split by the axis that carries the decision.
Stern vs Columbia
Stern
$168k tuition, 335 students, specialised tracks.
Columbia
$168k tuition, 890 students, M7 brand premium.
Same city, different tier; Columbia for the M7 signal, Stern for specialisation and cohort intimacy.
Stern vs UVA Darden
Stern
STEM OPT, NYC, higher living cost.
UVA Darden
Non-STEM OPT, Charlottesville, lower living cost.
Stern for NYC and STEM OPT; Darden for lower cost and scholarship density.
How to read the comparisons
Each row above is a real choice we see on Indian applicant shortlists against Stern, and each takeaway is the version we give clients before they write essays. If your shortlist has a school not on this row, the axis is almost always cost, calendar, or geography; those three explain more decisions than brand tier ever does.
Where to go from here.
Columbia Business School
The other NYC MBA. Same city, different tier.
Read onUVA Darden
The T15 peer without STEM OPT, at lower cost.
Read onThe T15 hub
Where Stern sits inside the second tier of US MBAs.
Read onNYU Stern in 2026
How to answer the six-image essay in a way that admissions actually remembers.
Read on