A deferred MBA admission program allows soon-to-be graduates to gain valuable work experience for 2-5 years before pursuing an MBA degree. With the Deferred MBA option, students can rest assured that they have a guaranteed seat in a top MBA program reserved for them when they are ready to pursue their management education. In this blog post we will explore the timelines and requirements, eligibility etc for the top deferred MBA programs in 2024.
An applicant right after undergraduate studies or in the final year of undergraduate studies can apply for graduate admissions abroad. There are three options for such applicants:
Deferred MBA programs,
Master in Management programs or other
Master programs abroad.
On the other hand they can apply to MBA programs in India or MBA admissions abroad after acquiring 2 to 3 years of work experience. Here we discuss the deferred MBA program options for applicants in the final or pre final year of undergraduate studies.
Application Deadlines for Deferred MBA 2023:
ISB YLP - Stage 1 - 22 October 2023, 31 March 2024; Stage 2 - 31 August 2024
ISB EEO - Round 2 - 21 January 2024
Stanford Deferred Enrolment - Round 1: September 12, 2023; Round 2: January 4, 2024; Round 3: April 9, 2024
HBS 2+2 - April 25, 2024
Kellogg Deferred MBA - April 24, 2024
Wharton Deferred MBA - April 24, 2024
MIT Sloan Early Admission - April 19, 2024
Yale SOM Silver Scholars - Round 3: April 9, 2024
Berkeley Haas Deferred MBA - April 25, 2024
Chicago Booth Deferred MBA - 4 April 2024
UVA Darden Deferred MBA - 8 April 2024
Columbia Deferred MBA - April 15, 2024
Emory Goizueta MBA - Round 1: April 10, 2024 | Round 2: June 5, 2024
Schedule a call with an MBA admission consultant at GOALisB for application assistance and interview preparation.
1. HBS 2+2:
The Harvard Business School Deferred MBA course is the HBS 2+2 program. The diverse group of students selected for the program have common traits of leadership potential, analytical skills, academic excellence and community contribution. The school looks closely into how the applicants demonstrate these skills to decide the admits to the deferred MBA program.
The HBS 2+2 Program is a unique program which gives the final year students an opportunity to apply for the full time HBS program. After finishing college the students needs to attain two years work experience before they start their class at HBS.
This is an excellent opportunity for students to apply for the premier college while they are in their most active form to put forward their leadership skills and academic prowess to the HBS admissions team.
HBS as an institution has has a focus on innovation and leadership. The average age at Harvard is younger than some other top schools in the world. It is thus an excellent fit for engineers who have a track record of high performance with a focus on Finance or Consulting. Students with a vision to excel in investment banking, private equity or investment management form strong applicants. The HBS 2+2 Program also provides the students an opportunity to have access to a vast pool of prestigious companies to start their career.
Eligibility for HBS 2+2 admissions 2023: Graduated between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024.
GMAT test taken on or before: April 25, 2024
English language test: TOEFL, IELTS or PTE score
Application fee for Harvard 2+2 admissions: U.S. $100
Applicants with experiences of community involvement and team collaboration. The learning environment at Harvard is highly communicative and collaborative. These are two skills which are markedly important to a Harvard applicant.
The MBA essays are an important part of the application process for deferred MBA programs. Get assistance for MBA essay writing from GOALisB.
2. Stanford GSB Deferred MBA Admission
Stanford GSB deferred MBA course is available to students who are in the final year of their bachelor or graduate studies. The school encourages those applicants to chose a deferred MBA option who think that they could benefit from a few years of work experience before joining the MBA program.
Industries like private equity, management consulting and biotechnology in particular prefer to recruit MBA graduates with work experience in their specialised sectors. If a student wants to pursue a career in any of these sectors, deferring the MBA course is a better option to achieve your career goals.
Application Deadlines For Stanford GSB deferred enrolment 2024: 12 Sep 2023, 04 Jan 2024, 09 Apr 2024.
Eligibility for Stanford GSB deferred enrolment applicants 2024: Graduated between 1 October 2023 and 30 September 2024.
Stanford GSB deferred MBA 2023-24 application fee: $100
Application rounds are same as the normal MBA deadlines.
The students who are offered deferred MBA admission use this opportunity to build their skills in the specialised sector of interest. This period gives the applicant time to enhance their professional skills before they enrol at Stanford GSB.
Criterion for application to deferred enrolment are that any applicant in the final year of a undergraduate degree or a joint degree/ post graduate program, who would receive their degree between 01 October of the current year and 30 September of the next year can apply.
It is also available for those who are currently enrolled in any post graduate course, which they are scheduled to join immediately post their current undergraduate or undergraduate/graduate course.
A top ranked business school in the world, the current year deadlines for application are the same as those for the regular MBA course.
3. Wharton MBA Advance Access Program 2024
Wharton deferred MBA program is the Moelis Advance Access Program.
Students in their final year of education are assured a seat in the Wharton MBA course.
The enrolment to the MBA course can be deferred from 2–4 years during which the students are expected to enhance their work experience.
The Wharton deferred MBA is open to students from all academic interests. The selective group of students are done so on the basis of their innovative, intellectual and business acumen.
Wharton MBA Advance Access Program 2023 Application Deadline: 24 April 2024
Wharton Moelis Advance Access Program application fee for 2023-24: $100
GMAT Range: 590 – 790
Average GMAT for Wharton Moelis Advance Access Program: AVERAGE 741
Average GPA: 3.79
Average GRE verbal score: 161.7
Average GRE quantitative score: 163.6
Once an applicant is offered admission to the Wharton deferred MBA course he can collaborate and access the professional network of Wharton globally which is one of the top colleges in world for MBA.
The applicants to the Wharton deferred MBA program have to submit two essays topics of which are the same as general MBA applicants, latest resume, the GMAT or the GRE scores, unofficial transcripts and two letters of recommendation.
Contact an MBA admission consultant at GOALisB for MBA essays and MBA interview assistance.
4. Yale SOM Silver Scholars Program 2024
Same online application as the full time MBA students.
Only students who will graduate till August 2024 are eligible to apply.
Over the past few years there have been around 18-25 Yale Silver Scholars in a class at the Yale SOM.
Applicants must submit 2 letters of recommendations.
The Yale Silver Scholars applicants if shortlisted have to meet the team for a 1.5 hours interview.
Yale SOM Silver Scholars Program 2024 Application Deadlines: 12 September 2023, 4 January 2024, 9 April 2024.
5. Chicago Booth Scholars Program 2024
Chicago Booth deferred MBA is the Chicago Booth Scholars Program.
Students in their final year of graduation can apply for the Chicago Booth deferred MBA course. Once admitted the admission to the Chicago Booth Full Time MBA Course can be deferred by 2–5 years.
During the period of deferral the student can access the resources and network offered by Chicago Booth and gain work experience in the chosen field of work.
Diversity of applicants is valued by the school and they encourage students from varied backgrounds to apply.
The Chicago Booth Scholars are selected on the basis of their academic scores, extra curricular engagement, leadership potential and intellectual acumen.
Internships, part time employment and entrepreneurial exposure are highly valued by the school.
The GMAT range for the Chicago Booth deferred MBA program lies between 640 -780.
Chicago Booth Scholars Program 2024 Application Deadline : 4 April 2024
6. UVA Darden Future year admissions:
UVA Darden deferred MBA program is the Future Year Scholars Program.
Darden’s Future Year Scholars Program offers a 2- 5 years deferral to selected students before they join the coveted Darden School of Business MBA course.
The students in the last year of graduation or masters programs can apply for admission to the Darden deferred MBA program.
Round 1 deadline for UVA Darden Future Year Scholars Program: 8 April 2024
Round 2 deadline for UVA Darden Future Year Scholars Program: 1 August 2024
Application fee for Future Year Scholars Program 2024: NIL
Eligible test scores for Future Year Scholars Program: SAT/ ACT/ GMAT/ GRE/ EA/ LSAT/ MCAT
UVA Darden deferred MBA gives the students access to the most coveted business and professional resources of the Darden Business School on their path to gain experience and develop skills.
7. MIT Sloan MBA Early Admission Program 2023
MIT Sloan’s deferred MBA is the MBA Early Admission program from one of the top colleges in world for MBA. The MIT Sloan deferred MBA option is suitable for ambitious and high performing students globally.
This assures the students a seat in the MIT Sloan MBA course after 2–5 years of work experience.
Application deadline for MIT MBA Early Admission 2023: April 19, 2024
Application fee MIT MBA Early Admission 2023: Nil
Eligibility for MIT MBA Early Admission 2023: Graduation between August 2022 and September 2023
Median GMAT score: 740
Median GPA : 3.78
GMAT range: 720 - 770
GRE verbal score range: 160-170
GRE quantitative score: 157-168
Students who have recently graduated or are currently in their final year of graduation in an undergraduate program or a masters program are eligible to apply to the MIT Sloan MBA Early Admission.
8. Columbia Business School Deferred Enrolment program 2024
Columbia Business School deferred MBA course is offered to students in the final year of graduation. The Columbia deferred MBA gives the students an option to defer enrolment by 2- 5 years to the main MBA course. The students can spend the time of deferral to gain skills, build their work experience, gain in-depth knowledge in their sector of interest.
The application deadline for Columbia Business School MBA Program: September 13, 2023, January 5, 2024, April 15, 2024.
Range of GMAT scores: 540-790
Range of GPA scores: 3.11-4.0
Applicants to the Columbia deferred MBA must possess academic and personal excellence and demonstrate collaboration with their community.
The quality of academic achievements, work experience, internships and community involvement as closely examined for a Columbia deferred MBA applicant.
The students of the Columbia deferred MBA can opt to join the 16 month program which begins in January or the 20 month program that begins in August every year.
The applicants are also eligible to apply for merit based scholarships once they have completed the deferral period and are ready to start the course at top colleges in world for MBA.
Apart from the GMAT or the GRE scores the application to the deferred MBA program need to submit one resume, one letter of recommendation and responses to three essays.
9. ISB YLP 2024
ISB YLP is a deferred MBA program from Indian School of Business Hyderabad. ISB YLP allows a deferral of 2 years before an admit joins the flagship ISB PGP MBA. The admission to ISB YLP takes place in two phases. The applicants can be pre final or final year students from any stream of education.
Application Deadline ISB YLP 2022 Stage 2: 31 August 2024.
Application Deadline ISB YLP 2023 Stage 1: 31 March 2023.
The first phase of applications requires the students to submit an online application with the academic record and essays.
During the second phase of application to the ISB YLP, the GMAT or the GRE score has to be submitted along with the essays in the online application.
The applicants who qualify in the second phase of ISB YLP application are then invited for an interview by the ISB after which the final results for ISB YLP are announced. Discuss your profile for application to ISB YLP with an ISB admission consultant at GOALisB.
10. Berkeley Haas Deferred MBA - Accelerated Access
Berkeley Haas deferred MBA has opened up recently. This relatively new Berkeley Haas program provided undergraduate and graduate students who will graduate between July 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023 the chance to apply to the full-time MBA course.
A student has the choice to defer starting the Berkeley Haas MBA course by two to five years to gain professional experience.
Current Application deadline: April 25, 2024
Currently Berkeley Haas deferred MBA option is available for University of California, Berkeley undergraduate students in their final year of education and Berkeley graduate students who do not have full time work experience.
Berkeley Haas deferred MBA course encourages applications from students with diverse backgrounds and academic interests.
11. Carnegie Mellon Tepper Future Business Leaders
Application Deadline: April 2, 2023
Eligibility: Undergraduate or graduate students only from a US University only.
GMAT or GRE scores required to be submitted but waived for CMU undergraduate students.
One professional recommendation required to be submitted.
12. Kellogg Future Leader Deferred MBA:
Kellogg Future Leaders is the deferred MBA option from Kellogg School of Management. The school offers the graduating students to create a road map of their career and assures them a seat in the Kellogg MBA course. In the meanwhile the students can continue pursuing their work experience for 2–5 years till they decide to join the Kellogg MBA course.
Students who have recently graduated, undergraduates in the last year of school and master’s students who have no interim period of work experience can apply to the Kellogg deferred MBA course.
Application deadline for Kellogg Future Leader Deferred MBA: April 24, 2024
The school is not charging any application fees.
The applicants have to submit the online application and their GMAT scores/ GRE scores and TOEFL scores.
Eligibility: Students graduating between October 2022 and September 2023.
13. IESE – Young Talent Path
Applications Window: December 2023 – March 2024
€20,000* scholarship
YTP assessment boot camp on campus for invited applicants - A 3-Day Campus Experience in Barcelona in July 2024
GMAT or GRE is required for the process
Average age: 22.6 years
14. Emory Goizueta Early Admission Deferred MBA
Deferred MBA for 2 - 5 years
Application deadlines: Round 1: April 10, 2024 | Round 2: June 5, 2024
Currently offering application fee waiver
Option to apply for a GMAT/GRE waiver
GMAT, GRE, MCAT or LSAT score to be submitted for the admission process
15. University of Minnesota Carlson - MBA in Two
Specifically for domestic undergraduate seniors
Gain 2 years of work experience before starting the MBA program.
16. NYU Stern Berkley Scholars
Support provided to exceptional students under the William R. Berkley Scholarship Program
Selected students receive a $10,000 Early Advancement Award to be applied to their Full-time MBA tuition
17. Ivey Advanced Entry Scholars MBA Program (University of Western Ontario)
Option available to Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada who have attended a recognised Canadian university; and have pursued an Honours degree program.