After we have reviewed your written application, we may invite you to interview. Our interviews are designed to help us learn more about you and for you to learn more about Stanford GSB.
During your interview, a trained member of our global MBA alumni community or an MBA Admissions Officer will ask you questions that enable us to evaluate your candidacy. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions of us in order to assess whether the Stanford MBA Program is right for you.
The interview complements your written application with essential insights for our evaluation process. We require all candidates to interview before receiving an offer of admission. While being invited to interview is a positive sign, it does not guarantee your admission. We generally interview two to three candidates per available seat in the class. Interviews are by invitation only.
We do not provide feedback during, or after, the interview.
What We Seek to Learn
We conduct a competency-based behavioral interview to gain a deeper understanding of what you have done and how you have done it. We focus on your past actions, rather than on hypothetical situations, and invite you to discuss meaningful professional or community-based experiences you’ve had in the past few years.
Where We Interview
Interviews take place all over the world, typically near where you live or work. They are conducted by a small subset of our alumni community or an MBA Admissions Officer. We do not accept requests to interview on campus, and we do not have an on-campus interview program.
If you are in a particularly remote location or we don’t have an alumni interviewer available, we will offer you the opportunity to interview by another means. The location, date, and mode of your interview will not impact your candidacy. We consider all interviews without regard for whether performed in person or remotely.
Interview Process
- The MBA Admissions Office contacts you by email to invite you to interview.
- You inform us of your current location, and we pair you with an interviewer.
- You and your interviewer work together to schedule the interview, generally within 7-10 days.
- You email a copy of your resume to your interviewer.
- You and your interviewer conduct the interview as scheduled; the interview will last 45-60 minutes and be conducted in English.
- Your interviewer submits a written assessment to the MBA Admissions Office.
- The MBA Admissions Office adds the interview review to your application file and considers your entire application to evaluate your candidacy.
We generally recommend business attire for your interview, but you are welcome to ask your interviewer if he or she has a preference.
Interview Schedule
Interviews take place in the following time windows:
- Round 1: mid-October to late November
- Round 2: early February to mid-March
- Round 3: mid-April to early May
We will send you a more specific timetable after the application deadline for the round in which you apply.
