Graduate School Acceptance Rates 2026: MBA, Law, Med, and PhD

Graduate school acceptance rates vary wildly by program type, institution, and field — far more than undergraduate rates do. A 20% acceptance rate at one program might reflect a highly selective process; at another, it might mean the program is actively trying to grow. Understanding what these numbers actually mean for your application requires knowing the context behind each figure.

MBA Programs

Top MBA programs have become increasingly selective over the past decade as the applicant pool has grown globally. These figures reflect the most recently reported acceptance rates for the Class of 2025–2026:

• Stanford GSB: 8% — the most selective MBA program in the world; median GMAT 738, median GPA 3.8
• Harvard Business School: 11% — 1,000+ admits from 9,000+ applicants; strong preference for post-undergraduate work experience
• Wharton (Penn): 12% — heavy quantitative focus; median GMAT 733
• MIT Sloan: 14% — engineering and tech-oriented; median GMAT 730
• Booth (Chicago): 19% — slightly more accessible than H/S/W, highly quantitative curriculum
• Kellogg (Northwestern): 20% — collaborative culture, strong marketing reputation
• Stern (NYU): 22% — strong finance placement, New York network advantage
• Tuck (Dartmouth): 23% — small cohort, tight community, strong general management brand

What these numbers don't capture: MBA programs admit in rounds (typically three per year), and acceptance rates vary significantly by round. Round 1 applicants (September–October deadlines) generally have higher acceptance rates than Round 2 (January) and significantly higher than Round 3 (April). If you're applying to top MBA programs, submitting in Round 1 is one of the highest-leverage decisions you can make.

Law School (JD Programs)

Law school admissions is highly formula-driven compared to MBA or PhD programs. The LSAT and undergraduate GPA are the two dominant factors — together they predict admission outcomes more reliably than in almost any other graduate field. Acceptance rates at the T14 law schools (the traditional top 14 by US News) for the entering class of 2025:

• Yale Law School: 8% — the most selective law school in the country; median LSAT 174, median GPA 3.93
• Stanford Law: 8% — tied with Yale; median LSAT 174, median GPA 3.90
• Harvard Law: 12% — larger class (560 students) makes it slightly more accessible; median LSAT 174, median GPA 3.90
• Columbia Law: 17% — strong finance law placement; median LSAT 174, median GPA 3.90
• Chicago Law: 17% — intellectually rigorous culture; median LSAT 173, median GPA 3.92
• NYU Law: 25% — large class, strong public interest and international law programs
• Penn Law: 15% — Carey Law dual-degree options a draw; median LSAT 172
• Michigan Law: 19% — strong state flagship brand; median LSAT 171, median GPA 3.85

The LSAT is the single most important factor in law school admissions. A one-point increase in your LSAT score can meaningfully shift your chances at multiple schools. Unlike the GMAT or GRE, retaking the LSAT has become less stigmatized — most schools now take your highest score, and many applicants take the exam 2–3 times.

Medical School (MD Programs)

Medical school admissions is notoriously difficult. The overall acceptance rate across all US allopathic (MD) programs is approximately 41% — but that figure is misleading, because it counts only applicants who actually submit a secondary application. When you factor in all AMCAS applicants, the rate drops considerably. At the top programs, the numbers are stark:

• Harvard Medical School: 3.3% — roughly 160 admitted from 7,000+ applicants; median MCAT 522 (99th percentile)
• Johns Hopkins School of Medicine: 3.8% — median MCAT 522, median GPA 3.93
• Stanford School of Medicine: 2.3% — one of the lowest acceptance rates of any medical school; class size of ~90
• UCSF School of Medicine: 3.2% — top-ranked research program; strong preference for research-focused applicants
• Washington University in St. Louis: 4.1% — median MCAT 521, median GPA 3.92
• Average across top 20 MD programs: approximately 5.5%
• National average (all MD programs): approximately 5.5% of all AMCAS applicants

Medical school applications require applying broadly. Most successful applicants to top medical schools apply to 20–30 programs. The economics are painful — each secondary application costs $100–$150 — but the selective nature of individual programs makes a wide net essential. A strong applicant rejected from every top-10 school may find a home at an excellent program ranked 15–30.

PhD Programs

PhD acceptance rates vary more by field than by institution. The same university can have dramatically different acceptance rates across its departments:

• Top CS PhD programs (MIT, Stanford, CMU, Berkeley, UW): under 5% — often 2–4% in recent cycles; thousands of applicants for 20–30 spots per lab
• STEM fields generally (biology, chemistry, physics): 10–20% at top programs, though this masks enormous variation by sub-field and advisor availability
• Biomedical PhD programs (NIH-funded): typically 5–12% at top institutions; UCSF, Harvard, Johns Hopkins most selective
• Economics PhD (top 5): 3–8%; application volume has surged significantly in recent years
• Humanities PhD programs: 5–10% at top departments — but these programs often admit only 3–8 students per year, making the absolute numbers very small
• Clinical psychology PhD: among the most selective of any graduate field — 5% or below at top programs, with some programs admitting 3–4 students from 400+ applications
• Social sciences (sociology, political science): 8–15% at top programs

What These Numbers Mean for Your Strategy

The core takeaway from all of these acceptance rates is the same: apply broadly, and build a genuinely balanced list. At the top programs in every category, even highly qualified applicants face significant uncertainty. A medical school applicant with a 3.9 GPA and a 520 MCAT can be rejected from every top-10 program due to factors outside their control — interview performance, class composition needs, competitive cohort.

What "applying broadly" means in practice varies by program type. For MBA programs, 6–10 schools is typical. For law school, 8–15 is common among competitive applicants targeting the T14. For medical school, 20–30 programs is the norm. For PhD programs, 8–12 programs covers a reasonable range.

How to Build a Smart Graduate School List

• Use realistic reach/likely/safety tiers based on your actual profile stats — not aspirational ones
• Research acceptance rates by program, not just by school (a university can have very different acceptance rates across its graduate programs)
• For PhD programs, factor in faculty availability — a department can have a 10% overall acceptance rate, but if your target advisor isn't taking students, that number is irrelevant to you
• For professional programs (MBA, law, med), check median GMAT/LSAT/MCAT and GPA ranges, not just averages — you want to know where you fall within the admitted class distribution
• Account for yield: programs with high yield rates may be harder to get into than their acceptance rate suggests because they admit fewer people knowing most will come