MBA at Wharton or MBA at Harvard

Wharton or Harvard, two of the highly ranked Business Schools in the US, offer MBA a variety of MBA programs. Let us find out how an MBA at Wharton is different from an MBA at Harvard. 

Overview Comparison
The Wharton SchoolHarvard Business School
ranking (overall)# 2 Financial Times 2020
# 4 Financial Times 2019
# 2 Bloomberg 2018
# 1 Financial Times 2020
# 2 Financial Times 2019
# 3 Bloomberg 2018
Cost to StudyAverage Tuition Fees  38732
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 38286 Per Year
Average Tuition Fees  73440
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 14340 Per Year
placement (average package)

Top recruiters: A.T. Kearney, Amazon, Amazon Studios, American Express, Alpine Investors, Bayshore Global Management, EY-Parthenon, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Facebook, JPMorgan Chase, YouTube, Yelp, Xandr, Xiaomi.



Top Courses Comparison

Top Courses Comparison

ranking# 14 for Business by Times Higher Education 2023
# 3 for Business by Academy Ranking of World Universities 2021
# 5 for Business by US News 2024
# 2 for Business by Times Higher Education 2023
application#7158 Applicants
# 916 Admissions
# 12 % Acceptance Rate
#10351 Applicants
# 941 Admissions
# 11 % Acceptance Rate
exam scoresGMAT - 730/800GRE updated - 324/340IELTS - 6.5/9TOEFL - 100/120Duolingo - 130/160GMAT - 730/800GRE updated - 326/340IELTS - 7.5/9TOEFL - 109/120
Admission Criteria/Better to Have

GPA of 3.6 average and preferably 722 GMAT Score. Average Work Experience required around 5 years.



cost to studyTotal Cost (Tuition + Living) -84874Total Cost (Tuition + Living) -73440
Return on Investment/Average Package#Average Salary150000#Average Salary115000
documents required#Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose#Letter of Recommendation + Statement of Purpose
application datesMar 29, 2023 (Application Deadline Round 3 For 2023 Intake)
Apr 13, 2023 (Interview Invitation For Round 3)
May 10, 2023 (Decision Release Date)
Sep 6, 2023 (Application Deadline Round 1)
Jan 3, 2024 (Application Deadline Round 2)
Comparison Notes

Owing to a brand strength in the US, Wharton and Harvard Business School, both are the US’s best business schools. Some of the factors to consider when planning to study MBA in USA are:

  • The international student percentage at Harvard Business is 35% while at Penn Wharton is only 19%.
  • GRE score equivalents for MBA at Harvard is 148-170 (Verbal) and 145-170 (Quantitative). However, GRE score equivalents for MBA at Wharton are 161 (Verbal and Quant).
  • Wharton slides ahead of Harvard for students who look forward to staying within the city. Harvard University, on the other hand, offers a closely-knit student community in a smaller town.
  • UG major of students at Penn Wharton were Humanities (38%), Business (34%), and STEM (28%). UG majors of students at Harvard were Engineering (26%), Business/Commerce (22%), and Economics (19%). 
  • Harvard Business School students are offered better internship opportunities over Wharton MBA students. 
  • Sing-on bonus for both Wharton and Harvard Business School is 30,000 USD. 

Though both the schools offer a pool of opportunities, the choice of opting between either of the two depends majorly on the student. Choices can be made on the basis of tuition fees, rankings, and more.