Average GMAT Scores at Top Business Schools (2026): Current vs Legacy

Comparing GMAT scores across business schools in 2026 is more complicated than copying a list of averages.

Before a school-level number is useful, you need to know:

1. Which GMAT edition does the number describe?
2. Is it an average, median, or range?
3. Which MBA cohort does it describe?
4. Which students are included in the statistic?

The current GMAT uses a 205–805 Total Score scale. The previous GMAT Exam (10th Edition) used a 200–800 scale.

Those scores are not directly interchangeable.

GMAC's current score guidance explicitly says the current and previous editions are not on a common scale. When cross-version comparison is necessary, use GMAC's official percentile/concordance guidance rather than subtracting a fixed number.

For a valid comparison, current and previous-edition GMAT statistics should remain separate. Likewise, an average, median, and middle-80% range should be read exactly as reported.

For current GMAT percentile interpretation before using the school tables, see our GMAT score chart and calculator.

Average and Median GMAT Scores at U.S. Business Schools

The table below uses the latest MBA class profile or admissions data currently published by each school, which means the cohort year is not identical across every row.

Some schools have already published Class of 2028 data. Others still publicly report Class of 2027 statistics.

As a result, cohort years differ across rows.

— indicates that the cited profile does not report a comparable previous-edition statistic.

MIT Sloan's Class of 2028 profile reports a 675 current-GMAT median and a 645–715 middle-80% range. It does not report a comparable Class of 2028 median for the previous GMAT edition.

Georgetown's 2026 entering class profile reports an average of 626 on the current GMAT and 713 on the previous edition.

Fuqua Reports a Range, Not an Average

Duke Fuqua's Class of 2028 profile reports a 605–715 middle-80% range on the current GMAT scale.

It does not provide a current-GMAT mean or median.

The midpoint of a middle-80% range should not be treated as either an average or a median. A middle-80% range means approximately 80% of the reported scores fall within that interval; it does not reveal the class mean.

It also does not mean:

• 605 is a minimum admission score;
• 715 is a maximum;
• any score inside the range guarantees admission.

Why Current and Legacy School Averages Are Not a Conversion Table

Suppose a school reports:

• current-GMAT average: 670;
• previous-GMAT average: 736.

It is tempting to say:

"A 670 current GMAT equals a 736 old GMAT."

That conclusion is not justified.

The two averages can come from different students within the same class.

A student who submitted the current GMAT belongs to one reporting subgroup; a student who submitted the previous exam belongs to another.

School class-profile averages therefore do not establish individual score equivalence.

Use GMAC's official percentile and concordance material when you need to understand cross-edition performance.

For a fuller explanation of the transition, see our GMAT Focus Edition guide.

Mean, Median, and Middle 80% Are Different

Business schools do not all report GMAT results the same way.

Average or mean

The mean is calculated by adding the relevant scores and dividing by the number of observations.

A small number of unusually high or low scores can affect it.

Median

The median is the middle score when the observations are ordered.

It is not mathematically interchangeable with an average.

Middle-80% range

This describes the central 80% of reported observations.

It provides useful distribution context but is not an average.

Full range

Some schools publish the lowest and highest reported scores.

That tells you what occurred in the class, not what score an applicant should target.

For target setting, preserve the school's terminology exactly.

Why a Current-GMAT Average Does Not Have to End in 5

Individual current GMAT Total Scores end in 5:

• 655;
• 665;
• 675;
• and so on.

But a class average is the arithmetic mean of many individual scores.

That average can therefore be:

• 648;
• 659;
• 670;
• 681;
• 682;
• or another number that is not a possible individual GMAT Total Score.

This also means you cannot determine which GMAT edition a school statistic belongs to merely by looking at its last digit.

The exam edition must come from the source.

GMAT Figures Without a Clear Exam-Edition Label

Some published GMAT figures do not explicitly state whether they refer to the current 205–805 exam or the previous 200–800 edition. Treat them cautiously when comparing schools.

If one of these schools is a serious target, check the latest admissions materials or confirm the exam edition directly with the admissions office before using the figure as a benchmark.

GMAT Benchmarks at European and Canadian MBA Programs

International programs make the need for careful labels even clearer.

Some publish current-GMAT averages.

Some publish ranges.

Some publish recommendations rather than class statistics.

Others publish an overall GMAT number without identifying the exam edition.

Programs with clearly current-scale benchmarks

London Business School's wording is particularly useful: its admissions page says the MBA class average is around 645 on the current score scale, with a typical range of 555–805, while emphasizing that the GMAT is only one admissions criterion.

HEC Paris similarly identifies 635 as the average GMAT score of its current class and says this equates to 690 for the former edition. That equivalence is HEC's own admissions guidance; it should not be generalized into a universal 635 ↔ 690 conversion for every applicant or school.

INSEAD takes a different approach. Its MBA FAQ says it has no minimum overall GMAT score and instead recommends approximately:

• Verbal: 80
• Quantitative: 80
• Data Insights: 77

That is not an "average GMAT of 657" or any other total score. Do not manufacture an overall INSEAD number from those section recommendations.

International Figures That Need Qualification

McGill currently publishes two different GMAT averages on separate official pages: 650 on its typical-class page and 670 in its MBA FAQ for the last incoming class. Because the pages describe the figures differently and do not clearly identify the GMAT edition, applicants should use the most current class-specific figure available when they apply.

Why There Is No Single "Average GMAT at Top Business Schools"

You could mathematically average the numbers in the tables above.

You should not.

The result would mix:

• current GMAT and previous-GMAT populations;
• averages and medians;
• Class of 2027 and Class of 2028 cohorts;
• U.S. and international programs;
• score reporters and potentially different applicant/testing populations;
• full-time MBA programs with different testing policies.

The calculation would produce a precise-looking number with very little analytical meaning.

The useful comparison is school by school.

What Is a Good GMAT Score for Your Target School?

Use a program's class profile as a benchmark, not as a cutoff.

A practical process is:

1. Confirm the exact program

Do not use:

• Executive MBA statistics for the Full-Time MBA;
• part-time MBA statistics for a full-time application;
• master's statistics for an MBA.

Program-level testing policies can differ within the same school.

2. Confirm the exam edition

If you have a current GMAT score, compare it with a current-GMAT class statistic.

Do not compare a current 675 directly with a previous-GMAT average of 730.

3. Confirm the statistic

Know whether you are looking at:

• average;
• median;
• middle 80%;
• full range;
• minimum;
• recommendation.

4. Confirm the cohort

A Class of 2028 statistic is generally more current than Class of 2027, but only if the school has actually published the Class of 2028 number.

Do not relabel older data.

5. Compare the score with the rest of your academic evidence

The GMAT is one part of the academic case.

Also consider:

• undergraduate performance;
• quantitative coursework;
• graduate coursework where relevant;
• professional analytical experience;
• other test scores.

For a full target-setting framework, see What Is a Good GMAT Score?.

Do You Need to Score Above the School Average?

No universal rule says you need:

• the average;
• average + 10;
• average + 20;
• average + 30.

An average describes a class.

It does not tell you:

• the probability of admission at a given score;
• the score needed for your particular background;
• whether a school admitted candidates below that average;
• whether a higher score would compensate for another application weakness.

A score above the class average can strengthen the standardized-testing component of your application.

But it does not guarantee admission.

A score below the average can still be viable, particularly when it sits within the school's reported distribution and the rest of the application provides strong evidence.

Can You Get Into an MBA Program Below Its GMAT Average?

Yes.

By definition, an average is not a minimum.

The enrolled class can contain scores both above and below the average.

A median similarly does not function as an admissions cutoff.

But this should not be turned into the opposite claim that:

"GMAT does not matter because schools admit below-average scores."

The more useful question is whether your overall application provides sufficient evidence of academic readiness and whether retaking the test would materially strengthen that evidence.

Why Test-Optional and Waiver Policies Complicate GMAT Averages

A published GMAT average describes the population represented in that statistic.

If a school:

• allows test waivers;
• is test optional;
• accepts multiple exams;
• has a changing proportion of GMAT and GRE submitters;

then the published GMAT average may describe only a subset of the class.

A year-to-year change in average score can therefore reflect:

• changing student performance;
• changing test choice;
• changing waiver use;
• changing proportions of current vs previous GMAT submissions.

The average alone cannot separate those effects.

If testing policy matters to your school list, see our GMAT/GRE waiver guide, while treating each school's current admissions page as the final authority.

How GMAT Superscore Affects School Benchmarking in 2026

GMAC introduced GMAT Superscore in August 2026.

A Superscore combines your highest eligible:

• Quantitative Reasoning score;
• Verbal Reasoning score;
• Data Insights score

across valid attempts of the current GMAT edition.

GMAC describes Superscore as an additional data point. It does not replace the single-attempt score you choose to send, and individual schools decide how to use it.

Two benchmarking cautions follow.

1. Do not assume class-profile averages are Superscores

Class-profile averages should be read as the school reports them. Unless a school explicitly identifies a statistic as a GMAT Superscore measure, treat it as the school's standard reported GMAT class statistic.

2. GMAT Superscore has no official percentile

GMAC says Superscore uses the same 205–805 score scale but does not have an official percentile ranking.

So a school average based on ordinary single-attempt GMAT scores and a candidate Superscore should not automatically be treated as perfectly equivalent evidence.

Use each school's current Superscore policy when available.

Should You Retake the GMAT Based on a School Average?

A school average can help identify whether a retake is worth investigating, but it should not make the decision by itself.

A retake is more compelling when:

• your score is materially below the relevant current-GMAT benchmark;
• your official practice performance suggests meaningful improvement is realistic;
• one section underperformed relative to your preparation;
• your academic profile would benefit from stronger standardized evidence;
• you have enough time before the application deadline.

A retake is less compelling when:

• you are already around or above the relevant benchmark;
• practice scores do not suggest meaningful improvement;
• the additional preparation would damage essays, recommendations, or other application work;
• you are reacting only to being one score increment below an average.

For current GMAT retake planning, use our GMAT exam dates guide and GMAT preparation guide.

Guidance for Indian Applicants

These class-profile tables do not establish an India-specific GMAT requirement.

They generally do not isolate:

• Indian applicants;
• engineers;
• consultants;
• technology professionals;
• IIT/NIT graduates;
• other nationality/occupation combinations

in a way that supports a universal rule such as:

"Indian engineers need 30 points above the school average."

No such conclusion follows from the class-profile data.

If you are an Indian applicant, use:

1. the target school's actual class data;
2. your academic record;
3. your professional evidence;
4. your practice-test performance;
5. the overall competitiveness and coherence of your application.

A higher score can absolutely be valuable.

The point is to avoid inventing a demographic surcharge that the data do not support.

GMAT Benchmarking Checklist

Before using any school-level GMAT number, record:

If you cannot fill in the exam-edition or statistic field, do not treat the number as precise enough for cross-school comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the current GMAT score scale?

The current GMAT Total Score ranges from 205 to 805. Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Data Insights are each scored from 60 to 90 and contribute equally to the Total Score.

What is the average GMAT score at Harvard Business School?

Harvard Business School's Class of 2027 profile reports medians, not averages: 685 on the current GMAT and 730 on the previous GMAT.

What is the average GMAT score at Stanford GSB?

Stanford's Class of 2027 reported an average current-GMAT score of 689 and an average previous-GMAT score of 738.

What is the average GMAT score at Wharton?

Wharton's Class of 2027 reported an average current-GMAT score of 676 and an average previous-GMAT score of 735.

What is the average GMAT score at Kellogg?

Kellogg's Class of 2027 reports an average current-GMAT score of 687 and average previous-GMAT score of 733.

What is the GMAT score at MIT Sloan?

MIT Sloan's Class of 2028 reports a median current-GMAT score of 675, with a middle-80% range of 645–715. A comparable Class of 2028 previous-edition median is not reported.

What is the average GMAT score at London Business School?

London Business School's current MBA admissions page says its average GMAT is around 645 on the current score scale, with a typical range of 555–805.

What is the average GMAT score at HEC Paris?

HEC Paris says the average GMAT score of its current class is 635 and notes that this equates to 690 for the former edition.

What is the average GMAT score at INSEAD?

INSEAD does not publish an overall MBA average in its current FAQ. Instead, it says there is no minimum overall GMAT requirement and recommends current-edition section scores of approximately V80, Q80, and DI77.

Does IESE publish an average GMAT score?

Its current MBA profile publishes an acceptance range of 545–715 on the current GMAT and 580–750 on the previous edition. That is a range, not an average.

Is a school's average GMAT its minimum requirement?

No. An average describes the observed class statistic. It is not a minimum unless the school separately states a minimum.

Should I add 20 points to a school's average to set my target?

There is no universal rule supporting that approach. Use the correct exam edition, the school's distribution, your academic evidence, and realistic practice performance.

Is a current 675 equivalent to a previous-GMAT 730?

Do not assume direct equivalence based on school class averages. Use GMAC's official percentile/concordance guidance.

Why do some current GMAT averages not end in 5?

Individual current GMAT scores end in 5, but a class average is the mean of multiple scores and can therefore end in any digit.

Why are some schools missing a current-GMAT average?

A school may publish a median, a range, no numerical statistic, or a figure without identifying the exam edition. An average should not be inferred when the school does not publish one.

Does GMAT Superscore change these averages?

Not automatically. GMAT Superscore is new in 2026, and schools decide how they use it. Unless a class profile explicitly identifies its statistic as a Superscore measure, do not assume the historical/class-profile average represents Superscores.

Final Takeaway

An MBA school's GMAT number is useful only when you know what it actually represents.

The correct comparison is not:

"School A = 730, School B = 675, therefore School A expects a much higher GMAT."

Those numbers may belong to different GMAT editions.

Instead record:

school → program → cohort → exam version → statistic → population

Then compare your score with the matching benchmark.

The current GMAT and previous 200–800 GMAT are different scales. Average, median, and middle-80% range are different statistics. Class of 2027 and Class of 2028 are different cohorts.

Preserving those distinctions makes the data less tidy—but far more useful for making an actual MBA application decision.