Georgetown University McDonough School of Business
4 required essays, 2 optional for the 2026-27 cycle.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Early Action | September 9, 2026 |
| Round 1 | October 1, 2026 |
| Round 2 | January 6, 2027 |
| Round 3 | April 1, 2027 |
| Round 4 | May 17, 2027 |
Essays
Goals essay · 500 words · required
Essay Option One, Georgetown Community: Our mission is rooted in Jesuit principles of equality and respect for everyone and an ethos of caring for the whole person. Inclusivity and diversity are core to supporting a community of people with an intersectional understanding of themselves and the world around them. Share how your educational, familial, cultural, economic, social, and/or other individual life experiences will contribute to the diversity of perspectives and ideas at Georgetown University.
Goals essay · 500 words · required
Essay Option Two, Human-Centered Leadership: Artificial intelligence can generate answers in seconds, but it cannot define your values. As AI becomes more integrated into our lives and careers, what qualities do you believe will become more important for today's business leaders? Share an experience that illustrates how those qualities have shaped you and how you hope to contribute them to the Georgetown MBA community.
Goals essay · 500 words · required
Essay Option Three, Achieving Excellence: Georgetown McDonough is committed to achieving greater excellence to enrich the legacies of our students and alumni. Please reflect on a professional experience from your resume where you achieved outstanding results. Describe why this experience exemplified excellence, highlight the strengths or skills you utilized that contributed to this achievement, and share how these qualities will help you leave a legacy at Georgetown.
Program supplement · one minute video · required
Video essay: In one minute, share what has recently brought you joy outside of work.
Program supplement · 300-350 words, approximately one page, double-spaced · optional
Optional essay: Please provide any information you would like to add to your application that you have not otherwise included.
Program supplement · 300-350 words, approximately one page, double-spaced · optional
Re-applicant essay (required for re-applicants): How have you strengthened your candidacy since your last application? We are particularly interested in hearing about how you have grown professionally and personally.
Page labels itself the 2026-27 MBA application. Applicant submits ONE of the three 500-word written essay options (all three stored as mba_goals) plus the one-minute video. Option Two (Human-Centered Leadership, AI) is new this cycle, replacing the prior cura personalis option; Early Action deadline also new.
Checked against msb.georgetown.edu/mba/application-components on September 9, 2026. Programs change their prompts between cycles; confirm on the program’s own page before you submit.
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Pick which of McDonough’s prompts it answers. The first look is free.
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Prompt
Your essay
Common questions
- How many essays does Georgetown University McDonough School of Business require for 2026-27?
- 4 required and 2 optional, 6 in total. Every prompt is listed on this page word for word, with the length each one states.
- How long should the McDonough essays be?
- 500 words. That is the length the program states on its own page, which this record was read from on September 9, 2026.
- When is the McDonough 2026-27 deadline?
- Early Action: September 9, 2026. 4 other rounds are listed on this page.