Harvard Business School
3 required essays for the 2026-27 cycle.
The program’s page could not be read directly when this was last checked, so the prompts below may be a cycle old. Confirm them on the program’s own page before you write.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Round 1 | September 9, 2026 |
| Round 2 | January 5, 2027 |
Essays
Goals essay · up to 300 words · required
Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve.
Program supplement · up to 250 words · required
Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become?
Program supplement · up to 250 words · required
Growth-Oriented Essay: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth.
Deadlines fetched from hbs.edu/mba/admissions/application-dates (labelled MBA Class of 2029, matriculating fall 2027). HBS publishes the essay text only inside the apply.hbs.edu portal, not on any public hbs.edu page; the three prompts here are from memory of the 2024-25 and 2025-26 cycles and may be a cycle stale. hbs.edu confirms the Class of 2029 application still asks for three short essays aligned to business-minded, leadership-focused and growth-oriented.
Checked against www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/application-process on September 9, 2026. Programs change their prompts between cycles; confirm on the program’s own page before you submit.
Paste your essay
Pick which of HBS’s prompts it answers. The first look is free.
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Prompt
Your essay
Common questions
- How many essays does Harvard Business School require for 2026-27?
- 3. The prompt is listed on this page word for word, with the length it states.
- How long should the HBS essays be?
- Up to 300 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 HBS 2026-27 deadline?
- Round 1: September 9, 2026. 1 other round is listed on this page.