NYU Stern School of Business
2 required essays, 1 optional for the 2026-27 cycle.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Round 1 | September 15, 2026 |
| Round 2 | October 15, 2026 |
| Round 3 | January 15, 2027 |
| Round 4 | April 15, 2027 |
Essays
Goals essay · 500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font · required
Essay 1: Professional Aspirations. What are your short-term career goals? Why is the Stern MBA the necessary next chapter in your professional story? Please be specific.
Program supplement · six images, one-sentence caption each, introduction of no more than 3 sentences, single PDF · required
Essay 2: Personal Expression (a.k.a. 'Pick Six'). Introduce yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. Include: a brief introduction or overview of your 'Pick Six' (no more than 3 sentences); six images that help illustrate your interests, values, motivations, perspective and/or personality; a one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you. Your visuals may include photos, infographics, drawings, or any other images. Your document must be uploaded as a single PDF.
Program supplement · 500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font · optional
Essay 3: Additional Information (optional). Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee and/or give context to your application.
Deadlines fetched from stern.nyu.edu/programs-admissions/mba-programs/admissions/deadlines, labelled Full-time MBA (Fall 2027), four rounds, 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Essay 1 wording is revised from the prior cycle's 'Why now? Why Stern?' phrasing; Pick Six is unchanged. No reapplicant essay is listed. Stern says an offer is rescinded if the essays were not written by the applicant.
Checked against www.stern.nyu.edu/programs-admissions/full-time-mba/admissions/essays on September 9, 2026. Programs change their prompts between cycles; confirm on the program’s own page before you submit.
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Common questions
- How many essays does NYU Stern School of Business require for 2026-27?
- 2 required and 1 optional, 3 in total. Every prompt is listed on this page word for word, with the length each one states.
- How long should the Stern essays be?
- 500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font. That is the length the program states on its own page, which this record was read from on September 9, 2026.
- When is the Stern 2026-27 deadline?
- Round 1: September 15, 2026. 3 other rounds are listed on this page.