Berkeley Haas MBA Class Of 2027: Smaller Class Rebounds In Global Diversity

One year after its largest intake since the pandemic, UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business enrolled a smaller but more global cohort for the MBA Class of 2027.

Haas enrolled 273 students this fall, down 7.5% from last year’s 295, which was the largest class in the previous five years. The smaller cohort comes after then-acting, now-permanent Dean Jenny Chatman’s 2024 directive to “fill every seat” when post-pandemic application volume rebounded across top programs. 

Though leaner, Haas’s Class of 2027 matches previous cohorts in gender parity and diversity, while surging 6 percentage points in international student enrollment in a year that has seen many top B-schools struggle to recruit students from abroad.

By The Numbers: Berkeley Haas MBA Fall Intakes Classes 2023-2027
	Class of 2027	Class of 2026	Class of 2025	Class of 2024	Class of 2023
Class Size	273	295	244	247	291
Average Undergrad GPA	3.67	3.65	3.64	3.64	3.67
GPA Range (80%)	3.4-3.91	3.38-3.9	3.3-3.91	3.4-3.92	3.34-3.93
Median GMAT	730	730*	733	729	726
GMAT Range (80%)	669-767	690-750	680-770	NA	NA
GMAT Focus Median	675	660	NA	NA	NA
GMAT Focus Range	637-725	615-675	NA	NA	NA
Median GRE (Total)	323	323	324	326	323
Source: Berkeley Haas

GLOBAL MIX REBOUNDS

After international enrollment fell nine points to 38% last year, the Class of 2027 reversed the trend, climbing to 44% international students representing 42 countries (up from 35). The rebound stands out in a year when many U.S. MBA programs are posting declines due to shifting visa policies, rising costs, and global competition.

Duke (Fuqua) reported a 9% drop in international student enrollment from last year, while The Wharton School reported the same drop over the last three years. Carnegie Mellon (Tepper) reported a 16 percentage point drop since 2023, falling from 53% to 39% for the Class of 2026 and slipping another two points to 37% for the Class of 2027.  UCLA (Anderson)’s international enrollment has slipped from 47% two years ago to 35% today. At Emory (Goizueta), international enrollment fell to 36% for the Class of 2027, down from 50% for the Class of 2024 and 48% for the Class of 2025.  

Of U.S. schools who have released their official class profile stats, Haas is one of the few major MBA programs to report an increase in international students this cycle.  MIT Sloan School of Management managed a modest increase in its global mix for the 2027 class, enrolling 42% international students compared to 40% for the previous class.

The drop in international students across several prominent U.S. schools may be a harbinger of things to come. Classes enrolled this fall applied for admission before the Trump administration’s latest immigration restrictions including a proposed $100,000 H1B application fee for certain employers, a wage-based H1B allocation system favoring higher earners, and shifting visa policies with fewer appointments. The effects of these changes won’t show up until next fall.

Gender diversity, meanwhile, held steady, rising slightly from 42% to 43% women for the 2027 class. Haas also maintained diversity among its domestic students. U.S. minorities make up 52% of the domestic students, with underrepresented minorities (Black, Latinx, and Native American students) making up 26% of the class. While that is down slightly from last year’s high-water mark of  29%, it is still among the highest of the top programs. The LGBTQ+ population dipped to 15% from 19% for the Class of 2026.

Berkeley Haas Women, Minorities & More
	Class of 2027	Class of 2026	Class of 2025	Class of 2024
Women	43%	42%	41%	46%
LGBTQ+	15%	19%	14%	16%
U.S. Minority	52%	51%	48%	45%
U.S. URM	26%	29%	13%	21%
First Generation	18%	15%	20%	13%
Military/Veterans	6%	7%	7%	4%
International	44%	38%	47%	41%
Countries	42	35	39	NA
Source: Berkeley Haas

CONSULTING STEADY, FINANCE CLIMBS

In terms of diversity of thought in the MBA classroom, Haas’ professional background mix remains relatively consistent with the previous class. 

Consulting leads at 24%, followed by technology (21%) and financial services (20%), both sectors holding strong amid market fluctuations. Healthcare, nonprofit, and government backgrounds together represent about 12% of the class.

For the second year in a row, the academic background of incoming students has shifted. 

Engineering majors fell from 25% last year to 17% for the 2027 class while business (15%), and social sciences (13%) all rose slightly. Finance majors rose from 4% for the Class of 2026 to 6% for the current incoming class.

The trend underscores Haas’s attraction among students with broader academic and professional diversity, particularly in business, public policy, and data-driven fields such as computer science (7% of the class).

Pre-MBA Industries & Undergrad Majors
Industry	Class of 2027	Class of 2026		Undergrad Major	Class of 2027	Class of 2026
Consulting	24%	23%		Engineering	17%	25%
Tech/ Electronics	21%	21%		Economics	17%	18%
Financial Services	20%	17%		Business/ Commerce	15%	13%
Healthcare/ Biotech/ Pharma	5%	6%		Social Sciences	13%	12%
Nonprofit	5%	7%		Computer Science	7%	5%
Consumer/ Retail	4%	3%		Math/ Physical/ Natural Sciences	7%	11%
Military	4%	5%		Finance	6%	4%
Government	2%	4%		Arts/ Humanities	4%	7%
Entertainment	2%	—		Other	14%	9%
Real Estate	2%	—
Energy	1%	4%
Source: Berkeley Haas

See Haas’ full MBA Class of 2027 profile here. 

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