Harvard Business School
HBS Application Deadlines 2025-2026 / Class of 2028
Round 1
Application Deadline: September 3, 2025 Decisions Released: December 10, 2025
Round 2
Application Deadline: January 5, 2026 Decisions Released: March 26, 2026
Harvard 2+2 (Deferred Enrollment Program) Final Deadline: April 23, 2025
The following are the main essay questions on the 2025-2026 / Class of 2028 Harvard MBA application
Essay 1
Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations . (up to 300 words)
Essay 2
Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped how you invest in others and how you lead? (up to 250 words)
Essay 3
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. (up to 250 words)
Career Goals Short Answer
Briefly tell us more about your career aspirations. (500 characters)
Additional Information
Please share additional information here if you need to clarify any information provided in the other sections of your application. This is not meant to be used as an additional essay. Please limit your additional information to the space in this section.
We know you’ll be tempted, but please don’t send us any additional materials (e.g., additional recommendations, work portfolios). To be fair to all applicants, extra materials won’t be considered. (75 words)
Re-applicant Essay
Please use this space to share with the Admissions Committee how you have reflected and grown since your previous application and discuss any relevant updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, and extracurricular/volunteer engagements). (250 word limit)
Visit the HBS admissions website for more application information.
Disclaimer: the information provided on this page is for reference only. Applicants are strongly advised to visit the admissions website link provided above to confirm essay prompts, deadlines, and other application information. Photo by Ted Eytan.