Jun 29, 20234 min read

Everything You Need to Know About the Wharton Executive MBA

Updated: Jan 31

Wharton EMBA Program Details

The Wharton Executive MBA program offers a comprehensive curriculum offering 200+ electives and 4 majors as part of an immersive experience comprising a residential 700+ contact hours over the course of 6 study terms. Of these, 14 are global modular courses with 5 destinations offered for the Global Business week. It also offers extensive executive career coaching through dedicated entrepreneurial programs and has one of the biggest alumni networks with more than 104,000 alumni.

Wharton EMBA Acceptance Rate & Class Profile 2025

Class size	278
Average age	37
Candidates under 30	3%
Candidates over 40	25%
Female candidates	35%
Candidates who are under-represented minorities	15%
Countries represented	41
Average years of work experience	13
Candidates sponsored by employer	27% (>50% financial support)
GMAT (Middle 80% range)	660 - 750
Median GMAT	711
EA (Middle 80% range)	150 - 163
Median EA	155

The Three Cohorts:

Philadelphia

The Philadelphia campus is situated in the heart of the East Coast, only a train ride away from New York City, Washington, D.C., and Boston.

The Philadelphia cohort starts with an Orientation week at the UPenn campus, just like the San Francisco and Global cohorts. They travel to this campus every other weekend. Students can also take classes in the San Francisco campus and enjoy learning alongside the full-time MBA class.

San Francisco

The San Francisco campus is a short drive from Silicon Valley, with a strong research infrastructure and a long tradition of venture capital funding that opens a world of opportunities.

The San Francisco campus offers students the opportunity to attend weekend classes and earn their MBA with a flexible schedule to accommodate their busy lifestyle.

Global Cohort

Wharton’s global cohort recruits high-achieving professionals across multiple continents with a minimum of ten years of fill-time and post-undergrad professional experience, as well as a minimum of five years of managerial experience, to build a global community of individuals.

The global cohort follows a blended schedule that brings students together in a synchronous and virtual classroom so they can attend from different time zones. The program is 22 months long, offering 700 hours of active learning, and includes 5 in-person residency weeks at the Philadelphia, San Francisco, and other global campuses.

Wharton EMBA Application Requirements

The Wharton EMBA program encourages applicants from varied educational and professional backgrounds with a minimum of 8 years of full-time experience.

Fellows Applicants: If you have less than 8 years of experience, you can still apply as a Fellows candidate. Fellows candidates comprise 6% of the total number of candidates in the Wharton EMBA cohort and are required to have a significant financial sponsorship of at least 50% of the cost of the EMBA. This helps in demonstrating your firm’s commitment towards your career development and signals “high managerial potential” to the AdCom.

Global Cohort Applicants: To apply to the global program, the Wharton EMBA website specifically outlines that you need a minimum of 10 years of experience as a full-time professional. These candidates cannot apply as a Fellows candidate.

All the Executive MBA students are required to maintain full-time employment throughout the duration of the program.

Deadlines

The Wharton EMBA applications have two rounds. For the class entering in 2023, the deadlines were:

Round 1 Applications:

Deadline to submit your application: October 12, 2022 (11:59 p.m.*)

Interview invitations released: November 16, 2022

Decisions released: December 21, 2022

Round 2 Applications

Deadline to submit your application: January 18, 2023 (11:59 p.m.*)

Interview invitations released: February 22, 2023

Decisions released: March 22, 2023

1. Online Application

You will need to submit the following documents for the Wharton EMBA online application:

Test Scores - GMAT/GRE/EA

Test scores are to be submitted with the entire application package by the deadline of the round you’re applying in. There is no minimum score requirement however, you can use the median scores mentioned above as a reference point.

English Language Test scores

For applicants coming from a non-native English speaking background, you are required to submit a standard English test score (IELTS, TOEFL iBT or PTE) report along with your application.

Transcripts

You will need to submit an unofficial copy of your transcripts along with your application. Upon acceptance, the official transcripts must be sent to Wharton electronically or by mail.

Official address: mbaexec-ops@wharton.upenn.edu

Mailing address: The Wharton MBA Program for Executives

University of Pennsylvania

255 South 38th Street

Steinberg Conference Center

Philadelphia, PA 19104.6359

2. Letter of Sponsorship

The letter of sponsorship is to be provided by the person who has the authority to approve the time commitment you’ll need to complete the program. The letter should be on company letterhead, signed, and uploaded to the application directly by your sponsor, who will receive a secure link to upload the document via email. If financial support for the program has been granted, that amount should be stated within this letter as well. Fellows applicants (i.e. applicants with less than eight (8) years of full time work experience by the program start date) are required to receive substantial financial and program-related support from their company. If the company is unable to commit to this amount, an explanation should be provided within the sponsorship letter.

Self-employed candidates should contact the Director of Admissions to approve their sponsor.

3. Wharton EMBA Essays

The Wharton EMBA essays will be announced in July 2023. As of last year, these are the most recent Wharton EMBA essay questions.

Essay Question 1

Required; 500 word limit. What are your career objectives and how will the Wharton MBA Program for Executives contribute to your attainment of this objective?

Essay Question 2

Required; 500 word limit. Research has shown that there is a compelling business case for diversity, equity, and inclusion in organizations. Please respond to one of the following essay options:

2a. Provide an example of how you created or advocated for a work environment where differences are valued, encouraged, and supported. What did you do? What was the outcome?

2b. Describe an experience when you were part of an event/meeting/workplace that involved diverse perspectives. Include your contribution and what you learned.

Please take a moment to learn how the University of Pennsylvania endeavors to make everyone feel welcome: Diversity at Wharton.

Essay Question 3

Optional; 300 word limit. If necessary, you may use this optional essay to explain any extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware.

Reapplicant Essay

What have you been doing since you previously applied for admission and what impact have your activities had on the clarification of your goals? Include any steps you have taken to enhance your preparation for admission to Wharton. (Required; 300 word limit)

4. Resume

The resume requirement is quite straightforward - Wharton asks you to scan and upload a 1 page resume document with well-articulated pointers showcasing your functional job skills, breadth and depth of your experience, demonstrated leadership, management skills and potential for growth. They want to see what you’ve learned in your professional commitments, rather than how long you spent in each.