Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management is the business school of Cornell University and one of the leading management schools in the United States. Located on Cornell’s historic Ithaca campus, Johnson is known for its close knit community, strong analytical focus, and deep integration with Cornell’s broader academic ecosystem. The school offers a range of programs including the Full Time MBA, Executive MBA, Cornell Tech MBA in New York City, and PhD programs. With its emphasis on leadership, innovation, and real world immersion, Johnson prepares students to excel in a wide variety of global business environments.
Representative:
- Yosef Natanel Israel
Admissions Office – [email protected]
School brochure: click to open ; click to open
Q&A with admissions: click to open
2024 Chat Transcript:
Cornell_Johnson
you're welcome! Looking forward to receiving everyone's applications! Best of luck!
Bella
thank you!
Cornell_Johnson
(y)
Tsirison Albert
@Cornell_Johnson thank you for you as well Brittany
Cornell_Johnson
With just 3 minutes left, I wanted to say thank you for joining today everyone! Please feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have any other questions that we did not get to answer today!
Cornell_Johnson
Hi @Bella unfortunately we do not offer need-based scholarships, however, every candidate who applies will automatically be considered for merit-based scholarships. More info can be found here! https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/full-time-mba/admissions/financial-planning/scholarships-and-grants/
Bella
Ms McConnell hi, and thanks for answering all these questions. very informative!
As I will need a scholarship to support my journey - and Cornell is high on my list. where can I find a list of scholarships ? I dont have family support - Are need-based scholarships offered?
Cornell_Johnson
Hi @ido -- 10 years of experience is considered to be on the higher end. However, we would ask you to reflect on why the 2-year MBA program is the right fit for you. Sometimes if you are switching careers completely, it makes sense to apply for a 2 year program, however, if your goals are more in line with staying in your current industry but working up to more of a managerial/leadership level, we might ask why you are considering a 2 year program over an EMBA (executive MBA). As long as you can explain why the 2 year program is right for you, then that is what we are looking for!
ido
Hi! I wanted to ask how do you treat people with ~10 years of experience? Do you recommend such people (if they are good enough) to come to your school?
Cornell_Johnson
@Elbaz Of course! That is what we would recommend.
Elbaz
The gap was around for a year, but it was because of travelling and exploring. Can it be used to highlight my skills developed during that time and turn it into a positive?
Cornell_Johnson
@Elbaz Not necessarily. It would depend on how large the gap is. Anything under a year that you can justify (using our optional essay) is typically not an issue. However, if your career gap is more than a year, you will definitely want to use the additional essay to explain why there is a gap, what you did during that time, etc. It us not guaranteed to negatively impact your application, but depending on your goals, a large career gap could make it difficult for you in the recruitment process to get hired
Cornell_Johnson
@Spira Again, we are looking at every candidate on a holistic level, so there isn't one thing that would make your application "weak" per say. If you have your own start up, we might be looking at thing such as: 1. do you have any supervisory experience? 2. how large is the company? etc. It is more about quality! Having international experience is not a requirement either. Finally, I would encourage you to look at our class profile and examine your own application for any potential areas of improvement. If you do feel there is a piece that you are worried about, you may use our optional essay to further clarify or explain these areas :)
Elbaz
Does a career gap negatively impact my chances?
Spira
hello.. I am 28 year old and have my own start-up (4 years). But I don't have any international experience. Does that make my profile weak?
Cornell_Johnson
@Pranjalpathak07 We will review the application holistically, so we are taking everything into consideration. That said, you really want to make sure you discuss your goals clearly and show that you have done research on the recruitment process, as well as answer the essay questions thoroughly!
Cornell_Johnson
@Kirti There is no minimum work requirement. While 2 years is considered to be on the "lower end", as our average number of years for work experience is 6, that is just an average. There are admitted candidates each year who have work experience below and above our average. So, it is still possible to be admitted with 2 years experience. We are more concerned with the quality of your work experience rather than the number of years
Pranjalpathak07
@Cornell_Johnson can you please highlight the key aspects in a candidate's application?
Kirti
I have a work-ex of 2 years in different organizations. is this accepted? what is the Minimum work years required to get into MBA program?
Cornell_Johnson
@Dayan unfortunately we do not offer need based scholarships
Cornell_Johnson
@Pranjalpathak07 We do offer application fee waivers for attending certain events! You can attend one of our events called "Ask Admissions" or a "2 year MBA Info Session" to qualify for a fee waiver. We don't have any of these events on the calendar yet, but they will be posted in the next couple of months! Please keep your eye out https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/full-time-mba/admissions/events
Cornell_Johnson
@David Mor, you do not need to have an engineering background specifically, but you do need 3-5 years of tech experience
Cornell_Johnson
@Amit Unfortunately, we do not encourage students to work during the program and the full-time MBA is a full-time commitment. That said, there are a few paid, student positions you can apply for such as an admissions ambassador, student interviewer, or TA.
Cornell_Johnson
@Eran I accidentally hit send before finishing my message. Please see my revised response above answering all your questions!
Dayan
Thank you for your response, I had one more question, are there need based scholarships too?
Cornell_Johnson
@Eran 1. the MBA program is a Masters of Business Administration. Students can take advantage of classes at our Nolan School of Hotel Administration if they have interests in hospitality/tourism. We also offer a brand management area of focus. 2. The process could take a few weeks to a few months depending on how quickly you submit your documents, how quickly you schedule your interview, etc. However, we do have certain deadlines throughout each application round and timelines for us to get back to you, so you'll never be waiting TOO long! 3. No, we offer GMAT waivers, however, it is not guaranteed that your GMAT will be waived. 4. Every student who applies is automatically considered for a merit-based scholarship.
Cornell_Johnson
@Dayan There are no specific scholarships for students pursuing careers in social impact that come from our admissions office. We mainly offer merit-based scholarships, a leadership scholarship for domestic students, an LGBT+ fellowship, and a few others. However, there are some outside scholarship resources you can look into! https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/full-time-mba/admissions/financial-planning/scholarship-resources/
Pranjalpathak07
Hi team Cornell. Do you offer any application fee waiver too?
David Mor
Do I need to have an engineering background to apply for Cornell Tech MBA
Amit
Is it possible to work during the full-time program?
Tsirison Albert
@Cornell_Johnson okay thank you so much I will wait for that then
Cornell_Johnson
@Tsirison Albert They will open sometime in early August!
Eran
Hi! first of all thank you for hosting us in this event.
I would like to ask a few questions;
1. Do you have a specific MBA's programs in business administration (according to a certain specialization)? If so - does it exist in the field of hospitality and tourism/in the field of marketing/in other fields?
2. In addition, how long does the whole process take from the moment of selection to the moment of admission to the academic institution?
3. Is a GMAT test required to be admitted to your degree?
4. In addition, are there certain scholarships?
Dayan
Are there any scholarships for students pursuing careers in social impact?
Tsirison Albert
@Cornell_Johnson I forgot when the application for Fall 2025 open again please?
Cornell_Johnson
@Zoe We do also offer some optional areas of focus during your second year, which can be found here: https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/full-time-mba/two-year-mba/curriculum/areas-of-focus/
Cornell_Johnson
@Zoe A little bit of both! In your first year, all students will take the same core-curriculum courses and choose an Immersion. Immersions are a combination of coursework and field work and you can choose the immersion that best fits your career goals (we offer 5 immersions currently). Your 2nd year is very flexible and customizable, and you can choose to take electives at any of the colleges within Cornell, including our Cornell Tech campus in NYC, and have the option to study abroad as well.
Cornell_Johnson
@Ofek Yes that is possible. While we cannot make any guarantees, a high GMAT is a good way to offset a lower GPA. Please keep in mind we take everything into consideration while reviewing an application, so having a GMAT score is an additional data point we get to use when reviewing your file.
Cornell_Johnson
@Kirti Typically, waivers are a good option for people who have extensive quantitative work in their backgrounds. However, given the potentially difficulty to take the exam in Israel right now, that may qualify you for a waiver as well. That being said however, please note that waivers cannot be guaranteed.
Cornell_Johnson
@Schwartz Stern We do have various resources for entrepreneurs, including a startup suite of student-run services (seed-stage VC fund, consulting services, etc.), entrepreneurship courses, a BioEntrepreneurship fellowship, and more!
Zoe
Is the MBA curriculum flexible or structured?Can I choose my electives? I didnt see specializations on your site
Ofek
My GPA is not that high, will a high GMAT overcome that?
Kirti
Thanks, What are the requirements Cornell will look at to give waiver?
Schwartz Stern
Does your program offer opportunities for independent research projects or entrepreneurship ventures?
Cornell_Johnson
Hi @Kirti. Yes, we offer GMAT waivers! In the application, we ask for a brief 100-word statement justifying your reasons for the waiver. You will be notified within a few days whether your waiver has been approved. In the event that your waiver is NOT approved, your application will be placed on hold until we receive a test score from you.
Kirti
Hi, Does Cornell offer GMAT waivers?
Cornell_Johnson
@Ofek you're welcome!
Ofek
Thanks!
Cornell_Johnson
@Tsirison Albert you're welcome!
Tsirison Albert
@Cornell_Johnson thank you very much
Cornell_Johnson
@Tsirison Albert We do not accept transfer credits in the MBA program, but there are certain core courses you can test out of via exemption tests that happen during orientation week.
Cornell_Johnson
@Ofek We review candidates holistically, so there are no "one size fits all" traits that we are looking for. However, some traits we see in successful candidates are people who have clear goals and have done the research into their goals, people who are eager to get involved in the community, and people who are able to work on diverse teams!
Cornell_Johnson
@Sachar Yes, there are GMAT waivers! In the application, we would ask for a brief 100-word statement justifying your reasons for the waiver. You will be notified within a few days whether your waiver has been approved. In the event that your waiver is NOT approved, your application will be placed on hold until we receive a test score from you.
Tsirison Albert
Hi Brittany Do you know if Cornel can receive a transfer course from another graduate degree?
Ofek
Hi Brittany, what type of candidates are you looking for? any specific traits or characteristics?
Sachar
Thank you Brittany. I am interested in a 2y program - are there GMAT waivers this year? its been a challenging year here in Israel...
Cornell_Johnson
@Sachar The Cornell Tech campus does have their own, separate program (1-year tech MBA), however, students in the 2-year full time program may take courses on the Cornell tech campus during their 2nd year
Cornell_Johnson
Hi everyone! My name is Brittany McConnell, Assistant Director of Admissions for Johnson's 2-year MBA program. Thank you for joining -- I'm excited to be here with you all and answer some questions!
Shachar
hi everyone and really excited to be here. If I may ask a question. can I study some of the courses in the Cornell Tech campus? or that is a separate program?