Class Size Increase at Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School has announced it will temporarily expand its enrollment for the MBA Classes of 2023 and 2024. In late spring, the school offered deferrals to anyone who wanted to postpone their enrollment in 2o20 due to COVID-19. This caused many future applicants to worry about what that would bode for future cycles. The HBS class size increase will bring enrollment to about 1,000 students each year.

This should greatly ease the concerns of a fresh crop of applicants. “HBS has always strived, through a thoughtful design of the learning and student experiences, to offer the breadth of opportunity of a large business school and the intimacy of a small section of fellow students,” Admissions Director Chad Losee recently wrote on the Direct from the Director blog.

Besides the class size increase, HBS has also announced a new summer internship requirement in the MBA program. Starting with the Class of 2022, students must complete a summer work experience. Losee said that  99% of students usually pursue internships anyway.

“We have long considered summer internships an important extension of our curriculum—one that enhances learning and provides important practical experience,” Losee shared.

Students may work for an established organization or launch their own entrepreneurial venture, he explained. The internship position can be paid or unpaid, he added.

Losee did clarify that students who cannot do a summer internship may apply for a waiver. The school would grant one for circumstances such as the birth of a child or caring for a family member.

Finally, the admissions director noted that this new policy would benefit many of HBS’s international students.  It offers them U.S. employment eligibility and ensures they can pursue unpaid internships, Losee said.