University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business

Enrollment: 1,062
Average GMAT: 681.00
GMAT Range (25-75%): 650-710
Average Undergrad GPA: 3.39
Regular Application Deadline: 04/01
Rolling Admission: Yes
School Type: Public
Average Age: 28.00
Average Work Experience (months): 60
Student Faculty Ratio: 5:1

Part Time Program: No
Evening Program: Yes
Executive MBA Program Offered: Yes
Total Faculty: 116

Average Starting Salary: $96,537.00
Hired Consulting: 24%
Hired Finance: 39%
Hired Operations: 4%
Hired Marketing: 18%

Out-of-State Tuition: $40,500.00
In-State Tuition: $23,950.00
Financial Aid Deadline: 03/31
Students Receiving Some Aid: 64%
Average Annual Total Financial Aid: $45,891.00

Students Say - Academics
The MBA program at the McCombs School of Business earns its stellar national reputation with "top 15 rankings in all the major concentrations" and excellent placement results, but it's the program's add-ons that have students here excited. McCombs students aren't simply satisfied to master their program's demanding curriculum; this school "attracts really driven and talented young professionals" anxious to "take advantage of all the MBA program has to offer, such as the MBA Investment Fund, Venture Fellows, Plus Program, MootCorp, the Austin Technology Incubator, etc."

McCombs' Plus Program "gets a lot of press" for "connecting students with their dream companies to work on consulting projects solving real business issues." One student reports that the program "enabled me to receive one-on-one professional coaching for teamwork, presentation skills, and interviewing. It has enabled me to do real projects with companies that I have always been curious about like REI. It has helped me get mergers and acquisition training that helped me learn the language prior to the interview season. It is a great way for me to branch out and build my exposure to new things." All these characteristics make Plus "very beneficial for career switchers," MBAs here agree.

Yet there are some here who insist that Plus "is not the crown jewel of the program." They point instead to several other programs, such as Venture Fellows, "a leadership and academic program that allows students the opportunity to learn more about the venture capital and private equity communities" through guest speakers and internships with local private equity and venture capital firms. They also trumpet the MBA Investment Fund, which "manages $15 million of all private dollars. No public or university money is managed here and the students have to report to private investors while managing the fund." Finally, there's the students' "widespread interest in global trips. With such a diverse student body and the importance of globalization, interest in international affairs is growing every day. Students can choose to study abroad for a semester and tons of students choose to participate in global trips--two-week excursions, part business/part culture—to large business development centers around the globe."

Students report strong offerings across the board, with pronounced strength in entrepreneurship, finance, and marketing. The faculty offers "both practitioners and academics that add to the overall learning experience," although they warn that "There are some incredible professors here, but those are the classes that are really hard to get into. If Texas can attract better teachers as opposed to just researchers (or develop them), it should be a top-ten school."

Students Say - Admissions
The McCombs School accepts online applications only. A completed application must include: a resume detailing work history (two years of post baccalaureate work experience is strongly recommended); personal essays; official copies of transcripts for all post-secondary academic work; letters of recommendation; an official score report for the GMAT; and, for international students whose first language is not English, an official score report for the TOEFL. Programs designed to increase minority and disadvantaged populations at McCombs include: Jump Start, which "targets undergraduate seniors who are academically qualified for a top-ranked MBA but lack the required work experience"; Explore McCombs, a three-day preview of the school for qualified African-American, Hispanic- American, and Native-American applicants; participation in the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, a thirteen-university alliance working to facilitate excellence in graduate business education for minority students; attending the annual conferences of the National Society for Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) and the National Black MBA; and Women's MBA Weekend, a three-day preview of the program for women considering an MBA.

Students Say - Campus Life
The McCombs MBA program works hard to build community fast. As one student explains, "The Texas MBA program offers new students the opportunity to meet classmates before classes start through the McCombs Adventure Program. This summer students traveled to Morocco, Costa Rica, Chile, and Napa Valley." The trend continues through students' first semester. "At the beginning, classes are back to back with your own cohort," writes one student. "After the first semester, people do one core class and the rest electives. People are more united at the beginning of the MBA given the constant interaction. As semesters progress, people get to gather in groups and have classes with other graduate or undergraduate peers."

Life on the Austin campus provides "a good combination of work and play. The first semester is brutal and filled with busy work, but the rest of the semesters offer more options for classes and a better learning environment. Plenty of social and cultural events throughout the year offer the opportunity for networking and building up the strong community here at McCombs." In addition, "Austin is a vibrant city that is perfect for business school students. The attractive nightlife and social network of students make the transition from the professional world to business school very smooth.

Students Say - Careers
McCombs' status as a high-ranking program ensures a robust recruitment season for MBAs. Students note that "the Texas MBA program offers one of the few specializations in energy finance and has considerable contacts in the energy industry, including major energy companies (ExxonMobil, Shell, El Paso, TXU, etc.). The MBA program also offers significant access to the major investment banks and their energy groups." Also, "The MBA alumni base is strong and supportive."

Top employers of McCombs MBAs include 3M, Accenture, Alliance Residential Co., Alvarez & Marsal,Bank of America Securities, Booz Allen Hamilton, Boston Consulting Group, Cambridge Associates, Capgemini U.S. LLC, Chase, Chevron, Citigroup , ConocoPhillips, Dell, Deloitte Consulting, Dimensional Fund Advisors, Discover Financial, Eli Lilly & Co., Everest Group, Exxon Mobil Corp., Frito-Lay, Hewlett-Packard, Hoover's, IBM, J.P. Morgan, Johnson & Johnson International, KPMG, Lehman Brothers, McKinsey & Co., Mercer Management Consulting, Merrill Lynch, Microsoft Corp., Progressive Insurance, USAA Real Estate Co., Wachovia Securities, and Walmart.

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