It is harder to get into Stanford than any other business school in the world. The school's acceptance rate is the lowest in the world (Harvard and MIT Sloan are next lowest). One aspect that makes Stanford unique is that all students are required to go abroad, either on short trips with other students or on longer stays during the summer. Top hiring firms include consulting giants Bain, Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey, plus Apple and Warburg Pincus.

Location: Palo Alto, California

Website: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/

Affiliation: Stanford University

Annual Enrollment: 417

Median GMAT: 740

Established: 1925

History of Stanford GSB

The school was founded in 1925 when trustee Herbert Hoover formed a committee of Wallace Alexander, George Rolph, Paul Shoup, Thomas Gregory, and Milton Esberg to secure the needed funds for the school's founding. Willard Hotchkiss became first dean of Stanford GSB.