Santa Clara University, Leavey School of Business Admission
Santa Clara University, Leavey School of Business Undergraduate Program
Santa Clara University, Leavey School of Business Application

The Facts

Santa Clara University is a rather moderately sized, private institution located in the town of Santa Clara, California, and is affiliated with the Jesuits. The university has a combined graduate and undergraduate enrollment of over 7, 368 students, however, the graduate Leavey School of Business is significantly smaller with about 988 graduate business students in attendance. Approximately 95% of the currently enrolled graduate business students have had an average of 7 years of full-time professional experience, which is a factor the admissions committee takes into serious consideration when reviewing applications. As a result of this fact, the average age of entrance is around 29, however, ages range from 21 all the way up to 60. About 2% of currently enrolled students entered the school directly from their undergraduate education, while approximately 18% of students already have a graduate degree of some sort. The school is perhaps best known for its emphasis on "competence, conscience, and compassion," in preparing students for positions of leadership in a global business environment. The Leavey School of Business offers graduate degrees in the Master of Business Administration (MBA), as well as a joint degree in law (MBA/JD), as well as cross-registration programs, work-study, and a multilateral agreement with other Jesuit MBA programs at schools throughout the country. Some of the most popular programs of study include courses in the areas of entrepreneurship, finance, international business, leadership, as well as marketing.

Admission to Santa Clara University's graduate Leavey School of Business is quite competitive among those who apply; last year, over 468 students applied for admission to the school and approximately 317 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 236 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.27, and an average GMAT score of about 620. The admissions committee requires all applicants to have a minimum undergraduate GPA of at least a 2.7, as well as a minimum GMAT score of at least 500. Students are able to begin graduate course work in either the fall, winter, or spring, and admissions decisions are given out approximately 4 to 6 weeks after the initial application deadline.

The Leavey School of Business has 67 full-time faculty members, of whom 98% hold a doctorate degree. The school is also home to 14 part-time faculty members, of whom 50% hold a doctorate. The average graduate business class has around 35 students, and most faculty members teach an average of 7 courses at a time.

Placement Services

The Leavey School of Business has rather extensive placement services that are available to alumni for an unlimited amount of time after they receive their degrees. Last year, 120 companies were actively recruiting on campus, 90% of which were national corporations. The average starting of the most recent graduating class was around $93,000, however, it ranged from $55,000 to $140,000. Additionally, over 65% of the most recent graduating class found a job within three months of obtaining their degree.

What's Good

"This school's name means a lot in the business world. It shows by how many great companies come here to recruit."

"The professors are not just teachers, but mentors. They have a lot of wise advice to share."

"I really like the format of the classes. They're conducive to some really great discussions."

What's Bad

"There are too many course requirements for my taste. It takes forever to actually get to your specialty."

"There are some professors who are a bit tricky to get in contact with outside of class."

"Some of the students who have had more real-world work experience are a bit elitist, and think they know everything."

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