NYU Stern essays 2026-27, prompt by prompt
Last verified 07-14-2026 by our automated school watcher.
The verbatim prompts, verified against the school's official page. Each one gets its own analysis page as we finish it — the format is live on the essay questions index.
Essay 1: Professional Aspirations
What are your short-term career goals? Why is the Stern MBA the necessary next chapter in your professional story? Please be specific.
Essay 2: Personal Expression (a.k.a. "Pick Six")
Introduce yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. The Pick Six is a way to share more about the qualities you will bring to the Stern community, beyond your professional and academic achievements. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements: A brief introduction or overview of your "Pick Six" (no more than 3 sentences). Six images that help illustrate your interests, values, motivations, perspective and/or personality. A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you. Note: Your visuals may include photos, infographics, drawings, or any other images. Your document must be uploaded as a single PDF. The essay cannot be sent in physical form or be linked to a website.
Essay 3: Additional Information (optional)
Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee and/or give context to your application. This may include important aspects of yourself not otherwise apparent in your application, including but not limited to: hardships you have encountered, current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information.
Plan around the deadlines
- Round 1 — 09-15-26
- Round 2 — 10-15-26
- Round 3 — 01-15-27
- Round 4 — 04-15-27