The Leonard N. Stern School of Business (also NYU Stern, Stern School of Business, or simply Stern) is the

business school A business school is a higher education institution or professional school that teaches courses leading to degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, s ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

based in New York City. Founded as the School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance in 1900, the school received its current name in 1988. Stern is a founding member of the

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is an American professional and accreditation organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to busines ...

. Established as the School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance, the school changed its name in 1988 in honor of Leonard N. Stern, an alumnus and benefactor of the school. The school offers

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in Business at the

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

level and

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

degrees at the

postgraduate Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

level. The school is located on

Gould Plaza Jeffrey S. Gould Plaza (commonly referred to as Gould Plaza) is an outdoor campus plaza located on West 4th Street in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City. It is the home of several New York University (NYU) schools. It was named after ...

next to the

Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences The Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences (commonly known as Courant or CIMS) is the mathematics research school of New York University (NYU). Founded in 1935, it is named after Richard Courant, one of the founders of the Courant Institute ...

and the

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

department of the College of Arts and Sciences.

History

The Stern School was founded by

Charles Waldo Haskins Charles Waldo Haskins (January 11, 1852 – January 9, 1903) was an American accountant, and co-founder of the accounting firm Haskins and Sells, a predecessor to Deloitte. Biography Charles Waldo Haskins was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 185 ...

(an alumnus of

New York University Tandon School of Engineering The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United St ...

) in 1900 as the Undergraduate School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance on the university's Washington Square campus. In 1913, Jeanette Hamill, J.D., M.A., joined the school's Economics department, becoming its first female faculty member. In 1936, women comprised 15% of the total enrollment.

Graduate School of Business Administration

The Graduate School of Business Administration was launched in 1916, and was housed in the NYU's School of Commerce's Wall Street branch. Located in New York's downtown business district, the school's "Wall Street Division" served both full-time and currently employed students. The graduate school's first dean was appointed in 1921. By 1945, the school's enrollment was over 10,000 with graduates hailing from 36 countries and 48 states. In the 1960s, international business courses were introduced. The New York University, Graduate School of Business Administration, C.J. Devine Institute of Finance (1959–1966) published Finance and Investment bulletins related to International finance. The school awarded its first Doctor of Commercial Sciences degree in 1970.

Commerce/College of Business and Public Administration

The School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance was renamed the College of Business and Public Administration in 1972. In the same year, Tisch Hall, designed by

Philip Johnson Philip Cortelyou Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005) was an American architect who designed modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the postmodern 550 ...

and Richard Foster in a similar style as

Bobst Library The Elmer Holmes Bobst Library ( ), often referred to simply as Bobst Library or just Bobst, is the main library at New York University (NYU) in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The library is located at 70 Washington Square South between LaGuar ...

and Meyer Hall, opened at 40 West Fourth Street to house the undergraduate college.

Stern's donation

In 1988, a $30 million gift from the school's alumnus Leonard N. Stern (BS 1957; MBA 1959) allowed the school to consolidate its graduate and undergraduate facilities at NYU's Washington Square campus. The school was renamed Leonard N. Stern School of Business. In 1992, Stern's new $68 million state-of-the-art facility, now known as Kaufman Management Center, was inaugurated. In 1998, a $10 million gift from

Henry Kaufman Henry Kaufman (born October 20, 1927) is president of Henry Kaufman & Company, Inc., a firm established in April 1988, specializing in economic and financial consulting, and is known by the nickname "Dr. Doom." Early life Kaufman was born on Octob ...

(PhD 1958) supported an expansion and upgrading of Stern's facilities. Investment banker and Home Depot investor

Kenneth Langone Kenneth Gerard Langone Sr. KSG (born September 16, 1935) is an American billionaire businessman best known for organizing financing for the founders of The Home Depot. He is a major donor to the Republican Party. Early life Langone was born in ...

(MBA 1960) donated $10 million to Stern in 1999. The Langone MBA for Working Professionals was renamed in his honor. Celebrating its 100th birthday in the year 2000, Stern launched a $100 million centennial campaign.

Peter Blair Henry Peter Blair Henry, an economist, was the ninth Dean of New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business, and William R. Berkley Professor of Economics and Business, and author of TURNAROUND: Third World Lessons for First World Growth' ...

became dean of the school in January 2010. In 2010, the renovation of the three Stern School of Business buildings, known as the Stern Concourse Project, was completed. This project was fully funded by donors, alumni and corporate partners. NYU Stern Westchester offers its Langone MBA for Working Professionals in

Purchase, New York Purchase is a hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set ...

, at

SUNY Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase, commonly referred to as Purchase College or SUNY Purchase, is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. Established in 1967 by G ...

Academics

As of October 2022, 2,865 students were enrolled in Stern's undergraduate program and 2,735 were enrolled in its

(MBA) program. There are 455 faculty, which includes tenured, tenure-track, clinical, visiting and adjunct faculty. Stern offers a spectrum of academic programs at the graduate and

levels. The school is located on West 4th Street, occupying Shimkin and Tisch Halls and the Kaufman Management Center, on NYU's Washington Square campus. Students who attend the Stern School of Business are often called "Sternies". Stern offers a study abroad program, IBEX (International Business Exchange Program). This program lasts one semester at many business schools around the world. Stern currently has multiple partner schools for this program in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, Australia, China, Denmark, England, France,

Hong Kong SAR Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain and Thailand.

Student life

Graduate school investment organizations

In 2005, Stern launched the Student Social Venture Fund, the first student-run

venture philanthropy Venture philanthropy is a type of impact investment that takes concepts and techniques from venture capital finance and business management and applies them to achieving philanthropic goals. The term was first used in 1969 by John D. Rockefeller ...

fund of its kind at a U.S. business school. In 2012, Professor James B. Rosenwald and his wife, Laura made a contribution to Stern for the Rosenwald Global Value Student Investment Fund. Every year, a tenth of the fund will be invested in one or more stocks based on recommendations made by the students in his Global Value Investing class.

Rankings

MBA rankings

* #6 (tie) - ''U.S. News & World Report'' (2025) * #10 - ''Fortune Magazine'' (2025) * #11 (US) and #17 (Global) - ''QS Global Rankings'' (2025) * #12 (US) and #17 (Global) - ''QRNW European Council of Leading Business Schools'' (2025) * #14 (US) and #21 (Global) - ''Financial Times'' (2024)

MBA specialty rankings

* #1 MBA for Finance - ''Princeton Review'' (2024) * #2 MBA for Investment Banking - ''BusinessBecause'' (2021) * #5 MBA for Career in Finance - ''QS'' ''Career Specialization Ranking'' (2024) * #8 Executive MBA - ''U.S. News & World Report'' (2025) * #10 MBA for Consulting - ''AdmitStreet'' (2024)

Business school rankings

* #7 (US) and #17-tie (Global) - ''QS Global Rankings'' (2025) * #7 (US) and #13 (Global) - ''QRNW European Council of Leading Business Schools'' (2025) * #11 (US) and #17 (Global) - ''Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings'' (2025) * #11 (US) and #17 (Global) - ''CEOWORLD Magazine'' (2025) * #15 - ''Bloomberg Businessweek'' (2024)

Other specialty rankings

* #2 Undergraduate Finance Program - ''U.S. News & World Report'' (2025) * #5-tie Undergraduate Business Program - ''U.S. News & World Report'' (2025) * #3 Best Finance Master's Program - ''U.S. News & World Report'' (2025) * #5 Finance (US & Global) - ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (2024) * #8 (US) and #11 (Global) Accounting & Finance - ''QS Global Rankings (2025)'' * #2 Best Career Prospects - ''Princeton Review'' (2024) * #9 Compensation - ''Bloomberg'' (2024) * #6 Post-MBA Salary (US and Global) - ''The Economist'' (2022) * #7 Top-Tier Jobs - ''QS Top MBA'' (2021)

Undergraduate programs

Stern offers three undergraduate degree programs: a Bachelor of Science in Business, in Business and Political Economy (BPE), or in Business, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (BTE). Applicants are required to apply directly to each program, and all programs are extremely selective. Stern's overall acceptance rate for the class of 2027 was less than 5%. In 2023, the Business, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (BTE) program received over 5,000 applications for its 50 available spots, resulting in an acceptance rate of less than 2%. Current BS in Business students also have the option to apply to two dual-degree programs: a BS/MS in Accounting or a BS in Business/BFA in Film and Television from the

Tisch School of Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch i ...

. Transfer admission to Stern's undergraduate program is also highly selective, with a transfer acceptance rate of 2% in 2019. In 2020, the finance and international business programs were both ranked #2 nationally by '' U.S. News & World Report''. Additionally, Stern undergraduate students from the Class of 2020 reported an average starting salary of $90,915.

Graduate programs

Stern offers the

(MBA) for full-time students and executive programs for working professionals. It also offers

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

(MS) degrees; two are collaborations with

New York University Shanghai New York University Shanghai (NYU Shanghai; legal name registered as Shanghai New York University) is a joint-venture university in Pudong, Shanghai, China. It was established in 2012 under a partnership between East China Normal University and N ...

and one is a collaboration with the

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a public research university in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991, it was the territory's third institution to be granted university status, and the firs ...

. In 2000, Stern, in partnership with

London School of Economics and Political Science The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public university, public research university in London, England, and a member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the University ...

(LSE), and

HEC School of Management HEC Paris () is a business school and ''grande école'' located in Jouy-en-Josas, a southwestern outer suburb of Paris, France. It offers Bachelor, MiM, MSc in International Finance, MBA, EMBA, executive education, professional developm ...

(HEC Paris) launched the TRIUM Global Executive MBA Program. The program combines the complementary strengths of three premier universities and five international learning locations to ensure global depth and focus. Stern also offers dual degree tracks, including MD/MBA program for those enrolled at the Grossman School of Medicine, JD/MBA program for those enrolled at the

NYU School of Law The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-b ...

, MBA/MS program in collaboration with the

, and MBA/MFA program for those enrolled in the Graduate Film Program at the

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

. In 2023, Stern announced its partnership with

NYU Abu Dhabi New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD, ) is a degree-granting portal campus of New York University, established as a private liberal arts college in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Together with the main sites in New York and Shanghai, the por ...

to launch a one-year full-time MBA Program in the UAE. Stern at NYUAD welcomed its inaugural class of 54 students in January 2025.

Admissions

Undergraduate

Prospective Stern undergraduate candidates apply in their senior year of high school either through the Early Decision I (EDI), Early Decision II (EDII), or Regular Decision (RD) process. Unlike many other undergraduate business programs where students transfer in after their first or second year, Stern applicants apply specifically for Stern during their senior year of high school. These candidates are then grouped with a pool of Stern applicants separate from those applying to the New York University’s other colleges, such as the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS),

, and

Tandon School of Engineering The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United St ...

. At the time of applying, prospective students must also indicate their program of choice: BTE, BPE, or BS in Business. Their applications are then sorted and uniquely evaluated based on the chosen program. Those applying for the BTE and BPE programs can opt for BS in Business program as a secondary choice should their initial applications be rejected. Admissions decisions are made on a holistic basis that considers academic record, standardized test scores, accomplishments outside of the classroom, recommendations, essays, and diversity. In 2023, the median combined verbal and math SAT score of incoming freshmen at the undergraduate level of Stern was 1550 and 95% ranked within the top 10% of their high school's graduating class.

Graduate

The MBA program's admission rate is one of the lowest in the country at 15.7%. The admitted (full-time) MBA students' average

Graduate Management Admission Test The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT ( ())) is a computer adaptive test (CAT) intended to assess certain analytical, quantitative, verbal, and data literacy skills for use in admission to a graduate management program, such as a Mast ...

(GMAT) score was 720 with an undergraduate average GPA of 3.51. The Stern School announced it would join the programs accepting the

Graduate Record Examinations The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a standardized test that is part of the admissions process for many graduate schools in the United States and Canada and a few other countries. The GRE is owned and administered by Educational Testing ...

(GRE) from MBA candidates applying beginning in 2010. Applicants were to have the option to submit either GMAT or GRE scores with their application.

Alumni and faculty

Stern's alumni include former

Chair of the Federal Reserve The chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is the head of the Federal Reserve, and is the active executive officer of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The chairman p ...

of the United States,

Alan Greenspan Alan Greenspan (born March 6, 1926) is an American economist who served as the 13th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. He worked as a private adviser and provided consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates L ...

; former CEO and current Chairman of

Nasdaq The Nasdaq Stock Market (; National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the U.S. by volume, and ranked second on the list ...

Robert Greifeld Robert Greifeld (born 1957) is an American businessman and author. He is the former CEO and chairman of Nasdaq and former chairman of Virtu Financial. Early life Greifeld was born in Queens, New York, to an Italian American mother and a father of ...

; Iceland's "first

billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least 1,000,000,000, one billion units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultr ...

Thor Bjorgolfsson Thor (from ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, and fertility. Beside ...

; former CEO and chairman of

MetLife MetLife, Inc. is the Holding company, holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, Annuity (US financial produ ...

John J. Creedon John Joseph Creedon (August 1, 1924 – October 11, 2020) was an American businessman who served as the president and chief executive officer of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Early life Creedon was the son of Bartholomew and Emma Glynn Cr ...

; former CEO of

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...

, Thomas E. Dooley; CFO of

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

, Alan Levin; President of

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002 to 2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...

; and the founding financier of

The Home Depot The Home Depot, Inc., often referred to as Home Depot, is an American multinational corporation, multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportat ...

. Current and former

CEOs Kea (), also known as Tzia () and in antiquity Keos (, ), is a Greek island in the Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Kea is part of the Kea-Kythnos regional unit. Geography It is the island of the Cyclades complex that is closest to Att ...

Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States Joint-stock company#Closely held corporations and publicly traded corporations, corporations by ...

companies including

American Express American Express Company or Amex is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment card industry, payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Expr ...

Berggruen Institute The Berggruen Institute is a Los Angeles-based think tank founded by Nicolas Berggruen. History Berggruen Institute was formed in 2010 by founder Nicolas Berggruen and co-founder Nathan Gardels as a global network of "thinkers" dedicated to ...

Griffon Corporation Griffon Corporation is a multinational conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It operates as a diversified management and holding company. The company has five subsidiaries: Ames True Temper, ClosetMaid, Clopay Building Products, and C ...

Wynn Resorts Wynn Resorts, Limited is an American publicly traded corporation based in Paradise, Nevada, that is a developer and operator of high-end hotels and casinos. It was founded in 2002 by former Mirage Resorts Chairman and CEO Steve Wynn and is now r ...

, the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...

Lehman Brothers Lehman Brothers Inc. ( ) was an American global financial services firm founded in 1850. Before filing for bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States (behind Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Merril ...

Lord Abbett Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC is an independent, privately held investment management company headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. Lord Abbett has offices in Jersey City, Dubai, Dublin, London, Montevideo, Singapore, Tokyo, and Zurich. History On ...

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 600 retail stores across the United States. Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its B ...

, W. R. Berkley Corporation,

McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinse ...

Chase Manhattan Bank JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is an American national bank headquartered in New York City that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of the U.S. multinational banking and financial services holding ...

, and

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

are also Stern alumni. Stern's alumni also includes Olympic fencing

bronze medalist A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives a ...

and 13-time national champion in saber

Peter Westbrook Peter Jonathan Westbrook (April 16, 1952 – November 29, 2024) was an American saber fencer. He was a 13-time national and 3-time Pan American Games saber champion, five-time Olympian, and an Olympic bronze medalist. He founded the Peter West ...

, and Guinness World Record holder

Vanessa O'Brien Vanessa Audi Rhys O'Brien is a British and American mountaineer, sub-orbital spaceflight participant, explorer, and former business executive. On 12 June 2020, O'Brien became the first woman to reach Earth's highest and lowest points. She is a F ...

, the first woman to reach Earth's highest and lowest points. Among the alumni is also Children's TV creator

Shabnam Rezaei Shabnam Rezaei is a children's television creator, director, producer and co-founder of Big Bad Boo Studios and VOD service Oznoz. She created the TVOKids Original series Galapagos X, starring Odd Squad actress Millie Davis as Orchid, Gavin Mac ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Business schools in New York (state)

Business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

Universities and colleges established in 1900 1900 establishments in New York City