One person’s definition of “selective” may be far from another person’s, but it is far easier to get into executive MBA program than their traditional 2-year MBA counterparts at the same universities.
For example, at Chicago Booth, the acceptance rate for the full-time MBA program is 24%
, while the acceptance rate for Booth’s EMBA program is believed to be much higher. I say “believed to be” because schools tend to be a lot more cagey when it comes to sharing these statistics.
Note that the admissions process is far different for EMBA programs than it is at full-time programs. While admissions officers at full-time programs are reluctant to give specific, personal advice to applicants, EMBA programs often have huge “Contact Us!” buttons on their websites, and admissions officers at those schools will often counsel potential applicants on their strengths and weaknesses, when they should apply, and so on. For example, Chicago Booth’s EMBA website currently has a big “Ask Us to Review Your CV/Resume” button
.
There’s nothing wrong with this; it’s just very different from how admissions works at the full-time programs. If you apply to a full-time MBA program, you can expect to mostly go it alone (as far as getting help from the school itself is concerned). If you apply to an EMBA program, however, you can expect to get a decent amount of personalized advice before you submit your application. This can help make sure you apply at the right time in your career and that you put your best foot forward, which should only help your chances of getting in.