Dartmouth Tuck
Why Tuck?
At Tuck, the MBA experience is defined by personal scale, deep connection, and community. Nestled in Hanover, New Hampshire, Tuck attracts students who want to step away from the noise and invest fully in two years of growth, surrounded by peers, faculty, and alumni who are genuinely committed to each other's success. It's a place where classmates become lifelong friends, professors know your name, and collaboration isn't just encouraged, it's expected.
Tuck's general management curriculum, combined with a strong emphasis on leadership development and team-based learning, gives students a well-rounded foundation to lead across industries. But more than anything, students choose Tuck for the culture: close-knit, humble, values-driven, and intensely supportive. If you're looking for a transformative experience in a community where you'll be seen, challenged, and championed, you'll find it here.
🎓 MBA Class Profile (Class of 2024)
Key Demographics
- Enrolled Students: 287
- Acceptance Rate: 29%
- Women: 45%
- International Students: 37%
Academic Profile
- Average GMAT Score: 724
- Average GRE Scores:
- Verbal: 161
- Quantitative: 160
- Average Undergraduate GPA: 3.5
💼 Employment Statistics
Job Placement
- Employment Rate: 98% (within 3 months)
- Median Base Salary: $170,000
- Median Signing Bonus: $30,000
- Received Job Offers: 96%
Top Industries
- Consulting: 38%
- Financial Services: 25%
- Technology: 18%
- Healthcare: 7%
🎤 Interview Tips
Unique Interview Feature:
Tuck offers a distinctive interview experience where most interviews are conducted by second-year students known as Tuck Admissions Associates (TAAs). These interviews are designed to be conversational, aiming to assess candidates based on Tuck's four core admissions criteria: smart, accomplished, aware, and encouraging.
| Unique Questions Common to Tuck | Prep Tips |
|---|---|
| "Tell me about a time you gave someone feedback." | Choose an example where your feedback made a positive impact. Emphasize how you tailored the message and how the recipient responded. |
| "Tell me about a time you went out of your way to learn something new or acted outside your comfort zone." | Choose a moment that reflects your intellectual curiosity or willingness to grow. Focus on why the situation was unfamiliar, how you approached learning or adapting, and what you took away from the experience that prepared you to engage fully at Tuck. |
| "Describe a situation where you had to deliver bad news to someone." | Focus on empathy, clarity, and responsibility. Explain how you handled the situation and the reaction it generated. |
Note: For a full list of potential interview questions, check our MBA interview guide.
✍️ Essay Tips
Tuck Essay #1
"Why are you pursuing an MBA and why now? How will the distinct Tuck MBA contribute to achieving your goals and aspirations? What particular aspects of Tuck will be instrumental in your growth?"
(2000 characters)
🎯 What Tuck Is Really Looking For
1. Timing With Intent
This is your classic "Why MBA, why now?" prompt but Tuck wants more than a career transition story. They're looking for clarity of purpose and a personal sense of urgency.
Tip: Briefly establish what turning point, insight, or frustration made you realize now is the moment. Then link that to a clear short-term and long-term goal.
2. Tuck Fit as a Career Multiplier
Tuck's program is small, personal, and rigorous and they want people who truly get that. So you need to connect the Tuck experience not just to what you'll learn, but how that environment will accelerate your growth.
Tip: Go beyond generalities. Link your goals to specific Tuck experiences like the First-Year Project, Center for Digital Strategies, or a tight-knit study group dynamic and explain how those resources align with your development priorities.
3. Self-Awareness of What You Need
This is a subtle but important subtext: they want people who know not just where they're going, but what kind of environment will bring out their best.
Tip: A sentence or two that reflects why Tuck's style works for you whether that's the intimacy, the collaboration, the location, or the feedback culture goes a long way in showing maturity.
❌ Common Pitfalls
- Rattling off resume bullets without showing what drives you
- Dropping generic phrases like "build my leadership skills" with no elaboration
- Mentioning Tuck clubs without connecting them to your goals
- Forgetting to explain why now is the moment
Tuck Essay #2
"Tell us who you are. How have your values and experiences shaped your identity and character? How will your unique background contribute to Tuck and/or enhance the experience of your classmates?"
(2000 characters)
🎯 What Tuck Is Really Looking For
1. Values That Feel Earned
Tuck wants depth not slogans. They're not just asking who you are today, but how you became that person. Show them a throughline that ties together your values and your life.
Tip: Choose 1 to 2 core values that feel central to your identity. Then use specific moments or people that helped shape those values. This is a character essay, not a culture tour.
2. Contribution That Comes From Identity
Tuck doesn't want just diversity of background they want diversity of perspective and lived experience. This is your chance to explain how who you are will shape how you show up.
Tip: Don't say "I'll contribute by being collaborative." Say: "As someone who grew up translating for my immigrant parents, I learned how to listen first and speak with empathy something I'll bring to every team I join."
3. Emotional Honesty
Tuck values authenticity. You don't need to be dramatic. You just need to be real. The most powerful answers come from people who know their story, own their journey, and are still evolving.
❌ Common Pitfalls
- Listing values without anchoring them in stories
- Overexplaining your résumé instead of your identity
- Being vague about what you'll actually contribute
- Trying to sound too polished and losing the personal
Tuck Essay #3
"Describe a time when you meaningfully invested in someone else's success without immediate benefit to yourself. What motivated you, and what was the impact?"
(2000 characters)
🎯 What Tuck Is Really Looking For
1. Generosity in Action
This is not just a leadership prompt. It's a character test. Tuck is asking: When no one was watching and there was nothing in it for you, did you still show up?
Tip: Pick a story where you chose to help not because of obligation, but because you saw someone struggling or full of potential, and you leaned in.
2. Intrinsic Motivation
Tuck wants to understand what drove you to act. Whether it was empathy, mentorship, principle, or purpose, explain what made that moment matter to you.
Tip: The "why" is more important than the "what." Even if the impact was modest, if your motivation was genuine, it will land.
3. Ripple Effect, Not Hero Complex
This isn't about being a savior. It's about being invested in others' growth. Focus on the person you supported. What changed for them? What did it teach you?
Tip: A brief reflection on what the experience revealed about your own values can tie the essay together beautifully.
❌ Common Pitfalls
- Telling a story where you clearly benefited
- Choosing a story that centers your own achievement
- Forgetting to explain what made the act meaningful to you
- Overloading the essay with context and underplaying reflection
📅 Application Deadlines
| Round | Application Deadline | Decision Notification |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | September 8, 2025 | December 5, 2025 |
| Round 2 | January 5, 2026 | March 13, 2026 |
| Round 3 | March 23, 2026 | May 1, 2026 |
| Round 4 | April 29, 2025 | Rolling |
Note: All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on the date listed. Tuck conducts interviews by invitation only after reviewing applications.