The application for Columbia Business School’s NY Executive MBA is open. This year, CBS asks NY EMBA applicants to respond to two essay prompts. The business school also has a third optional essay.
Please note, these essays DO NOT APPLY to applicants looking to apply to the CBS Global EMBA program.
If you are looking to join Columbia Business School’s EMBA Program, take a look at the latest class profile to assess whether the school might be a good fit for you. Below, please find the upcoming application deadlines, as well as Personal MBA Coach’s analysis of the Columbia EMBA application essays.
The 2025-2026 Columbia Business School EMBA Application Deadlines Are as Follows:
EMBA-NY Saturday: May 2026 Entry
Round 1: October 15, 2025
Round 2: January 14, 2026
Round 3: February 18, 2026
EMBA-NY Fri/Sat: August 2026 Entry
Round 1: October 15, 2025
Round 2: February 11, 2026
Round 3: May 27, 2026
2025-2026 Columbia EMBA Application Essays
Columbia Business School EMBA Essay 1: Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next three to five years and what is your long-term dream job? (500 words max)
The full-time CBS MBA application asks candidates to respond to this same prompt. While goals for EMBA applicants will naturally be different (most EMBA applicants will not be looking for new roles post-MBA), your approach to this essay should remain similar. Check out Personal MBA Coach’s essay 1 advice for tips on how to approach CBS’s first EMBA essay.
However, keep in mind that EMBA applicants are not asked to answer a third “why CBS?” essay. This means it would be prudent for EMBA applicants to think about where a CBS EMBA fits in as they draft this essay.
Columbia Business School EMBA Essay 2: Please share a specific example of how you made a team more collaborative, more inclusive or fostered a greater sense of community within an organization. (250 words maximum)
CBS’s second EMBA essay is new for EMBA applicants (this essay is also asked of full-time MBA applicants).
This is your chance to show CBS how you are a collaborative leader who cares about inclusivity and developing a strong culture. While this is not a traditional DEI essay, if you have a story that is more DEI focused, this is a great place to include it. If not, you can think about community in a broader sense. Regardless of the story you tell, be sure to get to the point as quickly as possible, limiting set-up and generic language. At Personal MBA Coach we talk about “show” vs. “tell” quite often, and this is one essay where letting the reader actually see your leadership approach is particularly crucial.
Optional Essay:
Is there something else you feel would be helpful for the Admissions Committee to know? An optional third essay will allow you to discuss any topics that do not fall within the purview of the required essays. These might include, but are not limited to:
- Adverse circumstances in your background
- An exciting side venture in which you are working
- Areas of concern in your academic record
- Or just a fun fact!
This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (500 words maximum)
Most applicants will not need to answer Columbia Business School’s optional EMBA essay. That said, CBS gives applicants a bit more flexibility than other optional essays in terms of an appropriate response. Learn more about how to tackle optional essays here.
Interview With Al Drewes, CBS Executive in Residence Program Director
Ready to get started on your CBS EMBA application?
Check out our EMBA Packages here and find out how we can help! Our packages include essay editing support with unlimited edits included.
