A huge change is happening at UNC in January 2026 as Stephen D. Bell Hall will become the home of the school’s MBA program and major renovations will begin on the school’s current home in the McColl Building. Given these significant changes, it is no surprise that UNC Kenan-Flagler has also made the biggest update to its application essay prompts in more than 20 years. These changes will give applicants an opportunity to share more of their authentic selves with UNC’s admissions team. With Katy Radoll now passing the one-year mark as the director of MBA admissions for the full-time program at Kenan-Flagler, she now has the perspective to put her stamp on the application process, and these changes track with many of the tweaks top business schools have been making this application cycle.
The word limit for school’s first essay, whose question has not changed in more than 20 years, is now down from 500 words to 250. It is still essentially a goals-related question, but now, applicants are asked to focus not on how UNC Kenan-Flagler will help them reach their goals and what their backup plan would be, but instead on the motivation behind their goals. The school asks candidates how their goals reflect their unique backgrounds and perspectives. You don’t have to scour the website to find Kenan-Flagler courses and clubs for this essay anymore, but knowing how you can add value to the school will come in handy in essay 2. For essay 1, concentrate on sharing how your goals make sense in the context of your background and story. The bonus is that many other MBA programs have moved in a similar direction, so you might be able to use some of the insights you’ve gained from responding to other schools’ goals-related questions as a starting point here.
Essay 2 is new this year and offers you another opportunity to share more about your background by noting which of UNC Kenan-Flagler’s core values — integrity, inclusion, innovation, and impact — resonate with you with respect to your professional journey and asks you to share a story that shows how this value has influenced a decision or action you have taken. You have 250 words with which to respond to this first prompt of Essay 2 and then 250 words to answer the second prompt, which will allow you to showcase the research you’ve done on Kenan-Flagler. The prompt asks which aspects of your background you would draw on to enhance classroom conversations and cocurricular life at the school.
Essay 3, which is optional but encouraged, has not changed from the previous cycle. You have 200 words with which to address any gaps in employment, recommender choices, or quantitative shortcomings. You could also offer a “fun fact” about yourself and/or further information about your professional accomplishments, interests, and passions. It would be a missed opportunity not to share something on these other topics in this essay.
Essay 4 is for reapplicants and remains unchanged from the previous cycle as well. Kenan-Flagler requires that candidates submit just one professional recommendation. Reapplicants might want to consider asking someone new to write their recommendation to add a fresh perspective to their new application.
The school’s prime offerings — including real-life learning, concentrations tailored to students’ professional goals, a career team, a STEM-focused curriculum, an engaged MBA community, and a small class size with robust faculty resources — will help you amplify your career impact and prepare you to excel in a global business environment.
Essay 1 is required (250 words maximum).
We value the different paths and aspirations that each student brings to the UNC Kenan-Flagler community. Please share your goals for pursuing an MBA, or the path you’re considering, and how they reflect your unique background or perspective.
Before you jump in and present your immediate post-MBA career goal, consider sharing a brief story that provides some context for why your goal is important to you. It is difficult to stand out when you state a goal without providing any context. Your professional objectives will be so much more interesting and differentiated in the minds of the admissions team if you also offer a unique and meaningful story about why your chosen goals make sense in relation to your aspirations and experience.
You have only 250 words for this essay, so think carefully about how you can use your answer to differentiate yourself through sharing insights and stories that only you can tell. Here’s a chance to show that you have been reflective in understanding how the MBA makes sense for you to achieve your career goals.
Essay 2 is required and includes responses to two prompts (500 words maximum).
Responses to each prompt within this essay should be no longer than 250 words each.
Prompt #1: UNC Kenan-Flagler is guided by four core values that shape who we are: impact, innovation, inclusion, and integrity. Which one of these Core Values resonates most deeply with your professional journey? Please share an example that demonstrates how this value has influenced your actions or decisions.
Prompt #2: The strength of our community is enriched by the range of personal and professional experiences our students contribute to the Full-Time MBA Program. What aspects of your background would you draw upon to enhance classroom conversations and co-curricular life at UNC Kenan-Flagler?
Prompt #1 here offers another opportunity to share something that lets the admissions committee get to know you and your motivations better. Take time to truly reflect on Kenan-Flagler’s core values. The school views these as concentric circles, with the foundation being integrity, then moving outward to think about how to create inclusive environments that foster innovation and ultimately drive impact. Focus on one of these four values, and pair it with a story from your professional life that presents a specific example of how a decision you made or an action you took was guided by that value. It would be a mistake here with only 250 words to try to cover more than one value or more than one story, because you would miss the opportunity to paint a picture of a moment in time with your words that will help the admissions team better understand your professional journey.
Prompt #2 provides a place where you can incorporate some of your knowledge of Kenan-Flagler’s MBA program to describe how you will contribute to the classroom conversations and cocurricular life at the school, thanks to your unique background. Consider some of the program’s electives and how you might be able to add meaningfully to class discussions, given your experiences. Spend some time reviewing the various professional and affinity clubs at Kenan-Flagler, and note one or two in which you could add value based on your experience, giving some detail about each one. Also research Kenan-Flagler’s robust institutes and centers when thinking about how you could contribute. Every business school wants to know that its applicants are excited to attend its MBA program in particular, and Kenan-Flagler is of course no different. The school provides a user-friendly MBA Student Ambassadors link that you can use to find a student with your intended concentration or industry goals. Have conversations with student ambassadors to help you decide which clubs and resources would allow you to add value to the program.
Essay 3 is optional (200 words maximum).
We encourage you to tell us more about who you are so we can get to know you as a person and potential member of the Carolina community. Use this essay to convey information that you may not have otherwise been able to in the application.
Optional topics:
Personal or professional accomplishments
Interests and passions
Gaps in work experience or inconsistent academic performance
Context for recommender selection
A fun fact about yourself
While not every applicant will need to address gaps in employment, academic performance issues, or recommender selection, everyone should take this opportunity to share a personal or professional accomplishment and any particular interests, as well as a fun fact about themselves. This prompt lets you help the Kenan-Flagler admissions team get to know you more fully and differentiate yourself from other applicants with a similar professional background. In particular, the “fun fact” option gives you a way to share something interesting about you that could compel the admissions team to want to learn even more! For example, If you’ve built a tiny house, this fact might stick in the mind of someone on the admissions team who is also interested in this topic, and they might even ask you more about your experience building the house when they meet you. You now have a connection with them, and this might make your overall profile more memorable.
If you do not need to address any problematic topics, you might not need to use all 200 words, but don’t miss the opportunity to let the admissions team learn something interesting about you through your response to this question.
Essay 4 is required only for previous applicants to any UNC MBA program format (100 words maximum).
If you are re-applying to the program, we appreciate your continued interest in UNC Kenan-Flagler. We require a complete application in addition to a brief essay that describes how your application differs from your previous submission and that alerts us to new test scores, a recent promotion, or other areas that demonstrate how you have strengthened your candidacy.
If you are taking the time to reapply, refresh your application, including your resume and essays. When I reviewed applications for Kenan-Flagler, one of the first things I looked to see was whether a candidate had provided new material in the essays compared to the previous application. Taking a fresh look at your application speaks volumes about your interest in the program. Enhance your resume to reflect an extra year or more of professional growth. Ideally, you have grown in your leadership outside of work as well. If your test scores were not a strength in your previous application, address how you have attempted to improve your skills or knowledge, either through additional coursework or an improved score, or both. Your ability to highlight your most impressive improvements will signal self-awareness to the admissions team and help you make your case for admission.