Scared of a little competition?  Here are some schools that might give you a reason to sweat.  The Princeton Review examined data at the nation’s best 301 business schools and found the business schools that were the toughest to get into.

What influences the competitiveness of business school admissions? A number of factors including the average undergraduate GPA of the entering class, average GMAT score, work experience and the percentage of accepted and matriculated students.

Rankings below are listed in order, with No. 1 being the toughest.

1. Harvard University (Cambridge, Mass.)

A “reputation as the best business program in the country” makes Harvard Business School one of the top prizes in the M.B.A. admissions sweepstakes. Applicants lucky enough to gain admission here rarely decide to go elsewhere. The school’s full-time-only program is relatively large. Academic ability, leadership experience and unique personal characteristics all figure prominently into the admissions decision.  Harvard is also #1 in Best Administered and Best Professors and has an average GMAT score of 720.

2. Stanford University (Stanford, Calif.)

The top criteria for admission are “intellectual vitality,” “demonstrated leadership potential” and “personal qualities and contributions” — Stanford looks for community leaders, so the “impact [you made] on [your] workplace” matters much more than your job responsibilities. The GSB admissions office says that candidates should not include academic recommendations unless they reflect work experience (as a T.A. or research assistant, for example). Students report a broad range of GMAT scores; with an average GMAT of 721 (the GRE is also acceptable in some cases).  Stanford is also #6 in Best Campus Environment and Best Career Prospects.

4. Columbia University (New York)

The admissions department at Columbia notes, “Columbia Business School selects applicants from varied business and other backgrounds who have the potential to become successful global leaders. Their common denominators are a record of achievement, demonstrated leadership and the ability to work as members of a team.” The school also reports, “By design, efforts are made to admit students who add different perspectives to the learning experience.” Admission to the program is extremely competitive while the average starting salary of a graduate is over $107,000.

8. University of California — Berkeley (Berkeley, Calif.)

When looking at applicants to Haas graduate programs, the school considers all of the following in determining admissions status: “demonstration of quantitative ability; quality of work experience, including depth and breadth of responsibilities; opportunities to demonstrate leadership, etc.; strength of letters of recommendation; depth and breadth of extracurricular and community involvement; and strength of short answer and essays, including articulation of clear focus and goals.”  35% of graduates accept jobs in Finance while it is also listed as #4 for Best Professors.

Ranking List & Categories

Visit Business School Rankings for our entire ranking lists from our 2010 Edition of The Best 301 Business Schools. We surveyed more than 19,000 students at these 301 business schools, in addition to collecting data from school administrators.   The categories include:

• Best Administered
• Best Campus Environment
• Best Campus Facilities
• Best Professors
• Greatest Opportunity for Minority Students
• Greatest Opportunity for Women
• Most Family Friendly
• Best Career Prospects
• Most Competitive Students
• Toughest to Get Into
• Best Classroom Experience

Best 301 Business Schools also includes the ins and outs of admissions (stats and requirements), career, tuition, student body and financial aid info as well as student reviews on classes, professors, social scenes, dorm life, and more. Plus, the schools get an opportunity to talk back by including their own profiles.

So How Can You Use These Lists

These lists do not place an overall quality on the school, but by using them in conjunction with the profiles and the school stats, you will be able to identify the attributes of a business school that are important to you—and ultimately, generate a list of the schools that can best help you achieve your personal and professional goals.

Best of luck in your business school search – Find your perfect match!

These stats and excerpts are from the Best Business Schools book and The Princeton Review summary article.