MBA Admissions Requirements: What You Need to Qualify and How to Apply

Earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) can be a valuable investment if you're seeking career advancement in a business-related area, looking to strengthen your leadership skills and business expertise, or planning to start your own business and would benefit from advanced business knowledge.

Satisfying MBA admissions requirements means gathering relevant materials to showcase your candidacy as an advanced business student. Still, you often have to complete certain steps to first qualify for consideration. Learn about common requirements to apply to an MBA program.

MBA requirements before applying

Before you begin applying to MBA programs, there are certain educational credentials you'll need to earn and professional experience you'll need to acquire. Once you've done both, you can begin gathering your materials.

1. Earn a bachelor's degree.

You will need to have earned a bachelor's degree prior to applying for an MBA program. While some candidates major in business-related fields such as business administration, marketing, or finance, you don't need a business degree to apply to an MBA. Business schools consider candidates from all fields and often look for ways to diversify their student body.

2. Gain relevant work experience.

Most MBA candidates begin their program after acquiring three to five years of experience because that's the minimum professional experience that business schools typically require. (Executive MBA candidates need to gain even more experience.)

To get work experience, try starting with an entry-level job in a business-related field. As you build up your career over the next few years, look for opportunities to develop your skills and advance your responsibilities. A few examples of entry-level positions you might consider pursuing include:

• Sales representative

• Administrative assistant

• Marketing assistant

• Market research analyst

• Fundraiser

• Human resources specialist

3. Take an entrance exam.

Most MBA programs expect candidates to take the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) or, in certain instances, the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) within five years of applying.  

The GMAT is designed specifically for business students, while the GRE can be taken for entrance into many types of graduate schools. Therefore, if you haven't taken an entrance exam, you may want to consider the GMAT. Be prepared to pay $220 to take the GRE or $275 to take the GMAT (and more for enhanced or additional score reports) [1,2]. Check with the schools you'd like to attend to ensure you know about their preferences regarding entrance exams.

Learn more: Is an MBA Worth It?

MBA application requirements

If you have satisfied the requirements above, you are ready to begin searching for relevant programs and applying. You'll want to consider which type of MBA you'd like to earn and whether you want to concentrate in a business area, such as marketing, strategy, and entrepreneurship, because those will likely narrow your search.

Once you've identified the programs you'd like to apply to, begin pulling together the following:

1. Prepare your application package.

As with many graduate school programs, you'll need to fill out a standard application form for each school. These generally ask you to supply the following information:

• Your name and address

• Names, addresses, and dates of colleges or universities you've attended

• Degrees you've received

• Your undergraduate GPA (grade point average)

• Past work experience

• Names and addresses of references 

• Entrance exam (GMAT or GRE) results

Typically, the application form can be sent electronically. However, some programs allow you to send paper copies of your application materials. Be prepared to pay an application fee of about $250. Once you've completed your application form, you’ll follow these additional steps. 

2. Craft thoughtful essay responses.

Admissions officers want to get to know you, but they also want to evaluate your writing skills. As part of your application package, an MBA program may ask you to write one or two short-form essays—typically 500 words or less—or a statement of purpose. Examples of essay questions or prompts include the following options:

• Explain why you want to pursue an MBA.

• Choose a core value and describe why it's important to you.

• How will you enrich the diverse educational environment at our business school?

• The business world is always changing. Explain ways that you adapt to change.

• Describe a personal failure in your life and what you learned from it.

• Who is your most important role model and why?

Successful essay responses are well-written and authentic. When crafting your responses, be thoughtful and sincere, and make sure to proofread your work carefully. 

3. Refine your resume.

When creating a resume for an MBA program, keep the length to one or two pages. Always list work experience in reverse chronological order. This means your current or most recent job should appear first. Expand on a few of your most recent jobs, and list company names and dates for the rest. In addition to your academic background and work experience, make sure to add:

• Honors and awards you've received

• Professional licenses you've earned

• Membership in college clubs and organizations such as the National Honor Society

• Publications you've authored or co-authored

If you're sending your resume electronically, save it as a PDF file to avoid any formatting issues. 

4. Gather your college transcripts and exam scores.

All graduate programs require copies of your college transcripts and you may also need to forward your GMAT or GRE results. Most MBA programs expect applicants to have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, and programs in top business schools often have higher standards. It's important to remember, however, that admissions officers look at your entire application package as a whole.

5. Ask for letters of recommendation.

Letters of recommendation are very important items to graduate program admissions officers. Before asking for a letter of recommendation, consider what this person might say about you. As a good rule of thumb, ask for recommendations from people with whom you have worked closely such as:

• College professors or advisors

• Current or former supervisors

• Colleagues

To be relevant, don't reach too far back into your past to come up with references. Choose people you've worked with over the last 10 years or less.  

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