International Applicants

Application Deadlines

The Carlson School accepts applications from International students throughout all four rounds. We advise students to be mindful of the time needed to process visas and apply as early as possible to allow maximum time.

International Student Information & Requirements

The Carlson School requires a first university degree that is comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree. Generally, this means a degree requiring at least 3-4 years of post-baccalaureate university study.

Candidates may upload scanned copies of transcripts or other educational documents (detailed below for specific countries) in our online application system; official documents are not required at the time of application, but will be required upon admission.

If credentials do not show the university grading system, submit a statement from the university with this information. If credentials do not record the awarding of the degree, submit copies of your diplomas.

Applicants from these countries should submit English translations along with credentials in the original language.

Please submit transcripts and degree award statements in English and Chinese.

Due to the temporary suspension of GMAT, GRE, TOEFL, or IELTS testing in China, we will extend our application deadline for those who have not yet taken their exam(s). Please contact mba@umn.edu if your test has been cancelled and you need to extend your deadline.

Applicants from universities in these countries may submit copies of certified or attested mark sheets or reports that detail results of all exams. These credentials must be certified by university personnel or government officials. They should bear the original signature of the certifying official. Do not certify your own credentials.

If you are admitted, you will receive a financial certification statement. The University issues I-20s only after receiving financial support verification.

You must demonstrate that you have sufficient funding to meet all educational expenses for the duration of your study in the U.S. This includes tuition, fees, room and board, transportation, and other expenses. Additional financial resources are required if your spouse or children will accompany you.

Full-time students must hold an F-1 student visa to pursue MBA study at the University of Minnesota unless your funding source requires you to hold a J-1 exchange/visitor visa. If you're admitted, you will receive a financial certification statement. The University issues I-20s only after receiving financial support verification.

Proof of English Language Proficiency is required of all applicants and must be demonstrated in one of the following ways.

Complete at least the last 2 years of a bachelor's degree or 1 year of graduate school (Full-Time) in the U.S., U..K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Anglophone Africa, or the English-speaking Caribbean and will provide official transcripts..
Complete education solely in English in a country where English is not the official language and will provide documented proof (Ex. India)
Will provide the official results of an English language test taken within the last two years

You must take the TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, or Duolingo exam if you do not meet one of the other requirements. We accept scores from any of these exams, it is not necessary to take more than one. Scores must be less than 2 years old when you apply.

You are not exempt if you have lived in an English-speaking country for several years but have not completed any prior education in English

Our admitted candidates have TOEFL scores within the following ranges:

90-105 internet-based TOEFL total score, with section scores above these thresholds:

Writing: minimum 22
Speaking: minimum 23
Listening: minimum 20
Reading: minimum 22

600-650 paper-based TOEFL, in total

We must receive an official score report directly from the testing service. The code for the Carlson School MBA program is 6874; the department code is 02.

To be considered for admission, we require a minimum overall band score of 7.0, with no section lower than 6.5.

IELTS test scores are verified using the Test Report Form (TRF) number. You may upload a scanned copy of your IELTS Test Report Form in your application or email the score report to mbamsapp@umn.edu.

Score reports will be accepted via email from applicants or the testing agency.

To be considered for admission we require a minimum score of 65 on the PTE Academic. We must receive an official score report from Pearson. When you take the exam, please specify that you wish to have an official score report sent to the Carlson School of Management MBA Programs. Our program code is JP3-5T-48.

To be considered for admission, we require a minimum overall score of 120, and a minimum literacy section score of 120. Please send your test score results directly to mbamsapp@umn.edu.