Admissions Requirements
Eligibility Requirements for Applicants
Online MBA program candidates must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the U.S. or a comparable degree from an officially recognized college or university outside of the U.S.
Online program candidates must have completed 2 years of work experience, this can include internships, co-ops, graduate assistantships and other work experiences. Discretion on work experience eligibility will be evaluated by admission committee. If you have questions about your personal profile and eligibility, please reach out to omba@umn.edu
Admission Checklist
Please note all materials will be required in some form for an Online MBA application. If materials are missing, an application will be marked incomplete and will delay an admission decision. Please check your applicant checklist in the application portal to ensure all materials are received.
You must complete the application online.
Under Program Selection tab, please select 'University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Campus'
Filter by college/school to 'Carlson School of Management'
Under Carlson School of Management Programs field select 'Business Administration - Online MBA'
Unofficial transcripts can be submitted through the online application or emailed to mbamsapp@umn.edu for attachment to your application file. Paper transcripts may be submitted to: 321 19th Ave S, Room 1-110, Minneapolis, MN 55455
You will need to submit a transcript from each college or university where
you have completed coursework before your application will be considered
complete and reviewed by the admissions committee. Unofficial transcripts must
include your name and the name of the institution. Third Party credential evaluation
reports and degree planning documents are not accepted.
Official transcripts will be required if you are admitted to the program.
A GMAT or Executive Assessment (EA) or GRE General Test that is not more than five years old is required for admission to the Online MBA Program.
For GMAT & EA, arrange for the testing service to send an official score report to the Online MBA Program, code D2N-VJ-83. Results normally arrive 2-3 weeks after the test. For GRE, arrange for the testing service to send an official score report to us using institution code 8387. Results may take up to 3-4 weeks to arrive.
Please note we don't have a minimum GMAT or EA or GRE required score, but do have average scores.
Prospective students should plan to take the GMAT, EA, or GRE before the application due date in order to meet the application deadline. We recommend taking the GMAT, EA, or GRE at least two to four weeks prior to application date to ensure timely review of your application. The admissions committee considers only your highest GMAT, EA, or GRE score when reviewing your application.
Learn more about the Executive Assessment
GMAT/GRE Test Waiver Walkthrough Guide
Candidates applying for admission to the Carlson Online MBA program may be eligible for a GMAT/GRE waiver if they meet the following criteria:
| Must have one of the following: | Must have one of the following additional requirements: | |
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- AND - |
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Please note that a candidate must meet both areas requirements of the waiver process in order to be granted a waiver.
An approved GMAT/GRE/EA waiver does not guarantee admission to the program. Applicants should consider a number of factors before submitting a GMAT/GRE waiver request including their overall candidate profile. Submission of a test score is an additional data point considered by the Admissions Committee.
There are also some employers who may request a GMAT/GRE score as part of their MBA hiring screening process. This is particularly true in industries such as consulting or finance. Candidates are encouraged to consider all factors before submitting a GMAT/GRE test waiver request.
Please direct all questions about the Academic Test Waiver to omba@umn.edu.
Use the online application to provide the names and contact information of two professional references. We partner with GMAC for the common letter of recommendation.
Your recommendation providers will receive an email from "gradappinfo@umn.edu." The subject line will include your name and the words "Recommendation for the University of Minnesota". Please ask your providers to include this email address in their contact lists and to double check spam/junk mail folders if they don't receive the message. NOTE: It is not required to use a company email address. Some companies have firewalls that prevent receipt of the recommendation request email. Recommenders should receive the recommendation request email within 12 hours of saving their contact information in the application. If recommenders do not receive the email within 12 hours, please try again with another email address. Best practice is to use a Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail email address for recommendations.
Recommendation providers can submit their recommendations anytime, both before AND after you submit your application.
We require two complete recommendations to consider this section complete, but you can list up to six professional recommendations. All completed professional recommendations will be reviewed by the admission committee.
Your personal statement should be no more than 1200 words (3 pages), that address the following questions:
- Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA at this time in your career? What are you hoping to accomplish by doing so? Briefly describe your short-term (upon graduation from the program) and long-term (5-10 years after the program) career goals. Please be as specific as possible with roles, companies and/or industries.
- What excites you about being part of the Carlson School MBA program? Do you have a specialization that you are currently interested in and why?
- Describe your current thinking about diversity, equity, and inclusion. How has your thinking changed over time?
Use this essay to share information that is not presented elsewhere in the application, for example:
- Explanation of employment gaps or academic weaknesses
- Quantitative abilities
- Choice of recommenders
- For re-applicants, improvements to your candidacy
Your statement should be limited to no more than 500 words (1 page).
Proof of English Language Proficiency is required of all applicants and must be demonstrated in one of the following ways.
- Completed 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.
- Completed my education solely in English in a country where English is not an 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
The following tests are all accepted:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
- International Language Testing System (IELTS)
- Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE)
- Duolingo
For further details, visit the International Applicants page.
The application fee is $75 (non-refundable) for U.S. citizens, international applications, and U.S. residents with foreign credentials. Your application fee will be waived if you have been on active duty in the U.S. military within three years of submitting your MBA application.
Submit a current resume that includes job responsibilities and accomplishments. Resume can include part-time work, internships, graduate assistants, or co-ops as necessary.
- The video essay is a required component of the application that provides candidates with an opportunity to show the admissions committee the authentic you. Think of this video essay as if you were answering an interview question with a member of our admissions committee.
- You will need to use a computer with camera and microphone capabilities. You will also need a strong internet connection for uploading the video. You will have the ability to test your technology before starting the video essay and submit a practice video essay.
- You can test your technology and run the practice simulation as many times as you wish to be comfortable with the format and technology. You will be able to review your practice video essay(s) and your recording(s) will not be saved beyond the testing phase and will never be reviewed.
- You can also practice responding to impromptu questions offline with a friend or colleague before completing the video essay portion of your application.
- You will be prompted to click "Ready" once you are prepared to submit an official video essay. You will be asked one impromptu question from a bank of imaginative or behavioral questions selected by our admissions team.
- Two minutes (120 seconds) will be provided to prepare an answer and two minutes (120 seconds) to record an answer. The recording will automatically stop after two minutes. You are not required to use the full two minutes. If you have time remaining once complete with your response, click the "Stop Recording" button to end the recording.
- You will only be provided one attempt to record your official video essay.
| Describe an academic or extra curricular activity that helped you shape your personality. What did you learn? |
| Describe a situation where you were a team member. How did you decide when to lead and when to follow, and how did the results impact you? |
| Describe a time when you showed great resilience and tenacity and it paid off. What were the results? |
| Describe your biggest risk you took at work and what was its outcome? |
| Explain a situation when you had to change your communication style. What was the outcome and what did you learn? |
| Give an example of a situation where you had to change your priorities due to an unexpected task and what was the outcome? |
| How would you describe your current thinking about diversity, and how has your thinking changed over time? |
| Talk about an activity or extra curricular experience and how it changed your perspective. |
| Talk about the time when you made a wrong decision, what was the setback and how did you handle it? |
| Tell about a setback you experienced, how you dealt with it, and the results. |
| Tell us about a time when you handled a task on which you had zero information. What were the steps you took to begin with, what were the strategies and what were the end results? |
| Tell us about a time you encountered an individual who was resistant to change, how did you deal with it and what was the outcome? |
| What accomplishment are your really proud of and why? |
| What does it mean for you to have a commitment to diversity? How have you demonstrated that commitment, and how would you see yourself demonstrating it here? |
| What is the key ingredient for building and maintaining professional relationships? Provide examples. |
| What is your definition of diversity and how or why do you think diversity is important? |
| What's the best piece of constructive criticism you've received and how has it influenced your work? |
| What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn from your resume alone? |
Application Deadlines - Fall & Spring Start
The Online MBA program begins either in the fall (September after Labor Day Holiday) or spring (January after Martin Luther King Holiday) semester. Applications are considered based on round deadlines and decision are sent out within 10 business days of completing your application.
Spring (January start)
- October 15
- November 15
- December 15
Fall (September start)
- May 15
- June 15
- July 15
Deadlines that occur on a holiday or weekend will be extended through the next business day. Please teach out to mba@umn.edu if you have questions/concerns on your timeline.
Admission Decision Release
Online MBA applicants will receive their admission decision within 10 business days of the admission committee receiving a submitted and completed application. Completed and submitted application requires that all materials have been received by the admissions committee, this includes transcripts, resumes, personal statement, recommendations, and GMAT or GRE test score reports. You will receive communication from the admission committee when your application is been received and marked as complete.