Deferred Entry MBA

The Deferred Entry MBA program at the Carlson School is highly selective for domestic students (U.S. Citizens or permanent residents) in their senior year of college. This program is intended for students who have a solid academic background, leadership and collaboration skills, and a desire to reserve their spot in our programs while they gain work experience after graduation. During their senior year, students can apply to the program and, upon admission, embark on a unique journey into the professional realm, gaining two years of invaluable work experience before entering the Carlson Full-Time MBA or Management Science MBA program. 

We encourage applicants to have a robust academic background, substantial internship experience, and, ideally, a post-graduation job opportunity. A commitment to full-time work between conditional and full admission ensures a seamless transition, empowering students to forge their path toward a successful career confidently.

Benefits of the program

Scholarships

Guaranteed minimum $25,000 per year scholarship to the Full-time or STEMBA program so long as conditional admission requirements are met.

Full-Time Community

Access to connections with other admitted MBA Fellows, including fall and spring get-togethers.

Excellent Career Outcomes

89% of the Full-Time MBA graduates from the Class of 2023 received job offers within three months of graduation and the average starting base salary has increased by 17.5% to $141,471.

Brooke

I knew I was interested in getting an MBA after my professional interactions throughout internships or other networking in my undergrad education. Mentors and sponsors had either clearly benefited from their MBA based on their current career position or outright suggested it to me in our encounters.

Brooke Reinhart, MBA 2017, Associate Marketing Manager for FIJI Water

Program Structure

  • Study for GMAT/GRE and take the exam - send the test scores to Carlson by June 1st after completing your senior year
  • Request letters of recommendation
  • Polish resume
  • Craft personal statement
  • Speak with Admissions Team about how to strengthen your application to apply to the Deferred MBA program
  • Apply by June 1
 

The pre-enrollment period is the period between when applicants are conditionally admitted to the Full-time MBA or Management Science MBA program, and when they enroll.  For example, Deferred Entry MBA applicants applying at the June 1, 2025 deadline will begin their MBA program in Fall 2027.  Students are expected to be working full-time during this period and submit the additional information outlined in their admissions portal in order to ensure they receive full admission and their guaranteed minimum scholarship. 

Additional details will be shared with admitted students over the course of their two-year deferral to make the most of their time in the workforce and prepare them for joining the MBA program for full-time study. 

Year 1 after conditional admission

  • Meet with MBA program mentors to learn more about the student experience
  • Connect with student organizations at events and other MBA programs
     

Year 2 after conditional admission

  • Late Summer
    • Submit an updated resume with professional accomplishments and new skills developed since your first application.
    • Request an endorsement from a current supervisor or colleague who can speak to your growing professionalism and on-the-job achievements.
  • Fall
    • Meet with admissions staff to discuss any outstanding questions about entering full-time study.
    • Finalize your intent to begin the following fall semester by making your initial deposit and confirmation.
  • Winter/Spring
    • Attend events like Ask Me Anything student panels and Up Close to get to know other students in your incoming cohort.
  • Summer
    • Complete required pre-work and assessments
    • Attend Orientation in August

Academics

Fall Semester

  • Leading Self
  • Strategic Management
  • Statistics
  • Financial Accounting
  • Managerial Economics
  • Operations Management
  • Financial Management
  • Marketing Management

Spring Semester

  • Leading Self
  • Competing in a Data Driven Age
  • Leading Others
  • Enterprise (Experiential Learning)
  • Global Experience
  • Electives
  • Marketing Management

Summer

  • Internship

Academics

Fall Semester

  • Enterprise
  • Leading Organizations
  • Ethical Environment of Business
  • Electives

Spring Semester

  • Leading Organizations
  • Electives
  • Study for GMAT/GRE and take the exam - send the test scores to Carlson by June 1st after completing your senior year
  • Request letters of recommendation
  • Polish resume
  • Craft personal statement
  • Speak with Admissions Team about how to strengthen your application to apply to the Deferred MBA program
  • Apply by June 1
 

The pre-enrollment period is the period between when applicants are conditionally admitted to the Full-time MBA or Management Science MBA program, and when they enroll.  For example, Deferred Entry MBA applicants applying at the June 1, 2025 deadline will begin their MBA program in Fall 2027.  Students are expected to be working full-time during this period and submit the additional information outlined in their admissions portal in order to ensure they receive full admission and their guaranteed minimum scholarship. 

Additional details will be shared with admitted students over the course of their two-year deferral to make the most of their time in the workforce and prepare them for joining the MBA program for full-time study. 

Year 1 after conditional admission

  • Meet with MBA program mentors to learn more about the student experience
  • Connect with student organizations at events and other MBA programs
     

Year 2 after conditional admission

  • Late Summer
    • Submit an updated resume with professional accomplishments and new skills developed since your first application.
    • Request an endorsement from a current supervisor or colleague who can speak to your growing professionalism and on-the-job achievements.
  • Fall
    • Meet with admissions staff to discuss any outstanding questions about entering full-time study.
    • Finalize your intent to begin the following fall semester by making your initial deposit and confirmation.
  • Winter/Spring
    • Attend events like Ask Me Anything student panels and Up Close to get to know other students in your incoming cohort.
  • Summer
    • Complete required pre-work and assessments
    • Attend Orientation in August

Academics

Fall Semester

  • Leading Self
  • Strategic Management
  • Statistics
  • Financial Accounting
  • Managerial Economics
  • Operations Management
  • Financial Management
  • Marketing Management

Spring Semester

  • Leading Self
  • Competing in a Data Driven Age
  • Leading Others
  • Enterprise (Experiential Learning)
  • Global Experience
  • Electives
  • Marketing Management

Summer

  • Internship

Academics

Fall Semester

  • Enterprise
  • Leading Organizations
  • Ethical Environment of Business
  • Electives

Spring Semester

  • Leading Organizations
  • Electives

Application Deadline

Candidates will apply by June 1 after completing their senior year/bachelor’s degree. Conditional admission decisions will be released in mid-late August.

Apply for the Deferred MBA

Admissions Requirements & Checklist

To be considered for admission to the Deferred Entry MBA program, applicants must be in their senior year, in the process of completing their Bachelor's degree, or having recently completed their bachelor's degree, and submit a complete application to the Carlson School's MBA Program Office. A complete application includes:

You must complete the online application. You will need your username and password each time you save and wish to resume your online application.

Unofficial transcripts of your Bachelor's degree may be submitted in your application, even if your last semester grades and degree conferral (graduation) are not final. However, once all grades are recorded and your degree has been conferred, you must submit the final transcript, as soon as possible, to be included in your application. 

MBA Admissions and Recruiting
Carlson School of Management
321 Nineteenth Avenue South, Suite 1-110
Minneapolis, MN 55455

 

An official GMAT or GRE score no older than five years old is required for admission to the MBA program. Please arrange for the testing service to send an official score report to the Carlson MBA Program Office: GMAT code: D2N-VJ-15; GRE code: 8387. Results normally arrive 2-3 weeks after the test. A competitive GMAT score for admission to the Deferred MBA program is around 690, which is equivalent to a 324 GRE score.

We require a personal statement of your career goals and objectives in pursuing an MBA degree. Details about the personal statement can be found within the online application.

  • Why are you choosing to pursue a deferred Carlson School Full Time MBA? What are you hoping to accomplish by doing so?  What features of the program excite you the most? Please be as specific as possible with professional goals, curriculum, experiential learning, etc. 
  • In the time between graduating with your bachelor’s degree and hopefully matriculating in the Carlson School Full Time MBA program, what skills, experiences, or professional development opportunities do you plan to pursue to prepare yourself for graduate study?
  • Carlson MBA programs are looking for diverse voices and experiences to add to classroom discussions. Can you tell us about how you have participated in and/or advocated for building more inclusive communities in your career or your collegiate experience? 
  • 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.
  • You will need a strong internet connection to upload the video.
     

Video Essay Walkthrough Guide

  • Describe an academic or extracurricular 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 the 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 extracurricular 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 you 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?

You will be required to upload a current resume to the online application. The resume should include job responsibilities, internship, accomplishments, and student involvement.

If you have accepted a full time role following your graduation, you are invited to upload a copy of your offer letter or similar documentation confirming your post-school employment plans.

Admissions interviews are by invitation only. Deferred Entry MBA program applicants must first complete their application to be considered for an interview.

We require two recommendations for application to the Deferred Entry MBA program. These recommendations can be from any combination of professional and academic recommenders, though we strongly prefer that at least one recommendation come from a supervisor or current employer if you have professional/internship experience. You may consider your academic advisor or career counselor for these recommendations.

Take the next step

Frequently Asked Questions

The Deferred Entry MBA program is a selective, deferred admissions program designed specifically for domestic students - U.S. Citizens or permanent residents in their senior year of college.

Yes, you must be a domestic student/U.S. resident to qualify for this program. Unfortunately, this program is not open to international students.

You are not required to have an undergraduate degree, coursework or work experience in business. The Carlson School recruits and admits students from a broad range of academic and professional backgrounds. About one-third of our students come from a traditional business undergraduate or professional background, another third of our students have a background in technology or engineering, and the last third have a background in a wide variety of disciplines and functional areas (such as non-profit, education, visual and performing arts, etc.).

Applications are reviewed as a whole and candidates are admitted into the program based on academic credentials and general fit for the program. The admissions committee will consider your academic performance (official transcripts for any post-secondary coursework and GPA), GMAT test scores, admissions interview, work experience, student involvement and achievements, personal statement, and professional/academic references.

Admissions interviews are by invite only; only selective Deferred Entry MBA applicants will be invited to interview. After you have submitted your complete application, you will be considered for an admissions interview.

Yes! Admitted students are guaranteed minimum $25,000 per year scholarship to the Full-time or STEMBA program so long as conditional admission requirements are met.

There is no preference. We encourage you to take the exam you are most comfortable with.

Yes. If you take the GMAT or GRE more than once, the admissions committee will consider your highest score.

Candidates will apply by June 1 after completing their senior year/bachelor’s degree. Conditional admission decisions will be released in mid-late August.

Admissions decisions for the Deferred Entry MBA program will be provided to applicants in mid-late August.

Undergraduate college students apply during their senior year or right after graduating and receive a decision in the months following graduation. If admitted, candidates would enter the Carlson MBA Full-Time program after completing two years of professional work experience.

For example, if you will be graduating May of 2024 and are admitted to the program, you will begin the Full-Time MBA program in fall of 2026. December graduates interested in the Full-Time MBA would start in the fall 2.5 years after graduating.

Deferred Entry MBA students participate in career coaching, professional development, and mentorships with the support of the Carlson Business Career Center and student clubs and organizations. These opportunities are available to Deferred MBA students even before they start the full-time MBA program.

If you have additional questions, please contact us at [email protected] or 612-625-5555.

Contact Full-Time MBA