Admissions Information
On this page, you will find information about the application process, requirements and deadlines.
- Criteria for Admission
- Deadlines to Submit your Application
- Required Materials for Your Application
- GRE / GMAT Policy
- Additional Requirements for International Students
Criteria for Admission
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
- Satisfactory undergraduate grade point average.
- Submission, review and acceptance of all Required Materials.
- Official test scores may or may not be needed. Read our GRE / GMAT policy.
- International applicants will need to satisfy some Additional Requirements.
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Deadlines to Submit your Application
Applications for all MBA programs are received on a rolling basis. Our application deadlines depend on the semester you wish to start the MBA program.
Type of Applicant | Desired Semester of Start | ||
Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
|
Domestic applicants (US citizens and Permanent Residents) |
July 1 |
December 15 |
May 15 |
International applicants (all those who hold or require a visa) |
May 15 |
November 15 |
March 1 |
Required Materials for Your Application
In order to be reviewed, your application must have all the following materials:
- Current CV or Resume.
- Personal Statement (maximum 1,000 words, read guidelines here).
- Essay Question (maximum 1,000 words, read essay questions here).
- One Letter of Recommendation (read more details about letters of recommendation here).
- Unonfficial or Official Transcripts from every college or university attended except the University of Memphis (read more details here).
- Official Test Scores may be needed. Read our GRE/GMAT policy here | Read more details about the GRE/GMAT tests here.
Personal Statement
Your Personal Statement addresses your overall motivation for pursuing an MBA.
Guidelines: please make sure to address the following:
- Provide details about the experiences in your academic and/or professional background that were key in advancing and consolidating your interest to get an MBA degree. Describe explicitly how so.
- List and describe the qualities that make you a successful MBA candidate. Indicate whether you acquired these qualities throughout your professional and/or academic experience. Provide specific details of these instances.
- Describe the main reasons why you are choosing to pursue an MBA degree instead of a more specialized degree.
- Describe the specific career goals that you expect to advance by pursuing an MBA degree.
- Provide specific details of professional development or other activities offered by the Fogelman College that you plan to engage in.
- Describe your plans after completing the MBA degree.
- Describe what you will contribute to other MBA students and to the Fogelman College of Business as an MBA student and graduate.
- Describe the unique experiences and perspectives that you bring to our MBA program.
Note: Your Personal Statement also provides an opportunity to make up for shortcomings in your grades or professional experience. If appropriate, your Personal Statement should explain to the admissions committee why your undergraduate grades reflect (or fail to reflect) your potential to perform as a graduate student.
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Essay Question
Choose one of the following topics to write your personal essay (maximum 1,000 words). For the title of your essay, please indicate which question you chose to answer.
- Describe a situation where leadership and teamwork were critical to the outcome of
a project in which you were directly involved. What did you learn from the experience and how have you applied this knowledge to
other situations in your life?
- Describe a personal achievement that has had a significant impact on your life, providing specific details. What did you learn from this experience? How did it help shape your understanding of yourself and the world around you?
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Transcripts
- To expedite the review process, please upload an unofficial transcript to your application.
- The Graduate Admissions Office requires official transcripts from all schools attended. Both paper transcripts and electronic transcripts are accepted.
- Official transcripts must be sent directly from the Registrar at your school to the UofM Graduate School, following the instructions on the application portal.
- If you obtained a degree from a non-US institution, please see additional requirements below.
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Letters of Recommendation
We require one letter of recommendation, but you are welcome to submit more than one. Your letter(s) need to be from a professional reference or an academic reference, such as a work supervisor or a former instructor. Letters from family members or friends are not acceptable.
When completing your online application, you will be asked to enter contact information for your professional reference(s). After entering recommender information, you may submit your application (even if your recommenders haven't uploaded their letters yet).
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GRE / GMAT Information
A good GRE or GMAT score will strengthen your application if you do not have a good undergraduate GPA.
We will consider your GMAT or GRE scores for tests taken in the last 5 years. You can find more information about both tests in the table below.
After you take the test, please have your scores sent directly to Graduate Admissions using the code R 1459 (GRE) or R 1748 (GMAT).
GMAT | GRE | |
In Memphis | The Pearson Professional Testing Center 6060 Poplar Avenue [ map ] Suite LL01 Memphis, TN 38119 Phone: 901.761.3372 |
The University of Memphis Prometric Center 111C Brister Hall [ map | campus map ] Memphis, TN 38152 Phone: 901.678.1457 |
Online | https://www.mba.com/ | http://www.ets.org/gre/ |
International students may need to send language proficiency test scores. See requirements for international students below.
GRE / GMAT Policy
To be admitted into the MBA program you must meet one of the following 5 criteria:
- Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher from an accredited external college or university
Please provide an unofficial transcript with your application.
If your degree is not from the US and you wish to obtain a GPA-based waiver, you need to have a course-by course evaluation with grade point average (GPA) equivalency done by any credentialing agency listed on the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) website.
- Undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher from the University of Memphis
Please provide your UID or an unofficial transcript with your application. - Have earned a graduate degree from an accredited institution in the United States
This includes degrees such as an MS, MA, MSBA, JD, MD, PharmD, etc. - Five (5) or more years of Management Experience
“Management experience” here means that you have held a position where at least 10 employees report directly to you. To obtain a waiver, you will need to submit an extended resume highlighting the number of years spent in a management position (as defined above) and the number of direct reports. After submitting your extended resume to an MBA advisor, it will be reviewed by a committee.
Please note that process management and project management do not count as “management experience”.
- GRE or GMAT test score
Admissions decision can be made using unofficial test scores. However, official scores are required by the end of the first semester
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Additional Requirements for International Students
International applicants will additionally need to fulfill the requirements below:
- International Transcript Evaluation: to be ready for review, all official non-US transcripts must be evaluated by any credentialing agency listed on the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services web site. A course-by course report and grade point average (GPA) equivalency are required.
- Language Proficiency Requirement: as per Graduate Admissions requirements, acceptable English proficiency test scores are:
- Duolingo English Test-110 or higher on the overall score.
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) 550 or higher on the paper version, 80 or higher on the internet-based test.
- IELTS (International English Language Testing System)- 6.5 or higher.
- PTE (Pearson Test of English) - 59 or higher.
- Other Requirements: Graduate Admissions requires you to provide evidence of financial support with your application. Once admitted, you will need to satisfy health related requirements. Please visit the Graduate Admissions page for details about these requirements.
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