Admissions Criteria

The quality of an MBA program is immeasurably enhanced by the real-world business experience that students bring to the classroom. For this reason, most of our students have two or more years of full-time professional work experience following the completion of their undergraduate degree. More important, however, is the richness of that experience. When reviewing applications, we are interested in the progression and milestones of your career, as well as your supervisor's assessment of your value as an employee and potential as a leader.

Your past academic performance provides us with an indication as to whether you will be able to handle the academic rigor of our program. Candidates may apply to the program if they hold the equivalent of a four-year US bachelor's degree and have not obtained an MBA or comparable degree from another institution. In reviewing your transcripts, we take into account your choice of coursework, the rigor of your undergraduate major, the competitiveness of your academic institutions, and your grade point average (GPA). Although we do not have a minimum requirement, a GPA of B (3.0) or better is generally the standard for serious consideration. We also evaluate your performance on the GMAT, and if required, the TOEFL or IELTS, to assess your ability to succeed academically in our program.

The curriculum at Haas includes courses that have a qualitative focus and others that are more analytical and quantitative. All applicants should have completed, at a minimum, a college-level mathematics or statistics course. Haas faculty who teach quantitative courses will assume you have mastered the basic material. Therefore, the Admissions Committee looks carefully at quantitative proficiency when making its admissions decisions.

The Berkeley MBA has a distinct culture, and we seek applicants who represent the school's four defining principles: confidence without attitude, question the status quo, beyond yourself, and students always.