Guidelines & Criteria

Professional Experience
Academic Aptitude
Quantitative Proficiency
GMAT Exam
TOEFL Exam
Letters of Recommendation
Interviews
Application Reactivation
Current or Former Berkeley Graduate Students
Admission to Concurrent Degree Programs
Special Circumstances

Professional Experience

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 than quantity of experience, however, is the richness of that experience. When reviewing applications, we are particularly 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.

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Academic Aptitude

Your past academic performance provides us with an indication as to whether you will be able to handle the academic rigor of our program. With this in mind, we review all academic records closely. 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.

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Quantitative Proficiency

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.

For those admitted students who feel the need for a mathematics refresher, we strongly recommend attending the Summer Quantitative Methods Workshop that is held each summer during the two weeks prior to Orientation Week.

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GMAT Exam

All candidates are required to take the GMAT exam prior to the deadline for which they are applying. While there is no minimum acceptable GMAT score, the average for the fall 2007 entering class was 710, and 80% of the class scored between 660 and 760. We are especially interested in your performance on the quantitative section as an indication of your mathematics proficiency. For fall 2009 admission, we accept official scores from exams taken on or after October 1, 2003. Be sure to have your exam results sent to Berkeley's Full-time MBA Program, institution code: N2VPT47

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TOEFL Exam

Applicants who received their degrees in countries other than the US, UK, Australia, or English-speaking Canada are required to take the TOEFL exam. This includes applicants with degrees from Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and most European countries. Only applicants who have completed a full year of US university-level coursework with a grade of B or better are exempt from this requirement.

Your most recent score must be at least 570 for the paper and pencil test, at least 230 for the computer-based test, or at least 68 for the Internet-based test. The average TOEFL score of admitted applicants for fall 2007 entry was 274 (CBT) or 110 (iBT). For fall 2009 admission, we only accept official scores from exams taken on or after June 1, 2007. To have your exam results sent to Berkeley's Full-time MBA Program, list institution code 4833 and department code 02.

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Letters of Recommendation

We require two letters of recommendation and prefer that at least one come from a current employer. Select individuals with whom you have had considerable professional interaction, such as your supervisor or a major client. The title or status of those you select is not important. What does matter is how closely your letter writers have worked with you and whether they can attest to your value as an employee, your professional accomplishments, and your personal qualities and interpersonal skills in an organizational context. For this reason, we strongly discourage academic references. Letters of recommendation from co-workers, someone you have supervised, relatives, or personal and family friends are inappropriate and can be detrimental to the review of your application. Please do not submit more than two letters, and if you choose not to obtain a letter from your current supervisor, be certain to explain why.

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Interviews

The Admissions Committee conducts interviews of applicants by invitation only, and we ask that you please refrain from contacting us to request an interview. Receiving an invitation to interview should be taken as a sign of interest on the part of the Admissions Committee, and few applicants will be admitted without an interview. Interviews are offered both on-campus and in cities around the world.

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Application Reactivation

If you submitted an application to the MBA program within the past two years, you are considered a reapplicant. For details regarding the process for reapplicants, please view our web site at http://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/fall2008.html

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Current or Former Berkeley Graduate Students

If you have ever registered as a graduate student at UC Berkeley, you must complete a Petition for Change of College, School, or Major. For more details, consult the online application instructions or visit http://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/fall2008.html

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Admission to Concurrent Degree Programs

There are three joint degree programs available for full-time MBA students, including an MBA/MPH, JD/MBA, and MBA/MA in International Area Studies. Candidates for the MBA/MPH Program must complete the MBA application form and apply by the normal MBA application deadlines; applicants for the JD/MBA must apply to the MBA program and the Law School separately, and applicants for the MBA/MIAS may add the International Area Studies program during the first year of study. For more details, please visit: http://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/apply_02.html.

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Special Circumstances

Transfer Credits/Course Waivers
We do not accept transfer credits into the MBA program. You may waive out of core courses at the discretion of the faculty, but you must replace the waived course with another class.
Deferred Admission
Requests for deferred admission will only be considered under exceptional circumstances.
Appeals
All admission decisions are final, and there is no appeal process.

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