MBA: Admission requirements

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Admission requirements 

The following are required for admission to the Milgard School of Business MBA Program and the University of Washington Graduate School:

• A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university in the U.S. or its equivalent from a foreign institution.
• An overall grade-point average of 3.0 calculated from the applicant's final 90 graded quarter credits or 60 graded semester credits.
• Competitive scores from the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT).  We will accept scores from the GRE if it was completed in the last 5 years.
• Minimum of two years of managerial and/or professional work experience.
  • Management: Defined as direct responsibility for the assets of an organization; supervision of two or more people (e.g., manager, executive leader, team leader, group/project coordinator, etc.); special projects; processes; databases; budgets, etc.
  • Professional: Requires professional expertise in business functions such as sales, accounting, human resources, finance, marketing, operations, etc. and/or technical functions such as engineering, research, logistics, computer programming, sciences, etc.
• Complete application.  See the How to Apply page for more details.

International students

The Milgard MBA is part-time program and does not fulfill the requirements for a student Visa.  We recommend international students seeking a full-time program consider the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington Seattle campus.

Applicants with international baccalaureate degree or higher

May 1 is the final date for applicants with international baccalaureate degrees or higher to apply to the Milgard MBA. 

Your international transcript must include:

• Degree statement, including date of graduation and title of academic degree awarded
• All coursework with grades.  
• The record must be submitted in the original language along with a certified English translation

For application review by the Milgard MBA admission committee you may provide copies if they meet the criteria outlined above.

If you are admitted to the Milgard School and choose to attend, then the UW Graduate School will require you to submit official International Academic Credentials.  For additional information on this requirement, refer to the UW Graduate School website.

English language proficiency

The UW Graduate School requires proof of English language proficiency as outlined in Graduate School Memoranda #8.

Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a standardized assessment that helps business schools assess the qualifications of applicants for advanced study in business and management. The Milgard School of Business uses the test as one predictor of academic performance in the MBA Program.

The GMAT measures verbal, mathematical (algebra and geometry), and analytical writing skills that you have developed over time in your work and education. The GMAT consists of three main parts, the Analytical Writing Assessment, the Quantitative section, and the Verbal section.

All applicants must complete the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and provide official scores to UW Tacoma. However, students who have taken the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) may submit GRE scores instead of GMAT scores. Scores are effective for five years.

If you have taken the GMAT or GRE more than once, we will consider only your highest score during the past five years. The University of Washington Tacoma will keep these scores on file for one year.

The GMAT or GRE requirement is waived for students who possess a terminal degree from an accredited institution. Examples of terminal degrees include the Ph.D., MD, JD, PharmD, Ed. D, and other degrees deemed equivalent to these by the admissions committee. All decisions made by the admissions committee with respect to granting of a waiver of the GMAT requirement are final.

The unofficial GMAT score, provided to you as soon as you complete the test, should be included on your application. Your application will not be considered complete until the official GMAT score is received at UW Tacoma. Plan accordingly so that you take the GMAT in plenty of time for the official score to be received by the May 1 Priority Date and to have time to retest if necessary.

Applicants are advised to prepare for the GMAT by becoming familiar with the test format and content. Good preparation includes taking practice tests to increase speed and comfort levels with the test materials.

GMAT preparation guides and software are available in many bookstores or purchased online. Test Preparation workshops are offered on the UW Tacoma campus through the Milgard School of Business and the UW Tacoma's Keybank Professional Development Center.

Visit the GMAT website to learn more about test taking and preparation, to schedule a GMAT test, and to find testing locations.

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