How to apply for the Full-Time MBA

Full-Time MBA admission documents and policies

• GMAT or GRE

  Standardized tests (GMAT or GRE) are one part of the application process used to evaluate academic ability. Submission of test scores is not required but is recommended for most candidates. It is up to each applicant to decide how best to submit their strongest case for admission. For those who choose not to submit a test score, the Admissions Committee will carefully consider how past academic and professional experiences have prepared them for the academic rigor of the program. In particular, the committee will consider:

  • A strong undergraduate GPA from a US institution;
  • Demonstrated quantitative skills in prior academic and/or professional experience;
  • An advanced or terminal degree (e.g., JD, MD, PhD or quantitative MS degree);
  • A quantitatively oriented professional certificate (e.g., CPA, CFA);
  • An officer’s rank in the military; or
  • Performance on an expired GMAT or GRE

  Test scores must be released when you submit your application. We can accept the online versions of the GMAT and GRE. See your program requirements for more information.

• TOEFL or IELTS

  All international applicants (non-US citizens or non-US permanent residents) whose native language is not English must take either the TOEFL or IELTS. Only scores from tests taken within two years of the program start will be accepted.  Accepted tests include the following:

  TOEFL: TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Home Edition
  IELTS: IELTS Academic, IELTS Indicator

  Do I qualify for a waiver?

  If you are a citizen of one of the following countries, you do not need to submit an English proficiency score:

  • Australia
  • Cameroon
  • Commonwealth Caribbean Nations
  • Ghana
  • India
  • Ireland
  • Kenya
  • Liberia
  • New Zealand
  • Nigeria
  • Singapore
  • Uganda
  • United Kingdom
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

  You may also qualify for a waiver of this requirement if you have taken a minimum of three consecutive years of coursework at a college or university located in one of the above countries, Canada, Hong Kong, South Africa or the United States, where the primary medium of instruction is English, and you received or will receive your degree from the same institution by program start.

  Note: The Admissions Committee reserves the right to ask for an English proficiency test score if deemed necessary. If you believe you are eligible for a waiver, do not submit your TOEFL or IELTS score.

  Only scores from tests taken within two years of the program start will be accepted. Program start is typically in August. See below for the institution codes for Washington University in St. Louis.

  • GMAT: R4T-WG-61
  • GRE: 4961
  • TOEFL: 6929
  • IELTS: No institution code; search for Washington University in St. Louis

  You must include the appropriate Washington University/Olin Business School institution code. It is not sufficient for the student to submit the unofficial or official test taker copy.

• Transcripts and academic records

  Applicants must hold the equivalent of a US bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution at the time of enrollment to be eligible for the program. Most international three-year degrees meet this requirement.

  You must show proof of your degree. Our Admissions Committee accepts unofficial copies of transcripts and test scores for the sole purpose of rendering an admissions decision.

  For most US institutions (and many non-US institutions), an official transcript sent directly from the university or college will include the degree awarded and the date conferred. If you have not yet graduated, the official transcript from the degree-granting institution should be sent as it becomes available.

  Transcripts must include all coursework taken and grades received for each course, plus any transcript instructions or descriptions provided by the institution. Transcripts for study abroad programs or transfer credits are not required if the course titles, grades and credit hours are included in the transcript of the degree-granting institution. 

  Credential evaluations of transcripts, such as WES or ECE, are not required.

  For students who graduated from non-US institutions where the academic transcript does not show the degree awarded and date of degree conferral, you must bring your diploma, diploma book or another equivalent document with you to St. Louis. When you arrive—and before classes start—bring your transcript to Olin’s Graduate Programs Office for visual verification. These documents will be returned to you. ​

  International students must submit both an original-language document and an English translation.

  Upon acceptance, you must submit official transcripts and valid, official test scores (if included in your application) no later than two weeks before the start of orientation programming. Official transcripts may be submitted as follows:

  1. Electronic: An Official Electronic Transcript from your university emailed via eSCRIP-SAFE® or any other authorized provider, emailed to OlinGradAdmissions@wustl.edu
  2. Mailed by your university in a sealed, official university envelope to:
     Washington University in St. Louis
     Olin Business School
     Graduate Program Admissions Office
     Knight Hall 310, CB 1156
     One Brookings Drive
     St. Louis, MO 63130-4899
     Phone: 888-622-5115
  3. In person: An official transcript from your university in a sealed, official envelope brought to:

     Olin Business School
     Graduate Programs
     Admissions Office
     Knight Hall, Room 310
     Monday–Friday
     8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

  If you have not yet graduated, the official transcript from the degree-granting institution should be sent as it becomes available.

  If your transcript does not show the degree awarded and date of conferral, you need to bring your diploma or equivalent document to St. Louis and present it to the Graduate Programs Office for verification before the start of classes.

  International students must submit both an original-language document and an English translation.

• Course transfers and waivers

  Olin Business School will accept up to 9 credits of graduate-level coursework taken at other AACSB-accredited institutions if the grades earned are “B” or above, the Academic Review Committee judges the courses to be equivalent to Olin classes in quality and content, and the credits have not been used toward the completion of another degree. Please submit the course syllabus and transcript to your academic advisor for any classes you would like to be considered for transfer credit. The review process takes at least two weeks to complete. Please note, no transfer credit will be awarded until after the student has completed one semester here at Olin and is in satisfactory academic standing.

  Details vary by program; ask your academic advisor for more information.