Admission Criteria

1. Commitment to the mission of BYU and its sponsoring organization, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BYU's MBA program is committed to developing individuals who will make a difference for good in the world through their service to their families, to their professions, to their church, and to their communities. Membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not required for admittance into the program, but an understanding of and a commitment to support the Church's mission is necessary. Please refer to the web sites of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the BYU Honor Code for additional information about the mission of BYU and the Church.
   
   
2. Evidence of management and leadership skills. These skills are evidenced through completion of the MBA application (statement of intent, essay question responses, resume, letters of recommendation), work experience, LDS mission experience (if applicable), and an interview with a member of the admissions committee (interviews are conducted by invitation only, and are offered to applicants the admissions committee deems competitive for admission to the program after review of the completed application). Pre-MBA accomplishments have as much to do with post-MBA placement as anything else. Recruiters are looking for someone who has shown a record of accomplishment. That includes promotions, career moves and responsibilities that show you know how to make things happen and that you are learning where you want to go in your career. As you learn about the possibilities, your experience, interviews, and essays should support the direction you want to go in your career. Your ability to articulate what you do and where you are headed are very important.
   
   
   • Average work experience for admitted applicants is 4.1 years AFTER completion of the bachelor's degree.
   
   
3. Academic ability. The following two factors are considered:
   
   
• Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) score. All MBA applicants must take the GMAT; no other test may substitute. The admissions committee pays particular attention to the quantitative (math) score (greater than the 50th percentile is typically necessary); it does not use the analytical (written) portions of the test in the admission process. The average GMAT score for students admitted to the MBA program is 670, and scores below 600 are usually not considered competitive for admission.
• Grade point average (GPA). The admissions committee pays particular attention to the last 60 credit hours of the undergraduate program. The average GPA for the last 60 hours for students admitted to the MBA program is 3.50.
4. Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. An international student's undergraduate degree must be equivalent to a U.S. four-year degree. Contact the BYU Office of Graduate Studies at gradstudies@byu.edu with any questions about degree equivalency.
   
   
5. Completion of proficiency exams. All admitted applicants must pass a proficiency exam in each of the following areas by July 1, 2012:
   
   
   • Accounting
   • Statistics
   
   Details are available on the Proficiency Exams page.
   
   
6. For International Applicants Only: Strong English skills as evidenced by the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). All international students for whom English is NOT the first language and who receive their undergraduate degree from a foreign university are required to take either the TOEFL or the IELTS.
   
   The TOEFL/IELTS requirement is waived for international applicants who receive an undergraduate degree from an accredited U.S. university. However, in order to qualify for the exemption, the degree must be less than two years old at the time of enrollment. Additionally, applicants who are citizens of or have received a four-year bachelor's degree from one of the following English-speaking countries are also exempt from this requirement: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, or the Republic of Ireland.
   
   The minimum scores required on the TOEFL are:
   • TOEFL iBT
     Total score of 94 on the internet-based test (minimum score of 22 in Speaking and minimum score of 21 in Listening, Reading, and Writing)
   • TOEFL (Computer-based)
     240
   • TOEFL (Paper-based)
     590
   • IELTS
     Overall band score of 7.0 (minimum band score of 6.0 in each module)
   
   The TOEFL/IELTS score is valid for two years. The MBA program requires that TOEFL/IELTS scores be valid as of the date applicants enter the program; for the Fall 2010 application period, TOEFL/IELTS scores are valid for tests taken August 2008 and later.