Admissions

Documents needed for ALL applications:

• Submitted online application
• Application fee (nonrefundable)
• Resume/CV (Using our one-page resume template is recommended but not required.)
• Personal Statement; Required except for Online SCU Alumni Pathway programs
  • 3 Business Essays (1000 words maximum): 
    • Essay 1: What excites you most about your intended field of study?
    • Essay 2: What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation and how will a degree from Santa Clara help you achieve these aspirations?
    • Essay 3: Discuss any attributes, experiences, or interests that would enable you to make a distinctive contribution to the school and/or business profession.
•  GMAT/GRE scores or test waiver. As part of our admissions process, we require either the GMAT or GRE exam.  We do not have a preference for either exam and evaluate candidates equally across both.
  • GMAT School Code: BV3-WB51
  • GRE School Code: 4851.
  • GMAT/GRE test waivers are granted based on applicants’ previous education and work background. Apply for a waiver using this form.
• TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo scores; Required for international students; waived for students with degrees from US institutions or above 50% on verbal section of the GMAT/GRE.
• Academic records *U.S. Transcripts: Official transcripts directly from the institution should be ordered on the application portal and sent to BusinessCas. *Foreign Transcripts (non-US): Official WES evaluations should be ordered on the application portal and sent directly to BusinessCas
• 2 Letters of Recommendation: Required, except for Alumni Pathway; Recommenders are asked to elaborate on the following qualities:
  • Intellectual characteristics
  • Knowledge of the field of study
  • Ability to communicate
  • Diligence and self-discipline
  • Personal effectiveness
  • Potential for graduate study
  • Quantitative aptitude & problem-solving skills 
• Professional work experience;  Evening MBA 3 yrs; Executive MBA 10 yrs; MS Programs: Not required
• Interview for qualified applicants 

Tips

• Prepare a document file in PDF format for each item that will be uploaded to the online application (resume, essays, transcripts/WES, test score reports, etc.). Applicants will be instructed within the online application when each document needs to be uploaded.
• Do not mail official transcripts to our office, unless requested.

The Santa Clara University Alumni Pathway Program for all programs

On-Campus Programs

Evening MBA, STEM MBA, and JD/MBA:

Spring Deadline (approximate start date March/April)

• January 20th final deadline

Fall Deadline (approximate start date September)

• April 1st for scholarship priority
• June 1st final deadline

Executive MBA:

Fall Deadline (approximate start date August)

• April 1st for scholarship priority
• June 1st final deadline

MSIS:

Winter Deadline (approximate start date January)

• October 1st final deadline

Fall Deadline (approximate start date September)

• April 1st for scholarship priority
• May 1st final deadline

MSBA, MSFA: 

Fall Deadline (approximate start date September)

• April 1st for scholarship priority
• May 1st final deadline

Online Programs

For application deadlines for Leavey School of Business’ online programs (Online MBA, MSBA, MSFA, and MSM), please visit the Online Programs Website.

You must satisfy any pre-program competencies based on program you intend to apply. Applicants are eligible to apply without the prerequisite(s), but must fulfill the prerequisite(s) prior to enrolling.

• MS Business Analytics: 1 course of college-level calculus and 1 course of college-level statistics
• MS Finance and Analytics: 1 course of college-level calculus and 1 course of college-level statistics
• MS Information Systems: 1 course of college-level programming language

Courses from Coursera, Straighterline, Udacity, edX, or the like, are not accepted. Prerequisites must be taken at an accredited university. Applicants may take the prerequisites through a University of California Extension, though a comparable university or community college is accepted, if accredited.

Prerequisites must have at minimum the following course content:

• Calculus 1 - Topics should include differential and integral calculus, key concepts of limit, derivative and continuity, derivatives in graphing and optimizing functions, and fundamental theorem of calculus.
• Statistics -Topics in statistics should include descriptive statistics, regression, probability, random variables and distributions, the central limit theorem, confidence intervals and hypothesis testing for 1 & 2 populations, goodness of fit, and contingency tables.
• Programming Language - C, C++, Java, Python, or R

MS Decisions:

Applicants are admitted on the basis of academic ability as indicated by college records and GMAT/GRE, demonstrated career vision in the field of business analytics, personal and professional recommendations, and motivations to complete a demanding academic program.

Your MS application is reviewed only after it is complete and submitted within the published deadlines:

A $750 non-refundable tuition deposit is required to secure a position in the MS in Information Systems program.

A $1000 non-refundable deposit is required to secure a position in the MS in Business Analytics and MS in Financial Analytics.

MBA Decisions:

Once a completed application is submitted, qualified applicants will receive an invitation to schedule an on-campus admission interview. Applicants from outside the immediate area will be given the option of a video interview.

Applicants are admitted on the basis of academic ability as indicated by college records and GMAT/GRE, demonstrated career vision, personal and professional recommendations, and motivations to complete a demanding academic program.

Admissions decisions are made within one to three (1-3) weeks after the final admissions interview.

A $1500 non-refundable tuition deposit is required to secure a position in the Executive MBA program.

A $750 non-refundable tuition deposit is required to secure a position in the Evening MBA program.

While the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) has been the standard exam used for business schools, the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) is also accepted. We do not prefer one exam over the other. Scores from either test are valid for five (5) years. Applicants are welcome to take either exam more than once; we will only consider the highest score.

The GMAT/GRE must be taken prior to the deadline for which you are applying and we do not allow for conditional acceptance while applicants prepare for the exam. Take a GMAT mini quiz here.

The GMAT or GRE is a required component for our graduate business applications. However, waivers are available for qualified applicants whose background demonstrates a high level of skill necessary for academic success. No GMAT/GRE waiver is automatic and an approved waiver does not guarantee admission to the program. 

MS Programs GMAT/GRE Waiver Eligibility:

Candidates must have 4 or more years of full-time work experience and one or more of the following:

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited school with a cumulative GPA above a 3.4 (STEM majors), or 3.6 (Non STEM majors)
• A master's doctorate, or professional degree (JD,MD) with a cumulative GPA above a 3.3 from an accredited university, or professional certification, e.g. CPA, CFA. Note: Certificate programs do not count.
• Conferred degree that is quantitative in nature, e.g. math, engineering, or hard sciences (undergraduate or graduate)
• Have five or more years of military enlistment
• Completed all pre-program prerequisites

Evening GMAT/GRE Waiver Eligibility:

Candidates must have 4 or more years of full-time work experience and one or more of the following:

• Bachelor’s degree that is quantitative in nature, e.g. math, engineering, business or hard sciences (undergraduate or graduate) with a cumulative GPA above 3.0
• A master's, doctorate, or professional degree (JD,MD) with a cumulative GPA above a 3.3 from an accredited university, or professional certification, e.g. CPA, CFA. Note: Certificate programs do not count.
• Have five or more years of military enlistment

Executive MBA Requirements:

Candidates must have 10 or more years of full-time work experience and one or more of the following:

• Bachelor’s degree that is quantitative in nature, e.g. math, engineering, business or hard sciences (undergraduate or graduate) with a cumulative GPA above 3.0
• A master's, doctorate, or professional degree (JD,MD) with a cumulative GPA above a 3.3 from an accredited university, or professional certification, e.g. CPA, CFA. Note: Certificate programs do not count.
• Have five or more years of military enlistment
• 12 or more years of full-time professional work experience

*In lieu of the GMAT/GRE, candidates are encouraged to take the Executive Assessment. The Executive Assessment is specifically designed to evaluate the business school readiness of seasoned professionals. The assessment focuses on skills that are critical both at work and in an EMBA program: higher order reasoning, critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving. Because it was designed specifically for experienced professionals, it requires modest preparation, takes only 90 minutes to complete, and includes flexible rescheduling options. The test is administered by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), creators of the GMAT® exam. Learn more about the Executive Assessment by visiting gmac.com/ea. GMAT and GRE scores are also accepted.

Helpful information for International Applicants

Academic Records and Transcripts

Applicants who have received conferred degrees (undergraduate or graduate) from schools outside of the U.S., are required to have their degree(s) evaluated by a NACES member organization. We require a course-by-course, cumulative GPA, and U.S. degree equivalency evaluation.

We accept evaluations from the following companies: 

• SPANTRAN
• WES (available to order directly from BusinessCAS application)
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), Inc.
• Josef Silny & Associates, Inc. 
• International Education Research Foundation, Inc. 
• Educational Perspectives
• Scholaro (AICE) 

TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo

Applicants whose first language is not English (regardless of whether educational instruction was in English) must take an English proficiency test. We accept the following tests:

TOEFL: A minimum TOEFL score of 100 is required.
IELTS: A minimum score of 7.0 is required.
Duolingo: A minimum score of 120 is required.

TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo Waiver
The English proficiency test may be waived if the applicant receives a score in the 50th percentile or higher on the verbal portion of the GMAT or GRE or has obtained a degree from an accredited institution in an English speaking country. 

Visas
International students can begin the process of applying for an F-1 visa once admitted to Santa Clara University, confirmed an intention to enroll, and submitted the enrollment deposit.

Deposited students will complete the I-20 Request Form and the Financial Resource Statement. These documents cannot be more than 90 days old. Please read more about International Students at SCU and learn how to request immigration documents and start the visa process.

Students on an F-1 visa are required to be enrolled in at least eight (8) units per quarter. 

NOTE: The Executive MBA and all Online programs are not eligible for students studying on an F-1 visa.

Financial Aid
Federal financial aid is not available for non-US citizens, except in cases where they have attained Permanent Resident status and have made application for citizenship. International students are considered for merit based scholarships at the time of admission. 

U.S. Employment for Foreign Students
To learn more about employment opportunities for international students on- or off-campus, please visit the International Students and Scholars »

The MSBA, MSFA, and MSIS programs and the STEM MBA (with a focus in Data Science and Business Analytics) are STEM certified. Find more information about the STEM OPT Extension »

If you need additional information, we welcome a call (408-554-4539) or email (msadmissions@scu.edu or gradbusiness@scu.edu).