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 Application Deadlines 

Evening MBA (including JD/MBA and STEM MBA):
Spring Deadline: January 20th 
Fall Deadline: April 1st (for scholarship priority), June 1st final deadline
The Fall 2023 deadline has been extended to June 21st

Executive MBA:
Fall Deadline: April 1st (for scholarship priority), June 1st final deadline
The Fall 2023 deadline has been extended to June 21st

MSIS: 
Winter Deadline: October 15th
Fall Deadline: April 1st (for scholarship priority), May 1st

MSBA, MSFA: 
Fall Deadline: April 1st (for scholarship priority), May 1st

For Online Program Deadlines, 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

International Transcripts (study outside the U.S.) If you received a conferred degree (undergraduate or graduate) from a school outside the U.S., you are required to submit the course-by-course NACES evaluation. Prepare for this process at least 3 months in advance as this is a lengthy process. Request the evaluation report be delivered electronically to the Leavey School of Business.

Applicants with a degree from outside of the United States are required to have their official transcripts evaluated, regardless if the transcript is printed in English. We require a course-by-course, cumulative GPA, and U.S. degree equivalency evaluation.

We recognize that due to the pandemic there are some schools who are unable to provide official transcripts. If you have an unofficial copy of your foreign transcript, please use SPANTRAN for your course-by-course evaluation. SPANTRAN will accept the unofficial transcript, evaluate it, and will submit a "preliminary" course-by-course evaluation and deliver it to SCU electronically. Once your school fully reopens, SPANTRAN will authenticate and verify your transcript with your institution and submit a final report.

For MBA, Online MBA and Executive MBA, we may be able to move forward with your application but will need to receive your course-by-course evaluation if you enroll in the program.

We are now accepting 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 your schooling was in English) must take the English proficiency test and send the scores directly to Santa Clara University.

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.

The TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo may be waived if the applicant receives a score in the 50th percentile or higher on the verbal portion of the GMAT/GRE or have obtained a U.S. degree from an accredited institution. You should confirm your eligibility for a waiver with the Graduate Business Admissions office.

Duolingo English Test is accepted in lieu of TOEFL or IELTS.

TOEFL Waiver
The TOEFL or IELTS may be waived if the applicant receives a score in the 50th percentile or higher on the verbal portion of the GMAT/GRE or have obtained a U.S. degree from an accredited institution. You should confirm your eligibility for a waiver with the Graduate Business Admissions office. 

Visas
You can start the process of applying for a visa once you are admitted to Santa Clara University, confirmed your intention to enroll, and have submitted your enrollment deposit. Please read more about International Students at SCU and learn how to request immigration documents and start the visa process.

F-1 applicants must be enrolled in at least eight (8) units per quarter. See the University's website for international students for more information regarding student visas.

Once accepted to the Leavey School of Business, you need to complete the I-20 Request Form and the Financial Resource Statement and include official documents verifying funds to cover tuition, fees and living expenses for the first year of the two-year MBA program. These documents cannot be more than 90 days old.

NOTE: International students who are studying on the F-1 visa are not eligible for the Executive MBA program.

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. For more information, please contact the Graduate Business Admissions and Financial Aid, Leavey School of Business, 408-554-4539.

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 as well as the MBA with a concentration in DSBA have all been 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).