Requirements and Deadlines

Across UCLA Anderson, we thrive with a student body that possesses a collaborative spirit, commitment to innovative thinking and the courage to make an impact in business and our society. We value students who bring an expertise in a specific industry or functional area, demonstrating a career journey with continuous growth and increased responsibility. We’re interested in candidates who have a minimum of 8 years of work experience, including 5 years managing people and/or large projects.

Application Deadlines

 
Every year, we accept applications on a rolling admissions basis from August to May, exclusively for fall entrance. Applicants are interviewed by invitation only.

Admissions Criteria

 
The EMBA admissions team takes a holistic approach to evaluate each applicant by considering the strength of qualifications, including leadership, work experience, academic record, and quantitative background. Although there are no shortcuts to the application process, we strive to provide a smooth, streamlined experience.

Four-year Bachelor’s Degree or Equivalent

Educational backgrounds of all kinds are welcome in the class. Candidates must hold a completed undergraduate degree in order to enroll in our MBA program. Usually this is a four-year bachelor's degree, or its equivalent in other countries.

Additional requirements are necessary for international applicants educated outside of the United States.

Quantitative Preparation

The GMAT/GRE/EA score is optional. However, additional quantitative support may be required upon further review of your application after submission. If additional quantitative support is needed, the EMBA admissions team will reach out with further details and recommendations which can sometimes be completed after admission. 

GMAT/GRE/EA scores are not required. Upon application submission, applicants undergo evaluation for personalized academic preparation options. All applicants and incoming EMBA students receive tailored online courses and workshops in math, statistics, and Excel, specifically designed for UCLA Anderson students. If you do not have a bachelor’s or graduate degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above, we encourage you to consult with an EMBA admissions representative via a one-on-one link here.  

Candidates can enhance their academic readiness by completing recent quantitative coursework, preferably in MBA-related subjects like calculus, statistics, accounting, or finance. You may complete the coursework now and arrange for the transcript to be sent with your application.

Academic Preparation Coursework Options include:

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Professional and Management Experience

We require a minimum of 8 years of professional experience and including 5 years managing people and/or large projects from a wide range of industries, including government, law, media and entertainment, banking, consulting, aerospace, technology, medicine and communications.

While some applicants need more formal business training and/or experience, they can thrive in our collaborative academic environment. We are most impressed by increasing levels of responsibility over time; those who advance faster than their peers are the prospects we admit first.

Application Process

 

Create Your Online Application

Applicants must apply to the EMBA program online. The online application will walk you through each step. There are three admission rounds with the following deadlines: December 1, February 1, and May 1. Please see corresponding deadlines and decision release dates above. The application fee is $200. Application fee waivers are available to all U.S. Military Personnel (active duty and veterans) and UCLA Staff. Please email Christina Marentes prior to submission.

Order Official Documents - Transcripts, Diploma Certificates, and Degree Certificates

Applicants must hold a completed four-year bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited university. We accept all majors and backgrounds.

Applicants are required to submit official documents from each academic institution attended after secondary/high school. All academic documents such as official mark sheets/transcripts, diploma certificates, and degree certificates must be directly sent to UCLA Anderson Executive MBA program from your educational institution.

Digital Electronic Transcripts

Digital e-transcripts are highly recommended and considered official as long as they are sent directly from your school(s) to us at emba.admissions@anderson.ucla.edu OR select “UCLA Anderson MBA Program” as the recipient if you are ordering through Parchment. This is our preferred way of receiving your official transcripts.

OR

Physical Hard Copy Transcripts

If your school does not allow electronic transcript delivery, you may have your sealed official transcripts, diploma certificates, and degree certificates sent to the address below:

UCLA Anderson Executive MBA Admissions
ATTN: EMBA Admissions Manager
110 Westwood Plaza, Marion Anderson Hall G6.42
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1481

Frequently Asked Questions

  • I have the original transcripts and degree certificates with me. Can I submit them to you? 
    • No, any documents provided by the applicant are considered unofficial. Please get in touch with your school to have the documents sent directly to our office.
  • What if my school can't provide electronic transcripts?
    • Many schools have adjusted their transcript delivery service methods due to COVID-19. Please try contacting your school to see if they can email emba.admissions@anderson.ucla.edu your official documents. What has worked for many of our other applicants is that you can email your scans to your school and ask them to forward that to us directly to verify the documents. The email sender should have an official email signature, an official title, the name of the office sending this transcript, and the name of the institution/address of the institution. If they can't email your documents to us, you can request your institution mail them to the EMBA Office directly. 
  • My school can provide the documents in the original language, but they can't provide the translated version. What should I do?
    • All academic documents, such as official mark sheets/transcripts, diploma certificates, and degree certificates, must be translated into English. If your institution cannot provide translation services, you can request an official translation service (I.e., ATA Certified Translations). Please have official translations emailed to us directly to emba.admissions@anderson.ucla.edu.
  • My school only issues documents in English. What should I do?  
    • If they only issue documents in English, please have them email us directly, confirming they only provide documents in English only and do not issue documents in the native language.
  • My school can provide the transcripts, but they don't have my degree certificate/diploma certificate on file. Can I send you my own degree certificate/diploma certificate scan? 
    • If your school doesn't have your diploma/degree certificate on file, please send your school your own diploma/degree certificate scan and have your school email emba.admissions@anderson.ucla.edu those documents.
  • I have a transcript evaluation. Do you accept outside evaluations from companies such as WES? 
    • No. Since we have our internal evaluation system for each country, we do not accept outside evaluations such as WES. Any evaluations would not be considered an equivalent copy.
  • Will I be notified once my school sends you the required documents?
    • Yes, we will email you once we receive the documents from your school.
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Update Employment History and Resume

Applicants must submit an updated resume and use the career section of the application to share their employment history. Use the career section of the application and provide information with all of your post-undergraduate jobs. Our candidates have earned degrees in many fields of study and hold advanced degrees. Note: The most recently uploaded resume will be reviewed. 

2 Letters of Recommendation

Two letters of recommendation are needed from individuals who are well acquainted with your performance in a work setting, preferably a current or former supervisor, who are best equipped to provide examples of performance and impact on the organization. Final recommendations can come in after submitting your application. 

Identifying two references and providing their contact information is required to submit your application. You must register your recommenders, who then use the confidential online link they receive directly from our online application to complete the recommendation form. Your recommenders also have the option to upload an additional document if desired. Only two recommendations are accepted per application. 

  • Questions from the online recommendation form are shown below and are for reference only.
  • Recommendations must be submitted online. Hard-copy responses will not be accepted. Your recommenders have the option to upload an additional document if desired.
  • Ideally your recommendations should be from current direct supervisors or managers who are best equipped to answer questions about your leadership, communication, teamwork, initiative and other skills.

  • If you are unable to ask a current supervisor for a recommendation, you can ask a manager from another department or a consultant/client who knows you well enough to answer the questions insightfully.

  • Academic contacts are not usually able to provide information on management potential. Similarly, family members, peers and friends are not appropriate as recommenders.

Recommendation Questions and Topics*

  • Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization.
  • How does the performance of the applicant compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? (E.g. what are the applicant’s principal strengths?)
  • Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response.

*Please note: Questions and topics listed above are for reference only. Actual submission of letters of recommendation is done online, through the online application system only.

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Answer 2 Essay Questions

Essays are the primary means for you to share your perspective and career plans. The best personal statements are introspective, genuine, and succinct in directly answering the questions and responding to the topics.

Essay questions are listed below for both first-time applicants and re-applicants.

First-time applicants

1. Legendary UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden once said that one’s leadership is derived from one’s character. Please provide an example of a time when your own leadership was at its best. (500 words maximum)

2. Why are you interested in pursuing an MBA at this time? Please share any goal(s) you may have that the MBA will help you achieve. (500 words maximum)

Reapplicants

Please describe any updates since you last applied which have enhanced your candidacy. (500-word max)

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English Placement Exam​ (TOEFL / IELTS, if applicable)​

TOEFL or IELTS scores are required of all international applicants EXCEPT those from a select list of countries. Official scores are required for admission but not for applying. For more information please refer to UCLA Graduate Division Office English requirements.

Please note that work experience in English is not sufficient for a TOEFL/IELTS waiver; the key factor is being educated in English.

TOEFL and IELTS Considerations:

  • Applicants who were educated in countries where English is not the primary spoken language of daily life are required to take the TOEFL or IELTS, no matter the language used at their school. This includes applicants with degrees from multilingual countries such as India, Nigeria, Pakistan and others.

  • You are eligible for an exemption if you have a completed conferred degree from an institution based in the United States, Australia, Canada (provinces other than Quebec), New Zealand, Great Britain/United Kingdom (England, Wales, Northern Ireland, or Scotland) or Singapore (NUS, SMU or NTU). Candidates with awarded degrees from all other countries must take the TOEFL or IELTS. 

  • No preference is given to either language test.

  • Applications cannot continue the final steps of evaluation without complete test scores (as self-reported by you or officially by the testing firm), and applications receive a decision in the round during which your scores are submitted.

  • Citizenship, U.S. residence and/or work experience are not sufficient for a waiver of the language exam requirement.

  • More information on the university's testing rules for all international applicants is available under UCLA Graduate Division's English requirements.

  • If admitted and enrolled, incoming EMBA students who take the TOEFL or IELTS will receive a $200 credit to their account.

Prepare for TOEFL

Prepare for IELTS

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Required Interview (By Invitation Only)

Interviews are conducted by a member of the admissions committee and are offered by invitation only. Applicants are notified via email if they have been selected for an interview. Interviews are part of a holistic evaluation process, taking into consideration your completed application, including letters of recommendation and official documents. 

EMBA candidates have the choice to interview in person at the UCLA Anderson Campus or virtually via Zoom. Interviews last approximately 30-45 minutes. The modality in which applicants choose to conduct the interview does not affect an admission decision. Note: In-person interviews are available on limited dates, whereas virtual interviews are ongoing. 

Instructions on setting up an interview are provided at the time of invitation. Interview appointments are available in Pacific Time, and candidates only need to sign up for one interview. Second interviews are required on a case-by-case basis.

Questions generally cover topics already addressed in the application, such as reasons for getting an MBA, short-term and long-term career goals, and how they align with UCLA Anderson. The interview is a two-way street, also serving as an opportunity to explore UCLA Anderson and our culture. 

We are interested in getting to know candidates as an individual and understanding how they will fit into the next class. We assess communication skills, social skills, and readiness for our program.
Most importantly, be genuine and enjoy getting to know each other.

Be sure to read your interview confirmation email for any additional details.
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Reapplicants

Reapplicants are those who submitted a completed MBA application within the previous two years (that is, who applied for the MBA program starting in 2022 or 2023) and received a final decision.

The Admissions Committee will refer to your previous application when considering your admission, but an entirely new application must be submitted online. The process to reapply is streamlined:

  • Create a new application.
  • Indicate on the Program page of the application that you are a reapplicant.
  • Submit only one new recommendation (it can be the same recommender as the previous application).
  • Watch for decision notifications according to the standard release schedule.

Please Note: Applicants who applied for the MBA program within the previous two application years are asked to indicate updates on test scores, career, academics, activities, and/or other changes since their last application (under the Reapplicants section on the Program page of the application.) Highlighting the progress made since the prior application is the best way to get a different result this time. Please answer the Essay questions if you applied three years or more prior.

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Acknowledgment of Application

We acknowledge the receipt of applications for admission with an email confirmation. Applicants will be notified if any necessary documents are missing from the application packet. Admission offers will be communicated via phone along with instructions on how to accept the offer. The admission deposit is $2,500. This admission deposit is non-refundable and is deducted from your Fall Quarter program fees. Admission offers not accepted within the communicated timeframe will be revoked, and the seat will be offered to another qualified applicant.