Master of Financial Engineering

All international applicants needing a student visa to study in the U.S. are strongly encouraged to start gathering all necessary documentation before receiving the email from the Dashew Center to ensure timely visa application processing.

Applicants who received their degree(s) from a university OUTSIDE the United States must submit all of the following:

• Transcript in the native language of the country, certified as official with the school's original seal
• Complete translation of the transcript into English, certified by the school itself or by a certified translator
• Degree certificate or diploma copy in the native language of the country, certified as official with the school's original seal, showing the exact degree received and date awarded
• Complete translation of the degree certificate into English, certified by the school itself or by a certified translator

Once admitted, please have your University registrar's office or the service that provides e-transcripts for your University email official transcripts and degree certificates/diplomas directly to our Admissions Coordinator. 

UCLA Anderson evaluates all international undergraduate education within the context of each country's system. Please do NOT try to convert your grade point average to the American 4.0 scale. We know the grading systems and the rigorous schools in every nation, and we compare applicants in relation to others from the same region.
The minimum graduate admission requirement includes a bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution. We are unable to determine whether a degree is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree prior to receiving a completed application. Graduates of recognized academic institutions outside the U.S. should have completed degree programs representing a minimum of 16 years of schooling, with at least 12 years at the primary and secondary levels. Specific requirements for academic systems in different countries are described below.
UCLA Anderson and the UCLA Graduate Division will both review the academic records of all applicants whose undergraduate degrees were earned outside the U.S. to determine whether the academic credentials presented from the foreign institution are acceptable for admission to graduate student status. The MFE admissions office will notify applicants whom we intend to admit to UCLA Anderson; however, the Graduate Division reserves the right to make all final decisions on foreign academic records.

Candidates who have obtained their preparatory education at institutions outside the United States should observe the following instructions when preparing the application:
List all post-secondary educational institutions attended, including technical and professional schools, regardless of the period of attendance or whether the study was related to the field of management. Provide the full, actual names of the institutions attended and the titles of all diplomas or degrees obtained. (Applicants from countries not using the Roman alphabet should provide the names of their institutions in English.)

International students who hold a bachelor's degree or higher from a university located in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada or Australia, or who have completed at least two years of full-time study at such an institution, are exempt from these requirements.

To report the TOEFL score to us electronically, you must select institution code 4837.

TOEFL and IELTS English Proficiency Examinations: If you were educated in a foreign language or your native language is not English, you must prove your English fluency by taking either the TOEFL or IELTS test.

• Although the minimum TOEFL score accepted by UCLA is 87 (7.0 for IELTS), almost all UCLA Anderson MFE admits who took the TOEFL scored higher than 100 on the TOEFL IBT, or 610 on the TOEFL paper-based test, or 7.0 overall on the IELTS.
• The TOEFL is also required for candidates who attended a university where the medium of instruction was English but the official language of the country was not English. (This includes Singapore and India.)
• No preference is given to either language test, and all scores will be evaluated in conjunction with GMAT/GRE verbal scores and the Analytical Writing Assessment to determine your true proficiency level.
• Applications cannot be reviewed without complete test scores (as reported officially by the testing firm), and applications are reviewed only in the round during which your scores are submitted.
• Official TOEFL score reports are sent electronically upon your request from ETS to UCLA Anderson MFE Admissions (use TOEFL Destination Code 4837). Official scores are required for admission but not for application. IELTS scores are sent by hard-copy mail upon your request.
• Applicants who are submitting an IELTS score must email their Test Report Form (TRF) number to mfe.admissions@anderson.ucla.edu. The Admissions Team will then download and attach your official score report.
• Work experience in English is not sufficient for a waiver of the language exam requirement since the determining factor is where the applicant was educated.
• More information on the university's testing rules for all international applicants is available under the UCLA Graduate Division's English requirements.
• UCLA has minimum fluency standards for graduate admissions.

An international applicant can only be excused from taking the TOEFL or IELTS if he or she:

• Holds a bachelor's or higher degree from a university located in a country in which English is BOTH the spoken language and the medium of instruction (United States, U.K., Canada or Australia) OR

• Has completed at least two years of full-time study at such an institution.

TOEFL

Please consult the Admissions Decision Schedule to determine the date by which you must take the TOEFL in order to be considered for a particular admission deadline. TOEFL scores that are more than two years old are not acceptable.

IELTS

IELTS is the International English Language Testing System. It measures ability to communicate in English across all four language skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking) for people who intend to study or work where English is the language of communication. The minimum overall score required for IELTS is 7.0.