UCLA-NUS Executive MBA

Applicants must apply to the NUS program online. There are two admission rounds with the following deadlines: December 1 and February 28. Please see corresponding deadlines and decision release dates.

The application fee is $200. The application is waived for round 1. 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.

A candidate for admission must hold a 4-year bachelor's degree from a university of fully recognized standing. Applicants who have attended institutions outside the United States should have completed 16 years of study; 12 years must be completed at the elementary and secondary school levels and 4 years at the college level.

If you do not have a bachelor’s or graduate degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above, we highly encourage you to speak with an EMBA admissions representative via a one-on-one link here.

We require a minimum of 8 years of professional experience from a wide range of industries, including government, law, media and entertainment, banking, consulting, aerospace, technology, medicine and communications.

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. Quantitative academic support to bolster your profile includes but is not limited to recent quantitative coursework (e.g. UC Extension or community college courses), additional education, CPA, CFA, GMAT/GRE/EA exam score. In addition, once admitted into the program, EMBA incoming students are all provided with online math, statistics, and Excel preparation courses and workshops specifically designed for incoming UCLA Anderson students.

If you have any questions about your quantitative preparation, please speak with an EMBA admissions representative via a one-on-one link here. In addition, once admitted into the program, EMBA incoming students are provided with online math, statistics, and Excel preparation courses.

The Executive Assessment (EA), Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) and Graduate Records Exam (GRE) are universal standardized entrance exams for graduate programs, which are optional for the UCLA EMBA application. See below for how to submit your official exam score to us.

Official Transcripts:

All applicants are required to submit official records from each academic institution attended after secondary/high school. Transcripts from exchange programs and/or other courses are not required if the grades appear on the transcript from the school that awarded your degree.

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 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. If your school does not allow electronic transcript delivery, you may have your sealed official transcripts sent to:

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

Within your application, provide contact information for two recommenders who can complete the confidential online recommendation form that will be emailed to them. Letters of recommendation need to come from individuals who are well-acquainted with your performance in a work setting. Typically, current or former supervisors are best equipped to provide examples of performance and impact on the organization.

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 1. How have people, events, and/or situations in your life influenced who you are today? (500 words maximum)

ESSAY 2. Why have you decided to enter the Executive MBA Program? Why is this the appropriate time for you to begin? (500 words maximum)

ESSAY 3. Share with us a book (or any other forms of literature) that you have read in the last 5 years and how it has influenced your thinking. (500 words maximum)

REAPPLICATION: Please describe your career progress since you last applied and how you have strengthened your candidacy. Include updates on your short-term and long-term career goals. (500 words maximum)

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

More Information

Unsure if you need to take the TOEFL or IELTS exam?

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. Please note that more than half of the UCLA-NUS applicants are required to take the TOEFL/IELTS exam. If you need clarification, please email us. 

English Requirements for Graduate Studies

An interview must be completed to be admitted to the program. Interviews are conducted online via Zoom on an invitation basis only after the admissions committee evaluates the submitted application. Instructions on setting up an interview are provided at the time of invitation. Interview appointments are available in Pacific Time and Singapore Time and candidates only need to sign up for one interview.

Interviews last approximately 30-45 minutes. Questions generally cover topics already addressed in the application, such as reasons for getting an MBA, short-term and long-term career goals, fit with UCLA and NUS and personal interests. The interview is a two-way street, also serving as an opportunity for you to explore UCLA and NUS and our culture.

Interviews are rarely the deciding factor in an admissions decision. Instead, they typically mirror or round out information already provided in the application. We are interested in getting to know you as an individual and understanding how you'll fit into the next class. We assess your communication skills, social skills, and readiness for our program.

Most importantly, be genuine and enjoy the opportunity for us to get to know each other.

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 a completely 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 (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. If you applied three years or more prior, please answer the Essay questions.

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 14,750 SGD paid to NUS. The admission deposit is non-refundable and is deducted from your first quarter tuition. Admission offers not accepted within the communicated timeframe will be revoked and the seat will be offered to another qualified applicant.