Evening & Weekend MBA Program Admissions

Application Requirements

Online Application
Application Fee
Resume
Two Letters of Recommendations
Transcripts
Essays
GMAT
TOEFL/IELTS (if applicable)
Interview (if invited)
Prerequisites
Reapplication process
International applicants

Online application

The online application is designed so that you can enter and update your information at any time before you submit your application. Please note that we only accept online applications - paper applications are not available. This application is compatible with Netscape Navigator versions 6.1 and higher and with Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 6.0 and higher. In addition to a compatible browser, you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to access certain documents.

PDF of Application Instructions >

Online Application > (available beginning September 2008)

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Application fee

The $175 application fee is payable online by credit card (preferred) or by mailing a check or money order made payable to "UC Regents" along with your supplemental materials.

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Resume

The admissions committee prefers to receive chronological resumes of 1-2 pages in length. Please upload your resume into the online application.

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Two letters of recommendations

Letters of recommendation provide the admissions committee with third party, qualitative accounts of your potential for leadership and management.

Requirements
We require two (2) letters of recommendation. You should obtain one of the recommendations from your current direct supervisor. If you do not provide a letter from your current direct supervisor, you are required to include an explanation in the Supplementary Data section of the online application.

You are responsible for ensuring that both recommendations are submitted prior to the application deadline. Please do not draft or write your own letter of recommendation, even if asked to do so by your recommender. Such an action can result in denial of your application or withdrawal of your offer of admission. We strongly discourage you from submitting more than two letters of recommendation.

Choosing a Recommender
We strongly prefer that both letters come from a current or former employer. Select individuals who know you well, and who will take the time to write thorough, detailed letters: preferably a supervisor or other individuals with whom you have had considerable professional interaction. The title or status of those you select is not important. What does matter is how closely your letter writers have worked with you and whether they can attest to your value as an employee, your professional accomplishments, and your personal qualities. We have found the most helpful letters to be recent, relevant, and written specifically for this application. We discourage letters of recommendation from co-workers, subordinates, professors, family or friends.

Letter Submission
We strongly encourage your recommenders to submit letters through our online application. When completing the online application, you may enter the e-mail address of your recommender and click the appropriate box to have the recommender complete an online recommendation. Your recommender receives an automated email with instructions to log in to the online recommendation form with questions identical to those in our PDF form. After your recommender submits the recommendation, both you and your recommender will receive an email confirmation. If you wish to give your recommenders hard copy forms, you may download a PDF version of the recommendation form. Please review the submission instructions on the top portion of the form.

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Transcripts

Transcripts can be sent directly by the issuing institution, or by the applicant together with other supplemental materials. Mail one official copy of each transcript to:

Evening & Weekend MBA Admissions
430 Student Services Bldg. #1906
Haas School of Business
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1906

You must submit one official transcript from every college/university/graduate institution you have attended since secondary/high school graduation, regardless of length of study. You must also list each of these schools in the education section of the application. These transcripts need to arrive in a sealed envelope as issued by the school. Do not list or send transcripts for seminars, ESL classes, professional development courses, computer certifications, language courses, art courses, etc.

For institutions outside the US, see International Applicants.

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Essays

Our short answer questions were created to provoke honest, thoughtful responses to help us get to know you. Although the essay and short answer questions have fields large enough for you to answer each thoroughly, please do not exceed the specified lengths. Our online application does not allow you to format the text of your responses. If you would like, you can copy and paste your responses from a text based application, (i.e. Notepad or Microsoft Word).

Fall 2009 Short Answer Essay Questions
1. What are your short-term and long-term professional goals? Why is this the right time for you to pursue an MBA? Please explain. (350 word maximum).
2. Please respond to one of the following three questions (350 word maximum):

A. Describe something you feel passionate about.
B. At Haas, we value innovation and creativity. Describe one example of how you have demonstrated these qualities.
C. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Fall 2009 Main Essay
1. Please tell us about yourself and your background. Include information about your family, where you grew up, your interests, and any other people or things that have influenced you. The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally. (750-1000 words).

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GMAT

Official Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) results are required of all applicants. All applicants must also provide self-reported scores as part of the application. These are verified later in our process. We will accept official scores from GMATs taken as early as October 2003 for fall 2009 applicants. The Haas School keeps GMAT test score reports on file for two years only.

The GMAT must be taken by the deadline for the application round you intend to meet, and you must provide self-reported scores when you complete our application. Applicants registering for the paper-based GMAT or other non-standard administrations should schedule their GMAT at least eight weeks before the application deadline for which you are applying so that you may provide a self-reported score in your application. Those who intend to apply from outside the US should arrange a test date as soon as possible.

Applicants must make arrangements directly with Pierson Vue to sit for the GMAT or to have results of previous tests forwarded to the Haas School. The Haas School's Institution code for Evening & Weekend Admissions is N2V-PT-16. To schedule a test date and for information regarding the GMAT, visit http://mba.com/mba.

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TOEFL/IELTS (if applicable)

The Graduate Division requires that all applicants who received their degrees from countries in which the official language is not English submit official evidence of English language proficiency. This requirement applies to applicants from Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, southeast Asia, and most European countries.

However, if at the time of application you have already completed at least one year of full-time academic coursework towards an advanced degree with grades of "B" or better at a US university, you do not need to take a standardized English language proficiency test. No other waivers will be granted.

There are two standardized tests you may take: the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) assessment. For more information, please review the application instructions.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
We accept TOEFL tests administered by the Educational Testing Service and sent to us directly by the TOEFL office. Tests taken before June 2007 will not be accepted even if your score was reported to Berkeley. Your most recent score must be at least 570 for the paper-and-pencil test, 230 for the computer-based test, or 68 for the Internet-based TOEFL.

TOEFL is administered by the Education Testing Service. You can obtain detailed information from the TOEFL web site. To schedule an appointment for the computer-based test in the United States or Canada, call 1-800-GO-TOEFL. The institution code for the Haas School of Business is 4916-02.

IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
As an alternative, you can submit scores from the Academic Modules of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) administered by the British Council worldwide. You are responsible for providing us with an official paper Test Report Form (TRF) of your IELTS. Remember to order the TRF when you register to take the test. Tests taken before June 2007 will not be accepted. Your most recent overall BAND score must be at least 7 on a 9-point scale.

To register for the IELTS, consult the IELTS web site or contact the office of the test center where you plan to take the test.

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Interview (if invited)

The Admissions Committee conducts interviews of applicants by invitation only, and we ask that you please refrain from contacting us to request an interview. Receiving an invitation to interview should be taken as a sign of interest on the part of the Admissions Committee, and few applicants will be admitted without an interview.

The interview is held on campus at the Haas School of Business in Berkeley, California. The interview is approximately 30 minutes long, one-on-one with a member of the Admissions Committee. Please bring photo identification (passport or driver's license) with you for check-in. You do not need to bring your resume as the interviewer will have reviewed your resume and will have a copy. We recommend professional business attire.

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Prerequisites

In addition to a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, applicants are required to satisfy two prerequisites prior to enrollment: college-level mathematics and statistics.

Both prerequisites must be completed by August 7, 2009 for fall 2009 applicants.

A. College-Level Mathematics
The mathematics prerequisite can be fulfilled in one of the following three ways:

1. Recent Coursework
Applicants can meet the prerequisite with one course in mathematics within the last five years (fall 2004 to summer 2009). Applicants must have earned a grade of “B” or better. Prerequisite courses may be taken at any accredited community college, college or university, or through UC Extension. View a PDF of approved courses in your area.

2. Waiver Exam
We offer the waiver exam as a courtesy to applicants who may not have taken formal courses in mathematics but have gained the skills through work experience or self-study. The waiver exams will be offered January through May each year. View a PDF of exam topics and study guides.

3. GMAT score
Applicants who have scored in the 80th percentile or above on the quantitative section of the GMAT will automatically satisfy the prerequisite in college-level mathematics.

B. Statistics
The statistics prerequisite can be fulfilled in one of the following two ways:

1. Recent Coursework
Applicants can meet the prerequisite with one course in statistics within the last five years (fall 2004 to summer 2009). Applicants must have earned a grade of “B” or better. Prerequisite courses may be taken at any accredited community college, college or university, or through UC Extension. View a PDF of approved courses in your area.

2. Waiver Exam
We offer the waiver exam as a courtesy to applicants who may not have taken formal courses in statistics but have gained the skills through work experience or self-study. The waiver exams will be offered January through May each year. View a PDF of exam topics and study guides.

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Reapplication Process

If you have submitted an application to the Evening & Weekend MBA Program within the last two years, you are considered a reapplicant. Please refer to the instructions below as there are different requirements based on the year you applied.

Fall 2008 Evening & Weekend Applicants Only*:
You should complete all sections of the online application with the following exceptions:

1. Supplementary Data/Short Answers/Essays: Only a response to Essay Question 2 is required of reapplicants. However, applicants are encouraged to submit new or updated responses to the other questions.
2. Recommendations: We require that you submit one new letter of recommendation, preferably from your current supervisor. Submitting two new letters of recommendation is optional.
3. Transcripts: You are not required to resend official transcripts. However, you must send transcripts for new coursework completed since your previous application.
4. Test scores: Reordering official test score reports is not required unless you are listing new GMAT or TOEFL scores in your application. If so, please send an official score report through ETS to the Evening & Weekend MBA Admissions Office at code N2V-PT-16 (for GMAT) or 4916-02 (for TOEFL). You must submit new test scores if your test was taken before June 2007 (TOEFL) or October 2003 (GMAT).

Updating any other application materials is optional, although the Admissions Committee does note the effort that candidates put into their reapplication.

* If you have already applied more than once to the Evening & Weekend MBA Program, you must complete a full application and follow the instructions below for “Fall 2007 Applicants”.

Fall 2007 Evening & Weekend Applicants; Fall 2007 or Fall 2008 Full-time and Berkeley-Columbia Applicants:
You should complete all sections of the online application with the following exceptions:

1. Transcripts: You are not required to resend official transcripts. However, you must send transcripts for new coursework completed since your previous application.
2. Test scores: Reordering official test score reports is not required unless you are listing new GMAT or TOEFL scores in your application. If so, please send an official score report through ETS to the Evening & Weekend MBA Admissions Office at code N2V-PT-16 (for GMAT) or 4916-02 (for TOEFL). You must submit new test scores if your test was taken before June 2007 (TOEFL) or October 2003 (GMAT).

Applicants Prior to Fall 2007:
You must submit an entirely new application and supporting materials, including transcripts and test scores.

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International Applicants

International applicants are those who, at the time they submit an application, 1) are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents or 2) received their undergraduate degrees outside the U.S. International applicants should follow the same procedures detailed thus far, as well as those listed below.

Minimum Academic Requirements for International Applicants
The minimum graduate admission requirement includes a bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution. Graduates of recognized academic institutions outside the United States should have completed degree programs representing a minimum of 16 years of schooling with at least 12 years at the primary and secondary level.

Required Academic Records
Applicants are required to submit official records from each academic institution attended after secondary/high school. All official academic records must be issued in the original language and accompanied by English translations prepared by the issuing institution.

English Language Proficiency
The Graduate Division requires that all applicants who received their degrees from countries in which the official language is not English submit official evidence of English language proficiency. This requirement applies to applicants from Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, southeast Asia, and most European countries.