Admissions
Start on your path to an advanced career with the Wisconsin Professional MBA.
Application Deadlines
Applications for Fall 2025 will open in September 2024.
Start your MBA in January 2025
Application due
- Rolling admissions
- October 16, 2024
Start your MBA in September 2025
Application due
- Rolling admissions
- April 1, 2025*
- May 15, 2025
- July 10, 2025
*Merit aid priority deadline: April 1
Holistic Application Review
The School employs a holistic admissions process where the admissions committee considers every application, based on merit. There is no one “perfect candidate profile.” We seek a diverse mix of backgrounds, interests, and professional experience, which elevates classroom discussion, enlivens team projects, and adds meaning to experiential learning.
What You’ll Need for Your Application
The short answer questions are required and are an opportunity for you to share more information about your career goals. Please answer the questions in full. Essay responses are limited to 600 words each.
- The Wisconsin Professional MBA will provide you with a business foundation to build upon as a leader. Tell us how you will apply the skills developed in the program and what are your career goals post-MBA.
- Please share a time when you created a more welcoming community, whether personally or professionally. How will you use what you learned from this experience to make a positive impact during your time in the Wisconsin MBA?
- The Wisconsin School of Business is a values-driven community dedicated to preparing leaders who will positively impact business and society. Which of the school’s core values – Collaboration, Humility, Trust, Innovation, or Integrity – resonates most with you, and how have you demonstrated leadership in that area within your current or previous company or community organization?
Please use this optional essay to communicate additional information about yourself that is not otherwise represented in the application and that you feel would benefit the admissions committee. Limit essay response to 600 words.
Submit a résumé outlining your academic achievements and professional experience. Your résumé may include personal achievements, community involvement, global experiences, and other areas of interest.
Ideal recommenders are current/former supervisors or those who best know your professional skill set. You may submit up to two recommendations.
A bachelor’s degree from an approved (accredited) institution is required. International applicants are required to have the equivalent of a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree. View the minimum degree equivalents for different countries. You may wish to have your transcript evaluated by World Education Services (WES) to ensure you meet the four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree equivalency requirements. You are able to submit your application with unofficial transcripts; certified copies of transcripts from the institution where the degree was conferred are required for all admitted students.
The preferred method to receive official transcripts is electronically from your institution. Please access the Parchment website or contact your institution to make this request and send to masters@wsb.wisc.edu. Official transcripts may also be mailed directly from your undergraduate institution in a sealed and stamped envelope sent to:
Wisconsin MBA Program Office
Wisconsin School of Business
2450 Grainger Hall
975 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53706
Standardized test scores are an optional part of the application. You may submit a GMAT Focus/GMAT, GRE, or Executive Assessment score (for domestic students). Consider the information below before choosing to waive a test score.
- If you have two or more years of professional work experience, a GMAT Focus/GMAT or GRE score is optional. (You will not be disadvantaged in the admission review process if you do not submit a test score. You may still choose to submit a test score if you feel it will strengthen your application.)
- If you have five-plus years of professional work experience, a third standardized test called the Executive Assessment is an option. 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 the classroom: higher-order reasoning, critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving. Learn more about the Executive Assessment by visiting gmac.com/ea.
- If you have below a 3.0 GPA or equivalent, you are strongly encouraged to provide a test assessment to show the admissions committee you have the academic ability to handle the rigors of the MBA program.
A minimum of two years of full-time professional work experience is required, the average amount of work experience is 6 years.
Admissions interviews are by invitation only, with invitations extended after applications have been reviewed. Interviews will be with a member of the admissions committee.
Connect With the Admissions Team
We encourage you to meet with a member of the admissions team for an informal review of your credentials before you apply.
Sign up for a 30-minute consultation through the ScheduleOnce app.
Speak directly with an admissions team member and get your questions answered.
Share your career goals, work and academic experience, and discuss your application.
Find More Information
Webinars and Podcasts
Learn more about the admissions process and get tips for your application in our webinars and podcasts. Explore episodes on:
- What Wisconsin looks for in candidates
- Financing your degree
- Balancing work, life, and school
MBA Preparatory Courses
Be ready to hit the ground running in your MBA program. MBA preparatory courses, like GMAC Business Fundamentals and MBA Math, can be a useful tool for brushing up on your quantitative skills, especially if you aren’t planning to take an entrance exam.
Events and Visits
Attend an admissions event to learn more about advancing your career with the Wisconsin Executive MBA Program.
Inside Look: The Professional MBA
Empowering Women in Business: Exploring Forté and MBA Opportunities
Veteran Voices: Insights on Graduate Studies at Wisconsin School of Business
Accelerated Options
Find out if you qualify for a faster, reduced-cost MBA
Qualifying Wisconsin School of Business undergraduate alumni may be eligible to transfer up to 14 credits of graduate curriculum requirements in the functional core and elective badges. This option may reduce the overall amount of time and money needed to complete this advanced degree.
To be considered for credit transfers, the following criteria must be met:
- Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Course completion date within seven years of matriculating into the program
- A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
- Grade of B or higher in relevant undergraduate coursework
UW–Madison alumni may be eligible to transfer up to 6 credits of required or elective courses. This can be done using undergraduate coursework completed at UW–Madison in courses numbered 300 or above. This option may reduce the amount of time and money needed to complete this advanced degree.
To be considered for the maximum amount of credit transfers, the following criteria must be met:
- Undergraduate degree from UW–Madison
- Course completion date within seven years of matriculating into the program
- A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
- Grade B or higher in courses numbered 300 or above from the undergraduate work completed at UW–Madison
Candidates with graduate coursework from the University of Wisconsin–Madison or another accredited institution may be eligible to transfer up to 12 credits of required graduate coursework. Specifically, curriculum requirements in the Functional Core, Leadership Core, or elective badges. This option may reduce the overall amount of time and tuition needed to complete this graduate degree and to accelerate your career trajectory.
To be considered for the maximum amount of credit transfers, the following criteria must be met:
- Completed undergraduate degree from an accredited institution
- Course completion date within 5 years of matriculating into the program
- A cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
- Grade B or higher in graduate coursework
UW PharmD graduates who completed the OTM named option will be evaluated for transfer work under this policy.
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