Master of Business Administration (iMBA)

You must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in the United States or an equivalent degree from an accredited institution in a foreign country. If you earned your degree(s) from a school located outside of the United States, please see the University of Illinois Graduate College's list of eligible degrees.

A grade point average of 3.0 (A=4.0), or comparable GPA for an international applicant, for the last two years of undergraduate study is recommended. Applications are reviewed holistically; work experience, positive references, and a strong personal statement are considered indicators of success that can outweigh a lower GPA.

All students are expected to have at least three or more years of extensive work experience.

Applicants must upload their academic credentials (transcripts, marksheets, certificates of degree, etc.) as required by the Graduate College. For the application review process, applicants do not need to submit official academic credentials; unofficial or scanned credentials are acceptable. If admitted, however, you will be required to submit official academic credentials.

When uploading your academic credentials, please keep the following in mind:

• Credential evaluations (such as WES or ECE) are not accepted.
• Uploaded credentials must include applicant’s name, institution name, and a transcript legend, grade scale, or grade criteria.
• For domestic degrees, your transcript must have your degree awarded information and the date your degree was conferred.
• For international degrees, you must include the certificate of degree. If the credentials were originally in a language other than English, credentials in both your native language and English must be uploaded.
• If you have not yet completed your undergraduate degree at the time of application, we will review your materials based on the in-progress unofficial transcripts you have uploaded.

Your professional resume should include personal information, educational background, work experience (start and end dates for each position and a brief description of responsibilities), internship experience, educational training, professional associations, and leadership experiences. Technical resumes are not required. Please limit your resume to two pages.

All degree applicants will be required to submit both an academic statement and a series of short answer personal statements. Exact essay prompts can be found within the graduate application.

• Academic statement: A 300-500 word statement that addresses three questions noted in the application.
• Short answer personal statements: A maximum of 250 words that address 2-4 questions noted in the application.

Two references are required. Once contact information is entered into your application, an email is sent to your references where they will be asked to complete a short form describing their professional relationship with you. A letter of recommendation can also be submitted but is not required. It is preferred that at least one of your references is a current or former supervisor. Reference forms can be received after an application is submitted. Applicants cannot submit references on their own behalf.

If you are a non-native English speaker or do not meet one of the University of Illinois Graduate College’s exemptions, you will need to upload TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo scores directly to your application. If you do not have scores and do not meet an exemption, you may also upload an essay requesting an exemption. Please note that if your test scores fall within the limited status range, you may be admitted to the Performance-based Admissions Track (PAT) program to satisfy the English proficiency requirement.

The GMAT or GRE is not required for the application, but you are welcome to submit scores to supplement your application. Unofficial scores can be loaded into your application, but your official GMAT scores must be sent directly to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Institution Code – 1836.

You can use this to address any concerns you may have with your application profile. Additionally, if there is something you would like to highlight that you have been unable to discuss in other areas of the application, you can do so in this essay.

Gies College of Business and Coursera scholarship essay Gies College of Business and Coursera have partnered to offer a limited number of need-based scholarships covering 70 percent of tuition for qualified students. All applicants are eligible to apply. Recipients will be selected based on need, academic standing, and essay submissions. To apply, indicate your interest in the application and upload your essay with your application. Essay submissions must be received with the application for full consideration for the scholarship.

Forte Scholarship application essay Gies College of Business has partnered with the Forte Foundation to provide the Forte Foundation Scholarship to one newly admitted female iMBA student per enrollment cycle. The scholarship is $20,000, awarded throughout the duration of the program. To apply, indicate your interest in the application and upload your essay with your application. Essay submissions must be received with the application for full consideration for the scholarship.

Requests for transfer credits will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed even if the following criteria are met. A maximum of 12 credit hours can be transferred. Transfer requests must be submitted with the application.

• School must be an AACSB accredited institution.
• Course(s) must have been completed within the past 4 years.
• Course(s) must not have been used towards a degree or other transcripted credential.
• Course(s) must have been taken at the graduate level.
• Student must have earned an A- or better.