Applicants are required to submit official scores from the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). You will receive a provisional score immediately after the test is completed. Please indicate your score in your application and include a copy of the unofficial score report when mailing your supplemental materials. We will review your application using your unofficial score but you will need to arrange to have your official GMAT score report sent directly to The College of William and Mary Mason School of Business Full-time MBA Program; our school code is 9DDX725. If you took the test more than five years ago, you must take it again. For information regarding the GMAT, please visit http://www.mba.com.

GMAT Preparation Course: The Center for Corporate Education at the Mason School of Business offers a GMAT preparation course.

The Admissions Committee requires official transcripts from each of the colleges and universities you have attended as a registered student (regardless of the number of courses taken), including summer school, evening classes, etc. If you have studied abroad and the courses have been transferred back to your home institution and appear with grades on this transcript, you do not need to request a transcript from the foreign institution.

While we certainly appreciate official transcripts accompanying an application, unofficial transcripts or copies of official transcripts are also acceptable during the application process. If you choose to send an unofficial transcript or a copy of an official transcript with your application, you will be required to provide an official transcript upon acceptance. 

Official transcripts should arrive in a sealed envelope with the signature of the Registrar across the seal. DO NOT OPEN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS. The sealed envelope must be sent to the Office of MBA Admissions unopened. If your institution will not release an official transcript to you, please instruct the Registrar to mail it directly to the MBA Admissions Office.

Additional information for International Applicants
International applicants must have successfully completed the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree to be eligible for admission to the William and Mary MBA Program. Please visit our International Applicants section for detailed instructions regarding expected academic preparation for international students. You must submit copies of both your academic record and the diploma or other document indicating the date and conferral of your degree. If the original language of the academic record and diploma is not English, a certified English translation must accompany the original document. The translation should be literal rather than interpretive. If a certified copy of the original transcript is submitted, the institution from which the degree was received must certify it. Documents certified by a Notary Public are not acceptable. Credentials must include the following information:

• Years of attendance
• Courses taken
• Grades achieved
• Degree, diploma or certificate awarded and date of conferral

If you were provided with only one official copy of your transcript, you may submit a photocopy. If you are admitted, you will be required to submit the original to the Office of MBA Admissions for authentication. Please note that you may be required to submit your official academic records to an independent credential evaluator, if necessary.

You should select individuals who can provide specific and relevant information about your intellectual and professional abilities, performance and motivation to submit a recommendation on your behalf. Two recommendations are required. Recommendations from friends, family members, acquaintances and other sources not able to comment on your professional achievements and managerial potential are of little value in the admission review process.

If one of your recommenders is not able or chooses not to complete a letter of recommendation online, a recommendation form may be submitted by mail. Recommendation forms can be found in the supplemental application forms section of the online application.

We require responses to two essay questions and offer you the opportunity to submit an optional personal statement. We request that each essay be limited to approximately 800 words.

At the top of each page, please put your full name and a complete statement of the question being answered. Use at least 11-point font and 1.5 spacing.

1. Explain what has led you to want to pursue a graduate degree, why specifically an MBA and why now? Please address your post-MBA professional goals as part of your response.

2. Describe a professional situation where you demonstrated one of the following leadership competencies: being flexible, building relationships, communicating with impact, demonstrating integrity, focusing on results, or solving problems. If you do not have an applicable professional situation on which to base your response, you are welcome to describe a campus or community leadership experience where you demonstrated one of the competencies listed above.

3. If there is any additional information that you believe is important to our assessment of your candidacy, please feel free to include it in your application here.

Post-undergraduate work experience is not a prerequisite for admission; we seek diversity among all dimensions of the application and encourage applications from candidates without post-undergraduate work experience to candidates with several years of work experience.

Candidates with no or limited professional experience must be strong in other aspects of their MBA application, including academic performance, demonstrated leadership achievement and campus or community involvement, and possess clearly articulated goals to offset the lack of experience.

Most William and Mary Mason School MBA students have obtained 2 to 8 years of post-undergraduate professional experience. However, the impact a candidate has made on an organization, growth in responsibility over time, leadership experience and other factors are all considered when evaluating experience, not simply the number of years.

The MBA Admissions Committee offers interviews on campus in Williamsburg and in select locations around the world (see our Admissions Events list for other locations). Please contact the MBA Admissions Office at 1-757-221-2900 or admissions@mason.wm.edu to schedule your interview. We highly recommend that you also participate in a class visit where you may have the opportunity to meet with current students, faculty, Executive Partners, or members of our MBA Admissions, Leadership Advantage or MBA Career Services teams.

Candidates planning to interview on campus are encouraged to arrive at least 20 minutes prior to their first appointment to allow time for retrieving a temporary parking pass and finding parking. 

The interview helps the Admissions Committee assess interpersonal and communication skills, motivation and goals, and other strengths of an individual candidate. This evaluative interview also allows candidates to supplement their application materials by presenting a different view of their credentials. The Admissions Office prefers to interview candidates after a completed application has been submitted. Although the interview is most effective if it is conducted after a completed application is received, it is possible to schedule an interview prior to submitting your application.

Telephone interviews may be scheduled prior to submitting a complete application.  However, a telephone interview will only be conducted once a complete application package is received, including GMAT scores, TOELF/IELTS (if applicable) scores, transcripts, and letters of recommendation.

Due to the volume of interview requests we receive, we request that candidates without an application on file submit a current résumé and GMAT scores to the MBA Admissions Office by fax (1-757-221-2958) or admissions@mason.wm.edu at least 72 hours in advance of an on-campus interview.

At peak application periods, we may be unable to interview all applicants. During these periods, interviews will be scheduled at the request of the Admissions Committee.

Fast Track Admissions events
Fast Track MBA Admissions events are designed for candidates who want to expedite their admissions decision by combining the admissions interview with a campus visit and obtaining an admissions decision within 24 hours. Participants must submit their application and essays online and provide GMAT and TOEFL (if applicable) scores in advance of the interview. Transcripts and recommendations are also required and should be submitted prior to the interview. Applicants should plan to discuss essay topics during interviews with members of our MBA Admissions Committee, Leadership Advantage or MBA Career Services teams. Interviews may also be scheduled with faculty and Executive Partners. 

Space is limited. Contact the MBA Admissions Office at 1-757-221-2900 or admissions@mason.wm.edu to register.

English language proficiency is critical to success in the Mason School of Business MBA program, particularly the ability to speak and write clearly and concisely. We extend the MBA experience well beyond textbooks, case studies and classroom lectures. From the very beginning, Mason School MBA students meet and interact with current and former leaders in industry - an opportunity that can lead to life-long relationships and open many doors. We expect students to take leadership roles within teams, using both verbal and written skills. Candidates who have not achieved a high level of English-language communication ability before beginning their studies at William and Mary will miss out on this very valuable aspect of the MBA experience.

Those applicants who have not completed a degree within the United States or who have not earned a university degree in an English-speaking country (not simply an English-speaking institution), or who have not lived and worked full-time in an English-speaking country for the past two or more years must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

As a minimum, you must score 250 (computer-based) or 600 (paper-based) on the TOEFL (the TOEFL score is valid for 2 years) and a 6.5 on the IELTS. Achieving the minimum requirement does not guarantee acceptance. We consider the TOEFL or IELTS score along with GMAT scores in the verbal and AWA sections, essays and the interview to determine a candidate's language readiness to compete in and contribute to the William and Mary MBA community. Our school code is 5115, department code 02.

The TOEFL/IELTS requirement is waived for those candidates who meet both of the following two requirements:

• Achieve a GMAT result in the 60th percentile or better in the Verbal section of the exam, and
• Achieve a GMAT result of 5.0 or better on the AWA section of the exam.