Application Requirements

Please note that applicants may submit application materials in any order, and that we will collect application materials in a folder and notify you when your application is complete. Please also note that an application is not considered complete until all supporting documentation is received in our offices.

1. Application Submitted Online

Our application can only be accessed and submitted online.  Create your account and access it at your convenience until you are ready to submit.

2. Resume

You will upload your resume into the application.  We strongly encourage post-undergraduate professional 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.

Our Flex MBA students average six years of 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.

We consider military service to be an outstanding career which highlights leadership and decision making.  We are proud of the significant number of military service members in our Flex MBA Program.  We do not consider military experience in terms of waiver of any course requirements, however.

3.  Essays (2)

You will also upload your essays into the 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 a 12-point font and double spacing.

a. 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.

b. 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.

c. 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.

4. GMAT or GRE General Test

We require a GMAT or GRE General Test score as part of the admissions process.  Standardized test results are reviewed in conjunction with all other parts of the application. We try to balance the information from transcripts and test scores to determine an individual's academic ability.  While the GMAT or GRE score is not the only factor for admission, it is important, and we encourage you to prepare thoroughly.

A GMAT or GRE score is valid for five years. If you took one of these tests more than five years ago, you must take it again.  Please note that applicants to our Flex MBA program are required to complete all sections of the GMAT or GRE.

We are looking for students who will thrive in our academic environment.  In our experience, students with strong quantitative and verbal skills are successful in the Flex MBA Program and thus are top candidates for admission.  If our Admissions Committee feels that your GMAT or GRE score is not a reflection of your true ability, they may ask that you prepare for and retake the test before an admissions decision is made.

GMAT-Specific Information

- Typical mean GMAT score for admitted Flex MBA students: 600
- Typical 80 percent GMAT range: 530-690
- School code for GMAT, W&M Flex MBA Program: 9DDX783
- For more information regarding the GMAT, please visit www.mba.com

GRE-Specific Information

- Fall 2011 cohort will be the first cohort allowed to submit a GRE score for Flex MBA Program admission; therefore, no mean or 80 percent score range is yet available
- School code for GRE General Test, W&M Flex MBA Program: 7403
- For more information regarding the GRE, please visit www.ets.org/gre 

5.  Academic Transcripts

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, community college classes, evening classes, classes not taken toward a degree, 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.

 An applicant's GPA is evaluated in the context of the rigor of the institution and program in which it was earned. There are no academic prerequisites beyond the completion of an undergraduate degree at an accredited institution.

No specific undergraduate prerequisite courses are required.  Depending on your previous academic and professional experience, you may find that overview courses in accounting, economics or statistics may be helpful.  A strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel is advantageous.  The Flex MBA Admissions Committee can provide you with suggestions relevant to your background. 

Official transcripts should arrive in a sealed envelope with the signature of the Registrar across the seal. Please request that the Registrar mail it directly to the Flex MBA Program at the following address:

6.  Professional Letters of Recommendation (2)

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. Our Admissions Committee strongly prefers professional recommendations over academic recommendations.  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.  Letters of recommendation are typically submitted through the online application.  However, 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.

7.   Application Fee

Our application fee is $100.00, unless the application fee is waived.  You may pay by credit card or check.  Please see the online application for more details.  We waive the application fee if you submit all application materials by our Early Application deadline (May 15 for a fall application; November 1 for a spring application.)  William & Mary is also pleased to waive the application fee for anyone who is active duty military; has served honorably in the armed forces of the United States; or has completed a full term of service in the Peace Corps, Teach for America or AmeriCorps.