Deadlines, Requirements, and Prerequisites
Application Deadlines
Application review is conducted on a rolling basis and early applications are encouraged.
Fall Entry Term Application Deadlines
The application for the Fall Class is available beginning August 1 and submitted applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Fall Entry Term Application Deadlines
| Application Deadline |
Admission Decision |
Scholarship Priority |
| September 1* |
September 20 |
Yes for All Majors |
| October 15 |
November 10 |
Yes for All Majors |
| December 1 |
December 20 |
Yes for All Majors |
| March 1 |
March 17 |
Yes for Non-Accounting Majors |
| April 15 |
May 5 |
Yes for Non-Accounting Majors |
| May 15** |
June 1 |
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* Applications received before August 15 are reviewed on a rolling basis.
** Applications received after May 15 are reviewed on a rolling basis as seats are available in the upcoming class.
Spring Entry Term Application Deadlines
Spring Entry Term Application Deadlines
| Application Deadline |
Admission Decision |
Scholarship Priority |
| April 15* |
May 5 |
Yes for All Majors |
| July 15 |
August 5 |
Yes for All Majors |
| September 15 |
October 5 |
Yes for All Majors |
| October 15 |
November 10 |
Yes for Non-Accounting Majors |
| November 15 |
December 5 |
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| December 1** |
December 15 |
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* Applications received before April 1 are reviewed on a rolling basis.
** Applications received after December 1 are reviewed on a rolling basis as seats are available in the upcoming class.
Application Requirements
Admission to the MAcc program requires completion of the following steps:
Application requirements steps
GRE/GMAT & Waiver Process
GRE/GMAT waivers are available for domestic and international candidates who graduated or will graduate from a U.S. four year institution with a 3.25 or higher GPA.
If you plan to enroll after your senior year, we strongly recommend taking the GMAT in the spring of your junior year or in the summer between your junior and senior year. You may submit an unofficial GRE or GMAT score report to the MAcc Admissions office by email at [[m|MAcc]] or indicate your score in your application to expedite the processing. However, if required, official test scores must be received prior to admission approval. Test scores are only valid for five years. Test scores must be forwarded directly to William & Mary Raymond A. Mason School of Business by Educational Testing Services (ETS); our GMAT school is 9DDX743.
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International Candidates
Transcripts. Official academic record (transcripts) and diploma are required. If the documents are not in English, a certified literal - not interpretive - English translation must be included. Copies must be certified by the institution from which the degree was received. Documents certified by a Notary Public will not be accepted. Transcripts should include: Years of attendance, courses taken, grades achieved, degree, diploma, or certificate awarded (if applicable), date of conferral (if applicable).
- WES Evaluation: We do not require a WES evaluation at the time you submit your application. So long as the candidate's official transcript is provided in English from the university or the transcript is in English you will not have to submit a WES evaluation prior to enrollment.
- Grades/GPA: We receive applications from students located all around the world and understand that the 4.0 or A-F scale favored by American universities is not always applicable. If this applies to your school, please leave those questions blank on the application. Do not attempt to recalculate or translate your GPA. We will take these cultural differences into consideration when evaluating your application.
- Test Score Reports: Unofficial and self-reported test scores will be used for application review however coinciding official scores will be required for all matriculated students.
English Language Proficiency. Applicants must have a fluent command of rapid, idiomatic English and be able to express thoughts clearly in speech and in writing. If your native language is not English and you have not studied extensively in an English-speaking country, you must submit scores from the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL), or the International English Language Test System (IELTS). Scores should be sent to the Graduate Management School. For additional information:
Language Proficiency Test Waivers:
We will waive the language test requirement only if you studied for at least four consecutive years in an English-speaking country and you completed your undergraduate degree during that time.
Academic Preparation of International Applicants. Applicants must have successfully completed the equivalent of a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree plus 12 years at the elementary and secondary levels to be eligible for admission. Please see below for country specific information:
- Australia, New Zealand and South Africa: Bachelor's honours degree or bachelor's degree where standard of completion is four or more years of full-time study.
- Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka: All three-year Bachelor's degrees are accepted. Transcripts must include a photocopy of the diploma and/or degree conferral showing the date, location, and institution from which the official degree was received.
- Canada: Three-year bachelor's degree from Quebec; four-year bachelor's degree from all other provinces.
- France or French-patterned education system: Degree or Diplome requiring four years of post-baccalaureate study from a university or a grand ecole.
- Germany: University Diplom, Magister Artium or Staatsexamen. Graduates of Fachhochschulen and Berufakademien are not eligible. The Vordiplom by itself is not sufficient.
- Indonesia: Sarjana (five years) or SI, awarded after four years of university study.
- Mexico, Spain, Central and South America: Completion of all courses and thesis or professional exams required for the title or degree of Bacharel or Licenciado/Licenciatura.
- Switzerland: Licence, Diplome or Diplom; four to five years of university study.
- United Kingdom and school following British pattern of education: Honours Bachelor's degree
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Online Application
Each candidate is required to create an account and submit an online application form. In addition, a $100 non-refundable application fee is required. The fee is payable by credit card, personal check, cashier's check drawn from a U.S. bank or subsidiary, or wire transfer. William & Mary undergraduates and alumni, active-duty military, veterans, and those who have served in humanitarian organizations such as the U.S. Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, etc. are eligible for an application fee waiver. Please email [[m|MAcc]] to receive a waiver prior to submitting your online application.
Please note that if you have started an application prior to the Fall 2019 season, you will need to create a new application, as we have moved application systems. Our online application does not work with Internet Explorer. We suggest using Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari.
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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, study abroad, evening classes, etc. To expedite the application review process, applicants have the option of submitting nonofficial university transcript(s) as part of the online application. All matriculated students must provide official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended as a registered student prior to enrollment in the program.
We prefer electronic official transcripts, but also accept hard-copy official transcripts. Electronic transcripts must be send directly from the institution to [[m|MAcc]]. Hard-copy 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 MAcc Admissions office unopened.
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Recommendations
Two professional and/or academic written recommendations specific to your intellectual and professional abilities are required and can be submitted anytime in the application process. In the online application, you will be given the option to provide email contact information for your recommenders so that they can complete your recommendation online using our template (preferred method).
If one of your recommenders is unable or chooses not to complete the online recommendation form, you may print out a Recommendation Form to be mailed to our office or returned to you in a sealed envelope with the signature across the seal. Letters should be written on letterhead stationery and must include a signature and full contact information for the recommender.
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Essay & Personal Statement
We require a response to the first essay question and offer you the opportunity to submit an optional personal statement.
At the top of each page, please put your full name and a complete statement of the question being answered.
- What qualities do you have that will make you a good accountant? What are you hoping to achieve during your studies in the MAcc program? (approximately 800 words)
- Is there any additional information that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee, which would assist in reviewing your application? (250 words)
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Resume
Work experience is not required for admission into the MAcc program. However, previous professional experience is considered when evaluating your application. Candidates with limited professional experience must be strong in other aspects of their MAcc application, including academic performance, demonstrated leadership achievement and campus or community involvement, and possess clearly articulated goals to offset the lack of experience.
We encourage you to limit your resume to two pages - one page resumes are preferred.
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Interview
An interview is the last step of the Admissions process. Interviews are offered by invitation only to candidates whose applications have passed through an initial evaluation. We encourage you to conduct the interview in person in conjunction with a campus visit, but we understand that this is not possible for all candidates. For candidates unable to meet in person, interviews are also offered via phone, and Skype.
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All students admitted to graduate programs at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business must have a conferred bachelor's degree from an accredited institution prior to matriculation.
Prerequisites
All students must complete the courses listed below prior to enrolling into the Master of Accounting program. However, it is not necessary to have them completed when you apply for admission.
Prerequisites
Principles of Accounting
Preparation and use of financial statements to communicate information about a variety of economic events to both internal and external users. At most schools, this is a two-semester 6 credit sequence. Applicants with less than six credits of Principles must demonstrate that the Principles course is substantively similar to the William & Mary Principles course.
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Statistics
Theory and application of basic probability, classical distributions, descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, and other statistical analysis (i.e., correlation and regression).
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Intermediate Accounting I
Offered by the MAcc program in a separate intensive 3 credit residential course in our summer Boot Camp. July 5, 2023 - July 25, 2023.
This course focuses on the financial reporting environment: analyzing reporting choices, preparing financial statements, evaluating the quality of the reported information and assessing the role of financial information in resource allocation. Topics traditionally included in intermediate accounting are covered by tracking the effect of key business transactions on the financial statements and by analyzing key measures of performance evaluation such as profitability, competitiveness, financial flexibility, liquidity and operating efficiency. The class also examines the role of incentives on reporting choices and the link between financial statements and investment decisions.
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Intermediate Accounting II
Offered by the MAcc program in a separate intensive 3 credit residential course in our summer Boot Camp. July 31, 2023 - August 18, 2023.
This course focuses on an advanced study of topics in financial reporting that are traditionally considered in intermediate accounting. Reporting issues related to topics such as pensions, stock options, and deferred taxes are considered with reference to original source materials and accounting research.
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Auditing
Offered by the MAcc program as an intensive 2 credit online course in our summer Boot Camp. July 31, 2023 - August 23, 2023.
This course focuses on the application of risk assessment procedures, statistical analysis, and other auditing techniques within the framework of generally accepted auditing standards. Ethics, judgment, and case studies are emphasized.
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Cost Accounting
Offered by the MAcc program as an intensive 2 credit online course in our summer Boot Camp. July 5, 2023 - July 28, 2023.
This course focuses on cost analysis for inventory valuation and income determination, as well as planning and control of routine decisions. The relevance of cost concepts to modern decision tools is emphasized. There is a substantial use of problems and cases.
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Introduction to (U.S.) Taxation
Offered by the MAcc program as an intensive 2 credit online course in our summer Boot Camp. June 5, 2023 - June 28, 2023.
This course focuses on the framework of the U.S. income tax system as it applies to individuals and businesses. The economic, political, social, and ethical issues involved in the creation and application of federal income tax policy is analyzed. Students will develop the ability to identify solutions to problems confronting the individual taxpayer.
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