Resume
Within your application, you will provide your professional resume. Two years of full-time post-bachelor’s work experience (not internships) is required for the program. Full-time work experience is calculated up until the time of enrollment (the start of classes). This encompasses all work completed since your bachelor’s degree, including teaching, military service, and government experience (ex: the Peace Corp). Other types of experience can be explained fully in your application essays.
Essays
Essays are a critical means of assessing an applicant's motivation for attending Texas McCombs, their background and goals, and their communication and presentation skills. Strong applications convey careful research and enthusiasm for the program. Please complete all required essays.
Letter of Recommendation
We require one recommendation from a person who has supervised your work and/or assessed your performance. The Admissions Committee limits each application to one letter of recommendation and cannot accept additional recommendations.
While completing your application, you will be able to send your recommender an invitation to submit their recommendation. Professional recommendations are strongly recommended (i.e. direct supervisor, indirect supervisor, or a client). If you are unable to request a letter of recommendation from your direct supervisor or feel that another recommender would be more appropriate, please explain why in your optional essay statement. Once your letter of recommendation is received, you will receive an automated email.
While completing the recommendation form, your recommender will be asked to assess specific competencies and traits, and they will also be asked to answer the following three questions:
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Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant's role in your organizations. (50 words)
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How does the performance of the applicant compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? For example, what are the applicant's principal strengths? (Recommended word count: 250 words)
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Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant's response. (Recommended word count: 250 words)
Your recommender will also have the option to upload a response to the optional question: "Is there anything else we should know?"
Tip: Give your recommender plenty of time to submit their recommendation by sending them an invitation via the application. Once you start your application, you can always save your progress.
Test Scores
The Evening MBA program accepts any of the following to fulfill the standardized test score requirement:
- Valid (taken within 5 years) GMAT, GRE, or Executive Assessment (EA) score
- Expired (taken 5+ years ago) GMAT or GRE score
- Petition to waive the standardized test score requirement - subject to approval (see below for more details)
For valid scores (taken within 5 years), you must self-report your test scores in your application and have official score reports sent directly to UT Austin by the testing agency. The date that your official scores are sent to UT Austin by the testing agency should be no later than the application round deadline, as it can take 3-4 weeks for new scores to be processed.
School codes for the Texas McCombs Evening MBA program:
- GMAT and Executive Assessment (EA): 396-44-40
- GRE: 6882
For expired scores (5 years or older), you must self-report your score and upload proof of the test score in the application. Examples of proof for expired test scores include a score report you received previously from the testing agency OR documentation from another educational institution that previously received the score (e.g. for another graduate/terminal degree application).
The MBA Admissions Committee does not have a preference on which test you take, there is no minimum score.
Although submitting a strong test score is always advised, applicants may petition to waive the test score requirement by submitting an optional essay within the Evening MBA application, explaining why you believe your application is strong enough without a test score. Applicants who have already sent test scores to UT are NOT eligible for the test waiver.
Considerations for the test waiver include the following:
- Education: You already hold a Master's, Ph.D. or other terminal degree (MD, JD), or professional certifications such as CPA, Professional Engineer (PE), etc.
- Work Experience: You have significantly more than the average (6.5 years) of work experience, in terms of both quality and duration, and you can clearly explain the quantitative rigor of your work.
- Holistic Strength of Your Application: Your petition will be considered within the context of your entire application. The overall strength of your application combined with the strength of your petition will influence its approval.
COVID-19 Test Score Waivers
If you are not able to take the GMAT, GRE, EA, or TOEFL exams in-person or online due to reasons directly related to COVID-19, we are currently providing the opportunity to petition for a special COVID-19 test score waiver.
International Tests
A waiver of the TOEFL or IELTS is automatically granted if you are an international applicant and have earned an undergraduate degree in a country where the official language is English. Please visit GIAC's country list. Applicants who meet one of the following criteria may also be eligible for a TOEFL/IELTS waiver:
• You have lived and worked full-time in the U.S. or in a country where English is the official language for at least two of the past four years.
• You hold a master's degree from a college or university located in the U.S. or from a country where English is the official language.
• You were educated solely in English for your undergraduate and/or prior graduate degree.
If you do not meet any of these conditions, you are required to submit the TOEFL or IELTS exam without exception. Waivers are processed 7-10 business days after application submission.
Transcripts
Evaluating your academic history is a two-step process.
- Transcript Evaluation – Evaluation is completed by the admissions committee to ensure you can manage the academic rigor of the program. You will be asked to upload copies of your official transcripts (mark sheets) to Texas McCombs PRIOR to application fee payment.
- Transcript Validation – This step is completed by UT-GIAC. During the validation process, your degree is verified and GPA is calculated using upper division courses and Masters/PhD. You will be asked to upload copies of your official transcripts (mark sheets) to GIAC AFTER application fee payment.
Domestic transcripts must have been produced by the issuing institution within the past calendar year. If documents are written in a language other than English, complete and official English translations must be uploaded together with the original language transcripts (marksheets). It is critical that you block out social security numbers on all documents before uploading.
Please read these instructions prior to uploading your transcripts to GIAC.
Tip: Don’t want to wait for a copy of your transcripts to reach you
in the mail? Ask your registrar if they are able to email you directly
with a .pdf copy of your official transcripts.
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Application Fee
Payment of the non-refundable $200 application fee is required. 1-2 business days after you submit, an invoice will populate on your “What I Owe” page in your GIAC MyStatus page. Within 2 days of payment, your fee status should reflect “Paid.” Accepted forms of payment are Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, a U.S. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), or a U.S. eCheck.
Application Fee Waivers
MBA applicants who meet one or more of the following criteria may qualify for an application fee waiver:
• Veteran or current U.S. military service member
• Teach for America participant (current or alumni)
• Forté MBA Launch participant (current or alumni)
• Fulbright participant (current or alumni)
We are unable to offer application fee waivers based on financial need.
Payment of the application fee prior to processing a waiver will not be refunded. If you apply to more than one Texas MBA program during the same admissions cycle, you are required to pay only the first application fee.
U.S. Permanent Residents
If you are a U.S. permanent resident, after you have submitted your application and paid the application fee, you will be required to upload a copy of the front and back of your permanent resident card. This option is only available after you have paid your application fee in full. Applicants who have applied for U.S. permanent residency but who do not yet have the card in hand, must apply as international applicants. Should your card arrive after, you may notify GIAC to update your status.
The MBA Interview
Interviews are by invitation only. Invitations can be sent out at any time between the submission and decision notification deadlines for each round. All interviews are conducted by a member of the admissions committee.
2021 UPDATE–ADMISSIONS INTERVIEWS
Admissions interviews are currently virtual until further notice.