Application Checklist
We look forward to getting to know you throughout the MBA application process. We want you to make your application a strong showcase of who you are, what you have accomplished, and what you hope to achieve. For information on the required components of the Vanderbilt MBA application, please click below.
Online Application
The Vanderbilt MBA application is hosted online. To begin, you will be asked to provide basic information such as demographic and contact information, areas of interest, activities and education, and work history. Applications are considered complete when each component has been received and processed by our team. You can check your application status at any time by accessing the application checklist.
All applications are due by 11:59PM Central Time on the deadline date.
GMAT, GRE,
or EA
An official standardized test score or an approved test waiver is a required component of the application.
Standardized Test Scores:
Vanderbilt accepts the GMAT, GRE, or Executive Assessment.
An official test score must be requested by the applicant and received by Vanderbilt directly from the testing service to complete your application. Information on how to submit official test scores can be found below.
Applications will be evaluated with the test score(s) indicated at the time of application submission. If you are re-taking an exam, it is your responsibility to update the Admissions Office via email of any new test score you wish to be included in the application evaluation and request the new official test score be sent to Vanderbilt. Please note the timing of the receipt of an official test score could affect when your decision is released.
Test Waiver:
Applicants interested in being considered for a test waiver must start an application and complete the test waiver request form prior to the application round deadline. We recommend applying for the waiver 2 weeks in advance of the deadline to allow time for review.
Applicants who demonstrate multiple examples of academic and quantitative aptitude are more likely to receive a waiver. Examples of relevant quantitative success include, but are not limited to:
- strong performance in previous quantitative and analytical coursework at the undergraduate or graduate level,
- five or more years of professional work experience with proven quantitative or analytical experience, and
- earning a CPA or CFA certification or additional professional certification.
There are some important factors to consider before requesting a test waiver:
- We cannot offer a test waiver if you have already submitted a self-reported or official GMAT, GRE, or EA test score to Vanderbilt University.
- Applicants are evaluated for a test waiver once per cycle and we are unable to accept appeal requests.
- Ensure you are putting together the strongest application. Consider whether a test score can be used as an additional data point to showcase your academic potential.
- Some employers may request a test score as part of their MBA hiring process. This is particularly true in industries such as consulting or finance.
An approved test waiver is not an admissions decision or an indication of an admissions decision.
Submitting Official Test Scores:
While you can submit your application with a self-reported test score, an official test score report must be requested by the applicant and received by Vanderbilt directly from the testing service. Your application will not be considered complete, and you will not receive an admissions decision until your official score report has been received. Please note that it can take 10-14 business days to receive and process your official test score.
School Codes:
- GMAT and Executive Assessment: No school code is required. You will be asked to provide our school’s name: “Vanderbilt University” in the request.
- GRE: 1871
Transcripts
Vanderbilt requires graduate students to have a four-year U.S. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college, or its equivalent. An unofficial academic transcript from every college or university you attended is required as part of the application.
Legible, unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application submission and should include your full name, the name of the institution, all courses with grades received, grade point average and conferred degree with date (if applicable.) If your conferred degree with date is not included on your transcript, upload a copy of your diploma along with your transcript.
If your transcript is not in English, include your translated academic records along with your originals.
Official Transcripts
Official academic records are required for admitted students prior to enrollment. Final official academic records must be sent directly from the issuing institution/agency to Vanderbilt University.
Information on the prior degree verification process, including how to submit official academic records, can be found on the Vanderbilt University Registrar’s Website.
Letter
of Rec
Only one letter of recommendation is required for the Vanderbilt MBA application and recommendations are due on the application deadline date.
Select your recommender and enter their contact information within the application early to ensure your application will not be delayed. Instructions will be emailed to your recommender and your recommender is welcome to use the Vanderbilt recommendation form or attach the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation (LOR.) Instructions on using the Common LOR can be found on the GMAC site.
We encourage you to choose a professional recommender familiar with your work, such as a direct supervisor, client, or project manager.
Our preference is for your recommender to complete an online recommendation form itself. If your recommender is not an English speaker, a letter of recommendation in his/her native language with a professional translation is acceptable. The original letter, the translated letter, and a certification by the translator should be combined into one document and uploaded by the recommender into the recommendation form.
RESUME & WORK EXPERIENCE
Your resume is an opportunity to tell your story on paper and should highlight your educational background, work experience, and any other activities or interests that are significant to you. For MBA applicants, a one-page resume should be sufficient. You may use the detailed work history section in the online application to provide additional information.
Most students in our program have at least 2 years of work experience, with the majority of students having an average of 4-6 years of full-time post-baccalaureate experience.
VIDEO RESPONSE
The video response is a chance for you to provide a glimpse of your authentic self, speaking without a script. The video questions are designed to be easy to answer, “small talk” questions to help us to get to know you. You will have time to prepare your response and the application will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to record your answers.
SHORT WRITTEN STATEMENTS
Your written statements give us great insight into your unique qualities and goals. We have two required written statements with a 200-word limit.
Statement 1: Our Career Management Center offers resources, guidance, and support to students as they navigate their anticipated post-MBA career paths. Examples of popular industry career paths are Consulting, Financial Services, Consumer Products, Healthcare, Human and Organizational Performance, Technology, and beyond. It is noteworthy that many students opt to concurrently explore multiple industry career paths.
As you contemplate your post-MBA aspirations, share two post-MBA career paths you aim to explore during the Vanderbilt MBA program. Please articulate your rationale and enthusiasm for these choices, and include the skills you have developed that will help you achieve your career goals.
Statement 2: We are genuinely interested in getting to know you and recognize that your identity extends beyond the confines of this application's structured questions. Please highlight something about yourself that isn't already captured in the application. This highlight statement is an opportunity for you to provide context and depth to something that is important or meaningful to you.
Optional Explanatory Statement: You may provide an additional statement to briefly explain anything that is not already addressed elsewhere in your application. This could include employment gaps, lack of recommendation from your current or most recent supervisor, violations of the law, academic misconduct, sub-par academic performance, or anything else that is relevant to your application. Bullet points are acceptable for this statement when appropriate.
Evaluative Interview
Interviews are an essential component of the application and are conducted virtually by our MBA Recruiting & Admissions Fellows or members of our MBA Recruiting & Admissions Team.
Our admissions interviews are behavioral based and a great opportunity to tell us your story, share examples from your professional experience, and speak to how an MBA can help you achieve your goals.
We offer an open interview period between September 20 and November 30, with scheduling beginning on September 5. During the open interview period, all applicants are eligible to conduct an evaluative interview. To schedule, start an MBA 2025 application and allow 24 hours before attempting to select an interview slot. If you have started an application during this period and are still unable to register after 24 hours, please contact your Recruiting Manager. After December 1, evaluative interviews are offered by invitation to applicants who have submitted a complete application.
International Educational Requirements
Refer to the International Educational Requirements for a list of degrees that are considered equivalent to a four year U.S. bachelor's degree.
TOEFL, IELTS or DuoLingo English Test
An official English Language Exam score or an approved waiver is a required component of the application. An official test score report must be requested by the applicant and received by Vanderbilt directly from the testing service.
Vanderbilt accepts the following exams: TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test, IELTS Indicator, TOEFL Essentials. TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo English Test scores are valid for two years.
English Language Exam Waiver:
The English Language Exam requirement can be waived for applicants that meet any of the following requirements:
- Applicant has earned an undergraduate degree in a country where the official language is English* (not just an English-speaking institution or just a country where English is spoken); or
- Applicant has lived and worked, for the past two or more years, in a country where the official language is English* (not just a country where English is spoken); or
- Applicant has scored in the 90th percentile or higher on the verbal component of the GMAT or GRE.
International applicants can be considered for an English Language Exam waiver by marking qualifications on the "International Applicants" page of the application.
*We consider English to be an official language of India.
Submitting official test scores:
An official test score report must be requested by the applicant and received by Vanderbilt directly from the testing service. Once the results are ready, it can take 10-14 days to be received, processed, and attached to your application.
School Codes:
- Duolingo: No school code is required. You will be asked to provide our school’s name: “Vanderbilt University” in the request. If Vanderbilt is indicated as a recipient of the Duolingo English Test, the results are received and posted to your application two days after taking the test.
- TOEFL and IELTS: 1871
The official TOEFL or IELTS scores should be submitted to Vanderbilt University at this address:
Center for Data Management-OWEN
Vanderbilt University (Institution Code 1871)
PMB 407833
2301 Vanderbilt Place
Nashville, TN
37240-7833
Contact ETS with questions about the TOEFL here.
To contact IELTS email ielts@ieltsintl.org.
More information about the Duolingo English Test can be found here.
Additional Information
APPLICATION FEE: There is a $200 fee for the MBA program application.
DUAL DEGREE APPLICANTS: Dual degree applicants complete both the MBA application and the application for the other program to which you plan to enroll. Vanderbilt’s dual degree partners have their own admission and application policies, procedures, and deadlines that may differ from those of the Vanderbilt MBA program.
We are unable to accept the LSAT or the MCAT in lieu of the GMAT, GRE or Executive Assessment (EA). However, we do offer GMAT, GRE or EA waivers and more information can be found here.
DEFERRED ADMISSION: The Vanderbilt MBA program may offer deferred admission on a case-by-case basis. If admitted to the program you may request approval for a deferral. Merit-based scholarships are not guaranteed from one year to the next.
REAPPLICATION: We welcome re-applicants and look forward to evaluating your application. We will retain your application for two years so if you reapply, please use the same login credentials. Some of your former application data will transfer into your new application. You are asked to provide an updated resume, statements, recommendation, and new test scores, if applicable. You also have the opportunity to complete a re-applicant essay to share information about what has changed about your candidacy.
MAILING SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS: We recommend that you keep copies of everything you submit to Vanderbilt for the duration of the application process. Please mail any supplemental application materials not submitted electronically to:
Center for Data Management-OWEN
Vanderbilt University
PMB 407833
2301 Vanderbilt Place
Nashville, TN 37240-7833
ADMISSION DECISIONS: All Admissions Committee decisions are final, and applicants will be considered for admission only once in any given academic year. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to deny any applicant, rescind any offer of admission or dismiss any enrolled student if any part of the application is inaccurate, misrepresented, falsified or otherwise untrue.
QUESTIONS: We appreciate your interest in the Vanderbilt MBA program and look forward to working with you. Please contact us at mba@vanderbilt.edu or 615.322.6469 if you have questions as you explore our programs.