Applying to the UWB MBA Program
The UWB MBA Program uses the self-managed online application service offered by the University of Washington Graduate School. All applicants to the Technology MBA-Bothell or Leadership MBA-Bellevue programs must apply online, on or before the application deadline, to be considered for admission.
To apply to the UWB MBA programs, click here to enter the University of Washington Graduate School Application website. At that site you must initially create a "new applicant profile" by providing your contact and other personal information. You should then complete the following sections of the application online:
The above sections will be visible on the left panel after you create a new application. In addition to the above, please arrange for the following materials to be sent to UWB to complete your application folder:
New Application
After you have created your profile, please start on your new application and select the graduate program of your choice.
- To apply for the Technology MBA-Bothell Program, select "Business Administration - Technology MBA - Bothell Campus".
- To apply for the Leadership MBA-Bellevue Program, select "Business Administration - Leadership MBA - Bothell Campus, Bellevue site".
If your first choice becomes full and you would like to be considered for the other MBA Program without having to re-apply, you can use the “Option: Consideration for (other) MBA program” section of the application to provide a short statement supporting your interest in the other MBA Program. Your request will be considered by the MBA Admissions Committee and you will be contacted before a decision is made.
After you have created the profile, you can exit and enter the application site any number of times, at your convenience, to complete the rest of the application.
Please note that we cannot begin processing your application until you pay the $65 fee (by credit card) and submit your completed application.
UWB MBA Program Application Form
All applicants must complete the Program Application Form that requests additional information on: your current employer; your position/title; your full-time work experience (in months) from after you earned your bachelor’s degree to your entry into the UW Bothell Leadership or Technology MBA Program; and full-time work experience (in months) from after high school graduation until the completion of your first bachelor’s degree. For some who do not go directly from high school to college, the last part of the full-time work experience information may capture such work experience as 48 months in the military or 36 months in a start up business.
Application Essays
All applicants must submit two essays online. Both essays should be in one paginated Word or PDF document (or in plain text, where Word or PDF formats are not possible). Please show your name on each page of your essays:
- First essay: What are your short-term and long-term career goals, and how will the MBA degree assist you in achieving them, given your current educational and professional background? (maximum 500 words)
- Second essay should be on one of the following topics (maximum 500 words).
- Explain a difficult professional decision that you made and discuss, with the benefit of hindsight, whether you would decide differently in similar situations in the future
- Describe a problem that your organization faced and the solution that was proposed to address it. What was your role in the design and implementation of the solution and what was the final outcome? What did you learn from the process?
- Write about an experience or an event where you or your team went beyond what was expected of you. Describe what you learned about yourself, your team members and your institution during the process of exceeding expectations.
Optional Essay: Please address any other issues or factors that you believe would be helpful to the Admissions Committee in considering your application.
Resume
Please upload your latest resume, in Word or PDF (or plain text), showing the following:
- Educational background, degree(s) earned, schools attended and dates of attendance, after high school
- All full-time work experience since high school graduation, with brief descriptions and dates of employment
- Relevant community and/or extracurricular collegiate activities
- Awards, honors, or other recognition (academic, community, military, etc.) you have received
Letters of Recommendation
We need two letters of recommendation from individuals who know your professional achievements well. These letters should be sent to us online. Please enter the names of your two Recommenders, their employers, titles, phone numbers and email addresses at the “Designate Recommendations” section of the online application. Once you enter this information, an email is automatically sent to each Recommender along with a link to the recommendation form and a request to complete the Letter of Recommendation. As a courtesy, you may want to inform your Recommender in advance that an email with the recommendation link will be sent to them; you may also want to let them know about your timelines for completion. You can designate your recommenders at any time in the application process, even before you submit your completed application online. You will be notified by email as soon as your Recommender completes the form and submits it electronically.
GMAT Scores
Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores are required for admission. We will accept recent GRE scores as an alternative if you are unable to provide GMAT scores.
You can schedule an appointment for GMAT by clicking
here. Please schedule your test date at least six to eight weeks in advance because of the heavy demand for test appointments.
GMAT (and GRE) Scores are effective for five years from the date of the test. If you took the GMAT more than five years ago, you must retake the exam. If you have taken the GMAT (or GRE) more than once, we will consider only your highest score. The University of Washington will keep these scores on file for one year.
The GMAT test may be taken at the following regional locations: Seattle (Northgate), Renton, Victoria BC, Yakima, Vancouver BC and Spokane. If you have disabilities, special accommodations may be available – please consult the
GMAC Website for more information. To prepare for GMAT, use the
tutorials at the GMAC site or GMAT prep books that you will find in bookstores. In addition, GMAT prep classes are offered by organizations such as Princeton Review and Kaplan. UWB has no affiliation with any of these providers.
The official GMAT scores must be received directly by the UWB MBA Program from GMAC before your application for admission can be processed. Before you begin the GMAT, select "UW Bothell Part-time Evening MBA Program" (school code, Q33-NZ-47) to have your official scores sent directly to UW Bothell.
You can “Self-report GMAT scores” on your application if you have them available with you from an earlier test date. If you take the GMAT exam near the application deadline, please send us the unofficial verbal and quantitative scores provided to you immediately after completing the test; the writing score will reach us with your official results in about one week after the test. However, please note that we will still need the official GMAT scores sent to us directly from GMAC before we can process your application.
Official Transcripts
Please provide two official transcripts from each post-secondary school you have attended. Applicants with a UW undergraduate and/or graduate degree do not need to provide official transcripts since we can access them internally.
International applicants are required to submit only one official transcript and diploma, which is verified and evaluated for a grade point average (GPA) by the University of Washington Graduate School. International applicants who are working in the area usually bring their transcripts to the MBA Program Office, UW1-381- the official materials will be returned after the evaluation is complete. Applicants outside the area can mail the documents to the MBA Program Office
Official transcripts and international diplomas may be mailed or brought to:
MBA Program
University of Washington Bothell
Box 358533
18115 Campus Way NE
Bothell, WA 98011-8246
Evidence of English Proficiency (for international students)
The UW Graduate School requires that every applicant whose native language is not English should demonstrate English language proficiency in one of the following ways:
- A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or from an institution in Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, or the United Kingdom; or
- Documentation verifying that the applicant’s undergraduate degree is from an institution (in a country other than those listed in #1 above) where all instruction is in English. Documentation on institutional letterhead from the equivalent of the Registrar or higher position is required. Documentation must be sent directly to: Joan Abe, Director of Admissions, UW Graduate School, Box 352191, Seattle, WA 98195-2191. Please keep the UWB MBA Program office informed when such documentation is sought and received; or,
- Successful completion of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A minimum English language proficiency test score is 92 on the TOEFLiBT (internet) or 237 on the TOEFLC (computer) or 580 on the TOEFL (paper) or 7.0 on the IELTS.
If you have a graduate degree from an accredited institution in the US, have significant work experience in the US and have done well on the verbal and writing sections of the GMAT, we may be able to request a waiver of the English language proficiency requirement from the UW Graduate School before you are admitted to the program.
Educational Testing Service (ETS) administers the TOEFL once a month at locations all over the world. TOEFL scores are mailed approximately three to four weeks after each test date. International applicants must submit a photocopy of the score report in their application packet. Official scores will be sent to the University of Washington when you provide ETS with our school code: 4854. The TOEFL score (or IELTS) is evaluated along with the verbal and written portion of the GMAT to determine whether a candidate is prepared to attend and contribute to classes conducted in English.
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is an alternative to the TOEFL. Official scores must be sent to the MBA Program, University of Washington Bothell. The IELTS is offered at the UW Seattle Office of Educational Assessment.
The Michigan Language Test (MLT) scores from exams taken before October 2009 will be accepted as evidence of proficiency, if the MLT score is 90 or above.
Test Scores are valid for two years from the test date.
Additional Information - International
International applicants are required to submit additional information. After submitting your application and paying your fee online, there will be a check list of additional requirements including the University of Washington Statement of Financial Ability form. Completed materials are sent to the Graduate School except for the original transcript and diploma which are mailed or brought to the MBA Program office.
Admissions Interviews
The MBA Admissions Committee may seek to interview MBA applicants after an initial screening of applications. If so, the MBA Program Office will contact applicants and set up appointments to meet with members of the Committee and/or their designated staff for personal interviews.
Acknowledgement and Decisions
At the UW Graduate School Application website, you can check whether the UWB MBA Program office has received each of your MBA applications materials. Please note that all required materials must be received before your application can be evaluated.
On occasion, applicants who are admissible may be notified that they have been placed on a waiting list when we have reached our limit of admitted students. If an admitted student does not matriculate, then a space may be made available for someone on the waiting list.