The University of Mary Washington will begin granting waivers for relevant work experience to prospective students applying to the College of Business Masters of Business program. The decision was approved by the University’s Board of Visitors on Friday, Nov. 20.
“After benchmarking area competitors, the College of Business faculty recognized that schools such as Virginia Commonwealth, James Madison and George Mason universities, are granting waivers for relevant work experience in lieu of taking the GMAT or GRE as an admission requirement for some MBA programs,” said Lynne Richardson, dean of the College of Business. “UMW needs to do the same in order to be successful in attracting applicants to the MBA program.”
The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is still required for applicants to the MBA program. However, waivers will be considered if the applicant has five or more years of eligible full-time post-baccalaureate work experience, or possesses a professional certification, such as a certified public accounting (CPA), chartered financial analyst (CFA) or chartered financial analyst (CEBS).
“This change will improve admissions decisions by looking at the applicant’s total record,” said Richardson.
The GRE/GMAT waiver policy will be implemented immediately and will be in place for Spring 2016 applicants. This waiver perpetuates the tradition of holistic review and will validate applicants professional work experience. According to Richardson, each applicant will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
For more information, contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at 540-286-8000 or graduate@umw.edu.
