University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• MSBA coursework formRequired

  All MSBA applicants should upload the MSBA course form recording all quantitative/coding skills acquired through academic and professional experience. It supports an individualized study plan; the page says it is not a prerequisite form.

• Short Personal Statements 1 & 2Required

  Two required short personal statements, 250 words max each.

• Professional résuméRequired

  Maximum two pages. Include personal information, education, work experience (start/end dates and responsibilities), internships, training, professional associations and leadership experience.

• Academic Statement of PurposeRequired

  Required; 500 words total, answering the three listed questions. AI-generated responses will not be accepted.

• Unofficial transcripts and diplomaRequired

  Most recent unofficial transcripts showing your name, the institution name, and a transcript legend/grade scale. The Graduate College calculates GPA (no WES report needed). If you have earned a bachelor's degree, upload your certificate of degree/provisional certificate/diploma. Official transcripts are required on arrival to campus if admitted.

• Two reference letters2 letters

  Academic and/or professional sources. Graduate College guidance: employers, supervisors, professors or others who can comment on your goals and potential; no friends or relatives. Fast-Track applicants (current UIUC students/alumni) have letters waived.

  Recommenders are notified by the online application after you enter their institution/company email; letters should be signed and dated. Letters received more than 7 days after the submission deadline move the application to the next round's decision date. A recommender who can't use the system may email the letter to grad@business.illinois.edu from an official institutional or company address (FAQ).

• GMAT or GREOptional

  Submitting GMAT or GRE scores is optional. The committee may request official score reports if it can't decide on what was submitted. Send official scores to institution code 1836 and upload the unofficial report. Scores received more than 7 days after the submission deadline move the application to the next round's decision date. FAQ: a low GPA can be countered by a strong GRE or GMAT score.

• Duolingo English Test, IELTS Academic or TOEFL iBTIf your degree wasn't taught in EnglishRequired

  Duolingo English Test: Full status: 135. Limited status: 115. Send to 'University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Graduate Admissions'. Official scores must be dated after August 1, 2025 and include the test registration or report number (applications without it may be considered incomplete). A limited-status score is not conditional admission, but requires the English Placement Test (EPT) on arrival and possibly ESL coursework.

  IELTS Academic: Full status: 7.5. Limited status: 6.5. Graduate College: in-person and online IELTS Academic accepted; IELTS One Skill Retake scores not accepted. Send to 'University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Graduate'. Official scores must be dated after August 1, 2025 and include the test registration or report number (applications without it may be considered incomplete). A limited-status score is not conditional admission, but requires the English Placement Test (EPT) on arrival and possibly ESL coursework.

  TOEFL iBT: Full status: 103 (scores dated before 1/21/2026) or 5.0 (scores dated after 1/20/2026). Limited status: 79 (before 1/21/2026) or 4.0 (after 1/20/2026). MSBA page lists iBT/iBT Home/iBT Paper; the Graduate College does not accept TOEFL Essentials or MyBest scores. Institution code 1836. Official scores must be dated after August 1, 2025 and include the test registration or report number (applications without it may be considered incomplete). A limited-status score is not conditional admission, but requires the English Placement Test (EPT) on arrival and possibly ESL coursework.

  Waiver / exemption: Exempt if you (1) received a post-secondary degree from a U.S. institution (or one in an approved country) within five years of the proposed admission term; (2) completed at least two years of post-secondary study in the U.S. (or an approved country) within five years of the proposed term of initial enrollment; or (3) completed at least two years of professional work experience in the U.S. (or an approved country) within five years of the proposed term of initial enrollment. Approved countries: Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Dominica, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Scotland, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, St. Kitts, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Zimbabwe. Per the MSBA FAQ, an English-medium degree from a non-approved country does not by itself exempt you.

• PTE Academic (not listed)If your degree wasn't taught in EnglishNot accepted

  Not listed: the accepted English tests are TOEFL iBT (including iBT Home Edition), IELTS Academic and the Duolingo English Test.

• Interview (by invitation)

  If the application and video essay don't give enough information, the admissions committee may conduct a small number of invitation-only interviews. Decisions may be made with or without an interview.

• Video essayRequired · with the application

  Required. A video component in the application presents 3 randomly assigned questions to answer briefly in 3 minutes via a recorded response.

Who can apply

• Bachelor's degree (Graduate College minimum)Required

  At least a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or a comparable degree from a recognized institution abroad, with a GPA of 3.0 (A=4.0), or comparable, for the last two years of undergraduate study. Final-year students who meet the GPA are admitted conditionally pending the conferred degree. International applicants must also meet the Graduate College's minimum requirements by country.

• Programming familiarity (recommended)Optional

  No formal programming prerequisites, but some familiarity with coding is highly recommended; a basic understanding of Python, SQL and R is described as incredibly beneficial.

• Statistics familiarity (very helpful)Optional

  Some familiarity with statistics will also be very helpful.

• Essay 1 · Optional (Strongly recommended for applicants with a GPA of 3.0 or lower) · 250 wordsIf you believe that your academic record does not demonstrate your true capabilities, please explain why. You may also discuss any gaps in your academic and professional experience or any extenuating circumstances.

  The school’s pages disagree. Confirm with the school.

  If you believe that your academic record does not demonstrate your true capabilities, please explain why. You may also discuss any gaps in your academic and professional experience or any extenuating circumstances.

• Essay 2 · Optional · 250 wordsIf you believe that your academic record does not demonstrate your true capabilities, please explain why. You may also discuss any gaps in your academic and professional experience.

  The school’s pages disagree. Confirm with the school.

  If you believe that your academic record does not demonstrate your true capabilities, please explain why. You may also discuss any gaps in your academic and professional experience.

• Essay 3 · Optional · 250 wordsIf there is something that you would like to share with the admissions committee that you have yet to discuss in other areas of the application, please do so here. If needed, you may also use this space to expand upon the topics discussed in the above essays.

  If there is something that you would like to share with the admissions committee that you have yet to discuss in other areas of the application, please do so here. If needed, you may also use this space to expand upon the topics discussed in the above essays.

• Essay 4 · Required · 250 wordsPlease describe pivotal experiences, opportunities, and/or challenges (including any financial or access barriers) that have influenced your educational and professional development.

  Please describe pivotal experiences, opportunities, and/or challenges (including any financial or access barriers) that have influenced your educational and professional development.

• Essay 5 · Required · 250 wordsProvide an example in which you contributed to or engaged with a community of students or colleagues with different perspectives, abilities, and experiences to achieve a positive outcome.

  The school’s pages disagree. Confirm with the school.

  Provide an example in which you contributed to or engaged with a community of students or colleagues with different perspectives, abilities, and experiences to achieve a positive outcome.

• Essay 6 · Required · 250 wordsAt Illinois, we value a student’s ability to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where our graduate students can learn and collaborate productively and positively. Please provide an example of how you contributed to or engaged with a community of students or colleagues with different perspectives, abilities, and experiences to achieve a positive outcome, and reflect on what you learned from this experience.

  The school’s pages disagree. Confirm with the school.

  At Illinois, we value a student’s ability to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where our graduate students can learn and collaborate productively and positively. Please provide an example of how you contributed to or engaged with a community of students or colleagues with different perspectives, abilities, and experiences to achieve a positive outcome, and reflect on what you learned from this experience.

• Essay 7 · Required · 500 wordsPlease write a statement that answers the following questions. Limit your total response to 500 words. How has your academic and professional background, including any professional training, prepared you for graduate study? How will our program help you achieve your intellectual and professional goals? What are your academic interests, and why do you wish to pursue graduate studies in this specific program?

  Please write a statement that answers the following questions. Limit your total response to 500 words. How has your academic and professional background, including any professional training, prepared you for graduate study? How will our program help you achieve your intellectual and professional goals? What are your academic interests, and why do you wish to pursue graduate studies in this specific program?