Requirements & Deadlines

Your personal information includes contact information, citizenship, areas of interest and affiliations.

We expect most resumes to be one page (two pages maximum). Please include educational and employment history with titles and dates, in reverse chronological order.

We require transcripts of all academic work completed at the baccalaureate/undergraduate and graduate level. Unofficial transcripts may be uploaded to the online application for the purposes of application review, with official transcripts required upon admission and matriculation.

International candidates must have a college-level education equivalent to an American undergraduate or baccalaureate degree (the same as a first university degree). Generally this is a four-year degree. There are a number of universities around the world that offer three-year undergraduate programs. If you received a bachelor’s degree upon completion of one of these three-year undergraduate programs, you are eligible to apply to our program.

International applicants must submit copies of your academic record and the diploma, degree certificate or other document indicating the date and conferral of your degree. If the original language of the academic record and diploma is not English, you must submit a certified literal (not interpretive) English translation with the original document. If a certified copy of the original transcript is submitted, it must be certified by the institution from which the degree was received.

We require the GMAT or GRE from all applicants. Our school code for GMAT D40-HL-72 and GRE is 5046.

TOEFL, IELTS or PTE Academic is required if English is not your native language. Our school code for these tests is 5816. Applicants don’t need to submit a TOEFL, IELTS or PTE score if:

• They earned an undergraduate or graduate degree at a U.S. college or university.
• Their total education was conducted in English in a native English-speaking country.
• They earned an undergraduate degree or graduate degree from a university in India. We will request test scores from some Indian candidates as needed.

Applicants should self-report test scores on their application. Official scores are not required until after admission to the full-time MBA program. Our application processing team will attach your official scores during processing. Please disregard any “awaiting score report” warnings on your Application Checklist. If your official test scores are missing after you are admitted to the program, we’ll contact you via email.

We have two required essays and one optional essay. The essays for the 2018-2019  application season are:

Question 1:  Required
(500 words)
Please respond to the questions below that will assist us in learning more about you:

• Tell us what your immediate career goals are and how you will benefit personally and professionally from earning an MBA at Kenan-Flagler Business School.
• As the business world continues to evolve, circumstances can change and guide you in a different direction. Should your goals that you provided above not transpire, what other opportunities would you explore?

Question 2:  Required
(250 words)
The UNC Kenan-Flagler community lives by its core values: excellence, leadership, integrity, community and teamwork.

• Pick a core value that resonates most deeply with you.
• Identify the most challenging situation that you have encountered and how you responded while upholding that core value.

Question 3:  Optional
(300 words)
Is there any additional information not presented elsewhere in your application that you would like the admissions committee to consider? Optional areas to address include:

• If you have not had coursework in the core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), how will you prepare yourself?
• Inconsistent academics, gaps in work, or low standardized test scores

Choice of recommenders

Please update essay information for 2019-2020

The Admissions Committee requires two professional recommendations, preferably from supervisors. You will designate your recommenders within the application, which triggers an e-mail directly to the recommender with specific instructions and a link to the recommendation form. We use the Common Letter of Recommendation developed by GMAC to save you and your recommenders time and effort.

Recommendations are due on the same date as your application. It’s your responsibility to notify your chosen recommenders of this deadline. We offer a 10-business-day grace period past the deadline to receive recommendations, but this will delay the processing of your application.

To be admitted to the MBA Program, you must complete an admissions interview.

UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Full-time MBA Program offers two opportunities for interviews. During the Campus Open Interview Season, you can self-register for an interview to occur between September 10, 2018 and October 31, 2018 . If you don’t interview during this time, you’ll be considered for an interview after your application has been submitted, during our Invitation-Only Interview Season (starting November 1, 2018 ).

You are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the Campus Open Interview Season since this is the only way to guarantee an interview. On-campus interviews can be combined with our Campus Visit Program — an excellent way to learn about UNC Kenan-Flagler and MBA Program. Learn more about registration for on-campus interviews and visits.

If you believe you qualify for in-state residency for tuition purposes, please review the Residency Information page for detailed information. The online MBA application includes preliminary residency questions. If a classification cannot be made based on the information within the application, you’ll be prompted to submit an additional residency form. Supporting documentation is required and should be e-mailed to Allison_Wooten@kenan-flagler.unc.edu (you may send your documentation prior to submitting the application).

The $150 nonrefundable fee can be paid by credit card. You may qualify for an application fee waiver if you are on active duty with the U.S. military or a veteran; are an active participant in Peace Corps, AmeriCorps or Teach for America.

Fee waivers are dependent on responses you provide in your application and will be applied when you submit your application. Supporting documentation may be required for a fee waiver. There are no refunds for application fees already paid.

This FAQ page is intended to help answer the most frequently asked questions about the application and fellowship consideration processes.

Q: Do I need to submit a separate UNC Kenan-Flagler admissions application in addition to The Consortium’s application?

A: No. You should submit your application through The Consortium and select UNC Kenan-Flagler as one of your six schools. The Consortium applicants who are offered admission to our MBA program will be considered for The Consortium fellowship, as well as UNC Kenan-Flagler merit-based MBA fellowships. Because of the processing time on both ends, it can take up to several weeks after submitting your application via The Consortium to receive notification of receipt from UNC Kenan-Flagler. The date you hit the submit button in your Consortium application is considered the official application date, so don’t worry if your confirmation of receipt from UNC Kenan-Flagler is after application deadline.

If you already have a UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA Admissions Portal account, or create one in the future, please use the same e-mail address in your Consortium account and application so we can quickly match you.

Q: What do I do since UNC Kenan-Flagler’s deadlines are different than The Consortium’s deadlines?

A: As a Consortium applicant you should adhere to the requirements, application process and deadlines outlined by The Consortium. Check The Consortium’s application instruction page for a list of required materials, application process outline and deadlines. You should note that The Consortium requires that you adhere to each individual school’s interview policy.

Q: How do I schedule my admissions interview at UNC Kenan-Flagler?

A: See the Interviews & Campus Visits page for important information on dates and registration.

The interview policy is the same for all applicants, including anyone applying via The Consortium. If possible, you should self-register for an interview on campus during the Campus Open Interview Season. As a Consortium applicant, please ignore the instructions to start a UNC Kenan-Flagler application — starting your Consortium application fulfills this requirement.

Candidates who do not interview during the Campus Open Interview Season will be considered for an interview invitation after submitting their application. Interview invitations are sent to the primary e-mail address associated with your account — be sure to check your e-mail regularly and notify us promptly of any contact information changes via your MBA Portal.

If you apply by the October Consortium deadline AND wish to be considered for UNC Kenan-Flagler Early Action round of admission, please contact Stephanie Barbee Williams in writing to request your application be moved to the UNC Kenan-Flagler Early Action pool. Early Action is an option for applicants who are certain they will attend UNC Kenan-Flagler if admitted. If admitted, Early Action applicants must submit a $3,000 non-refundable enrollment deposit to secure a space in the class. Please don’t apply for Early Action if you’re not prepared to commit immediately to attending UNC Kenan-Flagler.

Please be aware that The Consortium fellowship offers will not be made prior to the Early Action enrollment deposit due date. Although we announce UNC Kenan-Flagler fellowship awards at the same time we release admissions decisions, The Consortium Fellowship awards will be announced December 2018 and March 2019 .

Q: If I apply via The Consortium, will I be considered for any other merit-based fellowships in addition to the Consortium fellowship?

A: Yes. All applicants for the UNC Kenan-Flagler Full-time MBA Program will be considered for merit-based fellowships. Applicants are notified of their UNC Kenan-Flagler Fellowship award status when admissions decisions are released.

Each year we award merit-based fellowships based on the following criteria: a superior record of achievement in academic and career settings, diverse experiences, and strong leadership potential and interpersonal skills. The same criteria will be used when considering The Consortium applicants for The Consortium tuition fellowship. The Consortium applicants will be considered for all fellowships we offer, in addition to The Consortium fellowship they’ve applied for.

Q: When can I expect to hear if I have been selected as a Consortium member and have received a Consortium fellowship?

A: Although we announce UNC Kenan-Flagler fellowship awards at the same time we release admissions decisions, The Consortium membership and fellowship decisions are issued directly by The Consortium in December 2017 and March 2018.