Admission eligibility is based on receipt of a baccalaureate degree equivalent to a United States four-year bachelor's degree from a college or university recognized as an institution of higher education by the Ministry of Education in the relevant country or be regionally accredited within the U.S. prior to matriculating into a graduate program.
To be considered for regular admission, applicants must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or the equivalent (on the U.S. 4.0 scale). Applicants who have earned 9 or more letter-graded graduate credits must have a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0 or the equivalent, this graduate GPA supersedes the undergraduate GPA.
Professional resume
Unofficial transcripts/mark sheets from each college or university attended. If admitted, official transcripts must be submitted. Visit the PSU Admissions website for detailed transcript requirements.
Interview by the admissions committee. After an initial application review, selected candidates will be invited to an on-campus or virtual interview. This is a positive indicator of our interest in your application but does not guarantee admission.
$67 application fee - waived for 2021 admission year
Full-time: Contact information for two professional references
Part-time: Two letters of recommendation. At least one must be a professional recommendation.
Essay questions (3): Essays are your opportunity to tell us who you are beyond your GPAs, test scores and resume. Use this opportunity to provide us with a better understanding of your personal journey, unique background and goals associated with the program.
250 words maximum per essay question.
Answers to all three questions are required. Attach one document with responses to all three essay questions.
See questions below.
GMAT and GRE Optional: We recognize that standardized exams are not always a fair reflection of a candidate's abilities as a result of the inequity of those exams. Therefore we have suspended the GMAT and GRE requirement for the 2020-2021 application season. This means the GMAT or GRE are no longer required for admission to the MBA program at PSU. We recommend that applicants with undergraduate or graduate GPAs lower than 3.0 can consider taking the GMAT or GRE to improve the competitiveness of their application. Applicants with 4-8 years of post-undergraduate employment can also take the Executive Assessment as an alternative. However, we will also have summer bootcamps for students admitted to the MBA program who need additional preparation.
ESSAY QUESTIONS
FULL-TIME MBA:
Tell us your story. What led you to submit this application to the MBA program Portland State?
Our program values a cohort model where students complete all of their courses with the same group they were admitted with in order to increase engagement in the classroom and deepen professional relationships through the program. If admitted to our program, what unique skills and experiences will you be able to bring to your MBA cohort and our larger graduate business community?
Please describe how you vision your career path unfolding during the five years following your graduation from the MBA program.
IELTS - 6.5 overall score with minimum sub-scores of 6.5 in reading and writing
TOEFL iBT - minimum overall score of 80 with minimum subscores of 18 in reading and writing