Carlson School of Management offers admission to students in internationally ranked undergraduate and postgraduate business and management programs and specialties in its campus located in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis home to 17 Fortune 500 companies. Each fall, the school admits over 2,000 freshmen and transfers students into its undergraduate program. And over 1,000 students into the different specialties in its MBA program and other postgraduate programs. International students should note that:

  • Some programs only have one intake season while others have more than one
  • International undergraduate applicants are not required to present SAT/ ACT scores
  • Carlson School of Management does not have a uniform requirement for admission to the graduate program. While some programs have a stated deadline, some are processed on a rolling basis, others are processed based on priority followed by a rolling basis
  • The school understands the bottleneck involved in getting approval for the executive MBA program, thus; application for admission into the program can still be accepted after the stated deadline
  • Classes for fall 2020 will be held in several modes like in-person, distanced, hybrid/blended, online, and others
  • For students still in their home country who would not be able to come to the United States due to the travel restriction imposed by the government can make use of online classes and virtual meeting
  • Students who were meant to resume in fall 2020 but are not able to obtain a visa can also take their courses online if possible
  • New international students are only eligible for visa and entry if they will not be able to be 100% online

Highlights

Application Portal Golden Gopher Application or the Common Application for undergraduate Application and Graduate Application Portal for Graduate Application
Application Fee 55 USD for undergraduate, 65 - 95 USD for postgraduate
Acceptance Rate 28.4%
English Test Score Undergraduate: IELTS (6.5), TOEFL iBT (79)
Postgraduate: IELTS (7.0), TOEFL iBT (105)
Mode of Payment Net bank Transfer (Pre-paid fees only), Bank Draft, Credit Card, and Telegraphic transfer
Academic Calendar Semester-based
Intake Seasons Fall, Spring, and Summer
Work Experience If applicable
Financial Aid Scholarships and Discount

Carlson School of Management Admission Deadline

The application deadlines for fall, spring, and summer 2021 admission vary by program. Presented on the table below is a summary of the admission deadlines for some selected programs. Students are however advised to visit the course page as this information are updated regularly due to the uncertainties posed by the coronavirus pandemic

Undergraduate and Transfer Deadline for Fall 2021

  • Undergraduate: November 1st for Early Action and January 1st for Regular Deadline
  • Transfer: February 1st, 2021

Postgraduate Deadlines

Programs Application Submission Deadline for Fall Semester
Fall Semester Spring Semester
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
Full-Time MBA November 1st, 2020 December 1st, 2020 February 1st, 2021 April 1st, 2021 N/A N/A N/A
Part-time and Online MBA October 15th, 2020 November 15th, 2020 December 15th, 2020 N/A May 15th, 2021 June 15th, 2021 July 15th, 2021
Executive MBA December 31st, 2020 May 15th, 2021
Dual Degrees October 1st, 2020 December 1st, 2020 February 1st, 2021 April 1st, 2021 N/A N/A N/A
Masters of Accountancy October 1st, 2020 February 1st, 2021 October 1st, 2020 for spring and February 1st, 2021 for Summer
Masters of Business Analytics November 1st, 2020 January 3rd, 2021 February 3rd, 2021 N/A N/A N/A N/A

Note:

  • Application for an executive MBA program is conducted on a rolling basis thus, the application is accepted all year round based on the availability of space. However, the above-stated deadlines for the program are just the target deadline.
  • Other masters' program like Masters of Accountancy, Masters of Business Taxation, all process admission on a rolling basis

Carlson School of Management International Application

Carlson School of management is poised in admitting highly talented and exceptional students from diverse backgrounds to boost the diversity agenda to study in the US. In making the admission decision, academic and context factors are usually considered. These factors range from types and grades of coursework (academic and professional), class rank, grade point average, academic curriculum of the previous study, applicant's academic and professional interest, achievement and exceptional record in a particular field, community service and leadership, military service, evidence of economic, social, or physical barriers to educational achievement, Personal or extenuating circumstances, contribution to the diversity of students’ body, etc

Application Portal: Golden Gopher Application or the Common Application for undergraduate Application and Graduate Application Portal for Graduate Application

Application Fee: 55 USD for undergraduate, 65 - 95 USD for postgraduate

Admission Requirements/Supporting Documents

  • Academic History (Certificate and Transcript)
  • Personal Statement
  • GMAT/ GRE Score
  • Resume or CV
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Standardized English Language Test Score
  • Video Essay (if Applicable)
  • Admission Interview (If Applicable)
  • Other program-specific requirements

Language Proficiency for International Students

Carlson School of Management requires all international students whose first language is not English to present an English language test score to prove his/her proficiency in English language communication. The following are the acceptable tests and their minimum requirements

Tests Undergraduate Score Postgraduate Score
IELTS Academic Overall score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.5 in writing Overall Score of 7.0 with no band less than 6.5
TOEFL ibt Overall score of 79 with a minimum of 21 in writing Overall score of 105 with a minimum of 21 in writing and a minimum of 19 in reading section
Pearson Test of Academic English Overall score of 59 with a minimum of 59 in writing A minimum overall score of 65
Cambridge Assessment English (CAE) C1 Advanced Overall score of 180 with a minimum of 180 in writing N/A

Due to the restrictions and limitations caused by the coronavirus pandemic, alternate test options acceptable for undergraduate admission in Spring 2021 and Fall 2021 are:

  • Overall score of 79 with a minimum of 21 in writing in TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition
  • Overall score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.5 in writing in IELTS Indicator

Some postgraduate programs have different English language minimum scores from the above stated. The table below outlines a selected few-

Tests Masters of Accountancy Master of Applied Business Analytics Full-Time MBA
IELTS Academic Overall Score of 6.5 with no band less than 6.5 Overall Score of 7.0 with no band less than 6.5 Overall Score of 7.0 with no band less than 6.5
TOEFL ibt Overall score of 79 with a minimum of 21 in writing and 19 in reading A minimum overall score of 90 A minimum overall score of 90
Pearson Test of Academic English N/A Minimum of 65 Minimum of 65
MELAB 80 N/A N/A

Note:

  • Generally, the school will not accept students who do not meet the overall score and individual score. However, some programs may accept students will lower test scores
  • Students who live in English-speaking but are not citizens will still be required to provide proof of language proficiency
  • Current students of the Minnesota English Language Program (MELP) Intensive English Program (IEP) may use their grades/scores in the program or the Minnesota Battery (MNBat) as proof of English language proficiency. This is only applicable to current MELP students seeking admission. Previous students need to show additional proof of English language
  • Other options that may suffice as proof of English proficiency are:
    • A minimum SAT score of 540 in Evidence-Based Reading & Writing with subsection score of 28 in Writing & Language for freshmen application
    • ACT score of 21 in Both English and Reading with a score of 8 in writing for freshmen application
    • Minimum transferable semester credits of 26 obtained at a two or four-year post-secondary institution in the United States for transfer application

Steps and Information on Visa Application

  • International students who wish to pursue a full-time study at the school must hold an F-1 student visa unless the funding source requires students to hold a J-1 exchange/visitor visa.
  • Cost of visa is 360 USD for an F-1 student visa and 220 USD for J-1
  • After accepting the admission at Carlson, the student will receive a financial certification statement.
  • To be eligible for the I-20s which will be used for visa application, students are required to send the financial support verification.
  • Visa is only issued to students whose courses are in-person or hybrid. Students whose courses can be offered online will not be offered visa and subsequent entry into the United States

Carlson School of Management Undergraduate Admission Requirements

Application Portal: Golden Gopher Application or the Common Application

Application Fee: 55 USD

Admission Requirements:

  • Self-Reported Academic Record
  • Application
  • English Language Proficiency Test Result
  • Program-specific requirements

Note:

  • The method of reporting the academic report depends on the application platform chosen
  • All students are required to ensure that official or attested copies of all academic credentials (results and transcripts) are sent directly to Carlson School of Management by the issuing institutions. An integrity check will be conducted to ascertain that all self-reported results match with the official results.
  • The University reserve the right to cancel the enrolment of any students whose reported results differ from the official report
  • The University will not accept or regard any result uploaded by the student as an official copy

Carlson School of Management Graduate Application Requirements

Application Portal: Graduate Application Portal

Application fee: 60 USD -95 USD

Admission Requirements:

  • Academic History (Certificate and Transcript)
  • Personal Statement
  • GMAT/GRE Score
  • Resume or CV
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • English Language Test Score
  • Video Essay (if Applicable)
  • Admission Interview (If Applicable)
  • Other program-specific requirements

Note:

  • Application is deemed incomplete until the receipt of recommendation letters
  • GRE/GMAT test requirements may be waived off if the applicant meets certain criteria like overall Grade Point Average of 3.0, an undergraduate program in certain fields, completion of some mathematical, statistical and programming courses, completion of a summer internship, high end-value skills, etc.

Program Specific Requirements are presented on the table below

Requirements Full-Time MBA Masters of Accountancy Master of Science in Business Analytics JD-MBA Dual Masters’ Program Executive Masters
Application Fee 75 USD 95 USD 95 USD 60 USD 75 USD
Transcripts Required Required Required Required Required
Essay/Personal statement Required Required Required Required Required
GMAT/GRE Required Required Required Not required Not Required but Recommended
Work Experience Not Required If Applicable If Applicable Not required Required
CV/resume Required Required Required Required Required
Recommendations Required Required Required Required Required
Interviews Only by Invitation Required Only by Invitation Not required If Interested

The admission team at the school ensures that all applications submitted are reviewed to give every applicant a fair chance for admission. The application is reviewed on an individual basis considering several academic and contextual factors. Interview for postgraduate programs depends on the program and for the program with a mandatory interview session, international students who can not make it to the university can make use of the online interview session.

FAQs

Question: Is it hard to get into Carlson School of Business?

Answer: Carlson School of Management is a popular school in the United States. Every year, it receives over more than 8,000 applications from applicants with about 2,400 applicants getting admitted every year. Thus, the acceptance rate is 28.4% and moderate enough for international students to have a trial

Question: What GPA guarantees admission at Carlson School of Management?

Answer: Although admission decision is made based on academic and contextual factors, students are advised to possess a GPA above 3.8 to increase the chances of admission

Question: Is an applicant with a three-year bachelor's degree from India eligible for postgraduate admission?

Answer: Postgraduate programs in Carlson School of Management require a university degree equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree. A three-year bachelor degree from India is not accepted

Question: An undergraduate applicant who had my previous study in the United States or an English-speaking country exempted from the English test requirements?

Answer: No, all international undergraduate applicants whose first language is not English are required to present an English Language proficiency regardless of where he studied last and how long

Question: A postgraduate applicant who had my previous study in the United States or an English-speaking country exempted from the English test requirements?

Answer: Postgraduate applicants who had his/her post-secondary education in an English-speaking country are not required to submit an English Language Test

Question: Do Carlson School of Management waive the application fee?

Answer: The application fee at Carlson is not waived for international students. The application fee waiver is only available to applicants who served in the United States Army