As an MBA alumnus himself, Alex Lawrence knows exactly what to do if you want to be accepted into the UCLA Anderson family.
It’s a family, he says, with strong values. You really need to know the school when you apply—from its influential student government to its supportive alumni community.
UCLA Anderson’s enrolled 360 students for the MBA class of 2023 from over 3,000 applications. The UCLA MBA has a 35% acceptance rate and an average class GMAT score of 714.
How can you stand out in the application process? We caught up with Alex, assistant dean and MBA admissions director, to find out.
*Middle 80% range
What does UCLA Anderson look for?
Alex says good candidates will demonstrate how they have gone “above and beyond” in pretty much everything they have done, including at an undergraduate level.
Candidates who are, or have been, active participants within their community, classroom, and workplace stand out the most during the admissions process.
However, it isn’t enough to just be a member of a club or volunteer initiative. Alex wants candidates in leadership positions, who have sought more responsibility, dealt with challenging situations, or attempted to make a change that aligns with their own personal values.
He recounts an occasion where a group of students initiated a vote to introduce non-disclosure agreements, to hide their grades from prospective employers.
Anderson then agreed to implement this change—b-school is about more than getting good grades.
“We’re looking for those students who are fearless, who want to come in and make their own impact on the campus,” Alex explains. “We work with them to make sure the environment is much better off than when they came on the campus as a first-year student.”
UCLA Anderson School of Management Acceptance Rate
The acceptance rate for UCLA Anderson School of Management is 12%.
The school received 2,471 applications to join the 2024 MBA class, and the class is ultimately made up of 330 students.
These students had a middle 80% GPA range of 3.1 to 3.8 and a middle 80% range of scores on the GMAT of 660 to 760. The average GMAT score for the class was 711.
The two most heavily represented undergraduate majors in the class of 2024 are business and engineering, with 26% of the students having a business background and 26% of the students having a background in engineering.
Students of economics and the humanities make up the next largest populations, with each major represented by 14% of the class.
Half of the class had a background in either finance or high tech industry sectors, with 26% of students coming from high-tech fields and 24% of students coming from the finance industry.
Those who worked in consulting or marketing made up another quarter of the class, with 14% of students having experience as consultants and 11% of students coming from the marketing sector.
The school’s fully-employed MBA class of 2023 is made up of 217 students who contributed to an average class GPA of 3.3 and had a median GMAT score of 667.
UCLA Executive MBA Cost
Tuition, Scholarships, and Financial Aid
The tuition and fee cost of the UCLA Executive MBA program is $83,996 for the first year, totaling around $167,992 for the entirety of the program. Executive MBA fees cover registration, tuition, books and software supplies, meals, parking, and off-campus residential costs. All costs for the International Seminar, except airfare, are included.
Students are eligible to apply for low-cost federal and private student loans. Qualified students, in addition, may receive up to $20,500 per year from the Federal Stafford Loan Program. Additional funds are available through private loan programs.
UCLA Anderson also encourages a company sponsorship, which can help pay for your MBA and give your company an edge. If your company is partially sponsoring your MBA, you will be responsible for paying the fees and managing the reimbursement from your company. 100% company sponsorship requires students to contact EMBA Admissions upon admission to set up a corporate account. The EMBA program office can provide a letter to your company as proof of your completed course credits.
Admissions
The EMBA admissions team takes a holistic approach to evaluate each applicant by considering the strength of qualifications, including leadership, work experience, academic record, and quantitative background. Applicants to the UCLA Executive MBA program must hold a 4-year bachelor’s degree from a university of fully recognized standing. Furthermore, applicants who have attended institutions outside the United States should have completed 16 years of study; 12 years at the elementary and secondary school levels, and 4 years at the college level. All applicants must submit sealed official records from each academic institution attended after secondary/high school.
To apply to UCLA Anderson’s MBA programs, applicants must also submit a completed application form, college transcripts from degree-granting and non-degree-granting institutions, a current résumé, and two letters of recommendation.
The school also requires applicants to complete a personal statement. Additionally, they must have 8 years of work experience. Applicants have the option whether or not to send their GMAT or GRE scores. Lastly, they must pay a nonrefundable $200 application fee, which is waived for U.S. Military Personnel (active duty and veterans) and UCLA Staff. At the end of the application process, a select number of students will participate in an invitation-only Zoom interview.
If you are an international applicant or a re-applicant, please check the school’s website for additional information on the admissions process.
2020-2021 UCLA Executive MBA Deadlines
1st Round: December 1, 2020
2nd Round: February 1, 2021
3rd Round: May 1, 2021
UCLA Anderson School of Management Ranking
For its 2023 rankings, U.S. News and World Report placed UCLA Anderson at number 17 in its Best Business Schools list and at number 5 in its Part-time MBA list.
Contributing to its high overall ranking is the school’s placement in the report’s specialty rankings, with the school’s executive MBA program rank at number 9, its finance rank at number 10, and its real estate rank at number 7.
The QS World University Rankings for 2022 at topuniversities.com show UCLA Anderson beating out many other highly regarded world universities.
Coming in at number 2 in the World University Rankings – Masters In Business Analytics and at number 8 in the World University Rankings – Masters In Finance lists, the school has maintained its excellent rankings for many years.
UCLA has held its place in the QS rankings at number 2 for its Master in Business Analytics program since 2020, and the 2023 rankings show the program maintaining its position. The Master in Finance program rose three places for the 2023 rankings, moving up to number 5.
The Financial Times ranks the Anderson School of Management highly across a number of categories.
The Financial Times further placed UCLA Anderson at number 26 in its Global MBA category for 2022.
Ranked highly by many of the leading reviewing organizations, UCLA Anderson will draw many from industry and recent college graduates to apply to study in one of its excellent business programs.
Anderson School of Management Requirements
Those interested in studying in UCLA Anderson’s full-time MBA program apply online and have three application rounds to choose from.
Full-time MBA applicants must hold a four-year degree or its equivalent and submit scanned copies of their academic history.
Most applicants are required to submit either GRE or GMAT scores, but law or medical students may submit LSAT or MCAT scores instead.
Work experience is not required for admission, but most applicants have spent some time after college in the workforce. Those who do not have a work history are generally admitted on the strength of their academic performance.
The program also requires two letters of recommendation from contacts who can speak to the achievements and characteristics of the applicant.
Having a supervisor or professional colleague write the recommendation is best, and the program discourages applicants from having a professor submit a recommendation.
Applicants are required to submit an essay describing how their personal or professional achievements relate to their goals for the MBA program.
Upon review of the applications, UCLA will invite likely candidates to an interview that will cover and explore areas of interest in the application. The interview is required for admission into the program.
For those who are interested in the school’s Fully Employed MBA program, the requirements are much the same as for the regular MBA program; however, there are different deadlines and decision dates, applicants need to submit two essays, the interview is optional, and applicants are expected to show professional achievements and leadership potential.
The requirements for admission to the school’s Executive MBA program are similar to the regular MBA; however, there are different deadlines and decision dates, applicants need to submit two essays, the interview is required, and applicants must have at least eight years of work experience
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