Master in Finance How to Apply

To submit the online application, you’ll need to register and create a username and password. The online system includes step-by-step instructions for completing the application and submitting all required materials. You don’t have to complete the application in one sitting, and you may edit your application as often as necessary prior to submission.

Your application must be submitted prior to 11:59 p.m. CT on the day of the deadline in order to be considered for a particular application round. Applications must include all required online and mailed-in materials.

All applicants are required to submit a valid GMAT or GRE test score. Chicago Booth does not hold a preference for one exam over another. Both are equally acceptable for the review committee.

Applicants may qualify for a GMAT/GRE waiver. If you are a current undergraduate student at University of Chicago or have graduated from a UChicago program, you qualify for a test waiver. Current students in UChicago graduate programs are not eligible for the test waiver.

You will be asked to answer two essay questions as part of the application process.

• How will the Booth Master in Finance help you achieve your immediate and long-term career goals? (Maximum 300 words.)
• Graduate education in finance is as much about personal growth as it is about professional development. We’d like to learn more about you outside of the classroom/work environment. Use this opportunity to tell us something about who you are. (Maximum 400 words.)

Is there any unclear information in your application that needs further explanation? If so, please use this section to clarify.

You will be asked to provide a video response to the following prompt: How have you changed since your first year of college?

The length of the video submission should be no more than 60 seconds. You will only be evaluated on the content of your submission. Editing and styling of the video will not be considered.

Please submit letters of recommendation from two individuals who know you well and can offer specific examples of your academic performance and other contributions during your undergraduate career. Avoid choosing recommenders based on their title or status. We are more concerned with content and substance than with reputation.

How to Submit Letters of Recommendation

The recommendation form is part of the online application. You will be prompted to provide the names and email addresses of your recommenders, and we’ll send them an email directing them to the online form. Chicago Booth does not accept letters of recommendation via mail or fax.

What We Ask

We ask questions such as: How do the applicant’s performance, potential, background, or personal qualities compare with those of other well-qualified individuals you have encountered in your career? More details on the specifics of our recommendation letter process will be provided soon.

Your educational record is an important part of your application for admission. You’ll need to submit transcripts from all postsecondary educational institutions that you have attended.

Unofficial Transcripts

As part of your application, please submit unofficial scans of your transcripts, taking care to submit both sides of each one. Don’t send official transcripts until you receive an offer of admission, because they will not be added to your file.

Official Transcripts

Upon admission, you must submit an official transcript from every university, college, or graduate institution that you have attended.

Official records are defined as original documents issued by the institution and bearing the actual (not photocopied) signature of the registrar and the institutional seal.

Any records issued only once by institutions should be photocopied and certified as official copies, either by school officials or by legal authorities such as embassies or a notary public. Please do not send the original of an academic record that cannot be replaced.

All records must show:

• The dates of enrollment; courses taken; units of credit; your grades, marks, or ratings in each subject; and, if available, your rank in the total class or group
• The institutional grading scale or other standards of evaluation, including minimum passing and failing marks, and definitions of grades between them (should also be included on or with official records)

If academic records and diplomas are not issued in English by the institution, you must submit both the official record and an authorized English translation.

Chicago Booth reserves the right to review the academic records of all applicants and determine whether the academic credentials presented from a non-US institution qualify for consideration. All degrees must be from an institution recognized by the country’s department or ministry of education.

While there are no specific required classes, it is recommended applicants have taken advanced quantitative coursework and have exposure to coding. Examples include: Linear Algebra, Statistics, Multivariable Calculus, Python, C++.

If you’re an international student and English is not your native language, you’ll need to submit proof of English proficiency by taking one of the following exams:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
• The academic version of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

Please send your TOEFL scores to Booth using our test code: 1832-02. Your scores are valid for two years. We will allow applicants to submit interim at-home or online proctored test scores as these organizations make them available. We trust the integrity of these testing organizations. Should you opt to participate in the at-home testing option, your scores will be reviewed in the same manner as those taken in a traditional testing center and will continue to be valid for two years.

You are exempt from taking an English language proficiency exam if:

• You earned an undergraduate or postgraduate degree from an institution in one of the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, the United States.
• You have completed an undergraduate or graduate degree at a college or university located outside of the countries listed above where English was the only language of instruction.
• You have been living and working full time in the United States for two or more years.

Citizenship status does not qualify for English language test exemption. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to require a score from any applicant if it is deemed necessary to assess a candidate’s English proficiency.

Interviews are granted on an invitation-only basis after evaluation of a submitted application. Candidates invited to interview will be contacted by the mid-decision date with instructions on how to schedule an interview.

• Interviews are 100% virtual.
• If you receive an invitation, you will have one interview, conducted by an admissions staff member.
• All interviews receive equal weight in the evaluation process.
• An interview is required for admission. However, completing an interview does not guarantee admission.

Admissions decisions are posted in the Application Status section of the online application system.

Decisions fall into three categories:

Admission. Applicants are admitted to the program. Admitted students will receive additional information via the admissions packet mailed to all admitted students.

Waitlist. Students who are not admitted for the current round may be considered for subsequent rounds. Waitlisted candidates can expect to remain on the waitlist at least until the next round of decisions is released.

• We do not rank order our waitlist.
• We cannot offer feedback to candidates who are on the waitlist.
• Applicants on the waitlist are welcome to send updated materials only if there have been developments since the time of the initial application.
• Should the Admissions Committee require additional materials, candidates will be notified.

Denied Admission. Unfortunately, we are unable to admit the vast majority of applicants in any given year. Denied decisions are released at the mid-decision and final-decision notification dates. All decisions are final.