Chicago Booth Scholars Program Application Process

• The following students are eligible to apply to the Chicago Booth Scholars Program:

• Candidates in their final year of a bachelor's degree program
• Candidates in their final year of a joint bachelor's/master's degree program
• Candidates who have transitioned directly from their undergraduate program to a Master's degree program.
• To be considered for admission to the Chicago Booth Scholars 2024 cycle, you must be graduating from your program between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024.
• Students that plan to participate in a Marshall, Fulbright, or Rhodes Scholarship are also eligible to apply.

• All international applicants are required to be in their final year of a college or university degree program equivalent to a four-year American baccalaureate degree. In light of the Bologna Accord, Chicago Booth will also consider students in a three-year international degree program to fulfill the academic prerequisites for admission. You will be asked to provide a scanned transcript at the time of application and your official academic records if you are admitted.
• A degree certificate will be required if “degree awarded” and “date of degree conferral” is not listed on the transcript.
• Chicago Booth will require official transcripts of all admitted students.

Submit the application through our online application system by April 4, 2024. The $250 application fee is waived for Chicago Booth Scholars applicants.

We look forward to learning more about you through your answers to the following questions.

Short-Answer Question:

• What do you plan to accomplish after graduation and prior to starting your MBA?

Essays:

• How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250-word minimum)
• An MBA is as much about personal growth as it is about professional development. In addition to sharing your experience and goals in terms of career, we'd like to learn more about you outside of the office or classroom. Use this opportunity to tell us something about who you are... (250-word minimum)

Your resume should highlight the activities that make you a good candidate for the Chicago Booth Scholars Program.

Please submit letters of recommendation from two individuals who know you well and can offer specific examples of your performance in, and contributions to, an academic environment and/or organization. Avoid choosing recommenders based on their title or status. We are more concerned with content and substance than with reputation.

The first letter should come from a current or past professor who has worked with you in the classroom or in another academic capacity. 

• Our only guideline is that the letter should offer a unique perspective on your skill sets, contributions, and performance within an academic setting.

The second letter of recommendation should come from a supervisor or professional contact who has worked with you in an organization or club, or on a volunteer project. We are looking for objectivity in the letter, and we want to hear from someone who can assess both your strengths and your weaknesses.

• We prefer to hear from your most recent supervisor, although we understand that this may not be possible. If you are unable to ask your most recent supervisor, please explain the circumstances in the optional essay.
• If you worked for a family business or own your own company, please submit a letter from a client or outside party who does business with you and can provide an objective assessment.

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 recommenders to complete a skills assessment for each applicant and to submit a letter answering the following questions:

• How do the applicant's performance, potential, background, or personal qualities compare with those of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples.
• Please describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant's response.

As part of your application, please submit unofficial (scanned) transcripts from all postsecondary educational institutions you have attended. Official transcripts are requested from admitted students only.

Self-reported scores are required at the time of submission; official scores are required from admitted students only. Our GMAT code is H9X-9F-34, and our GRE code is 0685. We have no preference for one exam over the other. We also accept the GMAT Focus Edition and shortened GRE.

Learn more about discounted GMAT pricing for undergraduate students.

If you are an international applicant, you will need to submit scores from one of the following exams:

• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL or enhanced TOEFL iBT)
• The academic version of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
• The Pearson Test of English (PTE)

International applicants are exempt from this requirement if they have earned an undergraduate degree from an institution in which English is the language of instruction, or if they are citizens or permanent residents of a country in which English is an official language. Applicants should indicate the exemption in the application where appropriate.

Interviews are granted on an invitation-only basis after the evaluation of a submitted application. They are conducted by Admissions staff, students, or alumni. If you receive an invitation, you will have one interview and the opportunity to move forward in the application process. Please note that completing an interview does not guarantee admission.

You will be informed of your admission decision through the online system. If you are selected for participation in Chicago Booth Scholars, you will be provisionally admitted to Chicago Booth’s Full-Time MBA Program and granted an automatic two- to five-year deferment.

The timing of your deferment is flexible; you have a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years to enroll in Chicago Booth's Full-Time MBA Program. If you wish to continue working at the end of your deferment, you may choose to enroll in either the Evening MBA Program or Weekend MBA Program.

• All deferred Booth Scholars are required to maintain their full-time employment status throughout their deferral period and to make professional progress satisfactory to Chicago Booth’s admissions process.
• Chicago Booth does not assist students with obtaining US work visas.

As per the Area Admissions Review policy, authority to revoke admission for any misconduct before matriculation rests with the area Admissions Review Committee. See the UChicago student manualfor a complete overview.

• All admitted students will submit supplemental materials as requested by Chicago Booth and updated information in the year they intend to matriculate to support their original application.
• Deferred Chicago Booth Scholars are required to submit an annual form with updated employment information for each year of their deferral period.

• Chicago Booth Scholars may defer for a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years.
• All Booth Scholars are required to pay a nonrefundable deposit of $600 every year until matriculation.
• If you wish to delay your admission to Chicago Booth for longer than five years, you will be required to reapply to the Full-Time MBA Program, Evening MBA Program, or Weekend MBA Program and would not be refunded the deposits that you have already paid through the Chicago Booth Scholars Program.
• Chicago Booth Scholars have the option to matriculate to the Evening MBA Program or Weekend MBA Program if those are a better fit with their career trajectories or goals. Booth Scholars interested in Booth’s Evening MBA or Weekend MBA options must be authorized to work within the United States. The Evening MBA and Weekend MBA Programs do not offer student visas.
• If you are interested in applying to a joint-degree program (MBA/MPP, MBA/JD, MBA/MD), you will need to apply separately to the other program. We recommend that you get in touch with the admissions office corresponding to your other program of interest regarding the timeline for applying to that program.
• Chicago Booth reserves the right to revoke an offer of admission at any point during the deferral period, if you:
  • Show a significant drop in academic performance during the final semester or quarter of your program
  • Do not have a degree conferred from your undergraduate institution by the time of matriculation
  • Have engaged in fraud, misrepresentation, material omission of fact, or dishonesty, or are in violation of university standards, or any other misconduct, including prematriculation misconduct
  • Have a prolonged gap between full-time positions or fail to make professional progress satisfactory to Chicago Booth’s admissions process.