MBA in USA for International Students

The United States of America is home to some of the best MBA colleges in the USA. Business postgraduates from the USA hold key positions in almost all companies of the world. This makes it an exciting option to pursue an MBA in the USA. 

However, there is a set criteria for MBA in the USA. Students and professionals trying for an MBA in the USA need to match these criteria in order to get admission in MBA colleges in America.

Applicants need to have a strong academic profile with a 90% score, and a minimum of 700 in GMAT to get admission into top MBA colleges in the USA. 

Tuition fee of MBA colleges in the USA is around $45,000 - 77,000 which is 71,000 - 98,26,740 Nepalese Rupees. However, Nepalese students can make use of various scholarship programmes.  

International aspirants can find affordable MBA colleges in the USA in the form of best public universities for MBA. McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan are in the list of some of the highest paying recruiters in the USA for MBA graduates.

Colleges in the USA offer various types of MBAs, available to suit aspirants academic and professional requirements. These types are:

 It is the standard 2-year programme offered by almost all colleges in America. Students with decent work experience looking to accelerate their career in managerial business development can opt for this programme.

Part-time MBA or PGDM programmes are for professionals who cannot leave their jobs/businesses and want to upskill their value in the professional space. It typically spans from 2-3 years of time and classes are usually in the evenings or weekends.

Also known as fast-track MBA, this course is specially for those with profound work experience. Professionals-turned-students stay on-campus and pursue master’s of business administration in a crisp 1-year programme.

This programme is an advanced version of distance learning where students learn the programme through video conferencing and notes are exchanged through an online medium. This programme gives a global experience from remote locations.

This is a new-age MBA programme designed for students looking to enter the business workforce with a competitive skill-set.This programme offers multiple projects, internships, and cross-functional training that adds value to fresher resumes.   

As an aspirants looking for individuals programmes, to should check out - Find Courses, Universities & Scholarships to Study Abroad to find the right programme and right university as per your requirements. 

Here is a list of the top publicly funded MBA universities in the USA:

The United States of America has multiple affordable colleges for MBA aspirants who do not qualify for scholarships but still want to pursue MBA from an American college. 

Here is the list of affordable MBA colleges in USA:

• Brigham Young University (BYU) - Marriott School of Management: A perfect budget-friendly choice for MBA aspirants, BYU is ranked by Businessweek and Financial Times and has tuition fees that are almost half as compared to other business schools in America. 

• University of Wisconsin, Madison - Wisconsin School of Business: Ranked by The Economist for its executive MBA programme, University of Wisconsin offers one of the most affordable MBA programmes in America. Risk management, real estate and marketing research are some of the key specialisations offered at its campus.                

• Texas A&M University - Mays Business School: One of the most popular business schools for international students, Texas A&M University offers both affordable and short-term degrees. Its MBA programme is only 16 months long and has a strong placement record with its students.

Admission requirements for an MBA into an American college depends on multiple factors, including:

• Completion of 16 years of work experience that includes a 4 year bachelors degree course. 
• Mandatory standardised exam scores of GMAT or GRE. Better the score, better the college admissions. 
• Language proficiency test scores, including scores from IELTS, TOEFL or PTE. 
• A minimum work experience of 3 years is mandatory for an MBA in the USA. However, the exact number of work years varies from university to university.

The document checklist for MBA in USA is as follows:

• Academic Transcript
• GMAT/GRE Scores
• Letters of Recommendation
• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Statement of Purpose

For students looking for university specific admission requirement here is a list that they can refer:

Admissions are an important and complex process for international students. Amongst the multiple processes, ensuring your application is submitted on time is the most important thing.

GMAT cutoff is very important for international students aspiring to do an MBA from an American university. GMAT scores between 650-690 or greater than 700 is considered an ideal score and can help you get admission into a good B-school.

If you are looking to get into an MBA without GMAT in Canada and Australia, click here - MBA in Canada , MBA in Australia.

• GPA of 3 or more in the bachelor’s degree
• Work experience of 2-3 years minimum
• Admission essays
• Latest resume
• Letter of recommendation (2-3,or as demanded by the university)

GMAT is considered to be a mandatory test requirement for an MBA in any international business school. However, international students can get admission for an MBA in Canada without GMAT.

For students wanting to skip GMAT to get admission into MBA programmes, here is a list of universities that you can apply for:

IELTS comes across as the biggest roadblock for International students coming from non-native English speaking countries. However, there are few universities in America that welcome students without an IELTS score.

To get admission into an MBA programme in the US without IELTS, applicants need to meet a few basic requirements. These are:

• A letter from your previous university stating that the course you finished was in English. 

• English being one of the core subjects in your high school.

• If your country considers English as one of the official languages, then IELTS is not mandatory. 

• Few universities have their own English proficiency tests which enable students to skip IELTS.

Applicants are not required to present an IELTS score, they can instead go for CanTEST (Canadian English Test) to prove their English proficiency.

Work experience is considered to be one of the most important benchmarks to get admission into MBA programmes around the world. However, a few universities open their admission doors to freshers without any work experience.

MBA aspirants looking to pursue an MBA from an American university need to take a few mandatory entrance exams. Here are the exams that MBA applicants need to take:

Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a computer-adaptive test to analyse candidates’ analytical, quantitative, verbal, and reading skills. GMAT is to be taken by applicants wanting to get admission into a graduate management programme, such as MBAs in top business schools across the world.

The cumulative cost of studying MBA in the USA includes tuition fees, books, accommodation and other living expenses. This cost is certainly a starke difference with Nepal, so here is a brief overview of how the cost of living may differ in USA: 

While the actual cost varies from city to city, the cost of living is divided into 2 parts:

Pursuing an MBA from America is expensive. However, aspirants with academic excellence and professional applause are eligible for multiple scholarship programmes that are specific to MBA. 

Here are few of these scholarships:

• Fulbright Foreign Scholarships
• The MasterCard Foundation
• Rotary Peace Scholarship
• Joint Japan Scholarship
• The Universities Offer MBA Scholarships

To read more about these scholarships, head over to this article - Top Scholarships in the USA for International Students.

Graduates from STEM certified MBA programmes in the United States are eligible for 24-months of Optional Practical Training. This gives a perfect opportunity for graduates to gain professional work experience in America, which can then be followed by an H-1B visa.

H-1B visa is a professional work visa granted to students and professionals. International students can transfer their F1 student visa to a H-1B visa if their employer agrees to sponsor you.  

H-1B visa holders can live and work in the US for 6 years and can reapply for H-1B visa after 6 years. If they have been with the same employer for 4 years, the employer may file for an employment-based permanent residency visa in the 5th year of employment.