Master of Finance | Admissions

Applications are submitted online. The MFin program has six rounds of application deadlines. It is your responsibility to ensure all parts of your application are completed by the stated deadline date. If you have any missing items by the deadline, your application will be considered in the next round. We encourage applicants to submit as early as possible.

After submitting a completed application, you will receive a decision upon the careful review of your application within two months from the stated application deadline.

Scholarships are available to qualified candidates, and are granted according to merit. All applicants are automatically considered for scholarships, and applying early generally maximizes the chances of receiving a scholarship.

*International students must submit all application materials, including letters of recommendation, by this date to ensure sufficient time for visa processing.

Admission to graduate standing in The Paul Merage School of Business is accorded to those possessing an undergraduate degree with an acceptable level of scholarship from an institution of recognized standing. Applicants for admission will be evaluated on their academic record and potential for leadership as demonstrated in submitted application materials including:

• Official transcripts from all institutions (including transfer transcripts) attended to obtain undergraduate degree (with English translation if needed)
• GMAT or GRE: The GMAT or GRE are not required but strongly recommended for applicants with GPA’s under a 3.3. While these tests are not required, the admissions team is looking for evidence of strong verbal and quantitative skills. GMAT and GRE scores are good for up to five years.
• Two Letters of Recommendation
• Two essays
• Résumé
• Official TOEFL or IELTS (International applicants – Scores valid for two years)
• $150 application fee
• A personal interview, by invitation only

Transcripts

Please see the most up to date specific instructions from Graduate Division, you can revise the copy and/or address as necessary:

Unofficial transcripts must be uploaded to the application. After you are admitted, and submitted a positive SIR, your official transcript and proof that you earned your undergraduate degree should be mailed to the address below:

University of California, Irvine
Graduate Division – Transcripts
120 Aldrich Hall
Irvine, CA 92697-3180

If you earned your degree at a U.S. institution and your school can securely transmit your degree posted transcript to UCI electronically, you may have the transcript sent to gradtranscripts@uci.edu.  If your institution uses Parchment services to deliver e-transcripts, please be sure to have the transcripts sent to “University of California, Irvine, GRADUATE DIVISION”.

All records submitted to our office become the property of the University and will not be returned to the student.  If your academic records cannot be replaced, please bring them directly to our office and we will photocopy and return them to you.

Official GMAT or GRE Score

The GMAT or GRE are not required but strongly recommended for applicants with GPA’s under a 3.3. While these tests are not required, the admissions team is looking for evidence of strong verbal and quantitative skills. GMAT and GRE scores are good for up to five years.

There is no advantage to taking one exam over the other. If you take an exam multiple times, we will take the highest total score that you obtained on that exam. The Admissions Committee does not average exam scores. While there is no minimum GMAT or GRE score to apply, we do expect that applicants will have an overall competitive profile. 
 
GRE scores are valid for up to five years from your test date. Exam results should be sent to UC Irvine institution code: 4859. For more information on the GRE, visit: ets.org/gre.

GMAT scores are valid for up to five years from your test date. Exam results should be sent to UC Irvine institution code: 0DP-7R-05. For more information on the GMAT, visit: mba.com.

Two Letters of Recommendation

Submissions of letters of recommendations are preferred using the form through our online system. However, letters received in the mail, will be accepted if received in a signed and sealed envelope directly from the recommender.

Statement of Purpose Essay

The specific essay prompt can be found on the application. Please answer the questions within the space limits indicated.

Résumé

Submit a copy of your résumé.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (international applicants)

All graduate applicants, except those who have earned an undergraduate or master's degree from an institution at which English was the sole language of instruction according to the World Higher Education Database (WHED), are required to demonstrate English proficiency for admissions consideration. Please see WHED's instructions on how to search for your institution. If English is not the sole language of instruction listed or if no language is listed at all, the waiver does not apply and the applicant is required to take and pass an approved English proficiency test. We accept both the TOEFL and IELTS exams. The scores from either exam are valid for up to two years from your test date. The minimum score for TOEFL (Internet-based) is 80. For the IELTS, the minimum required score for admission is 7, with a score of no less than 6 on any individual module. Exam results should be sent to UC Irvine institution code: 4859. Review the English Proficiency requirement.

$150 Application Fee

A non-refundable application fee of $150 must be paid by credit card through the online application system.

Personal Interview (by invitation only)

Interviews are by invitation only, are required for admission and are conducted by the Admissions Committee. The interview is a way for us to evaluate your interpersonal and communication skills as well as a way for you to ask questions and determine whether the Merage School is right for you. 

If invited to an interview, you will be informed via email. Whenever possible, applicants are encouraged to conduct interviews on campus. However, for those applicants unable to travel to Irvine, telephone interviews are acceptable. In some cases before an in-person or Skype interview, candidates may be invited to participate in a separate video interview. This is not an indication of an applicant's increased chances of admission, but rather an additional step we use to learn more about you.

Additional recommended but not required qualifications include:

• Post-university work experience or research experience in a quantitative discipline
• Prior exposure in computation programming, such as C++ or familiarity with computational or risk management tools
• Experience with statistical and econometric applications, such as SAS, STATA, MATLAB, R, S-Plus
• Experience with mathematical tools, such as MATLAB or Mathematica

We encourage applicants from all backgrounds, especially those who demonstrate strong communication and conceptual thinking skills.