Frequently Asked Questions

The Merage School’s Flex MBA is a flexible, part-time MBA program for working professionals. By offering a flexible combination of online and on-campus courses, paired with the robust opportunities available to all students in the Merage School of Business, you receive the full, high-touch MBA experience from a top-tier business school in a way that works for your busy lifestyle.

The Flex MBA is a reimagined program based on the former Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA). While it shares some characteristics with the Fully Employed MBA, the new Flex MBA helps you customize your MBA even more, offering enhanced flexibility so you can complete your MBA in a way that works for you.

The Flex MBA is a 24-30 month (with or without summers) program that follows the quarter system. 78 units are required to complete the program (9 core courses, 7 elective courses, 3 residentials).

As a Flex MBA student, you can opt to take all of our courses online, some of which will be live Zoom sessions, while others will be on your own time. There are three in-person residentials across the duration of your program, including the kickoff Opening Residential. Tthe international residential and the closing leadership residential are encouraged, but not mandatory. You may choose to substitute these with electives.

The Flex MBA is not simply a list of courses to complete online, but a highly curated experience that leverages all the Merage School of Business has to offer, including a robust alumni network, exciting business competitions, opportunities for intense collaboration with your peers, and special events featuring top business leaders.

During the second year of the MBA program, you have the opportunity to customize your curriculum in the area of your interest with the electives offered. The program offers focused areas of study, including:

• Accounting
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance
• Global
• Healthcare
• Information Systems
• Marketing
• Operation and Decision Technologies
• Organization & Management
• Real Estate
• Strategy

Yes, you may, however, core classes are not offered during the summer, so you would take electives.

Candidates are required to apply through our online application. Supporting documents such as transcripts and letters of recommendation (if you are not submitting them online) should be mailed in one package to:

UCI Paul Merage School of Business
Flex MBA Recruitment and Admissions
4293 Pereira Drive, Suite 4200
Irvine, CA 92697-3125

Applications are submitted online and are evaluated in the order they are received once all supporting documentation has been turned in. We encourage applicants to submit their applications as early as possible. Applicants will receive status updates from the admissions coordinator throughout the review process.

Fall 2023

• December 1
• February 1
• April 1
• June 1
• July 15

Yes. Applicants are notified of admissions decisions and fellowship award packages continuously throughout the admissions cycle. We typically notify candidates of their admissions decision within 2–3 weeks after each deadline, or possibly earlier, depending on when you apply to the Flex MBA program.

When an application is complete with all supporting documents, it is reviewed by the Admissions Committee. An interview is required for the Flex MBA program; you may schedule your interview before you submit your online application or after you submit your application.

Admissions decisions are usually made within 2-3 weeks.

It may be possible to waive certain core courses, which is at the discretion of the faculty and will not expedite your graduation. All students must complete the same number of units (78).

UCI policy prohibits the awarding of duplicate degrees. We are unable to consider your application if you have an MBA degree from another university.

The application fee is $150.00. We do not offer application fee waivers at this time.

The Admissions Committee seeks to create a dynamic and diverse MBA class with students who will make a unique contribution to the MBA experience. Students come from various academic and professional backgrounds and share common intelligence, a proven track record in their academic and professional pursuits, and in their drive to excel and fulfill their leadership potential.

We have a preferred work experience requirement of two years. Candidates with less than two years of strong work experience are encouraged to apply, but we recommend that you contact us first to find out if the Flex MBA program is right for you. Flex MBA students have an average of six years of full-time work experience.

No, you do not need to have an undergraduate degree in business. Our students come from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds. For additional information, please refer to the class profile.

There are no specific prerequisite requirements for the Flex MBA program. However, the Admissions Committee does look for evidence of quantitative proficiency in all applicants. We strongly recommend that applicants complete, at a minimum, a college-level mathematics and statistics course.

If you submitted an application to the MBA program within the last two years, you are considered a re-applicant.  The first step towards reapplying is to contact the Recruitment and Admissions office to let them know of your interest.  In addition, please send the following items to the Recruitment and Admissions office:

• One new letter of recommendation.
• One new essay.  This essay should be a statement one to three pages in length, describing your activities since you last applied, including your reason for re-applying to The Paul Merage School of Business.
• An updated copy of your resume.
• Any new test scores, if applicable.

Application fee of $150.

Letters of recommendations from direct supervisors are preferred. They may also be obtained from people who know you professionally, such as clients, former bosses or others who know your professional abilities. Recommendations from professors are not helpful unless you have done extensive work or research with them, or you have been out of school for less than two years.

Students may submit a maximum of three letters of recommendation. However, due to the large number of applications and recommendations received by our office, we ask applicants to submit no more than two letters of recommendation.

We prefer that you submit your recommendations through our online application. However, if your recommenders prefer to complete the recommendation form on paper, please mail the sealed letters along with your other supporting documents to:

UCI Paul Merage School of Business
Flex MBA Recruitment and Admissions
4293 Pereira Drive, Suite 4200
Irvine, CA 92697-3125