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How to Apply
The application process is jointly administered by the Stephen M. Ross School of Business and the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies. Please note the instructions on this page take precedence over any application instructions listed on Rackham's website.
The application deadline for admission in the Fall 2009 term is January 15, 2009. The online application system will close at 12:01am PST on January 16, 2009. The online application should be submitted and all supporting documents should be postmarked by this date. To avoid delays in processing, we strongly encourage applicants to submit their materials two to three weeks prior to this deadline.
 
Application Requirements
Your application must include the items listed below in order to be complete. Most of these items can be submitted directly through the online application.
  1. Complete online application
  2. Resume or curriculum vitae
  3. Academic Statement of Purpose
  4. Personal Statement
  5. Three letters of recommendation
  6. Transcripts from all institutions where you have earned a degree
  7. Official GMAT or GRE General Test scores
  8. Official TOEFL or IELTS Scores - for all non-native speakers of English
  9. Submit application and pay application fee
 
Application Process: Detailed Information
We strongly prefer that applicants submit their application materials electronically through the online application. For those individuals who must send paper documents, we ask that those documents be submitted as a single package. This reduces mail volume to our office and facilitates the processing of applications.
   
1.

Complete the online application - All applications are submitted online. Most of the credentials listed below are uploaded as a part of the online application. Instructions for submitting the application and paying the application fee appear at the end of this list.

Link to online application

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2. Resume or curriculum vitae - Please upload a current resume or c.v. as a part of your application. The application will prompt you for this.

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3. Academic Statement of Purpose - The Statement of Purpose should be a concise, well-written essay about your academic and professional experiences, your career goals, and how completing the Ross School's Ph.D. program will help you progress toward the realization of these goals. The Statement of Purpose should be between 3 and 5 pages.

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4.

Personal Statement - The Personal Statement differs from the Statement of Purpose in that we ask you to write about how your background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, financial, educational or other opportunities or challenges, have motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan. It should be limited to 500 words.

Please do not repeat your Academic Statement of Purpose.

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5. Three letters of recommendation - Please register your recommenders through the online application form. Registering your recommenders generates an automated email with instructions on the process. It also grants access to the recommender's portion of the database where they can either compose a new letter or upload an existing letter that will become a part of your application.

If your recommender is unable or unwilling to submit the recommendation electronically, please download the Recommendation for Admission form and request they send the form along with their letter to our mailing address.

Letters of recommendation play an important role in the admissions process. Applicants are encouraged to submit letters from people, preferably faculty members, who know their strengths and weaknesses as a scholar and who can speak to their readiness for a doctoral program at a major research institution in the United States. Letters that include information about previous research and/or teaching experience are particularly helpful.

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6. Transcripts - We ask that you submit transcripts from all institutions where you have earned a degree. If you believe you have completed relevant course work in a summer program or if you transferred a substantial number of credits between two institutions, include those transcripts as well.
  The process requires transcripts to be submitted in TWO ways; you must do both (a) and (b):
     
  a. Upload a scanned copy of your official transcript(s) on the Transcript Upload page(s) of the application. There are three "pages" available for your convenience. Each page functions as storage space that holds up to 2 MB.

Submitting illegible or incomplete transcripts will delay the processing of your application. Here are a few things to keep in mind when scanning your transcripts:
  • Review your scanned transcript to ensure it is legible and that your name appears on it. Transcripts printed on security paper may not copy well and transcripts printed on paper larger than 8.5"x11" paper should be resized so that they print out on standard office paper used in the U.S. You may need to experiment with the settings on your scanner.
• Remember to scan the back side of the transcript. Most transcripts issued by colleges and universities in the United States include the grading scale and other important information on the back of the transcript. If the information is the same on every page, only scan it once. This is especially relevant for transcripts from institutions that use non-standard grading scales (i.e. U.S. institutions that report grades other than A through F). International applicants, please see transcripts issued by institutions outside the United States.
• Additional tips are included within the online application.
 
  b. Send an official copy of the transcript to Rackham at this address:

Rackham Graduate School
Attn: Transcripts / UM ID# (if known) or Date of birth (mm/dd/yyyy)
915 E. Washington Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070
USA

See also transcripts issued by institutions outside the United States.

You must send both the electronic and the paper copy of the application in order for your application to be complete.

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7. Official GMAT or GRE General Test scores - Official GMAT (preferred) or GRE General Examination (accepted) scores are required from all applicants. In order for scores to reach us prior to the application deadline, we encourage applicants to schedule their exams for no later than November 15, 2008.

We will only accept official GMAT or GRE test scores for exams less than 5 years old. This includes scores for exams taken on or after August 1, 2003. Official scores are those submitted from Pearson Vue or ETS directly to the University of Michigan. Please use the following codes when submitting your scores:

     • The GMAT/Pearson Vue code is SN1-J6-77
     • The GRE/ETS institution code is 1839 (a department code is not necessary)

There is no minimum GMAT or GRE requirement. However, the application process is highly selective. The average test scores for applicants admitted over the last five years may be found here.

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8. Official TOEFL or IELTS scores - Scores from a standardized language test are required for all non-native speakers of English applying to the program. In order for scores to reach us prior to the application deadline, we encourage applicants to schedule their exams for no later than November 15, 2008.

We will accept official TOEFL or IELTS score reports for tests that are not more than two years old as of the application deadline; this includes scores for exams taken on or after August 1, 2006. Please use the following code when submitting your scores to the University of Michigan:

     • The TOEFL/ETS institution code is 1839 (a department code is not necessary)

There is a strong preference for TOEFL iBT scores over the other test scores. We use the following minimum scores as benchmarks of preparedness for admission to the Ph.D. program:
•

TOEFL iBT (Preferred) - Total 106 including minimum component scores as follows: Reading - 26, Listening - 26, Speaking - 27, and Writing - 27
• TOEFL CBT - Total 250
• TOEFL PBT - Total 600
• IELTS - Total score 7 with all component scores (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking) at least 7
  Please note: This requirement will not be waived, even in cases where the student has earned a degree at an institution where English is the primary language of instruction.

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9. Submit the application and pay the application fee - Once you have completed and validated the application, you will need to finalize your application by submitting the application and paying the application fee. Additional instructions are available within the online application.

The fee can be paid by credit card only. A limited number of fee waivers are available from Rackham, please see here for details.

The application fee for U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents is $60 USD.

The application fee for International Applicants is $75 USD.

 

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Find out how to check the status of your application once it has been finalized and submitted to us.

 
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