Michigan Ross All Set to Waive GMAT and GRE for MBA 2020-21

Considering the hardships that students are facing worldwide because of the Covid-19 pandemic, The University of Michigan‘s Ross School of Business has decided to give exam waivers to all desiring 2020-21 MBA applications. Admission to Ross School of Business is highly dependent on how much you have scored in your GMAT, GRE and English proficiency tests like IELTS and TOEFL. But this year, Michigan Ross will waive GMAT and GRE requirements by considering all these test scores as optional. 

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Waiver Requests Deadlines

This announcement was made in an official mail shared with the entire applicant community by Soojin Kwon who is the managing director of full-time MBA admissions and program at Ross School of Business. The mail addressed that Michigan Ross will waive GMAT and GRE and as this significant change is brought, the Round 1 of admissions is already in progress, all the applicants will directly be qualified for the round 2. So, once the results for round 1 are made official, all the applicants who wish to opt for the test waiver are requested to submit an official request for the same. 

	Deadline	Confirmation by
Round 2 Waiver Requests	10 December 2020	18 December 2020
Round 3 Waiver Requests	1 March 2020	12 March 2020
Round 4 Waiver Requests	3 May 2020	14 May 2020

Also Read: Maryland’s Robert H. Smith Announces GMAT/ GRE Waiver for 2021-2022

Why Such a Change in Admission Criteria?

We all know how the pandemic has completed shifted academics to the virtual mode. Though it helped in continuation of academic pursuits even during periods of complete lockdown, the kind of access that students have has deteriorated. Especially when it comes to appearing for exams.

Kwon, in an interview with Poets&Quants, mentioned that “Even though test centers have reopened, getting to one and feeling safe in one is another story. And even though students can take the online test, taking a standardized test at home is challenging because some students are being disrupted by friends or family or have had internet connections slow down. So it is hard to perform best in those conditions.” 

She further added that “As we’ve been reading Round 1 applications, it’s become apparent how much COVID-19 is impacting applicants. Health concerns remain top of mind. Testing centers are open, but access is not equal to all. And, though online testing exists, it presents another set of challenges. As we enter mid-November, COVID-19 cases are increasing worldwide. Some populations continue to be impacted more than others, particularly the Black and other minority communities. Globally, people’s mental health has taken a toll from prolonged restrictions, business shutdowns, and other added stressors of living and working with the pandemic.”
It’s while considering all these things and with a hope to provide some relief to the otherwise struggling applications that Michigan Ross has decided to waive GMAT and GRE. 

This decision made by Ross School of Business is following in on the trend which many other business schools have started since the beginning of the pandemic. MIT Sloan, University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, Wisconsin School of Business, Rutgers Business School and Simon Business School are the few other institutions which made a similar decision to make GRE and GMAT optional for this admission cycle. 

Updated Admission Criteria

Now that GRE, GMAT and TOEFL scores have become optional, you might be wondering what will be the criteria on the basis of which candidates will be judged and accepted to Ross school of business this year. While commenting on this particular front Kwon said that now more weightage will be given to the applicant’s performance in their undergraduate or graduate years, professional qualifications and their full-time work experience record. She further added that  “For some candidates, a strong test score can strengthen their overall application. However, standardized tests are not the only way in which a candidate can demonstrate capability and readiness for tackling the challenges of, and thriving in the Ross Full-Time MBA program.”

So, opting for an exam waiver won’t “negatively impact” your chances of being selected into Ross School and applying for scholarship opportunities. In the absence of the test scores, the applicant’s potential will be measured using certain other eligibility criteria. This is going to make the selection process a bit more complicated for the selection committee and therefore, the reviewing of applications will take more time this year. 

Thus, Michigan Ross will be moving forward with waiving GMAT and GRE for MBA which is a much-needed step towards easing the hardships that students are facing because of the pandemic. Such changes are necessary during these trying times and so is knowing about these changes that are happening one the educational front across the world. Make sure you don’t miss out on any such news, keep following us at Leverage Edu as we bring you the latest educational updates from around the world!