Which Graduate Schools Waive GRE or GMAT Requirements for ASEAN Applicants
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 07, 2026 • Admissions & Applications
Most highly selective MBA programs still require a GMAT, GRE, or Executive Assessment score, but many other graduate business programs waive the test for applicants with a strong quantitative GPA, a professional certification like CFA or CPA, or years of analytical work experience.
🎓 Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Chicago Booth, Columbia, and Kellogg ask for a test score from nearly every applicant.
Schools such as MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, and Boston College grant case-by-case waivers based on your transcript and resume.
A waiver skips the GMAT or GRE, not the application. You still submit a resume, transcript, and sometimes an extra essay.
Many non-business graduate programs in engineering, sciences, and public policy dropped the GRE requirement at various US schools starting around 2020.
⏱️ Apply for a waiver before your deadline. Review can take a few weeks.
Why some schools still require the test
The most selective US MBA programs use the GMAT, GRE, or GMAC's Executive Assessment to compare applicants from different countries and undergraduate systems on one scale. Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Chicago Booth, Columbia, and Northwestern Kellogg ask for a test score from nearly all applicants, even those with strong professional records. If your transcript comes from a university admissions committees do not recognize easily, a competitive GMAT or GRE score signals academic readiness in a way they can compare directly against other applicants.
Where waivers are common
A growing number of full-time, part-time, and executive MBA programs review GMAT or GRE waivers case by case instead of requiring the test from everyone. Programs including MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Michigan Ross, UCLA Anderson, UVA Darden, Cornell Johnson, and Boston College's Carroll School of Management assess each waiver request individually rather than applying a fixed cutoff.
Boston College's Carroll School, for example, considers Fall 2026 full-time MBA, part-time MBA, and part-time MSF applicants for a waiver without setting a minimum GMAT or GRE score at all. The school reviews your undergraduate transcript, resume, and application essays together, and states directly that there is no required minimum score once a waiver is granted (Boston College Carroll School ).
What admissions committees look for
An undergraduate GPA above the class average in a quantitative subject such as engineering, finance, or economics.
A professional certification like CFA, CPA, FRM, CMA, or PMP that demonstrates quantitative competence.
Several years of work involving data analysis, financial modeling, or structured decision-making.
A completed master's, PhD, JD, or MD that already shows graduate-level academic ability.
A track record of leadership with measurable results in your current role.
How to apply for a waiver
Waiver applications generally ask for the same documents: an unofficial transcript, an updated resume, and sometimes a short essay explaining why you qualify. If your degree is from an ASEAN university, expect to submit a course-by-course credential evaluation from an agency such as WES or SpanTran, plus certified English translations if your transcript is not in English (Boston College Carroll School ). Submit the waiver request well before your application deadline, since review can take a few weeks, and a denied waiver still leaves you time to register for the GMAT or GRE.
GMAT, GRE, or Executive Assessment: which to prepare for
| Test | Length | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| GMAT Focus Edition | About 2 hours 15 minutes | Applicants targeting business schools that compare scores across a large applicant pool |
| GRE General Test | About 1 hour 58 minutes | Applicants also applying to non-business graduate programs, since one score works for both |
| Executive Assessment | About 1 hour 30 minutes | Candidates with 5 or more years of work experience applying to EMBA or part-time MBA programs that accept it |
The GMAT and Executive Assessment are administered through mba.com , GMAC's official site, which also lists which schools accept each test.
Non-business graduate programs
Outside business school, many US graduate programs in engineering, computer science, public health, and public policy dropped the GRE requirement starting around 2020, when many departments moved toward holistic review during pandemic-era admissions changes. This trend goes beyond business school, but it varies by department even within the same university, so a computer science program and an economics program at the same school can set different policies. Check each program's admissions page directly rather than assuming a university-wide rule applies to your target department.
Common ASEAN applicant profiles that qualify
Three profiles come up often among ASEAN applicants who receive a waiver. An engineering or accounting graduate with several years in a bank or consulting firm and a professional certification like CFA or ACCA fits the quantitative-background route most schools look for. A government or company-sponsored scholarship recipient with a strong undergraduate transcript and a clear sponsor letter also tends to qualify, since the sponsorship itself signals a vetted, high-performing candidate to the admissions committee. A working professional who already completed a master's degree in a technical field, such as engineering or data science, usually clears the bar too, since that degree already demonstrates graduate-level academic work in English.
None of these profiles guarantee a waiver by themselves. Admissions committees weigh your full file, and a thin resume or an average GPA can still push a reviewer to ask for a test score even if you fit one of these patterns loosely.
What this means for your application
Do not assume a waiver because a friend got one. Waiver criteria differ by school and change each admissions cycle, so verify current policy on the program's own admissions page before you skip test preparation. If your undergraduate GPA or work background sits close to a school's usual threshold, taking the GMAT or GRE and scoring well can strengthen your file more than a waiver would.