What Does Gies Look For In Applicants?

Two people in admissions and recruitment, smiling and reviewing an application on a laptop computer.

By: Kelly Janssen, Director, Admissions and Recruitment

Setting us apart from other business schools, we don’t have set criteria for direct admission to Gies. We use a holistic approach to admission review. We like to see strong rigor in an applicant’s high school coursework, as well as solid grades in those courses. If an applicant chooses to submit ACT or SAT scores, those scores will also be considered as part of the holistic admission review. For non-academic factors, we consider the applicant’s essays and listed involvement. We welcome applicants with or without business coursework or student organization experience. We like to see applicants who are engaged and invested in endeavors that are important to them, like student clubs, athletics, a part-time job, family commitments, community organizations, or other activities. (Think quality over quantity.) Overall, competitive applicants are students who can successfully balance their time and efforts both inside and outside the classroom.

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