International Applicants
Wharton actively recruits students from around the world to create a truly international student community. This year's entering students represent 70 countries, and Wharton's alumni network of 88,000 extends to 145 countries on six continents. To assemble such a diverse student group, this year Wharton will visit 45 countries to host receptions, attend MBA forums, and conduct interviews.
Qualifications for admission are the same for international students as for U.S. citizens. Recognizing the special challenges that international students face, both Wharton and the University of Pennsylvania provide information and resources to help international applicants navigate the application process and to assist international students with issues such as visas and relocating to a new country.
Application Information
Academic Record
International candidates must have a college-level education equivalent to a four-year American undergraduate or baccalaureate degree (the same as a first university degree). There are a number of universities around the world that offer three-year undergraduate programs. If you received a bachelor's degree upon completion of one of these undergraduate programs, you are eligible to apply to Wharton's MBA program. Many candidates from three-year programs have a master's degree as well, but it is not required.
When applying, list all post-secondary educational institutions you have attended, including technical and professional schools. Use the full, actual names of the institutions attended, and provide the titles of all diplomas or degrees earned.
Submit only official academic records from educational institutions to the Wharton School. Official records are defined as original documents issued by the institution and bearing the actual (not photocopied) signature of the registrar and the institutional seal. Records issued only once by institutions should be photocopied and certified as official copies either by school officials or legal authorities such as embassies or notaries public. Please do not send the original of an academic record that cannot be replaced.
If you have attended more than one institution, submit official records from each institution, with the exception of study-abroad programs that are listed on your official undergraduate transcripts. If academic records and diplomas are not issued in English by the institution, submit both the official record and an authorized English translation.
All translations should be complete and literal renditions of the original record. Records should show the date of enrollment, courses taken, units of credit or time allotted to each subject during each term or year, your marks or ratings in each subject, and, if available, your rank in the total class or group.
The institutional grading scale or other standards of evaluation, including minimum passing and failing marks, and definition of grades between them, should appear on official records or provide them as an attachment.
TOEFL
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for all international applicants whose native language is not English. You may waive the TOEFL if you have earned an undergraduate degree or master's degree in an English-speaking country or from an institution in which English is the language of instruction; applicants must provide evidence to support the waiver. If your test score is more than two years old (from the date of the exam to the date of application arrival), you must retake the test. Administered by ETS, the TOEFL is offered throughout the year at test centers worldwide. Wharton only accepts official TOEFL scores sent by ETS.
Wharton's TOEFL code is: 2926-02.
Admitted Students
English Language Programs
The English Language Programs (ELP) at the University of Pennsylvania offers two summer study options for international students who wish to improve their language skills prior to entering the MBA program at Wharton.
The Summer Institute for International Business Students (SIIBS) is a four-week pre-MBA program that runs during the month of July. SIIBS combines advanced-level oral and written communications skills classes with guest business lectures by Wharton faculty; visits to companies and government agencies in the Philadelphia, New York and/or Washington, DC, areas; and social-cultural activities. In oral skills classes, students work on impromptu speaking, presentation skills, listening, analysis and discussion of business cases, and pronunciation and fluency. In writing skills, the focus is on academic reading and writing, case analysis, library research methods, and test-taking and study skills. Entry requirements for the SIIBS program include a copy of your MBA admissions acceptance letter.
For students who need more training, ELP's Intensive Program Summer 1 session is a good option. This eight-week program runs from late April to late June and offers academic preparation and business English classes at three intermediate levels and one advanced level. Intermediate and advanced level students choose some or all of their courses; ELP advisors assist students in selecting the courses best suited to their MBA preparation goals and language needs.
Full-time students study in classes for 20 hours per week; there are no entry requirements for the Intensive Program. Students may also progress from Summer 1 into the SIIBS program in July.
Students in both SIIBS and the Intensive Program receive certificates upon completion of their program. Upon request, Wharton provides official grade and progress reports for conditionally admitted students. For more information, please visit the ELP website: www.sas.upenn.edu/elp or e-mail ELP at elp@sas.upenn.edu.
Visas
Admitted Wharton MBA students will receive in their Admit Packet an "Application for the I-20 or DS-2019 Form." Complete and mail the form directly to the Office of International Programs (OIP). Upon receipt of this application form, OIP will process and send you either a Form I-20 (for an F-1 visa) or Form DS-2019 (for a J-1 visa). The processing time for either of these two immigration documents takes approximately three weeks from the time OIP receives your "Application for the I-20 or DS-2019 Form," so please plan accordingly. Moreover, you must submit the "Application for the I-20 or DS-2019 Form" to OIP at least six weeks before beginning your academic program at Penn.
Furthermore, if you are interested in joining an English Language Program (ELP), then you should register for an ELP program prior to submitting an "Application for the I-20 or DS-2019 Form" to OIP where you should include this information. For more information, please visit the ELP website: www.sas.upenn.edu/elp or e-mail elp@sas.upenn.edu.
When you receive your I-20 or DS-2019 Form, you will be required to pay the SEVIS fee and to schedule an appointment for a visa interview. At the interview you must present your immigration document (I-20 or DS-2019 form), passport, and original financial documents to a U.S. Consular Officer to obtain your entry visa stamp to the United States (Exception: Canadian citizens are not required to obtain an entry visa for the U.S). OIP recommends students contact the U.S. Consulate directly for visa application instructions since they differ from country to country and more so because there have been significant waiting times for visa interviews.
You will be mailed more detailed information and instructions about these procedures with the "Application for the I-20 or DS-2019 Form." In the meantime, you may visit OIP's "New Arrivals" section of the website for more information pertaining to this topic. For additional immigration information and other matters concerning international students, please visit the web-site of the Office of International Programs.
