The Texas McCombs MBA is the two-year, full-time MBA of the University of Texas at Austin, ranked No. 18 (tied with UCLA Anderson) in the U.S. News 2026 Best Business Schools list. For fall 2027 entry, the McCombs MBA Round 2 deadline is 15 January 2027 and Round 3 closes on 1 April 2027. You will write two 250-word essays, send one recommendation, complete a recorded video assessment and submit a GMAT, GMAT Focus, GRE or Executive Assessment score unless you win a waiver.
McCombs admitted 32.7% of applicants for fall 2025 entry, according to U.S. News data reported by Poets&Quants, so it is more open than most top-20 schools. Its Class of 2027 has 235 students, a median GMAT Focus score of 655 and 31% international students. It is also one of the cheaper top-20 options: Poets&Quants puts the first-year cost at $85,889. I checked the figures in this Texas McCombs guide on 29 October 2026.
Texas McCombs MBA ranking
U.S. News published its 2026 Best Business Schools ranking on 7 April 2026. McCombs placed No. 18 for the full-time MBA, tied with UCLA Anderson, according to the ranking tables published by Poets&Quants (6 April 2026) and Clear Admit (9 April 2026). Most McCombs graduates take consulting, technology, finance or energy jobs, and 72% of the Class of 2025 stayed in the US Southwest.
McCombs acceptance rate and class profile
McCombs does not print an acceptance rate on its class profile. U.S. News data analysed by Poets&Quants shows 2,274 applications and a 32.7% acceptance rate for the class that entered in fall 2025. That is roughly one admit for every three applicants, compared with about one in five at Berkeley Haas.
| Full-time MBA Class of 2027 (entered fall 2025) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Class size | 235 |
| Median GMAT Focus | 655 (middle 80%: 615 to 695) |
| Median GRE (total) | 319 (middle 80%: 310 to 332) |
| Median Executive Assessment | 155 |
| Median undergraduate GPA | 3.53 |
| Average work experience | 6 years (middle 80%: 3 to 10 years) |
| Average age | 29 (middle 80%: 26 to 34) |
| International students | 31% |
| Countries represented | 36 |
| First-generation college students | 17% |
| Military and veterans | 15% |
Pre-MBA industries were finance 17%, technology 16%, consulting 15%, military 11% and energy 6%. Business, economics and accounting majors made up 44% of the class and STEM majors 34%. The profile does not give the share of women. McCombs had not posted a Class of 2028 profile when I checked.
McCombs MBA requirements for international students
The list below comes from the official McCombs full-time MBA application process page.
- Online application and fee: the fee invoice appears one to two business days after you submit; the page does not print the amount.
- Re Vera verification: a required credential and background verification through Re Vera Services, with a base price of $85, paid directly to Re Vera.
- Transcripts: from every university attended, with official English translations uploaded alongside the originals. You upload them twice: once before paying the fee and once after.
- Resume: McCombs typically expects at least two years of full-time work after your bachelor’s degree; internships do not count.
- Two essays of 250 words each, plus an optional 250-word statement.
- One recommendation, preferably from a current or former supervisor.
- Test score: GMAT, GMAT Focus, GRE or Executive Assessment, unless waived. No minimum and no preference. GMAT and EA code 396-44-40; GRE code 6882.
- English test: TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English Test, unless waived.
- Video assessment: required of every applicant after submission.
Test waiver
McCombs grants waivers in three cases: your score is more than five years old (you self-report it with proof), you win a merit-based General Test Waiver petition, or you are applying to a participating dual degree. You must send the waiver petition before you submit your application, and you cannot get one if you have already sent scores to UT. McCombs reviews petitions within 10 business days. Admitted students without a valid score must complete a one-week quantitative prep course, the Accelerated Foundations Program.
English language requirement
International applicants send TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo scores unless they meet one of three waiver conditions:
- You have lived and worked full time in the US, or a country where English is the only official language, for at least two of the past four years.
- You hold a master’s degree from a US institution or one in an English-only country.
- Your undergraduate or earlier graduate degree was taught only in English in a country where English is not the only official language.
If your degree was taught entirely in English, as at most universities in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya, read the conditions closely against your own country’s official languages and get an English-medium letter from your university. McCombs processes waivers in seven to ten business days and will not check eligibility in advance, so if you are unsure, take the test. The McCombs page does not publish a minimum score.
McCombs MBA deadlines 2026-2027
Deadlines are 11:59 p.m. Central Time. Round 1 closed on 15 October 2026.
| Round | Application deadline | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Round 2 | 15 January 2027 | 25 March 2027 |
| Round 3 | 1 April 2027 | 6 May 2027 |
Scores must arrive by the deadline
McCombs says official GMAT, GRE or EA scores can take up to four weeks to reach UT Austin and must arrive by the round deadline. English scores must be in hand before you submit. For Round 2, book your tests by mid-December 2026 at the latest.
McCombs essays and how to answer them
| Essay | What it asks | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | Why McCombs is the right choice for your personal and professional growth, and how you will use its academics, hands-on learning and community | 250 words |
| Essay 2 | A core value that defines you, a specific example of how it guided a decision, and how it will shape your MBA experience | 250 words |
| Optional statement | Work gaps, choice of recommender or academic performance | 250 words |
Essay 1: why McCombs
With 250 words you have room for a goal, a gap and three McCombs specifics. State your goal in one sentence, then link each McCombs resource to something you need to learn. Name real things: a concentration, a practicum, a club, and the Austin, Dallas or Houston employers you want to reach. Avoid paragraphs about weather, food or live music.
Sample opening, for illustration: “I want to move from upstream oil and gas finance in Port Harcourt to energy transition strategy at a firm like Shell New Energies or a US utility, and McCombs sits closer to that work than any other school I am considering.”
Essay 2: a core value
Pick one value and one decision where it cost you something. Spend about half the essay on the story and the rest on how the value will show up in Austin, such as how you will run a team project or a club. The common mistake is naming a value such as integrity and then describing a situation where the right choice was easy.
Sample opening, for illustration: “In my second year at the bank, I turned down a promotion that would have meant signing off on a loan file I knew was incomplete.”
Recommendation and video assessment
McCombs asks for one letter. Your recommender answers three questions: a 50-word description of how they know you, a comparison with other strong peers (about 500 words) and the most important constructive feedback they have given you (about 500 words). If your direct supervisor cannot write, explain why in the optional statement.
After you submit, you get access to the video assessment and have seven days to finish it. It has six prompts with 90 seconds per answer; the committee views two of them without scoring them. Practise speaking to a webcam before you start, and keep each answer to one example.
McCombs interview format
Interviews are virtual, behavioural and last 20 to 30 minutes, including time for your questions. A member of the McCombs Ambassador Committee, a group of current students, conducts them. McCombs says the interview is encouraged but not required, and you are invited to complete it after you apply. Take it: it is your one chance to show the committee how you communicate live.
What the McCombs admissions committee looks for
- A clear goal that fits McCombs’ strengths in consulting, technology, energy and finance, and a reason to be in Texas.
- At least two years of solid full-time work with measurable results.
- Evidence you can handle the quantitative core, from a test score or a waiver petition.
- Values you can describe with a real example, which is what Essay 2 tests.
- Communication skills, measured through the video assessment and interview.
McCombs tuition and cost of attendance
McCombs’ own full-time MBA tuition page did not show full-time figures when I checked; the page displayed Evening MBA costs instead. The latest independent figures are from Poets&Quants’ September 2026 survey of the top 30 US MBA programmes.
| Item (2026-27) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition (fees included; McCombs does not list them separately) | $61,214 |
| Other costs (living, books, insurance) | $24,675 |
| First-year total | $85,889 |
| Two-year estimate | $171,778 |
Poets&Quants does not say whether its tuition figure is the Texas resident or nonresident rate. International students pay nonresident tuition, so confirm the rate with McCombs financial aid before you build your visa budget. Even so, the total is well below the $135,000 to $145,000 first-year budgets at Tuck, Haas or Stern, which is why McCombs appeals to self-funded applicants.
McCombs scholarships for international students
According to the McCombs MBA Insider blog (August 2022), every applicant is automatically considered for recruiting scholarships during the admissions review, with no separate form. These awards go to both domestic and international candidates, and range from $2,000 to full tuition. The blog said 75% of admitted full-time students received scholarship offers in that cycle, and 75% of enrolled international students. Round 1 is the priority deadline for scholarships, so a Round 2 application still competes, but for a smaller pool.
McCombs also awards fellowships with partners including the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, the Forté Foundation and Reaching Out MBA. After the first year, students can apply for smaller second-year awards of about $1,000 to $5,000. These percentages change every year, so ask admissions for current numbers. For outside funding, look through our list of scholarships for African students.
Loans without a US cosigner
UT Austin does not cosign loans or recommend lenders. It says some private lenders lend to international students without a US cosigner, usually on less favourable terms than loans with a cosigner. McCombs does not name Prodigy Finance or MPOWER on the pages I read. If you or your spouse has lived and worked in Texas for at least a year on certain visas, you may qualify for Texas resident rates, so ask financial aid if that applies to you.
Is the McCombs MBA STEM designated?
McCombs offers 14 STEM-designated concentrations in its full-time MBA. If you graduate with one of them, you can apply for the 24-month STEM OPT extension as an F-1 student, giving up to three years of US work authorisation. Choose your concentration early and confirm with the McCombs international office that your planned course list meets the requirement.
McCombs MBA salary and employment
These are McCombs’ official Class of 2025 full-time MBA results, from its 2025-26 employment report.
| Class of 2025 outcome | Figure |
|---|---|
| Graduates seeking jobs | 201 of 245 |
| Received an offer within 3 months | 74.6% (international: 68.6%) |
| Accepted an offer within 3 months | 72.1% (international: 66.7%) |
| Received an offer within 6 months | 80.2% |
| Median base salary | $150,000 (international graduates: $165,000) |
| Mean base salary | $154,053 |
| Median signing bonus | $30,000 |
| Consulting | 28% (median base $190,000) |
| Technology | 22% (median base $140,000) |
| Financial services | 19% (median base $171,000) |
| Energy, health care and consumer goods | 6% each |
| Stayed in the Southwest | 72% |
In the report’s tables, “international” means graduates without permanent US work authorisation. Their offer rate at three months trailed the class average by about six points, but those who landed jobs earned a higher median salary. Recruiting partners that hired several McCombs students in 2025 include McKinsey, Bain, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Dell, Tesla, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, ExxonMobil and PepsiCo. Plan for a longer job search if you need visa sponsorship.
Costs not covered by the budget
- The application fee, the $85 Re Vera verification fee and test fees.
- The SEVIS I-901 fee and US visa fee.
- Flights and a rental deposit in Austin.
- Local transport, either a car or rideshares, depending on where you live in Austin.
- Recruiting trips to Dallas, Houston or other cities, and club or conference fees.
- Summer internship relocation if your employer does not cover it.
Common mistakes international applicants make
- Applying for a test waiver after sending scores to UT, which makes you ineligible.
- Waiting for an English waiver decision before booking a test. McCombs will not pre-check eligibility.
- Missing the video assessment window of seven days.
- Treating the interview as optional and skipping it.
- Using Essay 1 for general praise of Austin instead of specific McCombs resources.
- Assuming every McCombs graduate gets STEM OPT. You need a STEM concentration.
Who should apply to McCombs
McCombs suits you if you want consulting, technology or energy jobs in Texas, and if cost matters: it has one of the lowest first-year budgets in the top 20. It also suits applicants whose test scores sit slightly below top-10 medians. It suits you less if you want to work in New York finance or if you need the highest international placement rate; its three-month offer rate for international graduates (68.6%) was well below Tuck’s 92%.
Texas McCombs compared with similar MBA programs
| School | U.S. News 2026 rank | Acceptance rate (fall 2025 entry) | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas McCombs | 18 (tie) | 32.7% | 2,274 |
| UCLA Anderson | 18 (tie) | 31.0% | 3,064 |
| Michigan Ross | 13 | 30.2% | 3,932 |
| UW Foster | 20 | 33.6% | 899 |
| USC Marshall | 25 | 31.4% | 1,914 |
Acceptance rates and application counts are from Poets&Quants’ August 2026 analysis of U.S. News data. For undergraduate admission at the same university, see our UT Austin admission guide for international students.
FAQ on the Texas McCombs MBA for international students
What is the McCombs MBA acceptance rate?
About 32.7% for fall 2025 entry, from 2,274 applications, based on U.S. News data reported by Poets&Quants.
Can I get into McCombs without the GMAT?
Yes, if your merit-based test waiver petition is approved or your old score is more than five years old. You must request the waiver before you submit and before sending any scores to UT.
Does McCombs accept Duolingo for international students?
Yes. McCombs accepts TOEFL, IELTS or the Duolingo English Test, and waives the requirement if your degree was taught only in English or you have worked in an English-speaking country for two of the last four years.
When is the McCombs MBA deadline for fall 2027?
Round 2 closes on 15 January 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time, with decisions on 25 March 2027. Round 3 closes on 1 April 2027.
Sources and updates
Checked on 29 October 2026. Ranking: U.S. News 2026 Best Business Schools (released 7 April 2026), as tabulated by Poets&Quants (6 April 2026) and Clear Admit (9 April 2026). Deadlines, essays, recommendation, tests, English waivers, video assessment, interview and Re Vera: McCombs application process page and the Applying to McCombs page. Class figures: McCombs class profile. Acceptance rate: Poets&Quants, August 2026. Costs: Poets&Quants, “Total Cost At The Top 30 MBA Programs In The U.S.” (10 September 2026). Scholarships: McCombs MBA Insider blog (26 August 2022) and the McCombs financial aid page. Employment: McCombs Full-Time MBA Employment Report 2025-26 and Clear Admit (February 2026). We will update the cost table when McCombs posts its full-time tuition for 2026-27.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
