The WashU Olin MBA, the full-time MBA at Washington University in St. Louis’s Olin Business School, is ranked No. 27 by U.S. News (2026 edition) and has one of the most international classes in the United States: across its last three cohorts, the median share of international students was 47%. Olin charges no application fee, makes the GMAT and GRE optional, and accepts most three-year international degrees without a credential evaluation.
Round 1 closed on 8 October 2026, so your Deadline is Round 2 on 7 January 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. Tuition for students starting in fall 2026 is $72,700 a year, and Olin offers named scholarships worth up to $100,000. This guide covers the WashU Olin MBA requirements for international students, English scores, essays, the interview, costs, STEM and salaries.
WashU Olin MBA at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Programme | Full-Time MBA, two years, St. Louis |
| U.S. News rank | No. 27, 2026 Best Business Schools (released April 2026) |
| Most recent class size | 103 students |
| International students | 47% (median, Classes of 2025 to 2027) |
| Mean GMAT / median GRE | 702 / 164 Verbal, 166 Quant |
| Median GPA | 3.6 |
| Median work experience | 4.3 years |
| Acceptance rate (2025 cycle) | 17.8% (Poets&Quants, from U.S. News data) |
| Application fee | None |
| Tuition | $72,700 a year (fall 2026 entry) |
| STEM | Optional STEM MBA |
| Accepted offers within 3 months (Class of 2024) | 78% |
WashU Olin MBA ranking
U.S. News ranked Olin No. 27 among full-time MBA programmes in its 2026 Best Business Schools list, released on 7 April 2026, tied with Georgia Tech Scheller. Poets&Quants’ own 2026 ranking puts Olin at No. 19, and Olin entered the Financial Times global MBA top 20 in 2025, according to the school’s news office.
WashU Olin MBA acceptance rate and class profile
Olin does not print an acceptance rate. Poets&Quants, using data schools report to U.S. News, gives 2,161 applications, a 17.8% acceptance rate and a 24.68% yield for the fall 2025 intake. A yield below 25% means most admitted applicants go elsewhere, so Olin admits generously relative to its class size and often uses scholarships to win the candidates it wants.
| Olin full-time MBA (median of Classes 2025, 2026 and 2027) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Students per cohort | 95 (median); 103 in the most recent class |
| Mean GMAT (those who submitted) | 702 |
| Median GRE | 164 Verbal, 166 Quant |
| Median undergraduate GPA | 3.6 |
| Median work experience | 4.3 years |
| Women | 44% |
| International | 47% |
These three-year figures are as reported by Clear Admit from Olin’s Student Snapshot, which presents its data as images. Undergraduate backgrounds split roughly 38% business and economics, 35% engineering, STEM and natural science, and 21% humanities and social sciences.
WashU Olin MBA requirements for international students
- The equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree by the time you enrol. Olin says most international three-year degrees qualify.
- A one-page resume.
- Unofficial transcripts for the application, listing all coursework and grades, in the original language with an English translation. WES or ECE evaluations are not required.
- A 500-word personal statement and a 100-word career prompt, plus an optional 250-word essay.
- An English test, unless you get a waiver.
- GMAT or GRE scores, which are optional but recommended.
- No application fee.
Official transcripts are due at least two weeks before orientation. If your transcript does not show the degree and conferral date, bring your certificate for verification.
English requirements
| Test | Minimum |
|---|---|
| TOEFL iBT (including Home Edition) | 5.0 on the new scale, or 90 on the old scale (code 6929) |
| IELTS Academic | 6.5 |
| Duolingo English Test | 125 |
| Gateway English | 495 |
Scores must be valid through the application deadline. If you meet one of the university’s exemption criteria, you request a waiver in the application portal and the Office of the Provost decides. Olin tells applicants who believe they qualify not to send TOEFL or IELTS scores, though the committee may still ask for one. Graduates of English-medium universities in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and similar countries should check the exemption list before booking a test.
Is the GMAT required?
No. Olin calls test scores optional but recommended. Without one, it looks at your GPA, quantitative coursework, an advanced degree such as an MD or quantitative master’s, a professional certificate such as CPA or CFA, a military officer’s rank, or an expired GMAT or GRE score. GMAT code: R4T-WG-61. GRE code: 6929.
WashU Olin MBA deadlines 2026-2027
| Round | Due (11:59 p.m. CT) | Notification |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 (closed) | 8 October 2026 | 12 November 2026 |
| Round 2 | 7 January 2027 | 18 February 2027 |
| Round 3 | 25 February 2027 | 1 April 2027 |
| Round 4 | 15 April 2027 | 13 May 2027 |
| Rolling | After 15 April 2027 | Before programme start |
International applicants
Olin’s admissions director has encouraged international students to apply in the early rounds to leave time for visa processing. Round 2 decisions on 18 February 2027 give you about six months before the programme starts.
How to apply, step by step
- Check the English waiver against the university’s exemption criteria, or book TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo.
- Decide on a test: Take the GMAT or GRE if your transcript does not show strong quantitative work.
- Scan transcripts in the original language with English translations.
- Cut your resume to one page.
- Write the 500-word statement and 100-word career prompt.
- Submit by 7 January 2027 through WashU’s graduate application. There is no fee.
- Interview if invited.
- After admission: Send official transcripts at least two weeks before orientation and prepare funding documents for the I-20.
WashU Olin MBA essays 2026-2027
| Essay | Prompt (summary) | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | How your life experiences shaped your decision to apply, and how WashU Olin will help you reach your long-term goals | 500 words |
| Career prompt | Your ideal career immediately after business school | 100 words |
| Optional | Anything else that helps the committee assess you | 250 words |
Personal statement
The prompt has two halves, and many applicants only answer the first. Spend about two thirds on one or two experiences that explain why you want an MBA now, then use the rest to link specific Olin features to your long-term goal. Olin’s admissions director has said the committee can tell when an essay was written for another school, and some applicants have even left another school’s name in. Write this one fresh.
For illustration: “I learned what a supply chain is the week our clinic in Ibadan ran out of malaria test kits, and I spent the next five years making sure that never happened again.”
Career prompt
A hundred words leaves no room for background. Give the job title, the function, the industry and, if you can, the type of company or city. One sentence on why you fit is enough.
For illustration: “Immediately after Olin, I want to work as a senior consultant in a healthcare strategy practice in the Midwest, advising hospital systems on procurement and operations.”
Optional essay
Use it for a weak grade, a gap or a missing test score. If you are applying without the GMAT or GRE, briefly point to the evidence of quantitative ability the committee should look at.
The Olin interview
Interviews are by invitation after the file review. According to Olin’s admissions director in an August 2025 Clear Admit interview, interviewers may be admissions committee members, recruiters, career services staff, alumni or student ambassadors. The conversation focuses on your values, experience and motivations, with no behavioural questions and no case. Interviews were virtual in 2025-26, and you could ask for an in-person interview if a date was free before your round’s notification.
What the admissions committee looks for
- Who you are, where you have been and where you want to go, and how Olin fits that path.
- Your motivation for graduate study and any larger purpose behind it.
- What you will add to the classroom.
- Self-reflection, including areas where you want to grow.
- Answers written for Olin’s prompts, not recycled from another school.
WashU Olin MBA tuition and cost 2026-2027
| Item (fall 2026 start, May 2028 graduation) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $72,700 a year ($36,350 a semester) |
| Programme fee | $900 a semester |
| Student government fee | $130 a semester |
| Health and wellness fee | $350 a semester |
| Two-year total | $150,920 ($37,730 a semester) |
Olin says tuition and fees usually rise 3% to 5% a year. Its cost page does not give a full cost of attendance with living expenses.
Costs not covered
- Health insurance. You are enrolled in the university plan and billed unless you have adequate coverage; Olin does not list the price.
- Housing, food and transport in St. Louis.
- Books, a laptop and recruiting travel.
- The SEVIS fee, visa fee and flights.
- Extra proof of funds for dependants on the I-20.
WashU Olin MBA scholarships for international students
Every admitted applicant is considered for merit scholarships automatically, using the same criteria as admission but applied more competitively. Olin also offers signature scholarships, which can be combined with merit awards:
| Scholarship | Value |
|---|---|
| Olin Health Leadership Scholarship | Up to $100,000 |
| Gateway Leaders Scholarship (ties to or commitment to the St. Louis region) | Up to $100,000 |
| Olin Entrepreneurial Leaders Scholarship | Up to $60,000 |
| Olin Ownership and Private Enterprise Scholarship | Up to $60,000 |
| Olin Finance and Capital Markets Scholarship | Up to $60,000 |
Olin also lists awards through the Consortium, the Forté Foundation, the McDonnell International Scholars Academy and Reaching Out. The Consortium is limited to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Olin’s cost page does not say which of its own scholarships are open to international students, so ask Olin Financial Services before you rely on one.
For loans, the cost page links only to general private student loans and federal aid. It does not mention Prodigy Finance, MPOWER or loans without a U.S. co-signer. For outside funding, see our guide to American scholarships for international students.
STEM designation and OPT
WashU lists a STEM option in the full-time MBA among its STEM-designated programmes. You complete it by taking additional STEM credit hours. Graduates of STEM-designated programmes can apply to extend OPT by up to 24 months, for up to 36 months in total. Olin does not publish the credit-hour requirement on its main pages, so ask admissions how many STEM credits you need and plan your electives early.
WashU Olin MBA salary and employment
Figures for the Class of 2024 (91 graduates), as reported by Clear Admit and Poets&Quants:
- 78% of job seekers accepted offers within three months of graduation.
- Average base salary: $126,773; median: $126,000.
- Average signing bonus: $37,748.
- 8% started their own business.
| Industry (Class of 2024) | Share |
|---|---|
| Financial services | 31% |
| Technology | 31% |
| Healthcare | 10% |
| Manufacturing | 6% |
| Consulting | 6% |
Employers named by Poets&Quants include Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Centene, Mastercard and Walmart. About 35% of graduates took jobs in the Midwest. Olin’s own career page was not available when I checked, and I found no Class of 2025 figures or a split by citizenship.
Common mistakes international applicants make
- Answering only the first half of the personal statement and saying nothing specific about Olin.
- Writing 200 words for the 100-word career prompt.
- Paying for a WES evaluation that Olin does not require.
- Sending TOEFL scores when a waiver applies, or assuming a waiver without requesting it in the portal.
- Assuming every signature scholarship is open to international students.
- Forgetting health insurance, which is billed on top of tuition.
Who should apply to WashU Olin, and who shouldn’t
Apply if you want a highly international class, a free application with optional testing, and a career in finance, technology or healthcare, especially in the Midwest. Olin is a good fit for applicants with three to five years of experience and a three-year degree that other schools might question.
Think twice if you want to work on either coast after graduation, if you need confirmed scholarship eligibility before applying, or if a 78% three-month placement rate worries you.
Olin vs peer MBA programmes
| School | U.S. News 2026 | Avg GMAT | Tuition or cost | International | Round 2 deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WashU Olin | No. 27 | 702 (Classes 2025 to 2027) | $72,700 a year tuition | 47% (median) | 7 January 2027 |
| Georgia Tech Scheller | No. 27 | 640 (Class of 2028) | $22,478 a semester nonresident tuition, fall 2026 | 31% | 8 January 2027 |
| Rice Jones | No. 29 | 625 GMAT Focus (Class of 2027) | $79,116 a year tuition (2026) | 41% | 6 January 2027 |
| USC Marshall | No. 25 | 742 (fall 2025 class) | $86,295 tuition, first year 2026-27 | 43% | 5 January 2027 |
For undergraduate study at the same university, see our WashU admission requirements for international students.
FAQ
Is the GMAT required for WashU Olin MBA?
No. Olin makes the GMAT and GRE optional but recommended. Recent classes averaged 702 on the GMAT among those who submitted a score.
Does WashU Olin MBA accept a three-year bachelor’s degree?
Usually yes. Olin says most international three-year degrees are equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s, and it does not require a WES or ECE evaluation.
What is the WashU Olin MBA tuition for international students?
Tuition is $72,700 a year for students starting in fall 2026. With programme, student government and health and wellness fees, the two-year total is $150,920 before insurance and living costs.
What is the WashU Olin MBA deadline?
The Deadline is Round 2 on 7 January 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time, with decisions on 18 February 2027. There is no application fee.
Sources and updates
Rounds, requirements, essays, English scores and test policy are from Olin’s How to apply page. Costs and scholarships are from its Cost, Aid and Scholarships page, and the STEM option and OPT rules from WashU’s STEM-designated business programs page. Class profile and Class of 2024 outcomes are as reported by Clear Admit’s Olin school page and Poets&Quants’ Olin school profile. Interview details are from Clear Admit’s August 2025 Q&A with Olin’s admissions director. Acceptance rate and yield are from Poets&Quants’ August 2026 article on acceptance rates at the top 100 U.S. MBA programmes. The ranking is from U.S. News 2026 Best Business Schools (released 7 April 2026), as reported by Poets&Quants. Checked on 29 October 2026.
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.
