GMAT Waiver vs. No GMAT Requirement

Prospective business school candidates who harbor concerns about taking admissions tests like the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) find themselves far from alone in their hesitation. According to Poets&Quants, 43 of 61 ranked online MBA programs are now test-optional for 2026 admissions, with candidates increasingly favoring these flexible options amid declining test volumes.

Business schools recognize this growing candidate resistance, with admissions leaders increasingly flexible on testing. Poets&Quants reports that only about 28 percent of top online MBAs require GMAT or GRE for 2026, down from 86 percent in 2020, as admissions directors say that test scores are becoming a casualty of enrollment pressures.

Moreover, at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, the GMAT waiver policy shows how schools now evaluate the candidate more holistically. Applicants may qualify for a waiver based on professional experience, academic history, or strong quantitative credentials, which means the student can sometimes bypass testing when the rest of the profile is compelling enough.

However, many MBA programs still require the GMAT or the GRE, and the route around that requirement is not always the same. Some business schools simply do not ask for test scores at all, while others require the candidate to request a formal GMAT waiver and show that academic history, work experience, or quantitative credentials already demonstrate readiness for business school.

To simplify the discussion below, when we mention programs requiring the GMAT, we refer to programs that need the GMAT or GRE. The U.S. News and World Report reports that of the top 30 online MBA programs in 2026, 19 do not require test scores, with 16 considering GMAT or GRE if submitted, and three excluding them entirely from admissions decisions. The candidate should always verify each program’s current policy directly on their website, as requirements evolve.

GMAT Waiver or No GMAT: A Critical Distinction

Generally, the substantial majority of MBA program applicants who are resistant to admissions testing have a choice between two general strategies. One strategy involves applying to MBA programs that do not consider admissions testing in their candidate evaluation criteria. Another strategy entails applying to MBA programs that require the admissions tests but grant waivers for qualified candidates who do not need to sit for them. MBA aspirants must understand the distinction between the two for multiple reasons.

First, a tremendous amount of misinformation exists online that blurs the distinction between these two options. It is not unusual to observe independent websites unaffiliated with business schools reporting that particular MBA programs do not require the GMAT or the GRE when, in fact, those schools do want those tests but offer waivers instead.

While reputable admissions consultants like Aringo and MBA Mission maintain accurate lists of waiver policies, the candidate must always verify directly with each business school’s admissions office or website, as requirements change frequently and email inquiries typically receive prompt clarification.

The second reason why this distinction is critical is that waiver requests often require drafting a request letter—i.e., a petition in university academic lingo—arguing in favor of the school granting a waiver to the candidate. These documents take time and effort to draft. Applicants should assume that all schools need this document so as not to be surprised at the last minute. The only exception lies in the case of automatic waivers, which are covered below.

As schools tailor their application requirements to their applicants, prospective students can bypass admissions testing. The sections below cover the strategies available to MBA candidates.

MBA Programs Without Testing Requirements

The first strategy involves applying to MBA programs that do not require the GMAT or GRE under any circumstances. As already mentioned above, Poets&Quants reports that 70 percent of ranked online MBA programs now admit the candidate without test scores. Far more online MBA programs operate this way than most candidates realize.

Arguably, the best of these programs include executive MBA (EMBA) programs geared to senior executives aspiring to top management roles with as many as 15 years of experience or more. However, nothing is stopping otherwise strong test-averse candidates from applying to these test-free executive programs if that would mean winning admission to a much better MBA program affiliated with a more powerful university brand and alumni network than other test-free alternatives. For more research and analysis about executive MBA programs, see our guide: Is a Part-Time MBA Program Worth It?

The candidate must distinguish between specific MBA programs and the business school as a whole. Many universities waive admissions testing for certain MBA formats, like online or executive programs, while requiring scores for full-time residential MBAs. Applying to a test-free program exempts the candidate from testing entirely, with no additional conditions beyond meeting that program’s standard admissions criteria.

A strong current example is Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, consistently ranked among the top entrepreneurship programs alongside Stanford GSB. For 2026 admissions, Babson maintains a test-optional policy across its full-time MBA, part-time online MBA, blended learning, and part-time flexible MBA options, while some specialized programs still request scores to assess quantitative readiness.

Here are a few examples of online MBA programs without entrance exam requirements:

• Ohio University
• Texas A&M International University
• University of West Florida

Here are a few examples of executive MBA programs without entrance exam requirements:

• Villanova University
• Washington State University
• Howard University

MBA Programs That Grant Testing Waivers

The second option includes programs that do not require applicants to take either the GMAT or the GRE through an admissions testing waiver. For example, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill states that a GMAT or GRE score report is required for applicants with fewer than five years of professional experience; however, a waiver may be considered for candidates whose academic records and professional work experience demonstrate a high level of quantitative and analytical skill.

BSchools examined the current waiver policies from a diverse sample of several online MBA programs across the country to identify conditions under which schools will likely grant such waiver requests. We recognized patterns that indicate specific circumstances where the schools would likely grant these exemptions. Below, we briefly summarize those findings that appear in greater detail in our guide, What is a GMAT Waiver and When Might the GMAT Requirement be Waived?

In general, most admitted students did not provide test scores. At five of the schools studied—George Washington University, the University of North Carolina, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the University of Delaware, and Syracuse University—less than 14 percent of admitted students provided scores. Pepperdine University had the highest share of admitted students who provided GMAT scores, but they still only accounted for one-third of all students.

Discretionary and Automatic Waivers

This second option involves two kinds of waivers, discretionary and automatic waivers. Most often, schools grant test exemptions at the discretion of admissions officers. However, at several institutions, waivers are automatically granted to those who qualify, so applicants do not have to request them.

For example, admissions committees at the University of North Carolina automatically grant waivers to applicants with seven or more years of work experience. Similarly, George Washington University automatically grants waivers for applicants with five years of work experience. At the New Jersey Institute of Technology, applicants with an advanced degree are automatically excused from submitting GMAT test scores. Although Syracuse University requires waiver applications, the school always grants requests from candidates with five years of relevant work experience, according to the U.S. News and World Report statistics.

GMAT Waivers and Covid-19

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, top business schools were already trending toward omitting GMAT scores to attract a wider range of applicants. For MBA programs, the purpose of submitting GMAT scores is to prove an applicant’s academic aptitude and qualitative skills. However, since admissions committees can assess these skills through other metrics, more MBA programs continue to waive GMAT requirements.

Test-optional policies, accelerated by COVID, are now permanent at many programs. Top schools like NYU Stern and Michigan Ross offer waivers for two to five years of experience or quant certifications.

GMAT Waivers for Work Experience and Academic History

In order of importance, the two most influential factors that determine whether a student receives a waiver are work experience and academic history. However, work experience encompasses the main qualification for GMAT and GRE waivers. Work experience needs to be of a specific caliber relevant to the applicant’s career goals. Beyond that generality, each school defines “relevant work experience” in its own way.

For example, waiver candidates at the University of Alabama (Manderson) now need a GPA of 3.0 or higher from an AACSB-accredited bachelor’s program to request exemptions, prioritizing academic strength over prior budget authority claims. By contrast, Syracuse University Whitman maintains a broader definition:

“Whitman defines professional experience as time spent working in a business environment with significant individual responsibilities. Employers can be corporate or nonprofit, but we are looking for applicants whose work experience demonstrates skills in independent problem solving, teamwork, personal accountability for results, critical thinking, some authority for decision making, time management, and management of individuals or teams.”

Generally, most programs require several years of professional experience for waivers. BSchools research identifies five years as the most common threshold across MBA programs. While UNC Kenan-Flagler automatically exempts candidates with over five years of full-time experience, others, like Washington State University, are test-optional for all, without experience minimums.

The second essential criterion for GMAT waivers is university education. The schools mainly consider undergraduate grade point averages along with advanced degrees. According to BSchools research, most schools consider outstanding undergraduate academic performance at accredited universities when granting waiver requests, and about half impose minimum GPA thresholds ranging from 2.8 to 3.4 on a four-point scale.

Applicants with GPA scores below the thresholds may be asked to submit GMAT or GRE scores. Many schools use these admissions tests as a proxy for validating a candidate’s quantitative ability, which is why about half of the schools BSchools studied consider or specifically need evidence of prior quantitative coursework before they grant waivers. Those schools include Johns Hopkins University, the University of Delaware, the University of North Carolina, and George Washington University.

Pepperdine University and Johns Hopkins require students to complete specific quantitative coursework, such as statistics, finance, or quantitative microeconomics, before granting waivers. Pepperdine even expects waiver candidates to have degrees in quantitative economics or in science, engineering, technology, or mathematics (STEM) disciplines, or a B or higher in quantitative university coursework such as calculus or economic statistics.

Occasionally, schools also consider the rigor of undergraduate programs, and many schools consider advanced degrees when evaluating waiver requests.

Finally, professional certifications can also be significant to schools. Four schools surveyed by BSchools consider Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Financial Analyst (CFA), and similar licenses when awarding waivers—three of those four were also private institutions.

For more related research and analysis, see the following BSchools guide: What is a GMAT Waiver and When Might the GMAT Requirement be Waived?