An Empirical Investigation of the MBA Admission Criteria for Nontraditional Programs

This study reviews the admission criteria for a "nontraditional" MBA program by investigating a group of students who were employed full time while pursuing the MBA degree. The instructional method combined individual assignments with two intensive weekend class meetings on the 3rd and 6th weekends of each course. These students would normally have been classified as part-time students enrolling for either one or two courses per term. Our major finding is that the combination of GMAT score, undergraduate GPA, and work experience are the best predictors of success for students in this program. However, for students admitted to the program as exceptions to the normal admission formula, GMAT score, undergraduate institution, and undergraduate major were the best predictors of success.