Most of will you be aware that a lot of business schools require at least 2-4 years of work experience prior to pursuing MBA degree. This looks a little difficult when you start planning to pursue this degree post completing your under-graduation program. You don’t have to worry at all as you will be able to book your MBA seat well in advance, get the required criteria sorted and join your dream institution to pursue the desired course. Surprised? Have you heard of ‘Deferred MBA’?

Deferred MBA is nothing but an interesting way of applying in some of the top B-schools. It allows you to pursue your MBA and study in USA without the required work experience. This program grants you pre-admission either during the final year of your under-graduation course or immediately after completing the course. If you are accepted for a deferred MBA course, you can easily enroll for this after gaining the required work experience as per the program you opt for. Hence, you can block your seat in advance so that nothing can come in your way of achieving your academic goal.

Harvard Business School

The 2+2 program of HBS is a deferred admission process for current students, either in college or full-time master’s degree programs. This program was announced in 2007 and takes in fresh graduates and post-graduates without any work experience. The 2+2 indicates that you spend the first two years working before enrolling with the MBA program. Once you complete your current under-graduation/graduation/master’s program, you get the opportunity to work for 2-years to fulfil the criteria of gaining the required work experience for the program. 2+2 students spend a minimum of two years (maximum of four years) working in a professional position in the public, private, or nonprofit sector post which they join the full-time MBA program of the Harvard Business School.

 Stanford Graduate School of Business

Stanford GSB Deferred Enrollment program is designed for students without full-time work experience. You should typically apply when you are in your final year of study. Stanford looks for the same qualities in deferred enrollment candidates as all MBA candidates, with the understanding that deferred enrollment candidates don’t yet have full-time work experience. Some of the important aspects which needs to be highlighted in your application are – strong academic results, strong leadership potential shown through community involvement, internships and/or research, a detailed plan in terms of how you would like to use the time befTore you begin your studies.

Columbia Business School

Columbia Business School Deferred Enrollment program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to gain a few years of work experience with a guarantee of admission to Columbia’s highly selective MBA program. It gives you the flexibility to begin the full-time program after 2-5 years of your college graduation. You can apply during your senior year in college or during a subsequent graduate program. During reviewing your application, the admissions committee will look at your academic background, any work experience or internships that you have, and your engagement in activities outside the classroom. After completing your current studies and before starting your MBA at Columbia Business School, enter the professional world for two, three, four, or five years. This is an ideal opportunity to use deferred timeline to explore what interests you the most.

Wharton University

The Wharton MBA Advance Access Program enables students to secure an early place in a future Wharton MBA class. Accepted students will work for two to four years after graduation before entering into the full-time Wharton MBA program. Undergraduate and graduate students in their final year of studies are eligible to apply for this program. With the help of this program, deserving students are encouraged to follow their passion during the deferment period and gain quality experience necessary to pursue this course. The deferred MBA program was introduced in the year 2017 for Wharton undergraduates only. Recently, this program has been extended for students outside the University of Pennsylvania.

MIT Management Sloan School

MIT Sloan MBA Early Admission gives students an opportunity to work for 2-5 years after their graduation. Students can join the MIT Sloan MBA program once they have gained the required work experience for this course. The eligibility criteria for this program are – you have graduated or will complete an undergraduate degree during the current academic year, recently enrolled for a graduation program and you don’t have the required work experience. If you are planning to apply for this program, you need to prepare the following – a 300-word cover letter demonstrating your personal characteristics, your résumé, one minute video introduction, collation of all your academic results, two letters of recommendation and competitive examination scores. You will be analyzed based on your personal interview too which is extremely important.

Other top institutions in the US also have designed similar programs – University of Chicago Booth School of Business offers Chicago Booth Scholars program, Yale School of Management offers Yale SOM Silver Scholars Program, Darden School of Business offers Darden Future Year Scholars program to name a few. If there is such a unique option of getting your seat confirmed in advance for your MBA degree, then why not start planning for it early. If you would like to know more about this program, please click here. You can also reach out to us if you if you have any query regarding our study abroad education loans. Good luck and all the best!