Top International MBA Destination without Requiring GMAT

Getting an MBA is a significant milestone for many aspiring professionals. While the GMAT has always been a requirement for top business schools, some top international MBA programs now offer alternatives for students who haven’t taken the test.

Many of these programs do holistic candidate assessment. Instead of test scores, they look at professional achievements, leadership skills, and communication skills. This opens up opportunities for working professionals who may not have time to prepare for the GMAT or whose strengths lie beyond standardised testing.

Sonal Kapoor, the Chief Commercial Officer at Prodigy Finance, has listed the five most popular destinations that international students can explore for an MBA without the GMAT

1. MIT Sloan School of Management, USA

The MIT Sloan Fellows MBA is a full-time one-year program for mid-career professionals looking to boost their leadership and management skills. A minimum of 10 years of full-time, relevant work experience is required. GMAT (Focus Edition or 10th Edition) is not compulsory for international applicants. If you have taken any of these tests, you may submit your scores as an additional data point. However, applicants without test scores will be reviewed without any negative consequences. Alternatively, candidates can go for the GRE or Executive Assessment (EA).

MIT Sloan is a top 10 business school globally, known for its tough curriculum and emphasis on analytical and quantitative skills. It gets many applications every year and has an acceptance rate of approximately 17.8%. For the Class of 2025, MIT Sloan received 5,317 applications for its MBA programs. Graduates from MIT Sloan have high employment rates with 96.6% employed within 3 months of graduation.

2.  UCLA Anderson School of Management, USA

Situated in Los Angeles, a major business hub, UCLA Anderson is consistently ranked among the top business schools globally. The school offers many MBA specialisations, including finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, and technology management. It offers a GMAT waiver for admission into its MBA programs. Instead, GRE or Executive Assessment (EA) test scores can be submitted.

Applicants who don’t want to submit a GMAT score must provide evidence of their quantitative and analytical skills. This can be done through a short essay that highlights relevant coursework, certifications, or professional experience. They may need to show prior academic success in quantitative fields (business, economics, STEM) to strengthen their case for admission without a test score.

3. ESSEC Business School (Asia-Pacific Campus), Singapore

With a 91% placement rate within six months post-graduation and access to over 71,000 alumni worldwide, an MBA at ESSEC Business School (Asia-Pacific Campus), Singapore is highly recognised. It offers a Global MBA and a few Executive MBA programs, all highly regarded for their international focus and personalized learning experiences. Ranked among the top business schools globally, ESSEC equips students with skills to excel in luxury, finance, and consulting sectors.

While the school has an average GMAT score of 680 among its diverse cohort (from over 100 nationalities), candidates can still apply without GMAT scores if they demonstrate strong professional experience or academic credentials. Candidates typically have between 3 to 10 years of professional experience, with an average of around 6 years.

As an alternative to GMAT, candidates can submit GRE scores or relevant professional qualifications. MBA at ESSEC Business School is highly competitive with an acceptance rate of approximately 18% for recent classes.

4. Warwick Business School – University of Warwick, UK

The MBA programs at the University of Warwick are widely recognised for their excellence. The full-time MBA is often ranked among the top 10 in the UK and the top 50 globally. It requires applicants to its MBA programs to submit a valid score from one of the standardised tests from GMAT, GRE, or the Warwick Test. Although there is no minimum score requirement there is competition for the MBA programme at the school which is intense. The current class average is 670 for the classic GMAT and 615 for the GMAT Focus Edition. For the GRE, a score of 160 in both Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning is deemed competitive.

WBS offers the Warwick Test as an alternative to the GMAT or GRE. This option is available to candidates with extensive professional experience or to support existing test scores. The Warwick Test is taken after the interview stage of the application process.

5. Australia National University – College of Business and Economics, Australia

Located in Canberra, Australia’s capital, ANU is ranked 1st in Australia and 30th globally (QS World University Rankings 2025). While the ANU MBA program traditionally requires a GMAT score (minimum of 600), it may accept candidates without GMAT under certain circumstances. The university may accept completion of the Evidence-Based Management EdX MicroMasters (with at least 70% in the final capstone exam) as an alternative to GMAT. Candidates can also qualify through a completed ANU Graduate Certificate of Management with a minimum GPA of 5.0/7.0.

MBA at ANU focuses on evidence-based management, teaching students to make data-driven decisions and solve complex business problems. The university has a multicultural campus, global perspectives, and international peers and alumni. It even offers up to many fee-waiver scholarships for its MBA programs based on academic merit and financial need.

If you too are looking to avoid the GMAT, it’s essential to thoroughly research each program’s requirements. With the right preparation, these programs can offer world-class education and global career opportunities.