GMAT No Longer Required for UC Davis MBA Hopefuls

The MBA program at UC Davis is being opened up to a wider pool of graduate school candidates. 

MBA hopefuls applying to the UC Davis Graduate School of Management may now choose to submit test scores from either the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) or the GRE (Graduate Record Examination). 

The goal is to open the educational path to a more diverse crop of potential students. Other business schools, including Harvard, Stanford and Yale have already opened their programs to GRE scores. 

The school is currently accepting admissions applications for this fall to the UC Davis Working Professional MBA programs in Sacramento and San Ramon in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the change takes effect immediately for prospective candidates considering applying for those programs.

The school will also accept GRE scores for applicants to its full-time MBA program starting with the entering class of 2012.

“We believe that both the GRE and GMAT are effective standardized tests measuring similar skills and knowledge," said James Stevens, assistant dean of student affairs. "Either is just one measure we consider when we evaluate a candidate's ability to thrive academically in our MBA program."

Each fall, the Graduate School of Management welcomes an entering class of about 200 full-time and working professional MBA students at its three campuses in Davis, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The GMAT is the traditional assessment for candidates for graduate schools of business. It is designed to measure verbal and quantitative skills as well as proficiency in analytical writing, all necessary for success in business education.

The GRE measures verbal skills, quantitative reasoning and critical thinking, all of which UC Davis says are important business skills. 

For more details on admissions and financial aid, visit the school's site.