• A-to-Z List
• Site Map
• Contact Us
• FAQs
• Press Release
• Campus News & Events
• IUM in the News
• Home

Admissions > Criteria for Admission

Criteria for Admission

GENERAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

The University's minimum criteria for entry is a secondary school diploma for undergraduate applicants, a 4-year university degree for graduate level programs, proof of English proficiency, and an equivalent GPA of at least 2.0. Some departments will require much higher grades for entry.

As the University's mission reflects its commitment to maintaining a multicultural balance and other forms of diversity within its student body, the general entry requirements may not reflect the individual minimum standards set for applicants from differing educational systems and geographic areas. Whenever possible the University seeks to establish requirements which are accessible and realistic given the country of origin of the applicant. An example would be an applicant's reasonable access to testing centers if standardized test are required or the requirement of transcripts and grades when an educational system issues only exam results.

ACADEMIC AND OTHER CRITERIA:

Consideration will be given as to whether applicants will be able to fulfill the objectives of the program of study and achieve the standards required. A range of factors additional to, and in some cases instead of, grades and formal examination results is considered in the selection process. These can include:

   The personal statement (essay) and letters of reference;
   Additional evidence of achievement, motivation and potential as gathered through interview or assessment of written materials;
   Other factors as appropriate to the discipline, such as employment or volunteer work in relevant fields and sustained critical engagement with relevant issues.

Since entry is competitive, achieving test scores, grades, and/or examination grades equivalent to or above the standard offer for a course of study does not automatically entitle a candidate to an offer.

When assessing an application for undergraduate study, admissions selectors will normally consider the following information:

   Academic ability and potential as shown by grades or equivalent tests and examinations;
   Motivation to study in the chosen field;
   Related work or voluntary experience showing commitment to community or chosen career ;
   Extra-curricular activities, achievements and interests;
   Uniqueness and contribution to University's mission.

When assessing an application for postgraduate study, admissions selectors will normally consider:

   Academic ability and potential as shown by grades or equivalent tests and examinations;
   Evidence of relevant personal, professional, and educational experience;
   Motivation to study in the chosen field and clearly defined career objectives;
   Leadership potential and personal achievement and interests;
   Uniqueness and contribution to the University's mission.

Procedures for handling applications may vary from applicant to applicant. Most offers are based purely on the information provided in the application or at interview, and may be conditional on obtaining a certain standard in specified subjects in examinations. In addition, departments may, at their discretion, ask applicants to attend interviews, undertake supplementary assessments or provide examples of work. In such cases, the department will clearly explain how and why this will be used in assessing the candidate and treat all candidates on an equal and fair basis.

EXCEPTIONS

The President and Dean and the Associate Deans have the opportunity to admit, by exception, students who do not meet the minimum admissions criteria. The number of students admitted by exception shall be limited to the following percentage of the entering class.

To be considered for an exception, a student should present evidence of potential for academic success such as; excellent letters of recommendation from trusted academicians, performance in graduate courses taken as a post-bachelor's student, professional experience in his/her discipline for a lengthy period of time, etc. Each request for a 10% exception must include a statement describing the special circumstances of the applicant. It is the discretion of the program and college to accept exception application requests.

CONDITIONAL ADMISSION

Both Undergraduate and Graduate students may be admitted conditionally.

Generally, conditional admittance will include the expectation that both undergraduate and graduate students will provide the University Registrar with their final transcripts and proof of graduation as soon as they become available or before the end of the first term. Students who fail to do so will not be registered for the following term and may be subject to dismissal.

Conditional admission may be granted to students who have not achieved the minimum GPA or equivalent, who do not have the requisite work related experience, or who have not met the minimum TOEFL exam scores required. These students should meet have documentation on file such as excellent letters of reference and examination scores which indicate probable success in the program selected.

Students, who have been admitted provisionally based upon achieving the required English language proficiency, will be required to successfully pass the University IELP courses IEP and/or EAP before being registered into the regular academic courses. Students enrolled in the IELP courses are also required to re-take the TOEFL exam as part of their course and subsequently provide these exam results for entry into the regular program. Graduate students may be required to attend a continuous Business Communications course throughout the 10 month program.

To remain in the Undergraduate Program, conditionally admitted students must earn grade point averages of at least 2.50 (A=4.00) in the first term of undergraduate work attempted at the University and fulfill any other specific stipulations or provisions of requested from the department. The students may not fail any course during this period.

To remain in a Graduate Program, conditionally admitted students must earn grade point averages of at least 3.00 (a=4.00) in the first term of graduate work attempted at the University and fulfill any other specific stipulations or provisions of requested from the department.

GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA) and EQUIVALENCY

In assessing a student's academic performance across all systems an equivalent Grade Point Average (GPA) will be assigned for use in a the Undergraduate Applicant Evaluation Rubric and the Graduate Context Aggregate (CA). "Grade Points" using a 4-point scale are assigned to the rage of assessment scores, letter grades, and percentage grades received from each applicant's secondary school or university.

Graduate Programs Admission Criteria

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM (MonacoMBA)

In addition to the general entry requirements, MonacoMBA applicants must have at least three years of post graduate work experience and provide a GMAT score, which the Admissions Board uses to assign each individual with a Context Aggregate (CA) score. (Candidates may submit their application for admission prior to scheduling the GMAT exam.)

Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)

The Graduate Management Admissions Test, better known by its acronym GMAT, is a standardized test for determining aptitude to succeed academically in graduate business studies. The GMAT is used as one of the selection criteria by many business schools globally, most commonly for admission into an MBA program.

The GMAT is one of many factors schools use when reviewing applications for admission; it is typically balanced with work experience, application essays, an interview, and undergraduate GPA or other university level grading systems.

Other Criteria

As the University's first concern is whether or not an applicant can handle the quantity and level of course work-we use the GMAT (the quantitative score) and academic transcripts to help determine this. Once it is determined that the student can succeed academically, we examine the remainder of the application to evaluate the applicant's experience and background to assess the contribution of the applicant to classroom diversity and other aspects of the University's mission.

Applicants with lower test scores or lighter academic experience may still gain admission based on other qualifications such as professional work experience or unique cultural perspective. The common belief is that a class consisting solely of candidates with 750 GMAT scores and perfect undergraduate records would not offer an educational experience as valuable and meaningful as would be offered by a more diverse class that includes students with a wide variety of backgrounds.

Context Aggregate (CA)

The Context Aggregate (CA) score is intended to position the MonacoMBA applicant in relation to the vital contextual elements that have affected his or her general development-and that will shape their impact on the MonacoMBA entering class. It provides the Admissions Board with a balanced, quantitative measure of the applicant's strengths, weaknesses, achievements, uniqueness, and potential for success in graduate study-while taking into account the range of factors that make up his or her cultural environment. It is a critical element in the admissions process since it represents an opportunity for the applicant to present themselves in the most positive light.

The CA score is calculated by multiplying the applicant's grade point average (or assigned equivalent) by 200, adding that product to the total GMAT score, and then adding a background score out of 800. (The background score is derived using the characteristics described in the table below.)

In order to maximize their chances for acceptance, applicants should assume they will need an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.00, a GMAT score of at least 500, and a background score of at least 400. Of course, shortfalls in any one of these areas can be made up in other areas.

The minimum CA score required for admittance into the MonacoMBA will be generally 1500.

The use of the background score is designed to take bias out of the admission process and make it fair while reflecting the University's mission of recruiting balanced cultural representation in the program.

Background Score Calculation for the Context Aggregate

Each Field can have a total of 200 points assigned with the sum of the 5 fields equal to a total background score of 1000.

The total CA scores and possible ranges appear as follows:

Total Highest Possible Score

Minimum Total Score Required

Average Total Score Admitted

Master's in Finance

All applicants to the Master's in Finance-Financial Engineering (MFIN-FE) pathway must provide proof of mathematic proficiency which may include coursework equivalent to 2 years advanced mathematics, an engineering degree, a degree in mathematics or computer science.

The GMAT exam is not required for the EMBA, MScLGS, or MFIN applicants.