Graduate Business Admission Criteria
The admission criteria and other information found on this page applies only to the MBA, MS in Business Analytics (MSBA, and MS in Accounting and Analytics (MSAA) programs.
Visit the MS in Quantitative Economics program page for its own admissions criteria.
All content on this page was last updated in March 2026.
The GBP admissions committee reviews an applicant's overall qualifications and takes the following requirements into consideration.
Required for All Applicants:
- Completion of a degree equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree from a recognized university
- Grade point average: final GPA of bachelor’s degree, or the last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of completed college coursework, must be at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale); or earned a master’s degree with a 3.0 GPA. Applicants with a GPA between 2.75 and 2.99 may be admitted on an exceptional basis
| Resume | Transcripts | Statement of Purpose | Letter of Recommendation (LOR) | GMAT/GRE Test Score | |
| MBA | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | optional | not required (strongly encouraged for applicants with a GPA below 3.0) |
| MSAA | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | optional | not required (strongly encouraged for applicants with a GPA below 3.0) |
| MSBA | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (For Fall 2026 applicants: please enter mba@sfsu.edu for the LOR section) | optional | not required (strongly encouraged for applicants with a GPA below 3.0) |
Applicants who demonstrate outstanding professional experience but do not meet some of the above criteria may still be admitted into the program, conditional upon completing additional requirements that will be listed in the admissions offer.
English Language Proficiency Test
An English Language Proficiency Test is required of all applicants who have earned their undergraduate degree from a country where the official language is not English. Any of the following tests taken within the past two years are accepted:
- TOEFL Internet-Based Test minimum score of 88 (taken before January 2026) or 4.5 (taken after January 2026)
- IELTS score of at least 6.5
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) minimum academic overall score of 59
- Duolingo English Test minimum score of 120*
*Our admissions department strongly recommends that applicants take the TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE English Test. Applicants should only submit Duolingo English Test scores if none of the other examinations are available to them.
International Student Admissions
Students who feel they may need additional English language skills training may consider studying first at the San Francisco State University, College of Professional & Global Education's American Language Institute (ALI).
At ALI, students have the opportunity to improve:
- lecture listening
- note-taking
- oral presentation
- academic advancement in reading and writing skills
In addition, students become better oriented with the American educational system. Attending the ALI program is strongly recommended if students have not met the GMAT verbal or TOEFL requirements, or to improve their English proficiency and academic skills in preparation for graduate studies.