Graduate Admissions Requirements

When is the application deadline, and what do I need to submit?

It is encouraged for all students to meet the priority deadline for the term in which they plan to start their program. To find more information on deadlines and required materials, please follow the link for your preferred program:

• The Lindner MBA 
• MS in Accounting 
• MS in Applied Economics 
• MS In Business Analytics 
• MS in Finance 
• MS in Human Resources 
• MS in Information  Systems 
• MS in Marketing 
• MS in Taxation

Is the program I am interested in STEM designated?

The following programs are STEM designated. If your program is not listed below, it is not STEM designated. 

• MS Applied Economics
• MS Business Analytics 
• MS Finance
• MS Information Systems

Can I get an application fee waiver?

Graduate programs at the Lindner College of Business do not offer application fee waivers.

Are three-year bachelor’s degrees accepted for any of the Lindner Graduate Programs?

Yes! Lindner College of Business graduate programs require the equivalent to a United States bachelor's degree. Please use the free unofficial WES degree equivalency tool to confirm that you have the equivalent to a bachelor's degree in the United States. Please screenshot and upload your results in the application portal.

What is the minimum acceptable GPA for admission?

In general, the University of Cincinnati considers a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher to be a competitive score for acceptance into a Lindner graduate program. Once accepted into our graduate programs, students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 to prevent being placed on academic probation.

Please note: Students whose undergraduate institution was not on a 4.0 scale, your GPA must be officially converted to a 4.0 scale during the application process. 

Do your programs offer scholarships or financial aid?

Merit-based scholarships are available on a limited basis to incoming full-time students who meet the priority deadline for their preferred term. Applicants are automatically considered for these scholarships and no separate scholarship application is required.

Several need-based financial assistance programs are available to graduate students through the federal government. The UC Financial Aid Office is the best resource for information pertaining to these programs.

How will I know if I received a scholarship?

Any Graduate College scholarship awarded will be included in your decision letter.  

How will I be informed of my decision letter? 

You will be able to view your decision letter in your application portal. Also, you will receive an email when your application is decided. 

Are there any graduate assistant positions available?

Yes. Students are able to apply for graduate assistant positions or teaching assistantship positions. However, students need to be admitted and confirmed with payment of matriculation fee before they are able to apply using Handshake. Funding for these positions vary across the university and positions are continuously updated within Handshake. Assistantships are typically awarded upon arrival for the start of the program.

Do I need to take the Business Foundations courses before I apply to the program?

Business Foundations courses may be required as a part of your curriculum if you didn't graduate from an AACSB-accredited business program or graduated with a non-business degree.

The business foundational courses may be taken as part of your program curriculum, but some prerequisite classes must be completed before you can take some of the required core classes. Information regarding the individual requirements is available on the admissions tab under each program.

Note: For the Lindner full-time MBA cohort program, students are encouraged to take the business foundations courses prior to the start of the MBA program.

What terms are international students eligible to apply for?

Term entries and application requirements vary by program. Details can be found on our Graduate Programs & Certificates pages.

Are there additional requirements for international applicants?

Yes, there are additional requirements for international applicants such as successfully passing the TOEFL exam and obtaining a student visa. Important information for international applicants can be found by visiting UC's International Student Services Office.

Do I need to take an English language proficiency exam?

Proof of English proficiency is required of all applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and who were educated in a country where the official national language is not English. Applicants can demonstrate English proficiency via standardized test score or by meeting the requirements for one of the waivers below.

Please visit our English Language Admissions Requirements page for more information on test scores and waivers opportunities.

What are the estimated program costs?

Total estimated costs of the program can be found on the UC International Cost and Finances page under “Lindner College of Business.”

When will the I-20 process begin?

Once you have secured your seat in the program, you will receive communication from UC International on next steps on the required documentation for the I-20.

For any visa questions, please visit the UC International Services page.

The Graduate Incentive Award (GIA) and Graduate Assistant Scholarship (GAS) are university-funded scholarships that cover all or part of a full-time or part-time student's tuition and certain fees and cannot be used for any other purpose. Awards are posted directly to student bills and will not be sent as a payment directly to the student. Shortly after an admission offer, the appointing program will send scholarship offers in writing (including information about the amount and duration of the award and the terms of the offer) to students who are awarded funding.

Students receiving a GIA or GAS must be registered for at least the number of graduate credit hours covered by the GIA or GAS in each semester for which they are receiving support. The GIA is for graduate students who are not graduate assistants, and therefore no service is required in return for the award. The GAS is for graduate students who are graduate assistants. These students must meet the eligibility requirements in their Graduate Assistant letter to maintain their GAS.

Other rules and policies that apply specifically to international students are independent of GIA/GAS regulations. Neither negates or takes the place of the other.

The Lindner College of Business allows students to take graduate courses, on a limited basis, without being officially admitted to a degree or certificate program. This is referred to as “non-matriculated” student status. Certain academic and financial restrictions may apply to non-matriculated students and international students must meet our English language proficiency requirements. 

Non-matriculated students can take no more than twelve (12) graduate credit hours toward a program before they must be formally admitted and enrolled in a graduate program. Permission for coursework is not guaranteed, and is at the discretion of the Graduate Programs Office and academic departments. We will reach out to you directly via email once your request has been reviewed and a decision has been made. Please note that permission requests are typically not considered until close to the start of the term in which the requested courses take place.

To request permission to take Lindner College of Business graduate courses, please follow the appropriate guidelines based on your current status:

Current UC undergraduate students

UC undergraduate students who have junior or senior status and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 can request to take graduate courses at Lindner. If you wish to take classes toward a future graduate degree, you must open a graduate non-matriculated program at UC. This ensures that any graduate-level courses you take can count toward a future graduate degree or certificate. Please note that courses cannot count toward both an undergraduate and graduate degree. In order to request permission for courses:

1. Open a graduate non-matriculated program through the Lindner College of Business by filling out and submitting the information requested. 
2. Fill out the "Grad Programs-Course Permission Request" form for UC non-matriculated students requesting graduate classes. 

Current UC grad students

Current UC graduate students can request Lindner College of Business coursework to count toward requirements in their non-business graduate program or toward a future Lindner graduate degree. Please fill out the Course Permission Request form.

New or returning UC students with no open program

If you wish to take classes for your personal development or to count toward a future graduate degree, we encourage you to first consider one of our graduate certificate options. If you still wish to proceed under non-degree status, you must open a Lindner College of Business graduate non-matriculated program (certain academic standards may apply in order to gain approval). To request permission for courses:

1. Request to open a graduate non-matriculated program through the Lindner College of Business by filling out and submitting the information requested.
2. Fill out the "Grad Programs-Course Permission Request" form for UC non-matriculated students requesting graduate classes by following these steps logging into Lindner Central and clicking on  “Grad Programs-Course Permission Request.”

Do I need to take the GMAT or GRE?

Beginning with the fall 2025 entry term, GRE or GMAT scores are optional for all applicants applying to a master’s program.

All graduate applications in the Lindner College of Business are reviewed holistically. This means that all aspects of an application are taken into consideration to render an admissions decision. If submitted, scores will be considered as part of the overall application package.

Are the GMAT/GRE scores used for other purposes other than the admissions application?

Lindner College of Business follows a holistic review process. Scores will only be considered if submitted as part of an overall application package.

Can I still submit my GRE or GMAT scores?

Yes. If selecting to submit exam scores, please have scores sent directly from the testing agency, preferably via electronic sending methods. For GRE scores, please use school code 1833. Do NOT choose a department code. For proper matching of your test score(s) to your application, please use the same email address for both your test registration and your admissions application.

*GMAT: Can be sent using college/program name
**GRE/TOEFL: Can be sent using school code 1833
***IELTS: Can be sent to University of Cincinnati - Graduate School account.

Special note for doctoral candidates: Upon arrival at the University, each international student's English language proficiency is re-tested. No international student will be permitted to teach in the classroom before they have demonstrated satisfactory oral and written English proficiency.