For Those Who Got MBA Admits with a GMAT Waiver – What Were Your GPA and Years of Experience?

Question

Ruchika C · Accepted Answer

I got into IE Business School&rsquo;s MBA without submitting a GMAT. I had around 6 years of experience in tech, some team leadership, and a GPA of 3.6 from an Indian university. IE gave the option to take their own test instead of the GMAT, which I preferred since I wanted to apply quickly.
They focused more on the overall profile. I shared Coursera business courses and highlighted my career growth in essays and the interview. They didn&rsquo;t offer a scholarship at first, but after sharing details of my financial situation and background, I received a 30% tuition grant.
If someone has solid experience and clear goals, IE does consider strong profiles seriously&mdash;even without a GMAT score.

Harshal G · Answer

I got admitted to MIT Sloan MBA with a GMAT waiver in Round 2. I had about 9 years of experience in consulting, including time at EY, where I managed teams across regions and worked on large-scale strategy projects. My undergrad GPA was decent but not exceptional&mdash;around 3.4 from a U.S. university. What helped was a strong record of leadership growth, internal promotions, and international exposure.
For the waiver, I highlighted quant-heavy undergrad coursework and used real client projects to show analytical skills. I also did a short online finance certification to strengthen my case. In the interview, they didn&rsquo;t mention the waiver directly but focused on how I lead under pressure and my long-term goals.
Sloan seems open to waivers, but only if the rest of the profile clearly shows academic ability and strong professional growth. Two others in my batch also got in with waivers&mdash;both had 7+ years of work experience and were in leadership roles at start-ups.