If you meet the following requirements, you are eligible to apply for membership through The Consortium:

• U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident or DACA recipient of any race or ethnicity*
• Demonstrate a commitment to The Consortium’s mission of helping to reduce the serious underrepresentation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in both our member schools’ enrollments and the ranks of management
• Hold a four-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in the U.S. or an equivalent degree from a college or university outside the U.S. at the time of applying

*The Consortium accepts Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students as members and does not discriminate on the basis of one’s citizenship status when evaluating applications to the Consortium. However, not all of the Consortium’s member schools accept DACA students and you should review your programs’ policies regarding acceptance.

If you submit an application without meeting these requirements, your application will not be released to member schools and your application fee will not be refunded. For more information visit The The Consortium Applicant Help Center.

The Consortium’s mission is to bring diverse perspectives into the workplace by reducing the under representation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in American MBA programs and, in turn, in the ranks of American business. To be granted membership, you need to demonstrate a significant commitment to this mission. We use your mission essays, mission recommendation and resume to assess your commitment.

The Consortium application enables you to apply to a variety of our member schools. The Consortium will release completed applications to your selected programs. Your application will influence three key factors during the process – admission, membership and fellowship.

Admission
MBA admission decisions are based on your proven academic ability (GMAT® and/or GRE, along with academic transcripts), professional potential (career, résumé, recommendations and interview) and personal characteristics. Admission decisions are made by the committees at member schools and are communicated to Consortium members by the schools. Decisions are final.

Membership
Consortium membership is treated separately from school admittance. If you are admitted and granted membership, you must enroll in a member school program to enjoy the benefits. Membership is not transferrable to non-Consortium schools. Individual schools may offer you school-specific, scholarships that are not related to Consortium membership or fellowship decisions.

Fellowship
All applicants approved for membership and admitted to at least one program will be considered for The Consortium Fellowship. Fellowship decisions are made by the admissions and scholarship committees at each member schools – not The Consortium. Decisions regarding fellowships will come directly from the school. Although some schools may offer deferred admission, the fellowship may not be deferred.

Many of our member schools require or invite students to interviews as part of the application process. We encourage you to visit individual school websites to learn about each school’s interview process. The school will contact you directly to schedule an interview as necessary.

The Consortium must receive your official test score either from GMAC or ETS in order for your application to be considered complete. We recommend that the test be taken 20-25 days before the application deadline to allow for processing and sending score reports.

Some of our member schools may accept the Executive Assessment (EA) or GMAT® Focus. Please check with your schools of interest before registering for these exams.

The Consortium forwards your test scores to your schools along with your application. You can release your official test scores to The Consortium using the following codes:

GMAT®: 9X4-6J-59
GRE: 0483
EA: The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management

If you did not use The Consortium’s codes at the time of registration, contact your test provider to request that your official results be forwarded to The Consortium.

Many of our member schools may offer test score waivers or have a test optional alternative. Please see The Consortium’s test score waiver policy and procedure here and be sure to review the test score policies at your selected schools.

The Consortium requires applicants to upload official/unofficial transcripts for each school added in the Academic History section of our application. We do not accept screenshots or portal printouts. Please note that those applying to University of California, Berkeley must upload their official transcripts.

While schools will begin their review process using your scanned uploaded transcripts, offers of admission are not binding until official transcripts are received and verified. You will be required to submit an official hard-copy transcript to your school prior to matriculation. At any point in the application process, member schools or The Consortium reserve the right to request that official transcripts be sent directly from the institution.

For transcripts from universities outside the United States, an original-language transcript is required, along with a document that shows conferral of degree (i.e. a copy of your diploma) and an official English translation from your university.

During the application process you’ll be asked to upload your résumé directly into the system in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or portable document (.pdf) format. This should include your full employment history, including job titles and responsibilities, along with employer names and locations. Please also include post-secondary education, non-academic interest and activities and awards.

The Consortium requires three recommendations: two professional recommendations and one mission recommendation. All of your recommenders should come from an objective third-party and not from peers, family or social acquaintances.

Your professional recommendations should come from individuals who can comment meaningfully, yet objectively, on your performance in a work environment — preferably your current position. Ideally, one of your professional recommendations should come from your current supervisor. The Consortium uses the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation format for this recommendation.

The mission support recommendation should be from an objective third party who can comment on your demonstrated support of The Consortium’s mission. Member schools do not have access to review this recommendation.

Mission Recommendation Format:

1. How long have you known the candidate, and in what capacity? (250 characters)
2. What has the candidate done pre-MBA in their business, personal, or academic life to demonstrate commitment to reducing the serious underrepresentation of African American, Hispanic American, or Native Americans in business school enrollment or the ranks of management? (1000 characters)
3. What potential does the candidate demonstrate for assisting The Consortium in pursuing its mission post-MBA? (500 characters)
4. Is there any additional information you would like to provide about this applicant that would further demonstrate their commitment to The Consortium’s mission? (250 characters)

You must submit the reference request forms to your recommenders through the online application. Upon receiving the request, your recommenders should follow the automatically generated instructions and submit the completed reference forms online.

The Consortium’s application requires that applicants complete at least one core essay, our mission essays, and any school-specific essays.

Core Essay 1 (required):

Please describe your short- and long-term goals post-MBA. How has your professional experience shaped these goals and influenced your decision to pursue an MBA degree? (2,000 characters).

Core Essay 2 (optional):

Is there any other information you would like to share with us that is not presented elsewhere in your application? (1,000 characters)

Mission Essay (required):

Our mission, through the strength of our growing alliance and extended network, is to enhance diversity and inclusion in global business education and leadership by striving to reduce the significant underrepresentation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in both our Member Schools’ enrollments and the ranks of global management across the following sectors: for- profit corporations, nonprofit corporations, government agencies and contractors, and entrepreneurial ventures in both for-profit and nonprofit environments.

*Please address the three questions noted below. Please use specific examples pertaining to our target populations and clearly articulate your involvement, actions and results.

• What have you done pre-MBA in your business, personal, or academic life to demonstrate commitment to this mission? (2,000 characters)
• What will you do while enrolled in your MBA program to demonstrate your commitment to the mission? (2,000 characters)
• What will you do post-MBA with respect to community service and leadership involvement to demonstrate your continued commitment to The Consortium’s missions of diversity and inclusion? (1,000 characters)

School-Specific Essays:

You will be required to write at least one school-specific essay for each school to which you plan to apply. Schools only see their individual essays. To complete these essays, navigate to each school’s supplemental page within your core applications. Text boxes with specified word limitations will be provided for the membership essay and all school-specific essays.

When you submit your application, you must also include your nonrefundable application fee. You may make a secure online credit card payment.

Consortium Application Fees

1-2 schools $150
3 schools $200
4 schools $240
5 schools $275
6 schools $300
$25 for each additional program

The Consortium does not grant application fee waivers or refunds.

If you submit an application without meeting our eligibility requirements, your application will not be released to member schools and your application fee will not be refunded. For more information visit The The Consortium Applicant Help Center.

You must verify that you have understood the Consortium application instructions and application policies. In addition, during this final section of the application you will need to truthfully answer the following questions:

1. Have you ever been convicted of a crime?
2. Have you ever been disciplined or placed under academic sanction (for example, expulsion, suspension, probation or formal reprimand) by any college or university, or are there any disciplinary charges pending against you?
3. Have you ever entered a plea of guilty, no contest, nolo contendere, or an Alford plea to a criminal charge or received a deferred prosecution or prayer for judgment continued?
4. Do you have any criminal charges pending against you?
5. If you are a former member of the military, were you honorably discharged?

Please note that answering “yes” to questions 1-4 and/or answering “no” to question 5 will not disqualify you from admission. However, your failure to provide complete, accurate and truthful information may be grounds to deny your admission, dismiss you after enrollment or rescind your degree after graduation. For the purposes of these questions, “crime” or “criminal charge” refers to any crime other than a traffic-related misdemeanor or infraction. You must, however, include all alcohol or drug offenses even if they are not traffic-related. If you answer yes to any of these and there is no space for an application, you are required to provide an application in the space for Essay #2.

When you sign, you will need to agree to the following statement:

I agree that all statements made in this application are accurate and complete, the essays were written by me, and the letters of recommendation were written by my designated recommenders. I understand that The Consortium and its member schools reserve the right to contact appropriate sources to verify the accuracy of all information I have provided. I understand that if I accept admission into any of the member schools, they or their agents may conduct a background check on my credentials, and I may be responsible for any fees associated with this service. I must promptly notify The Consortium and all member schools to which I am applying if any of my information changes, including, but not limited to, my résumé and contact information. I understand that member schools may revoke my admission and /or scholarship(s) if they learn that I have misrepresented and/or omitted information during or after the admissions processes or that I have engaged in behavior showing a serious lack of judgment or integrity prior to or after admission. I understand that The Consortium may release my relevant information to member schools and partner/external organizations to be considered for admission, relevant school-specific scholarships and programs, as well as relevant partner/external organization scholarships and programs. I understand that materials received by The Consortium in connection with this application are not returnable and that the application fee is not refundable. I certify that I have read, understand and agree to all of the application instructions and policies prior to submitting my application.

It’s your responsibility to keep The Consortium and all member schools up to date if your contact information changes. Failure to update your contact information may cause you to miss critical information. This could jeopardize your membership to The Consortium, receipt of your fellowship or cause you to miss your place in the class at your member school.The Consortium and its member schools are not responsible for any technological filters (including email filters, etc.) that prevent applicants from receiving communications.

For more on the re-applicant process and what materials you can reuse, visit The Consortium Applicant Help Center.

The policies, requirements, offerings, timelines, activities and fees of The Consortium and its member schools, departments and programs set forth in this publication do not form a contract of any kind and are subject to change without notice at any time at the sole discretion of the administration. Such changes may be of any nature, including, but not limited to, the content of any of the aforementioned.

For more information, please visit our The Consortium Applicant Help Center