Application Requirements

The Admissions Committee requires three recommendations. The recommendations must be submitted using our online system.

When you apply online, you will provide the names and email addresses of three recommenders. These recommenders will receive an email with a password, login, and link to our site that will enable them to submit their recommendation directly to our office via the online system.

To submit letters of recommendation via Interfolio, please follow the instructions from Interfolio: https://product-help.interfolio.com/en_US/about-dossier-accounts/dossier-quick-start-guide

Assistance for applicants or the Interfolio agent can write to help@applyweb.com.

You must submit transcripts of your academic work by scanning and uploading copies of your transcripts through the online application system. The file cannot exceed 600 KB in size and should be in .doc, .wpd, .rtf, .xls, .pdf, .docx, .xlsx or .txt format. For Mac users, please note that the filename must include the appropriate three- or four-letter extension. Also, please do not attempt to upload a document that is password-protected or that contains macros. This will cause the process to fail.

If you are offered admission, you will be required to provide official transcripts of all previous academic work to verify the information provided. If there are discrepancies between the self-reported academic work and official records, the offer of admission will be revoked. Offers of admission are not binding until academic records are verified.

When applying, list all post-secondary educational institutions you have attended, including technical and professional schools. Use the full, actual names of the institutions attended, and provide the titles of all diplomas or degrees earned. If you have attended more than one institution, submit official records from each institution, with the exception of study-abroad programs. If academic records and diplomas are not issued in English by the institution, both the official record and an authorized English translation must be submitted.

All translations should be complete and literal renditions of the original record. Records should show the date of enrollment, courses taken, units of credit or time allotted to each subject during each term or year, your marks or ratings in each subject, and, if available, your rank in the total class or group.

The institutional grading scale or other standards of evaluation, including minimum passing and failing marks and definition of grades between them, should appear on official records or be provided as an attachment.

Pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, personally identifiable information can be disclosed to persons outside the University only with the written consent of the student or alumnus/alumna. The complete confidentiality statement is available in the University’s graduate academic bulletins.

You must complete the Personal Statement essay question on the online application.

There is also an optional essay question where you may provide additional information or clarification on other points of your application.

The Wharton Doctoral Programs requires ALL applicants to take and provide scores for either the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Test requirements vary by program, as described below. Applicants whose native language is not English must also take the TOEFL.

Self-reported test scores may submitted in the application, pending receipt of your official scores.

We no longer accept late test scores due to Covid-19. Please plan accordingly to ensure test scores and materials are submitted by the December 15 deadline.

Accepted applicant GMAT and GRE test scores usually fall within the top 10 percent. For the TOEFL test, a high level of proficiency is expected. You can find information about the average GRE and GMAT scores for our most recent fall matriculates in our FAQ section.

To expedite the processing of your application, you must self-report your scores via the online application. In addition, you must request that the ETS send an official copy of your scores to the Wharton Doctoral Office.

We strongly encourage applicants to take the necessary tests in the fall at the latest so that the test scores reach the Wharton Doctoral Office before the December 15 deadline. It has been our experience that students often underestimate the time it takes for the School to receive grade transcripts and test scores. Since this time period may be as long as two months, students are well advised to send requests for grade transcripts and to schedule the appropriate tests as early as possible. Note: Late arrival of test results prevents evaluation of your application.

GRE & GMAT Requirements by Program

• Accounting: GRE or GMAT
• Applied Economics: GRE only
• Ethics & Legal Studies: GRE or GMAT
• Finance: GRE or GMAT
• Health Care Management & Economics: GRE or GMAT
• Management: GRE or GMAT
• Marketing: GRE or GMAT
• Operations, Information & Decisions: GRE or GMAT
• Statistics and Data Science: GRE only

We will accept GMAT and GRE scores that are up to 5 years old. If your test scores are more than 5 years old (taken prior to July 2019), you will have to take the test again and submit the new scores. Please see the GRE and GMAT websites for further information on taking those tests.

The GMAT and GRE in-person and home tests will both be accepted.

We evaluate only GMAT and GRE results from tests taken prior to the receipt of your application. The highest score is used — we do not combine multiple scores. This requirement cannot be waived; there are no exceptions.

Ask the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to report your test scores using the following Wharton Doctoral Programs’ ETS codes:

• GRE: 2954-5199 or 2954-0000
• GMAT: G56-97-12

TOEFL
Applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL. You may request a TOEFL waiver if you have earned an undergraduate or master’s degree (or will receive the degree by June 2025) in an English-speaking country or from an institution in which English is the language of instruction.

To waive the TOEFL, you must submit your request under the optional essay section of the application and have it documented that your medium of education was English. Your transcripts may serve as documentation that English was the language of instruction.

TOEFL scores are valid for two years. If your TOEFL test was taken prior to July 2022 you will need to submit new scores.

Ask the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to report your test scores using the following Wharton Doctoral Programs’ ETS codes:

• TOEFL: 2954-02 or 2954-00

Please note:

• The TOEFL IBT and TOEFL ITP in-person and home tests will be accepted.
• We do not accept IELTS scores in place of TOEFL scores

A nonrefundable application fee of $80 must accompany your application. Credit card payments, made with a Visa or MasterCard only, are processed through Wharton’s secure server using Cybersource. The application fee cannot be waived; there are no exceptions.*

* McNair, Fulbright,  Leadership Alliance, SUMMIT and GRE Fee Reduction recipients applicants may waive the application fee. Please follow the instructions in the application.

To begin your studies in Fall 2026, you must make sure that all your supporting materials (letters of recommendation, transcripts, and either GMAT or GRE scores) and your application are submitted no later than December 15, 2025.

As our website states, please submit your application by December 15, 2025, 11:59PM ETS.

If an applicant has ever been convicted of, or plead guilty or no contest to, any felony or misdemeanor (excluding minor traffic violations), he or she must report that information. We offer a secure site for the applicant; answers will be reviewed by the Wharton Doctoral Programs Review Officer.

This information will not be provided to the admissions committee as part of the regular academic review process. If you have questions, you may contact the Review Officer directly at msaia@wharton.upenn.edu .

The Wharton School embraces the use of generative AI technology and sees it as an important tool for business scholars in this rapidly changing world. While we believe that generative AI will continue to provide utility to all students, your work contained within this application must be your own. We recommend applicants treat generative AI as you would the guidance or writings of another person. For example, this means that, as it is unacceptable to have another person substantially complete a task like writing an admissions essay, it is also unacceptable to have AI substantially complete the task.

By embracing AI responsibly, Wharton aims to uphold the integrity of the application process while leveraging technological advancements to enrich the admissions experience. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania requires that the work in your application must be completely accurate and exclusively your own, and may use its own proprietary and/or licensed AI solutions in order to identify AI-authored elements of applications. Any such flagging will result in a more holistic investigation of an application.