Apply to the Penn State Smeal One-Year MBA

The Penn State Smeal One-Year MBA application process consists of two parts. In Part 1, you will access the Penn State Graduate School Application portal to complete the online application. Required materials for the online application include your current resume, copies of official educational transcripts (and degree certificate if applicable), three reference contacts, official English language proficiency exam scores (for international candidates), and a $65 application fee. Part 2 involves a virtual interview and essay through Kira Talent. The virtual interview is a one-way recorded session where you will respond to three behavioral questions on video. You will also be given an essay question and a timed session to provide a written response.

Thank you for your interest in the Penn State Smeal One-Year MBA. To be considered for admission, all components of the application must be received by the respective deadline. As part of the online application process, a fee of $65 will be required. Once you have submitted your application to the Graduate School, the most accurate way to check the status of your application and confirm receipt of your materials is by contacting us at oneyearmba@smeal.psu.edu.

Part 1: Online Application

Use the Penn State Graduate School Application portal to access the online application. You can return to this portal anytime during the process.

Start or Access Your Application

You will be asked to select the desired program within the online application. Your selections for the full-time residential Penn State Smeal MBA should be: 

  • Campus: University Park
  • Major: Business Administration - M.B.A., D.B.A.
  • Degree: Master of Business Administration (MBA)
  • Semester: Fall 2024

Materials Required for the Online Application

  • Resume: Submit a current version of your resume including any work experience and secondary education until the date of application.
  • Copies of official educational transcripts (and degree certificate if applicable): The Penn State Graduate School application will ask you to upload copies of official educational transcripts/records and degree certificates, if applicable, from all institutions attended. All transcripts and academic records uploaded to the application are considered "unofficial." Official/original transcripts are required for any degree or diploma earned. If you are recommended for admission to a graduate degree program, you will be notified with detailed instructions on how to submit the official/original documents. If you attended Penn State for your undergraduate education, you will not need to submit transcripts as the Graduate School can obtain these from your student record.
  • Reference contacts (3): Provide the names, titles, relationships, and contact information for three professional or academic references.
  • Official English language proficiency exam scores (for international candidates)
  • Application fee of $65

Part 2: Virtual Interview and Essay via Kira Talent

Within 24 hours of starting your online application, you will receive a link to complete your virtual interview and essay via Kira Talent. Please complete this step within seven business days of submitting your Graduate School Online Application.

  • Virtual interview: This is a one-way interview that will be recorded and sent to Smeal's admissions team upon submission. You will be asked to respond to three behavioral questions on video. For each question, you will have limited time to consider your response and a set amount of time to respond as the system records.
  • Essay: After completing the virtual interview in Kira, you will be asked to respond to an admissions essay question in written form during a timed session.

Note that your application will not be considered complete or evaluated by the committee until you have completed this part of the process, which is separate from the Penn State Graduate School online application.