Admission Requirements
Application Process
Once an application is submitted, our admissions coordinator will review your application to ensure all information and supporting documents have been received. Every application must be marked complete before it can be reviewed by our admissions committee. A complete application consists of the following:
- Submitted Application and Fee
- Resume
- Transcripts
- Statement of Purpose
- Timeline
- We review applications right away and make rolling admissions based on bi-weekly admissions meetings. Admissions decisions are made within 2-4 weeks of submitting your application. Applications submitted around the winter holidays may experience delays.
Application Components
- Note that the application process is completed entirely online. Please do not mail any application materials to our office.
- The online application will ask for personal information such as your address, Social Security number, country of citizenship and date of birth.
- The application includes several questions used to determine residency status for tuition purposes. All students should complete these questions regardless of current or former location. For more information about determining your residency status, please contact the Office of Residency.
- After submitting the application, you can verify that all materials have been received by logging into the application portal.
- ALL application requirements must be received and processed by the deadline for consideration.
MHA applicants must have completed the equivalent of a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
International applicants holding a three-year bachelor’s degree should contact the International Admissions office to determine if additional coursework will be needed before applying to a graduate program.
- The average cumulative GPA for our accepted MHA students is a 3.50. Consideration will be made for applicants with less than a 3.25 GPA if they have extraordinary items in the rest of their application. These items may include:
- Good GRE or GMAT scores that are above the 50th percentile in all of the categories.
- Strong letters of recommendations from healthcare professionals or prominent people.
- Specific work experience that has prepared the applicant for the MHA program.
- Other factors that would distinguish the applicant and demonstrate that they could succeed in the MHA program and do well in their career.
- If your GPA is below a 3.25, please schedule an appointment with the Admissions Coordinator below.
For Fall 2023, we can now accept third-party course-by-course transcript evaluations from these NACES members: https://www.naces.org/members. If you have a copy of your course-by course evaluation, please email it to MHAInfo@Eccles.Utah.edu.
Your application will not be considered complete until all unofficial transcripts have been received. Please attach unofficial transcripts for each institution of higher education you have attended before submitting your application, regardless of length of attendance (this includes the University of Utah). An unofficial transcript is similar to an official transcript and contains your name, the school’s name, years of attendance, and all courses taken but is not sent from a national clearinghouse to the university. If the document does not have these items listed, the admissions team cannot proceed with your application.
Additionally, each unofficial transcript must be submitted separately, meaning the notation of accepted transfer credit on one transcript does not replace the need for an unofficial transcript from the university from which credits were transferred. These transcripts will be used as working copies during the admissions evaluation process. Failure to list all schools previously attended or making false or misleading statements on the application may result in cancellation of admission status and/or loss of credit.
Notes
- International students are required to provide a WES evaluation for each submitted transcript.
- If the transcript is in another language, an official English translation must be submitted with the application.
- If you are having trouble uploading your transcripts due to file size, please email your documents to MHAinfo@Eccles.Utah.edu, with a note that your file size is too large, and our office will assist you.
Full-time MHA and PMHA:
MHA applicants must have successfully completed the following courses with a “B” grade or higher from a regionally accredited institution prior to matriculating:
- An accounting or finance course
- A statistics course
- Students must come into the program with Financial accounting completed with a “B” or higher from a regionally accredited institution prior to matriculating
Please make sure your resume is updated and specific for this application. Please submit a business resume that includes your employment history in reverse chronological order, with titles, dates, duties, and whether you worked part-time or full-time. Your educational record should also be in reverse chronological order and should indicate dates of attendance and degree(s) earned. Other information appropriate to a business resume is welcomed and encouraged.
All MHA applicants are required to submit their responses to the below prompts. Please separate your responses by each question and submit the file as one Word document with your application. Your responses will be assessed on both content and quality of writing.
- Describe your work experience(s), specifically in the healthcare industry, and outline your professional interests and goals.
a. What job(s) have you had in the past that have prepared you to succeed in healthcare administration?
b. What career path would you like to pursue after obtaining your MHA degree and how will our program help you achieve them? - Why are you choosing to pursue an MHA degree at The University of Utah at this time?
- Based on your experience, if you could change one aspect of the healthcare industry, what would it be? Describe why you would change it, and how your change would improve healthcare for the future.
When you are ready to submit your application, you will be directed through a payment process. The application fee is $55.
Military Applicants – Request an Application Fee Waiver
We are happy to waive the application fee for military applicants in any status, including spouses or dependents. To request a military application fee waiver, please send your request to MHAInfo@Eccles.Utah.edu prior to submitting your application. (Note a fee waiver can not be applied after you submit.)
Seat Fee Details:
- If you’re admitted into the MHA program, then you must pay a non-refundable seat fee. A domestic student is required to pay $185.00, while an international student must pay $300.00. Your payment will secure your place in the program and go toward paying a portion of the total tuition bill that is due in the first semester.
International Applicants must complete additional admissions requirements.
Transcript Evaluation
You must obtain a course-by-course evaluation from WES to confirm you meet the bachelor’s degree and minimum GPA admissions requirements. They can complete your course-by-course evaluation in seven business days after they receive all your documents. Add the University of Utah, David Eccles School of Business, Graduate Programs as a recipient so we can view your transcript in the WES portal.
To ensure that we receive your course-by-course evaluation in time, it’s best to complete this step at least four weeks before the final deadline.
While we only require a course-by-course evaluation of your bachelor’s degree, you may have completed a 3-year degree with a 1-year post-baccalaureate degree. If this is the case, you are required to include the 1-year post-baccalaureate degree in your course-by-course evaluation. International applicants holding a 3-year degree do not qualify for the program.
If you are admitted to the program, you are required to submit your official transcript(s) from the institution(s) you attended and earned a bachelor’s degree. Official English translations must be provided if the transcripts are in another language.
International and permanent resident applicants who do not hold a bachelor’s or graduate degree from a U.S. or English-speaking institution in accepted countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand or the United Kingdom) are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
The MHA program minimum score requirements are:
- TOEFL: 100
- IELTS: 7.0
- Duolingo 135
Applicants who score below the minimums are strongly encouraged to retake the exam before submitting an application. A video interview may also be required for admission. Please note the Eccles School has different minimum score requirements than the University.
Score Reporting
Official TOEFL/IELTS scores take 2-4 weeks to reach the University, and official scores need to be received and processed before application deadlines. Please account for this timeline when scheduling exams and sending official score reports.
- Our TOEFL code is 4853 for the University of Utah. Please note that paper-based scores are not accepted.
- During or after the IELTS exam, you have the option to select the University of Utah to report your score electronically.
Once your application has been evaluated to meet minimum standards, the Admissions Coordinator will communicate with you regarding interview requirements and dates.
- Note that two distinct degrees are being awarded for any MHA dual degree.
- For all dual degrees, a separate application is required for each program, and each application requires an application fee.
- Application requirements, deadlines, and decision timelines may differ between the MHA and dual degree programs. Students are encouraged to communicate with both departments to ensure requirements for both applications are met.
- While dual programs may accept unofficial documents for admission, note the MHA program does not. All official documents, including official GMAT/GRE scores and letters of recommendation, must be received by the MHA application deadline for admissions review.
- While it’s possible to share recommendations between programs, the MHA program encourages applicants to request recommendations from healthcare-related sources.
- Dual degrees are not available with the Professional MHA (PMHA) program.
The MHA program strongly suggests that applicants have experience in the healthcare administration industry, as this is a factor for consideration. Strong leadership experience, outside of healthcare, is also a factor for consideration. The average work experience for admitted students is 2 years of healthcare experience and 1 year of supervisory/management experience.
PMHA Applicants must have the following work experience at minimum prior to matriculating:
- 5+ years of full-time healthcare work experience and 3+ years of supervisory/managerial experience*
OR - 5+ years of professional clinical work experience **
*An applicant’s supervisory/managerial experience can be from any setting but must have had supervised at least 2 or more individuals who directly report to him/her.
** Professional clinical work experience includes positions that provide direct patient care to them, such as a physician, nurse, or other medical providers.
For more information about this requirement, please contact us at MHAinfo@Eccles.Utah.edu.
MHAO Applicants must have the following work experience at minimum prior to matriculating:
- 5+ years of full-time healthcare work experience and 3+ years of supervisory/managerial experience*
OR - 5+ years of professional clinical work experience **
*An applicant’s supervisory/managerial experience can be from any setting but must have had supervised at least 2 or more individuals who directly report to him/her.
** Professional clinical work experience includes positions that provide direct patient care to them, such as a physician, nurse, or other medical providers.
For more information about this requirement, please contact us at MHAinfo@Eccles.Utah.edu.
- It is highly recommended that students with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or lower take the GRE or GMAT and score above the 50th percentile in all of the categories to demonstrate your academic abilities and help strengthen your application.
- The GRE or GMAT is not a required item for the MHA program, but it is a factor in consideration.
Strong letters of recommendation from healthcare professionals or prominent people can help strengthen an application. Letters of recommendation are not a required item for the MHA program, but they are a factor in consideration.
- All recommendations must be submitted through the online application. Your recommender will then be sent a link to an online recommendation form. In addition to completing the form, your recommender will have the opportunity to cut and paste or upload a letter of recommendation.
- You may log in to your application to check the status of your recommendations, as well as send a reminder to your recommender to complete the online recommendation form.
Fall 2022 MHA Class Profile
Average Healthcare Experience
38 months
Average Management Experience
36 months
Average Cumulative GPA
3.48
Undergraduate Majors
24
Female/Male Split
F / M
57% / 43%
Request Information
We review applications right away and make rolling admissions based on bi-weekly admissions meetings. Admissions decisions are made within 2-4 weeks of submitting your application. Applications submitted around the winter holidays may experience delays.