Entrance Exam Waiver

All requests for a waiver of our entrance exam requirement are subject to committee review. We aim to return decisions to students within one week of all waiver application materials being received by our office.

Applicants who have previously submitted an entrance exam waiver form and materials should contact our office for steps on how to proceed. Email arthur@ecu.edu or call 252.328.6970.

Applicants should NOT pay the application fee for their Graduate Admissions application until a decision on the entrance exam waiver application has been returned. The application fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

For MBA or MS-STH only

1. Undergrad with 3.2+
   • Less than 5 years of full-time professional experience,AND
   • Undergraduate degree from a regionally-accredited institution with a 3.2 cumulative GPA,OR
   • Undergraduate degree from a regionally-accredited institution with a 3.2 GPA across the last 30 hours of 3000-/4000-level classes.
   • All unofficial college transcripts required for application.

1. Undergrad with 3.0+
   • Undergraduate degree with a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
   • Accounting undergrads must also have a 2.8 GPA in your upper-level accounting courses (Intermediate accounting 1 and beyond).
   • All undergraduate transcripts or ECU Banner ID required for application.
2. Licensed CPA
   • If you are a licensed CPA.
   • Valid for admission to MSA program only.
   • Copy of license or license number required for application.

For MBA, MSA, or MS-STH

1. Business Expertise
   • 5 or more years of full-time professional experience that shows increased responsibility over the scope of your career, AND
   • Undergraduate degree from a regionally-accredited institution. No minimum GPA is required.
   • All unofficial college transcripts, current resume, and letter of reference required for application.
2. Advanced Degree
   • If you have a graduate degree (MA, MBA, MS, JD, MD, PhD, etc.) that required a standardized entrance exam for admission such as the GRE.
   • Unofficial transcript required for application.
3. COB Graduate Certificate
   • If you have completed a COB graduate certificate with a 3.0 or greater.
   • ECU Banner ID required for application.
4. ECU Honors College
   • If you are a graduate of (or are about to graduate from) the ECU Honors College.
   • ECU Banner ID required for application.
5. Beta Gamma Sigma
   • If you are a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the honor fraternity for business schools which are accredited by AACSB.
   • Proof of membership or ECU Banner ID required for application.

Processing times are greatly reduced for applicants who are able to submit all required documents at the time of waiver application submission.

• Transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable for waiver purposes. Separate official transcripts must be submitted to the Graduate School for admissions purposes.
• Resume. The resume should be a complete employment history, indicating full-time and part-time work. Full-time work is 40 hours or more a week. Military experience counts as work experience. It is acceptable to have multiple employers/positions.
• Letter of Reference. The letter must be emailed to arthur@ecu.edu directly from the referee and/or written on company letterhead. The letter of reference must be from a current or recent supervisor and cannot be a family member. The letter should focus on the nature of the relationship with the applicant and their suitability for advanced education. Self-employed applicants may submit a letter of reference from a long-time vendor or client who can speak to the applicant’s job functions and tenure.