CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP FORMATION EXECUTIVE EDUCATION APPLICATION / ADMISSION / ENROLLMENT Policy Handbook August 2016
ADMISSIONS Decision Criteria Admissions decisions are made by committee following a comprehensive review of the candidate s application portfolio and a final interview. The portfolio includes work experience, past academic performance, recommendations, and a personal essay, and the committee considers and balances each of these in making its decisions. Our Executive Education programs use a cohort model which includes substantial amounts of group work, and students are required to establish and maintain collegial, collaborative relationships with classmates. As such, admissions decisions also reflect the committee s evaluation of how each individual applicant will contribute to the class environment and community. Required Application Submissions 1. Evidence (degree-posted transcript or degree certificate) of a four-year undergraduate or baccalaureate degree from a regionally-accredited institution or U.S. equivalent. Exceptions considered on an individual basis by the dean. See University Policy Number 97-6 for details. 2. Official transcripts of all post-secondary education institutions attended in the last 90 quarter/60 semester credits of the bachelor's degree, including any transfer credits earned during this time, and any post-baccalaureate credits. Exceptions considered on an individual basis by the dean. 3. Current résumé reflecting a minimum of ten years of progressively responsible professional work experience (12 15 years preferred), seven of which should be managerial in nature but can include management of people, products, or projects. Applicant's experience should represent a mid-to-senior level role in technical, scientific, or business functional and/or managerial roles. 4. Three recommendations from supervisors. 5. A two- to four-page, double-spaced essay to serve as a writing sample and statement of intent and interest in this program. 6. For LEMBA Only: Official GMAT/GRE scores taken within the last 5 years OR demonstration of quantitative and critical thinking competencies through successful completion of three designated online courses. Exceptions for Seattle University alumni; see exception details. Applicants who reach the final screening are also required to attend a group interview with members of the program admissions committee. Page 2
Admissions Offers 1. The admissions committee notifies accepted students of the committee s decision in an email followed by an official letter from the Associate Dean. 2. Accepted students are asked to respond to the initial email by accepting or declining the offer of admission. A formal response is requested within two weeks of the initial email. 3. In order to secure their place in the program, accepted students must submit an enrollment deposit within two weeks of receiving the official letter of acceptance. Deposits vary according to application date and are applied to the student s first quarter tuition. APPLICATION DEADLINE TARGETED ACCEPTANCE DEPOSIT *EARLY DECISION* November 15 15% of class accepted $2,000 January 15 40% of remaining class accepted $3,000 March 15 30% of remaining class accepted $4,000 May 15 15% of remaining class accepted $5,000 After May 15 Pending space available $5,000 4. Applications submitted after the May 15 th deadline will be considered on a first-come, firstserved basis pending available space in the program. Applications submitted after a class has reached capacity will be considered for the following academic year at the Early Decision deadline on November 15 th. LEMBA Admission after July 15 To be considered for admission after July 15 th, all application materials and a $5,000 deposit must be submitted. Deposits from applicants admitted on or after July 15 th are non-refundable. Deposits from applicants not accepted to the program on or after July 15 th will be fully refunded. Students accepted to the LEMBA program on or after July 15 th are required to have completed the GMAT within the past 5 years with a score of 600 or higher. If the student has not met this requirement, a Petition for Exception to Policy may be submitted allowing the student to successfully complete three online courses in lieu of the GMAT prior to the beginning of the academic year in August. The Petition for Exception to Policy must be submitted in writing to the Manager of Executive Programs Outreach and approved by the Associate Director. The petition must include the following: 1. Acknowledgement that the petition is being made because the applicant applied and/or was accepted after the final admissions deadline (May 15) and did not meet the stated admissions requirement (GMAT or GRE taken within five years). Page 3
LEMBA Admission after July 15 (cont.) 2. Acknowledgment that the three online courses must be successfully completed no later than the end of the second week of August (date varies). As such, the student acknowledges that the full 6-week window for course completion extended to students accepted in earlier application cycles is not available and that no exceptions or extensions will be made. 3. Acknowledgement that the student must successfully complete three courses (Mathematics for Managers; Introduction to Excel; Advanced Excel) with an average score of 90% or better across all three and no score lower than 85%. 4. Detailed plan for accomplishing the course work within the amount of time allotted; specific dates for completion of each course needs to be provided. Deferred Admission Decisions Due to the competitive nature of this program and volume of applications, we use a rolling admissions process with the following, targeted acceptance rates: November 15: January 15: March 15: May 15: After May 15: 15% of class accepted 40% of class accepted 30% of class accepted 15% of class accepted Pending space available Because of this process, decisions on some applications may be deferred to subsequent decision periods. If a decision is deferred, applicants will receive notice of their acceptance or denial at the closing of the subsequent admission deadline. If accepted, the applicant s required deposit will be associated with their application date. International Applicants or Applicants with International Degrees In addition to an official set of transcripts, degree certificates and/or graduation certificates, international applicants or applicants who attended or completed their bachelor s and/or master s degree at an institution outside of the United States must submit an evaluation of official transcripts. The evaluation is not an English translation of the mark sheets, but a separate document completed by an evaluation service which calculates a GPA and shows that the degree received outside the US is equivalent to a US degree. Seattle University accepts evaluations from two agencies only: Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) www.ece.org or Educational Perspectives (EP). Directions and additional information specific to Seattle University can be found at http://www.edperspective.org/seattleu/. Page 4
Admission Criteria and Submission Exceptions and Waivers Undergraduate/Baccalaureate Degree 1. Waivers for an undergraduate/baccalaureate degree will be considered for those candidates whose professional qualifications meet or exceed class norms for years of work experience (12-15) and years of direct managerial experience (at least seven). 2. The university generally restricts admission of non-degreed candidates to 10% or less of the total class size (including ELP and LEMBA students). 3. Applications from prospective students that have not earned an undergraduate/baccalaureate (or equivalent) degree will not be considered for acceptance to the program during the first two application periods (November and January). Space permitting, the university will consider applications that do not meet the undergraduate degree requirement for the March 15 th and the May 15 th deadlines. Once the class has reached capacity, applications that do not meet the undergraduate degree requirement will not be considered. 4. Approval for waivers are made by the Dean of the Albers School at the recommendation of the Admissions Committee. A Petition for Exception to Policy must be completed and submitted to Graduate Admissions as part of the applicant s portfolio, and must be confirmed by the Director of Graduate Admissions before a formal admissions decision can be made. Required Work Experience A minimum of 10 years of post-undergraduate, professional work experience is required (12-15 preferred) to provide the best learning environment and experience for all students. Students are expected to contribute as peers not only in classroom conversations but also as members in their study team. To do so equally and effectively, professional and personal experience must be consistent across the student population. Exceptions to this criterion are at the discretion of the Admissions Committee and may be made in some specific circumstances, for example, in the case of a student that has worked pre- and post-undergraduate degree in a family business that is in the midst of succession planning. GMAT/GRE Entrance Exam for LEMBA Program 1. The Admissions Committee will waive the GMAT/GRE requirement for Seattle University alumni who have earned an overall GPA of 3.25 from the Albers School or STEM program, or a 3.5 GPA for other programs/majors. 2. Incoming non-su Alumni students (or SU alumni that do not meet the GPA requirement) that have not taken the GMAT are admitted on a provisional basis. Upon successful completion of three online courses (average of 90% or better), the provision is lifted. Application Fee Waiver Seattle University alumni and nominees from select employers (see Graduate Admissions list of participating companies) may request an application fee waiver. Applicants will choose Request a Fee Waiver on the payment page and include a short explanation for the request. Application fee waiver decisions are usually made within 24 hours. Page 5
ENROLLMENT AND DEPOSITS Deferrals 1. Admitted students who have made a deposit may defer enrollment with the approval of the dean for one academic year by submitting a written notice requesting re-enrollment in the following academic year. 2. Written requests for deferment must be sent to the Associate Director and received no later than August 1 for the program beginning in that Fall term (late August). 3. Deposits for deferrals requested after August 1 are non-refundable. Students that miss the August 1 notification deadline but wish to re-enroll in the following academic year will be required to submit a new deposit of $2,000 no later than May 31 st of the calendar year in which the student wishes to re-enroll. 4. Deposits for approved deferrals will be held by the university for one academic year and applied to the subsequent Fall quarter in which the student re-enrolls. 5. Students who have previously been admitted to the program and defer for more than one academic year must re-apply. The new application will be evaluated along with other applications submitted during that admissions period. Re-admission to the program in subsequent years is not guaranteed and re-admitted students will be required to make a new deposit. Withdrawals and Deposit Refunds 1. Students that withdraw from the program will be refunded 50% of the deposit paid provided that written notification postmarked within 30 days of the applicant s acceptance of the offer of admission is received by the University. 2. Deposits for withdrawals postmarked 31 or more days after acceptance of admission are non-refundable. Mid-program ELP to LEMBA At the discretion of the Associate Dean, current ELP students in good academic standing may be allowed to move into the LEMBA program. The following guidelines apply: 1. Prior to the first day of Spring quarter, the matriculating LEMBA student must complete the GMAT (with a score of 600 or better) or successfully complete three online courses with an average score of 90% across all three and no score lower than 85%. 2. If the GMAT/online course requirement is not met, ELP students may return following the normal process for ELP students returning to LEMBA. 3. ELP students wishing to move on to the LEMBA program that have not earned an undergraduate degree will only be considered if the number of students in the class without an UG degree does not already exceed 10% of the entire class. Page 6
Returning to LEMBA Alumni that have earned the ELP certificate are eligible to return to the University to earn the Master s degree (LEMBA). A Change of Major, Degree, or Specialization must be completed and submitted to the registrar, and the following guidelines apply: 1. Alumni have up to six years following the beginning of ELP coursework to complete the Master s degree (LEMBA). For example, a student that begins the ELP in August 2018 has until June of 2024 to complete the Master s degree. 2. In order to meet this deadline, an ELP graduate wishing to earn the Master s degree must re-enroll in the University within five years of earning the ELP certificate. In this example, the student that began the ELP program in August 2018 would have until Spring quarter of 2023 to re-enroll in the LEMBA program. 3. Prior to the first day of Spring quarter, ELP alumni wishing to return to LEMBA must complete the GMAT (with a score of 600 or better) or successfully complete three online courses with an average score of 90% across all three and no score lower than 85%. 4. Re-enrollment for ELP students wishing to return for LEMBA that have not met the GMAT/online course requirement will be deferred until the following academic year. If a deferment crosses the 5-year deadline, re-enrollment to LEMBA will be forfeited. Page 7