Kellogg MBA waitlist, deferrals and reapplying
There is no singular path to business school
For many candidates, the admissions process is not a straight-forward timeline. Three common circumstances for our candidates are reapplying, waitlist, and deferrals. While each of these circumstances have their own challenges, we’re here to help you navigate the process. If your situation does not fit into these typical areas, you can always email us for more information.
Reapplying
We welcome and encourage anyone to reapply. For many, the time you’ve gained getting additional work experience will help you explain what a Kellogg MBA will help you achieve. Please note, however, that each person is only allowed to apply once per application cycle.
Additional considerations:
- You must submit a new online application with updated transcripts and your resume, as well as complete a new interview
- You will need to submit two new letters of recommendation, regardless of previous submissions. If using references from a previous Kellogg MBA application, please encourage them to include new information in their recommendation.
- You will need to respond to the same essay questions as first-time applicants. These questions may have changed since you last applied, so visit our application process page to view the latest prompts.
- You’ll answer one reapplicant essay question to fill us in on what you’ve been up to since submitting your previous application
- If you submitted GMAT, GRE, or TOEFL test scores in a previous year, you do not need to resend them, as long as the test scores are still valid
Deferrals
If you were admitted to the Kellogg Full-Time MBA Program and are seeking a deferral, please contact the admissions team.
Waitlist
For those placed on the waitlist, the Full-Time admissions committee can make updated decisions on a rolling basis between January and August. Those whose waitlist status changes could be notified at any time throughout this period.
We know the waitlist process can be stressful, but we are committed to sending you updates as soon as they are ready. In the meantime, if you’d like to keep us informed about any updates to your candidacy, please share them through the Waitlist Update Form. These could include changes to where Kellogg sits in your consideration set, important dates in your MBA planning timeline, professional or personal developments since you submitted your application, and/or new developments that have impacted your interest in Kellogg.
You may also upload additional application documents through the Application Status Page, such as an updated GMAT score or resume. We discourage the submission of additional letters of recommendation or references from third parties. Additionally, we do not re-interview waitlisted candidates.
Updates are reviewed by the committee on an ongoing basis. We do anticipate admitting candidates from the waitlist. The applicant pool varies each year, however, which means we can’t predict exactly how many applicants will be offered admission, your specific chances of being offered a seat in the class, or a timeline for decisions.
All waitlisted applicants who are not admitted are welcome to re-apply in a subsequent application year. In fact, we encourage it! It’s important to note that no preference is given to re-appliers. All applications are evaluated in the same way.