COVID-19 Kellogg MBA Admissions Update

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Last updated 3/19/20: View Kellogg’s coronavirus page for updated details.

By Kate Smith ’98, Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid

First, thank you to everyone who has asked questions and helped us find individual solutions throughout this COVID-19 pandemic. Allow me to bring you up to speed on some Kellogg admissions updates, because I know full well that applying to business school can be stressful enough without additional uncertainty. 

Kellogg is taking significant steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus and protect the health and well-being of our guests, prospective students, students, faculty and staff.

The main takeaway is — as of today — our admissions criteria and application process remains unchanged. What will change is the fact we will not be able to meet in person for the time being. Despite this, we have exciting plans for virtual experiences and communications so that you still have a means to picture yourself among the Kellogg community.

Let’s get to it. Because this is a lengthy post, I’ve broken up the key updates by MBA program. But first:

For all of you

In-person events, on- and off-campus

In accordance with recommendations from the CDC and local agencies, all on-campus and off-campus events have been canceled until at least May 11, 2020. University-level updates can be found on Northwestern’s COVID-19 webpage, and we will post Kellogg-specific updates on Kellogg’s COVID-19 webpage.

We were, and still are, looking forward to meeting you on campus and in your home cities to introduce you to Kellogg. But for now, we hope you understand that we consider the health of our guests, community and the public our top priority.

However, we’re very excited to connect with you through virtual events. (You’ll find more specific information in the following sections of this post.) As time goes on, we will update you on the following pages:

And I hope by now you’ve connected with us on Instagram and LinkedIn!

All of us at Kellogg appreciate your understanding as we monitor the coronavirus outbreak and follow the guidelines of the CDC to prevent its spread and protect the health and well-being of our communities. Please continue checking this blog for updates as they evolve.

Full-Time MBA Programs
(One-Year, Two-Year, MMM, JD-MBA) 

For those who applied in Round 2:

Kellogg will still release decisions as planned on March 25, 2020. We are very eager to share the news with our new admits and welcome you to Kellogg.

Traditionally, after releasing decisions, we invite our newly admitted Kellogg students to experience the school in person at our admitted student weekend, Day at Kellogg. Following guidance from the CDC on limiting large events, DAK, originally scheduled for April 17-18, will now be a virtual experience. The DAK event is one of our favorites for newly admitted students, and we’re getting creative with some live and interactive experiences to give you every chance you need to get to know us. We will send more detailed information to invited guests closer to the date.

For those who are applying in Round 3:

The Round 3 deadline is still April 8, 2020. We know that, in some cases, coronavirus may have affected your ability to fulfill the GMAT/GRE/TOEFL/IELTS testing requirement. If you live in an area where your GMAT/GRE/TOEFL/IELTS testing site was closed due to the outbreak, we encourage you to continue working on your application and submit it as follows:

If you have no current GMAT/GRE/TOEFL score, submit a Round 3 application with all other materials. In order to do this, you must notify us via MBAadmissions@kellogg.northwestern.edu or 847.491.3308 BEFORE April 8 so we can assist you in submitting the application manually. We will proceed with an interview and an initial review of your file. If you submit a test score by May 1, we will make a decision for you by the Round 3 deadline. If you are unable to meet this deadline, we can push your decision into June and will work with you to understand when you may be able to take the test. If you need to push the date beyond that, we will transfer your application to next year so that you do not have to start the process over from scratch. 

If you have a current GMAT/GRE/TOEFL score, but want to retest, you should submit a Round 3 application with your current test score. In the “additional short answer” section, explain that you are planning to retest when possible. You must also notify us via MBAadmissions@kellogg.northwestern.edu or 847.491.3308 so we can track and follow up.

Interviews for Round 3 will now have virtual elements. The application will ask for your preferred interview location. If you choose on-campus, we will contact you to schedule a virtual interview. If you choose off-campus, you will have the option of meeting in person or virtually with the alumni interviewer, depending on what you both determine is best given the coronavirus landscape in your location

Kellogg Future Leaders

The deadlines for Kellogg Future Leaders — our new deferred enrollment program for senior undergraduates and master’s students — are unchanged. Applications are due April 2, 2020 and decisions will be made on May 20, 2020. Due to the closing of Northwestern University’s campus, all interviews will now be handled virtually.

Evening & Weekend and Executive MBA Programs 

Beginning March 15, 2020, we will conduct all interviews virtually. When you submit your application, you can schedule your interview through the online portal. The admissions teams will then reach out with the virtual login information. We will do everything we can to accommodate scheduling requests. 

If you are unable to submit an official transcript, submit an unofficial transcript for consideration. Both Evening & Weekend and EMBA admissions teams will review applications with unofficial transcripts, and we will be in touch with you directly about if and when official transcripts will be needed to render a final decision.

Because the Evening & Weekend and Executive MBA programs use rolling admissions, we will continue to evaluate your applications and release decisions regularly. When any questions arise, please do not hesitate to contact us via eveningweekendmba@kellogg.northwestern.edu or emba-admissions@kellogg.northwestern.edu. We also encourage you to  schedule an Evening & Weekend admissions chat or EMBA admissions chat when it’s convenient for you.

Test scores

Executive MBA does not require test scores. For Evening & Weekend MBA, please see below for test score updates:

          For those who are applying to start in Summer 2020:

  • The Evening & Weekend Summer 2020 deadline is still April 1, 2020. We know that, in some cases, coronavirus may have affected your ability to fulfill the GMAT/GRE testing requirement. If you live in an area where your GMAT/GRE testing site was closed due to the outbreak, we encourage you to continue working on your application and submit it as follows:
  • If you have no current GMAT/GRE score, submit a Summer 2020 application with all other materials. In order to do this, you must notify us via eveningweekendmba@kellogg.northwestern.eduor 312.503.8385 BEFORE April 1st so we can assist you in submitting the application manually. We will proceed with an interview and an initial review of your file. If you submit a test score by May 15th, we will make a decision for you by May 22nd.
  • If you have a current GMAT/GRE score, but want to retest, you should submit a Summer 2020 application with your current test score. In the “additional short answer” section, explain that you are planning to retest when possible. You must also notify us via eveningweekendmba@kellogg.northwestern.eduor 312.503.8385 so we can track and follow up.