| Program | Test policy | Published total cost |
|---|
| University of Florida Warrington | GMAT not required, optional to submit | About $49,255 |
| Oklahoma State Spears | GMAT optional, waiver path may apply | About $16,137 |
| Florida Gulf Coast University | Waiver with terminal degree or AACSB degree and 3.0 GPA | About $12,322 |
What can you offer instead of a test score?
Four routes, and most programs accept more than one. A professional certification, such as a CPA, CFA, CMA, or a project management credential. A postgraduate qualification with a strong grade average. An executive or professional program with a GPA requirement, which is the most common route for people already working. Or a long professional track record with a detailed resume showing the scale of what you have managed.
The Florida Gulf Coast example shows how specific these policies get. The waiver applies to applicants who hold a terminal degree, or who completed an AACSB accredited undergraduate degree with a 3.0 or higher GPA, and otherwise a GMAT may apply. Read the exact wording on the admissions page before you assume you qualify, because each program sets its own thresholds.
How much does an online MBA cost in total?
Tuition is the visible part, and the hidden part is what you give up while you study. An online program lets you keep working, which is the main financial argument for it. Add fees for books, software licences, and residencies, which some online programs still require, and the number to plan against is the published total plus one year of personal costs.
Also check whether the program is AACSB accredited, because most employers and every professional body look for it. An MBA without accreditation has almost no market value, no matter how cheap it is. Our guide to the Australian online MBA without GMAT shows the same test optional shift in another market, which is useful context if you are applying to more than one country.
Should you take the GMAT anyway?
Take it if you are applying to programs that still require it, if your academic record is thin and you want the score to carry more weight, or if you are close to a cutoff and want the option of a stronger file. Skip it if you have a strong professional record, a relevant certification, or a postgraduate qualification, because in those cases the score adds little. Most online MBA no GMAT programs will still let you send a score later if one is on file, so skipping the test does not close the door.
If you are unsure, sit a free official practice exam first. It costs nothing and tells you where you stand. Our guide to the best cloud certifications for career growth covers a different kind of credential trade off, where the same logic applies, because employers buy proof of skill rather than proof of test performance.
How do you decide between two programs?
Four questions. Does the program carry accreditation. The four online MBA no GMAT programs most people end up comparing are the ones where this answer is clear, so check the accrediting body on the school site rather than trusting a program page. What does it cost in total, including the fees people forget. What do graduates do after, since alumni outcomes are published by most schools. And how long does the program take, because a program you can finish in 18 months costs you far less in lost time than one that takes three years.
Then check the format. Some online MBAs are synchronous, with fixed class times that require you to be available, and some are asynchronous, which lets you study around a full time job and a family. The asynchronous ones are usually what working adults actually want, and they cost more in effort because nobody holds you to a schedule.
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Fazlur Rahman
