Standard Application

1. Create your application portal account (preferred browsers are Google Chrome or Firefox).
2. Select your desired program.
3. Complete all required application questions.

(Visit the BusinessCAS Applicant Help Center for questions about the application portal)

Personal Statement

• Upload your statement via the application portal.
• The statement should be 300-400 words, divided into 2 sections addressing the following:
  1. Your educational and professional goals
  2. Your quantitative training and/or skills that make you a good fit for this program.

Recommendations

• Identify two references, either academic or professional.
• Your references will receive an email from BusinessCAS with a link to submit either a letter of recommendation or this evaluation form.
• If your recommenders need assistance, please visit the Letters by Liaison Help Center.

Resume

• Upload your resume via the application portal that includes your:
  • Employment history
  • Significant academic, professional, and community achievements
  • Honors and awards

Application Fee

• Pay the nonrefundable $58 application processing fee.

Note: If you need to submit additional documents after submitting the online application, you can email them to gradadmission@plu.edu.

Official Transcripts

• Official transcripts must be sent to BusinessCAS by the schools you attended, either through one of the approved electronic transcript services, or directly from your school in a sealed school’s envelope to the mailing address listed below.
• If you attended a school or earned your degree outside of the United States, you need to obtain a course-by-course US equivalency report from the World Education Services (WES). This report should then be sent directly to BusinessCAS from the evaluation service along with the official transcripts which they receive from your schools.
• PLU current students and graduates do not need to submit PLU transcripts.
• Read more instructions about Sending Official Transcripts to BusinessCAS.

Sending Transcripts Electronically

• BusinessCAS only accepts electronic transcripts from Parchment, and National Student Clearinghouse. If your school does not offer either of these services, your transcript must be sent by mail. BusinessCAS cannot accept transcripts sent via email.
• When selecting the recipient, choose Educational organization, and then select BusinessCAS.
• Include your full BusinessCAS ID number when entering the BusinessCAS mailing address.
• See BusinessCAS instructions for sending electronic transcripts

Sending Transcripts by Mail

Download and print the Transcript Request Form under each school you listed in the College Attended section of your application. Send the Transcript Request Form to your school.

Your registrar should mail your paper transcript to the following address:

BusinessCAS Transcript Processing Center
P.O. Box 9221
Watertown, MA 02471

GRE or GMAT Scores

GRE or GMAT is no longer required for admission consideration. It is optional to submit the test scores in order to strengthen the application.  If you have taken the test, have scores sent to PLU directly from the testing agency.

In addition to the above-listed application requirements, international students must provide:

• Degree certificate – For completed study, upload a clear and legible copy of your degree certificate via the application portal. Do not send your original document.

• Credential Evaluation – Any courses taken at colleges or universities outside the United States must be translated and reviewed for US equivalencies. Thus, you are required to submit your coursework to World Education Services (WES) for a course-by-course US equivalency report. This report should then be sent directly to BusinessCAS from WES along with the official transcripts sent by the schools. Visit World Education Services (WES) website to follow its instructions and arrange for your documents to be delivered to WES. We recommend the ICAP package when you select services on the WES website.

• English translation is also required if the documents are in a language other than English. The translation must be provided by a university, government official, organization, or a certified translation service, for example: American Translators Association.

• Proof of English proficiency
  (See details for the Proficiency in the English Language requirement for graduate admission)
  
  • Minimum TOEFL-iBT of 83, minimum IELTS score of 6.5, or minimum Duolingo score of 120.
  • TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo may be waived for students who graduate from a regionally-accredited U.S. college or university with a bachelor’s degree.
  • Students who do not meet the English language proficiency requirement for admission are encouraged to join the University community through the International Pathway Program (IPP).
  • Official TOEFL scores are submitted electronically to BusinessCAS directly from Educational Testing Services (ETS) using TOEFL code #B888. See more instructions on BusinessCAS Help Center.
  • Official IELTS scores are submitted electronically through BusinessCAS. Applicants must contact the IELTS test center where the IELTS test was taken to request the official Test Report Form be sent electronically to the GradCAS E-Delivery account, thereby granting permission to share test results with CAS services. We do not accept unofficial copies of IELTS Test Report Forms from applicants. An institution code is NOT required. See more instructions on BusinessCAS Help Center.

The Master of Science in Marketing Analytics is offered as either a fully online program or a hybrid program that will hold some courses on campus. While international students in the hybrid program will be eligible for an F-1 or J-1 visa to study in the United States as well as OPT benefits, students in the online program will not be eligible.

Admitted international students must complete the following steps in order to receive an I-20:

• Pay the enrollment deposit
• Submit a Passport picture page
• Submit the Declaration of Finance form and Proof of financial support dated within 12 months. English translation is required if the documents are not issued in English.

If you or your recommenders have any questions or technical problems with the online application portal and recommendation process, status, navigation, missing credentials, etc., please visit the BusinessCAS Applicant Help Center.