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In addition to the online application, you are required to submit:
- Transcripts
- Three Letters of Recommendation
- Standardized Test Scores
- Essays
- Application Fee
- Application Deadline
- Supplemental Materials
Transcripts
You have several options for providing us with records of your academic work.
You may submit official transcripts from the educational institutions you have attended. Official records are defined as original documents issued by the institution and bearing the actual (not photocopied) signature of the registrar and the institutional seal. Records issued only once by institutions should be photocopied and certified as official copies either by school officials or legal authorities such as embassies or notaries public. Please do not send the original of an academic record that cannot be replaced.
You can submit unofficial transcripts of your academic work using the Transcript Template (requires Microsoft Excel 97 or higher) and completing the information prior to making the online application. This option requires that you have access to Microsoft Excel 97 or higher. Using the Transcript Template substantially accelerates application processing.
Or you may scan and upload copies of your transcripts. The file cannot exceed 250 KB in size and should be in .doc, .wpd, .rtf, .xls, .pdf, or .txt format. For Macintosh users, please note that the filename must include the appropriate 3 letter extension. Also, please do not attempt to upload a document that is password-protected or that contains macros. This will cause the process to fail.
If you use the Transcript Template or scanned documents and are offered admission, you will be required to provide official transcripts of all previous academic work to verify the information provided in the Template. If there are discrepancies between the self-reported academic work and official records, the offer of admission will be withdrawn. Offers of admission are not binding until academic records are verified. Alternatively, you can have your official transcripts sent to us directly from the institutions at which you studied.
When applying, list all post-secondary educational institutions you have attended, including technical and professional schools. Use the full, actual names of the institutions attended, and provide the titles of all diplomas or degrees earned. If you have attended more than one institution, submit official records from each institution, with the exception of study-abroad programs. If academic records and diplomas are not issued in English by the institution, both the official record and an authorized English translation must be submitted.
All translations should be complete and literal renditions of the original record. Records should show the date of enrollment, courses taken, units of credit or time allotted to each subject during each term or year, your marks or ratings in each subject, and, if available, your rank in the total class or group.
The institutional grading scale or other standards of evaluation, including minimum passing and failing marks and definition of grades between them, should appear on official records or be provided as an attachment.
Pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, personally identifiable information can be disclosed to persons outside the University only with the written consent of the student or alumnus/alumna. The complete confidentiality statement is available in the University's graduate academic bulletins.
Letters of Recommendation
The Admissions Committee requires three recommendations. You have two options for submitting these letters: electronic or paper.
When you apply online, your recommenders can submit their recommendations online if you choose that option. An email with a password, login, and link to our site will be sent directly to the recommenders. They will then be able to submit their recommendation directly to our office via the online system.
To submit paper-based recommendations, download and use the Recommendation Form (PDF format). Print one copy for each recommender and follow the directions provided on the form. Please note if your recommender has prepared a letter they may submit that instead.
Essays
You must complete the Personal Statement essay question on the online application. There is also an optional essay question where you may provide additional information or clarification on other points of your application.
Standardized Test Scores
GRE & GMAT: The Wharton Doctoral Programs requires ALL applicants to provide either the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) for admission to all programs.
Test requirements by program- Accounting: GRE or GMAT
- Applied Economics: GRE only
- Ethics & Legal Studies: strongly prefers GRE but will accept GMAT
- Finance: GRE or GMAT
- Health Care Management & Economics: GRE or GMAT
- Management: GRE or GMAT
- Marketing: GRE or GMAT
- Operations & Information Management: GRE or GMAT
- Statistics: GRE only
We will accept GMAT and GRE scores up to five years old. If your test scores are more than five years old (taken prior to 2004), you will have to take the test again and submit the new scores. Please see the GRE and GMAT websites for further information on taking those tests.
This requirement cannot be waived, there are NO exceptions.
TOEFL: The TOEFL test must be taken by applicants whose native language is not English. You may waive the TOEFL if you have earned an undergraduate or master's degree in an English-speaking country or from an institution in which English is the language of instruction. To waive the TOEFL, you must include a letter requesting the waiver in your application AND have it documented that your medium of education was English. TOEFL scores are valid for two years. If you TOEFL test was taken prior to 2007 you will need to submit new scores.
Ask the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to report your test scores using the following Wharton Doctoral Programs' ETS codes:
GRE: 2954-5199 or 2954-0000
GMAT: G56-97-12
TOEFL: 2954-02 or 2954-00
We evaluate only GMAT and GRE results from tests taken prior to the receipt of your application. The highest score is used — we do not combine multiple scores. GMAT and GRE scores are valid for five years. TOEFL scores are valid for two years.
To expedite the processing of your application, a photocopy of your student score report should be sent with your application or forwarded to the Doctoral Office as soon as you receive your scores. In addition, you must request that the ETS send an official copy of your scores to the Wharton Doctoral Office, regardless of the date the test was administered.
We strongly encourage applicants to take the necessary tests in the fall at the latest so that the test scores reach the Wharton Doctoral Office before the December 15 deadline, since late arrival of test results prevents evaluation of your application.
We will accept GRE and GMAT test scores up to five years old. We will accept TOEFL scores up to two years old.
Accepted applicant GMAT and GRE test scores usually fall within the top 10 percent. For the TOEFL test, a high level of proficiency is expected. You can find the average GRE and GMAT scores for our fall 2009 matriculates in our FAQ section.
It has been our experience that students often underestimate the time it takes for the School to receive grade transcripts and test scores. Since this time period may be as long as two months, students are well advised to send requests for grade transcripts and to schedule the appropriate tests as early as possible. Photocopies of test scores will be accepted pending receipt of official scores from ETS.
Application Fee
A nonrefundable application fee of $70 must accompany your application. Credit card payments, made with a Visa or MasterCard only, are processed through Wharton's secure server using Cybersource. The Application fee cannot be waived. There are no exceptions.
Application Deadline
To begin your studies in Fall 2010, you must submit your application and make sure that all your supporting materials (letters of recommendation, transcripts, and either GMAT or GRE scores) are in the hands of the Doctoral Programs Office no later than December 15, 2009.
An application will not be considered until it is complete and the online application submitted. It is the applicant's responsibility to be sure that his or her application is complete by the deadline.
Supplemental Materials
Submit all of your supplemental application materials (recommendations, transcripts, etc.) by mail to:
Wharton Doctoral Programs OfficeThe Wharton School
University of Pennsylvania
Suite 400
Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall
3620 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6302