Important: LUMS MBA VIDEO SERIES

The Higher Education Commission in Pakistan has ranked the LUMS MBA program as the best in the nation. LUMS MBA comes under Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB) and is a rigorous two year full time program that cannot be as part time or with a job etc. Over the past decade LUMS has produced the best and the brightest business and corporate leaders – one of the reasons is their non-traditional teaching technique, namely the case method. These cases are based on real world practical problems and encourage class participation.

In my experience LUMS wants applicants who have a variety of skills, accomplishments and aspirations. This year (in 2014) LUMS admitted 86 students from thousands of applications all across Pakistan. This gives an idea of the level of competition for the LUMS MBA program. Here is the admissions criteria and mandatory requirements that one must fulfill while applying to the MBA program at LUMS.

LUMS MBA Admissions Criteria

A 4-year undergraduate degree or its equivalent
A 4 year degree program at an accredited Pakistani or foreign university is mandatory for LUMS MBA admissions. Applicants who have a bachelor’s degree of less than four years will have to submit equivalence certificate from the HEC.

GMAT Test Results

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a prerequisite for admission to LUMS MBA program. Previously LUMS used to conduct the LMAT exam which is no longer valid – every LUMS MBA applicant must take the GMAT exam in order to qualify for admissions to LUMS.

Work Experience

Although LUMS clearly states on its website that work experience is not mandatory for admissions to LUMS, however in my observation, it does prefer students with some full time work experience. In fact the LUMS MBA program is designed for students having some work experience, therefore one must seek some work before applying.

Two recommendation letters

In order to apply for the MBA program at LUMS, you will need to submit two reference letters from professional who have worked with you. Ideally one recommendation should come from a current or recent employer and another from a professor who knows your work.

Interview

After you submit the online application along with all the documents to LUMS MBA program, you will then be shortlisted for an interview. The interview is mandatory and part of the admissions process – it is a positive indicator but not a guarantee of admission to the LUMS MBA program. Interviews are scheduled on the LUMS campus always and there is no fixed format or timing for it. Interviews can last from 10 minutes to 30 minutes and are conducted by a group of professors and MBA Admissions Board member who have reviewed your application.