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Cornell University

Cornell Brooks Public Policy

How to Apply

Applying to Sloan

Sloan’s application process is rigorous and competitive and begins with a holistic review of each student’s application. Applicants who demonstrate qualities we value such as academic excellence, leadership, creativity/innovation, determination and resiliency, ability to work successfully in cross-disciplinary and/or diverse teams, attention to detail, strong interpersonal and professional skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, personal and professional integrity, compassion and empathy, passion for improving the field of health care, and a commitment to equity and social justice in healthcare management will be invited for a required first-round Zoom interview with a member of the admissions committee.

Eligibility Criteria

We welcome applications from individuals with bachelor’s degrees from a variety of backgrounds (the bachelor’s degree must be from an accredited university and earned prior to matriculating). Full time work experience and health care experience (whether full time, volunteer, part time, or internships) are preferred but not required. Given our commitment to equity and holistic application review, the GRE examination is no longer required. In order to demonstrate your academic readiness for rigorous and quantitative graduate education coursework, successful completion (e.g., B or better) of one or more of the following prerequisite courses is preferred (see list below).

Prerequisite courses that may bolster your application:

  • Introductory and/or a higher level statistics course (introductory statistics is highly recommended)
  • Introductory courses in accounting, finance, data-driven decision making/quantitative analysis, data analytics, financial modeling, intermediate database analysis and management (eg. Excel, SQL, Tableau, etc.), math-based microeconomics
  • Experience with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel are highly recommended (first-year students are given priority enrollment in an Excel desktop modeling elective course)

Application Deadlines

Application Requirements

Each application is reviewed holistically and in comparison with other applications submitted during the same admissions cycle. To be eligible for review, applicants must submit a complete application package as outlined below.

Transcripts
Applicants must upload unofficial transcripts from all colleges or universities attended. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, or an equivalent international degree (see Cornell’s list of International Degree Equivalencies), is required. There is no minimum GPA cut-off, however, undergraduate coursework and grades are considered in the admissions review.

Please note: Admitted applicants who accept their offer must submit official electronic transcripts to the Graduate School Admissions Office. See the Graduate School’s transcript guidelines for more details.

Recommendations
Two letters of recommendation are required. Academic or professional recommendations are accepted. Letters of recommendation need to be submitted via the applicant’s online application.

Resume
All applicants are required to submit a resume with their application.

Statement of Purpose (500 words maximum)
The statement of purpose is one of your primary opportunities to help the admissions committee understand your academic objectives and assess if you are a good fit for the program.

Interview
After submitting your application, you will be invited to record an online video interview. For your convenience, our interview questions have been pre-recorded so that you can complete your responses at any time. The video interview is part of a holistic assessment that will be considered alongside your completed application. Detailed information about the video interview will be provided via email after you submit your application.

TOEFL or IELTS Scores
Visit the Graduate School Admissions site for more information regarding the English language proficiency requirement, including standing exemptions.

For questions regarding your MHA application, please contact us at  brooksgradadmissions@cornell.edu.

This program is open to current Cornell undergraduate students only. Eligible students apply to the MHA program during their junior year.

Cornell juniors with the following majors may apply:

  • Human Development
  • Public Policy
  • Human Biology, Health, and Society
  • Health Care Policy
  • Global and Public Health Sciences
  • Nutritional Science

Step 1. Verify your eligibility for the program with your student advisor. Students in eligible majors must be able to complete all College and major required coursework by the end of their junior year. First year MHA courses then satisfy senior year bachelor degree electives.

Step 2. Apply to the Sloan MHA Program online using Cornell’s Graduate School Application. In addition to the standard application requirements, please include a recommendation from your undergraduate advisor attesting to your:

  • Ability to complete major requirements by the end of your junior year
  • Maturity and professionalism
  • Aptitude for completing a graduate degree program
  • Additional relevant information

The application deadline for the Accelerated Five-Year BS/MHA Program is January 1.

  • Applications submitted between January 1 and March 15 will be reviewed on a rolling basis, pending space availability.