Consortium Applicants

If you plan to apply through The Consortium, you do not need to create a University of Washington Online Graduate application profile. You should apply directly to The Consortium. Please proceed to the CGSM website to start your Consortium application profile. You should follow the application requirements and processes as outlined by The Consortium.

Consortium 2024-2025 Deadlines

Application Opens: August 15th, 2024
Early Application Deadline: October 15, 2024
Traditional Application Deadline: January 5, 2025
Fellowship Notification: March 2025

Please note, Consortium applicants should submit their application according to The Consortium deadlines. You do not need to submit your application according to the Foster Full-time MBA Program deadlines.

Unfortunately, we do not offer application fee waivers to Consortium applicants. However, by applying through The Consortium, applicants can apply to member schools at a reduced application price.

Applicants should review The Consortium’s application instructions completely and complete all required components of the Consortium application. In addition to the Consortium core application, applicants will complete a Foster supplemental application that will be submitted with your Consortium core application. Within the Foster supplemental, we will ask you our essay questions (1 Required, 2 Optional).

Test Scores & Test Optional
Consortium applicants can choose whether to submit test scores or apply test optional to Foster. Please follow the Consortium application instructions and submit official test scores or complete the test optional summary of qualifications within the Consortium application.

The Foster supplemental application to The Consortium will prompt you to answer one required essay question. Applicants also have the option to submit two optional essay questions. The questions are as follows:

Essay 1: Personal Resilience Essay (500 words maximum)
Resilience is one of the most important values of a successful Foster student. Tell us about what resilience means to you and share some of the ways that you have demonstrated resilience in overcoming personal or professional challenges. How do you anticipate showing resilience during your time as an MBA candidate?

Essay 2: Optional essay (500 words maximum)
Include this essay if you have additional information you believe would be helpful to the admissions committee in considering your application.

Essay 3: Optional Diversity, Equity & Inclusion essay (500 words maximum)
At the Foster School of Business, we embrace diversity as one of the foundations of both successful business strategy and a world-class educational experience. We share the University’s dedication to promoting the understanding and appreciation of human differences and the constructive expression of ideas. We welcome you to share some of the ways you have practiced inclusion, promoted equity or supported the advancement of underrepresented groups.

Upon receiving your application from The Consortium after the deadline, we confirm by email that your application has been received and let you know what to expect while your application is under review by the Foster admissions committee. We may reach out with any updates or questions via email during the review process. Final admission decisions are communicated via email.

If you haven’t heard from Foster about the status of your Consortium application, we recommend that you reach out to The Consortium directly to inquire about the status. We also encourage you to reach out to us directly at [email protected]. We will do our best to help identify where your application is in the review process.

All Consortium applicants are asked to complete a short video interview. The video interview allows us to get to know you better and to assess your communication skills and ability to think on your feet as we review your application and consider your candidacy. The video interview will be issued via email after The Consortium sends Foster your application. Applicants can expect the video interview invitation within a few weeks of the deadline to which they have applied. Submitting a completed video interview is required to keep your application under review.

Competitive applicants will be offered a one-on-one admission interview with a member of the Foster admissions committee. Admission interviews are by invitation only and will be issued on a rolling basis after we receive your application from The Consortium.

To be considered for a Consortium Fellowship Award, which is a full-tuition and fees scholarship for the duration of the two-year program, you must apply via The Consortium to be included in the selection process for these awards. If you are not selected for a Fellowship award, Consortium applicants are still considered for merit scholarships. Fellowship awards are announced in March 2025.