Tepper Future Business Leaders is a deferred admission format for motivated college seniors who are ready to secure a spot in a top-ranked MBA program before embarking on their professional journey.
Undergraduate students who plan to graduate in the current academic year may apply to the Tepper Full-Time MBA program now, and delay their enrollment in the program up to four consecutive academic years while they gain professional work experience.
Interested? Undergraduate seniors can complete the application process before graduating and secure their spot in a future Tepper MBA class before they are busy with work. You’ll have up to four consecutive academic years to decide when to begin your MBA at Tepper.
Key Dates for Deferred MBA Admission
| Application Opens | Application Deadline | Decision Notification | Deposit Deadline |
| January 7th, 2026 | March 31, 2026 | May 29th, 2026 | June 19th, 2026 |
Frequently Asked Questions About Deferred MBA Admission
Eligible candidates are college seniors who plan to graduate from a U.S. college or university in the current academic year and do not yet have full-time work experience.
Competitive applicants will have a strong academic record, professional internships, and undergraduate leadership experience.
A candidate who is graduating in December should apply in the same academic year. (For example, a December 2024 graduate will apply by the March 2025 deadline.)
- Online application form
- Undergraduate transcripts
- Resume
- One professional recommendation
- Essays (one short answer and one essay)
- $125 application fee
- GMAT or GRE scores (waived for CMU undergraduates)
- Interview (by invitation only)
Short answer question (150 words): What are your post-undergraduate career plans? What company are you joining? What will be your role?
Essay question (350-500 words): The Future Business Leaders program offers you time to grow before entering business school. Describe the concrete steps you plan to take professionally, academically, and personally to maximize your readiness for the MBA experience.
Yes. MBA program deferred admission students are eligible for scholarships. Scholarship decisions are made at the time of matriculation. When you decide to enroll in the MBA program for the upcoming academic year, you will be asked to submit a scholarship essay and an updated resume for scholarship consideration.
During the round one MBA admission cycle for the upcoming academic year in which you enroll, you will receive an updated admission letter that will contain any scholarship award details.
Yes. In order to secure a place in the deferred admission class, you are required to pay a non-refundable admission deposit of $2,500 in total. This $2,500 non-refundable admission deposit is paid in installments each year until you matriculate.
The first installment is $500 and is required to be paid by July 31 of the year in which you are admitted to the program; each May thereafter, you must pay an additional $500 installment if you are not matriculating for the upcoming academic year or the remainder of the unpaid $2,500 non-refundable admission deposit if you are matriculating the upcoming academic year.