The Paul Merage School of Business – University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business is located in California’s third largest county, Orange County, about an hour south of Los Angeles and an hour north of San Diego. It is considered the center of Southern California’s Tech Coast and is in close proximity to the homes of industry giants such as Google, Disney and Hyundai. The Merage School of Business offers a full-time MBA, Flex MBA, and Executive MBA. Hallmarks of the full-time MBA program include its close-knit community with the advantages of larger university facilities, location in an entrepreneurial environment and global exposure.
Learn MoreFAQ
What is the tuition for Merage's MBA program?
The tuition for Merage's MBA program is $53,616.74 for CA residents and $65,861.74 for non-CA residents.
What is the average GMAT score for admission to Merage's MBA program?
The average GMAT score for the incoming class at Merage is 675. The GMAT range is 620 to 720.
Does the Merage MBA program accept the GRE?
Yes. The Merage MBA program has accepted the GRE for a few years now. They do not provide the average GRE score.
What is the minimum number of years of work experience required for admission to Merage's MBA program?
Merage does not state a minimum requirement for years of work experience. However, it is important for candidates to be aware that they are being considered against other candidates with an average of 5 years of experience.
What is the average number of years of work experience for admission to Merage's MBA program? (or, What is the average age of a Merage MBA student?)
The average number of years of work experience among students in Merage's MBA program is 5. On average, Merage students are 28 years old.
What is the average starting salary for graduates of the Merage MBA program?
The average starting salary for Merage MBA graduates is $122,899.
How long is Merage's Full-Time MBA program?
Merage offers a traditional 2 year MBA program.
What are the application deadlines for Merage's Full-Time MBA program?
The Round 1 MBA application deadline is November 1, 2024. The Round 2 deadline is January 15, 2025. The Round 3 deadline is March 1, 2025 (final deadline for international applicants). The Round 4 deadline is May 1, 2025.
Admissions
The Class Profile
Forty students comprise the University of California, Irvine Merage MBA Class of 2025. Thirty-five percent are women and 38% are international. During their undergraduate years, Merage MBA students averaged a GPA of 3.44. Twenty-four percent earned undergrad degrees in science. Twenty-one percent had majored in business/commerce and the same in humanities/social sciences. Eighteen percent had studied engineering and 16% economics/finance.
Merage MBA students averaged five years of work experience and an age of 28 at the time of matriculation. Twenty-one percent each came from healthcare/pharma/biotech. Eighteen percent had worked in gov’t/military or tech. Eight percent each came from consumer products, entertainment/media or financial services.
When it came time to take the GMAT, Merage MBAs averaged a score of 675 with scores ranging from 620 to 720.
Application Procedures
Merage has five rounds of target deadlines from November to May; however, applications are reviewed and processed on a rolling basis. International applicants are encouraged to apply early to obtain a student visa. The school notes that candidates can expect final decisions within 6 weeks following receipt of all supporting information, including their interview, which is required and by invitation only. Interviews are conducted by recruitment and admissions staff. While the admissions committee prefers candidates to travel to campus, they understand that this may not always be possible. In such instances, Zoom interviews are conducted.
Applicants to the MBA program typically have five years of work experience; however, work experience is not required for admission. While two recommendations are required—ideally from someone who can speak to the applicant’s motivation to pursue an MBA. Applicants are encouraged to obtain recommendations from direct supervisors, clients, former supervisors or academic professors.
Re-applicants, i.e., those who submitted an application to Merage within two years, need to submit one new recommendation, the re-applicant essay, an updated résumé, new test scores, if applicable, and the application fee.
Application Checklist
- Online Application Form
- Transcripts
- Official GMAT/GRE Score (waivers available)
- Official TOEFL/IELTS Score (International applicants only)
- Two Recommendations
- Essays
- Employment History/Résumé
- $150 Application Fee
- Interview (Invitation only)
Essay Topic Analysis
Recommendation Questions
UCI Merage Q&A's
UCI Merage LiveWire and DecisionWire
Academics
Faculty
Merage’s faculty span nine departments: accounting, economics/public policy, finance, information systems, interdisciplinary, marketing, operations and decision technologies, organization and management, and strategy and entrepreneurship. Roughly 80 professors are distributed across the nine disciplines with over 60 additional visiting and affiliated faculty and researchers. In addition to teaching, professors contribute regularly to prominent publications including Management Science, International Journal of Research in Marketing, and Strategic Management Journal. Faculty members also participate in the Research Colloquia, a series of open forums that include presentations from Merage and other university faculty.
Curriculum
The full-time MBA program at Merage requires 92 credits to complete. The two years of study are broken down into a quarter system and typically span late September to mid-June; there is an orientation in early September of the first year. Merage faculty blend lectures, case studies and team projects in their teaching style. Faculty may allow waivers of core courses, but students must still complete 92 credits to graduate.
First-year students officially start the school year with an intensive two-week orientation designed to prepare them for the rest of their MBA studies. During the remainder of the first year, MBA students take 10 core courses across nine academic areas and may begin to take electives in the winter. Select core courses include Business Analytics: Decision Making, Financial Reporting for Management, and Strategy: Foundations & Dynamics. Between the first and second year, students complete summer internships.
The entire second year is occupied by electives, of which EDGE in the Information Systems academic area is one of the most popular. Second-year students also have the opportunity to spend a week or quarter abroad at one of the university’s more than 10 partner schools, which span Latin America, Asia and Europe, as well as take a weeklong travel course to destinations such as the Netherlands, Cuba, Columbia, and Japan. Second-year students may also partake in the Merage Applied Consulting course, which lasts 10 weeks. Participants in the project work in teams and collaborate with a faculty expert to advise a major company on a real-world business issue.
Students may choose an area of concentration to focus their MBA studies on topics of interests. UCI Merage offers concentrations in accounting, finance, global, healthcare, information systems, marketing, operation and decision technologies, organization & management, real estate, and strategy. Additionally, Merage faculty run seven Centers of Excellence, which provide opportunities for students to engage in the business community such as serving on an advisory board and attending conferences.
Other MBA Degree Options
In addition to the full-time MBA program, Merage offers a flex MBA and an executive MBA. The Flex MBA takes 24 to 30 months to complete, depending on entry and scheduling, and is designed for working professionals, as courses are held on weeknights and Saturdays. The curriculum breaks down to nine core courses, seven electives and three experiential residencies, one of which is international, for a total of 19 courses.
The Executive MBA is designed for professionals with at least eight years of work experience, though class cohorts typically average 16 years of work experience. The program lasts 21 months and there is only one intake; classes meet four weekends per quarter. To complete the program, students must complete 76 credits and four offsite residence experiences.
Healthcare professionals seeking to balance their industry experience with business acumen can complete their executive MBA on the Healthcare Leadership track. Students must complete 78 credits and three residencies, one of which is focused on federal policy in healthcare. Classes are held every third weekend.
Academic Areas
- Accounting
- Economics and Public Policy
- Finance
- Information Systems
- Interdisciplinary
- Marketing
- Operations and Decision Technology
- Organization and Management
- Strategy and Entrepreneurship
Degree Offerings
Full-time MBA
https://merage.uci.edu/programs/mba/full-time-mba/index.html
Flex MBA
https://merage.uci.edu/programs/mba/flex-mba/index.html
Executive MBA
https://merage.uci.edu/programs/mba/executive-mba/index.html
Dual Degree MBA Programs
MD/MBA
https://medschool.uci.edu/education/medical-education/dual-degree-programs/dual-degree-mdmba
JD/MBA
https://www.law.uci.edu/academics/interdisciplinary-studies/concurrent-degrees.html
Campus Life
Clubs, Conferences & Competitions
Merage MBA students have several opportunities to get involved with the school community. Every enrolled student is automatically a member of the Merage Student Association (MSA), which organizes and promotes club and activity experiences outside of the classroom. Merage’s 17 clubs span professional and social interests. For example, students can enjoy the Californian beaches and learn more about surf-related businesses through the Merage Surf and Beach Association. Meanwhile, the Merage Challenge for Charity (C4C) unites students, administration, and faculty to raise money for various charities (Special Olympics, Junior Achievement, and Second Harvest Food Bank), perform philanthropy, and participate in the C4C Weekend up at Stanford in April. C4C is considered a guiding force in the effort to develop a close-knit family culture at the small program. Finally, because technology is a major business enabler, the Merage Business & Technology Association focuses on increasing the percentage of MBA graduates recruited into tech leadership regardless of the industry.
The UC Irvine business school also hosts and supports a variety of conferences that incorporate faculty, students and business professionals. For example, the Distinguished Speaker Series, hosted by the Center for Global Leadership, welcomes business professionals to campus to discuss a range of topics, including leadership, ethics and other issues pertaining to business. Past speakers include Henry Samueli, founder of the Samueli Foundation; Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril Industries; and Ronalee Zarate-Bayani, CMO of the Los Angeles Rams. Other issues, including healthcare in relation to economics and politics, are discussed during the national Health Care Forecast Conference.
The Beall Center for Entrepreneurship hosts the UCI New Venture Competition. In the competition, teams spend seven months launching a startup and compete for $100,000 in cash and awards to fund their startup ideas. Past winners have addressed orthodontics, food waste, party supplies and solar panels, among other business issues. The competitions are broken down into four categories: consumer products, consumer services, business products/services, life sciences, and social enterprise. Students may also participate in the ACG Cup, and Nespresso Sustainability MBA Challenge.
Campus Spaces
An 80,000 square foot state-of-the-art teaching, meeting, dining, and learning space serves as the gateway to The Paul Merage School of Business. The Colloquia Room is an inviting space for executive briefings, board meetings, research colloquia and various events showcasing the school and its corporate and research partners. The Executive Terrace, adjacent to the Dean’s Suite, is used for high profile business executives as well as to showcase faculty research and student initiatives. Students can make use of the 300-seat auditorium, 70-seat and 90-seat case study rooms, a multipurpose classroom, 20 team rooms, a trading lab and more.
MBA Careers
Career Services
The Merage MBA Career Center emphasizes an “inside out” career approach that involves self-evaluation of one’s strengths and weaknesses and analysis of one’s career interests and opportunities. The Merage School MBA Career Center partners with students to find internship opportunities with companies ranging from large global firms to start-ups. The Merage School MBA Career Center supports career development and job search by providing resources such as career days and fairs, company presentations, internship and full-time job databases, on- and off-campus interviews, access to online resources, web-based career training modules, and a corporate contacts database.
Career Statistics
Of the 68% of graduates seeking employment in 2023, 82.3% had accepted job offers within 3 months of graduation. The average starting salary for Merage MBA graduates was $122,201 and average signing bonus was $25,846.
The most popular industry of the Class of 2023 was technology, which 32.1% of the class chose. Financial services followed at 14.3%. Real estate, manufacturing, and consumer products each claimed 10.7% of the Class of 2023. Nearly eighty-six percent of the cohort stayed in the U.S. West for post-MBA employment.
Financing
For the 2024-2025 academic year, residents of California have tuition and student fees totaling of $53,616.74, whereas non-residents pay $65,861.74. On-campus living is estimated to cost $16,591 whereas off-campus costs $28,319. Other expenses include books & supplies, a laptop, transportation and other personal costs.
Over 80 percent of UCI Merage students receive some form of scholarship. . Applicants are automatically considered for merit-based fellowships, which consider academic performance, leadership, and work experience. Students may apply for the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, Federal Direct Graduate Plus Loan Program, and private educational loans. Teaching assistantships are also available to defer costs.
Estimated Cost of Attendance
Tuition
- In-state tuition & fees $53,616.74
- Out-of-state tuition & fees $65,861.74
Other Expenses
Estimated room & board
- $16,591 on campus
- $28,319 off campus
Books & supplies $2,009
Transportation: $3,664
Personal $3,490
Totals
CA Resident, On Campus: $79,370.74
Non-resident, On Campus: $91,615.74
Recent News
Contact
Mailing Address:
The Paul Merage School of Business
UC Irvine
Full-Time MBA Recruitment and Admissions
4293 Pereira Drive, Suite 4200
Irvine, CA 92697-3125
Phone: (949) 824-4622
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://merage.uci.edu/programs/mba/full-time-mba/index.html
X (Twitter): @UCIrvine_MBA