Overview
Admissions Overview
We are delighted you are considering earning your MBA Degree at the Asia School of Business (ASB). We are proud to admit a diverse class of students from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds. Our ideal candidates are smart, curious, and thoughtful decision-makers who want to initiate change both in their organizations and globally. We welcome your application to our Executive MBA Program and look forward to working with you during the application process!
Deadlines
Admissions Deadlines
The application for the 2025 Executive MBA intake is now open!
ASB encourages prospective students to apply in Round 1 as this round is less competitive. An early submission also allows for more time to work with your employer to negotiate the required time out of the office. However, we understand this may not be possible. If you submit your application after the Round 2 deadline, ASB will evaluate your application on a space-available basis using rolling admissions. If you have questions throughout the process, please reach out to the Executive MBA admissions team at emba.admissions@asb.edu.my.
ROUND 1
Friday,
May 31, 2024
ROUND 2
Friday,
Aug 30, 2024
ROUND 3
Thursday,
Oct 31, 2024
Criteria
Admissions Criteria
ASB selects candidates with a high degree of intellectual capability and emotional maturity from an impressive pool of domestic and international applicants. Our rigorous MBA program is suited for students who have a proven track record of professional and educational success. We seek and encourage students of both traditional and non-traditional paths who exhibit a high level of integrity and a strong desire to pursue their educational goals.
Applicants need to meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for admission:
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognized institution with a minimum 2.5 CGPA on a 4.0 scale
- Approximately 8 years or more work experience
- Proof of English proficiency
- Employed full time
Process
Admission process
Online Application
Prospective students complete the application and all necessary components. There is no application fee.
Evaluation
The application is read and reviewed by the Admissions Committee and a decision is made whether the applicant will be invited to interview.
Interview
Successful applicants are invited for an in-person or online interview with a member of the Admissions Committee.
Decision
The Admissions Committee decides whether to admit the applicant to the program.
Instructions
Application Instructions
We are looking forward to getting to know you better through your online application. As you move through the online application, please be sure to read the instructions closely for each section. We encourage you to provide as much information in your application as possible. For more information on how to write an extraordinary ASB application, read our article here.
The application for the 2025 Executive MBA intake is now open. Application details and instructions are subject to change prior to the opening date.
The online application requires you to submit a number of personal, academic and employment details. ASB reserves the right not to review applications that are incomplete, do not meet our minimum requirements, or do not comply with the application instructions. Additionally, in order to submit a completed application, the below materials are required.
Please write a one-page cover letter to introduce yourself to the Admissions Committee. The cover letter should be succinct and include information on your past experiences, record of achievements, your goals for the future, and how the ASB Executive MBA can help you achieve them.
Focus on answering the following questions:
- Why do you want to pursue an Executive MBA from ASB?
- How will you contribute to the learning experience in this program?
- Any additional information you would like the Admissions Committee to know that may be helpful in evaluating your candidacy. (i.e. something you feel strongly about that is not articulated elsewhere in your application, your choice of recommenders, areas of concern in your academic record, any employment gaps (particularly those exceeding 3 months, other extenuating circumstances, etc.)
Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence, should be addressed to the ASB Admissions Committee (500 words or fewer).
Please submit a resume that includes your work experience and educational experience in reverse chronological order. It should focus on accomplishments and indicate dates by month/year. Extracurricular and other information appropriate to a business resume are welcomed and encouraged. Please ensure your resume is reflective of any employment gaps you might have. You may refer to the ASB resume template here.
Your resume should NOT exceed 2 pages in length.
Please submit a copy of your current company’s organizational chart. The chart should provide an overview of your direct report and team structure, which will offer insights into your managerial experience and scope of responsibilities within the organization.
All applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent (Malaysian MQA equivalent, APEL-A is accepted) in order to apply to the Asia School of Business. Applicants with an equivalent of a bachelor’s degree (particularly if your transcript or degree certificate does not explicitly state it is a bachelor’s degree) must provide an official explanation from your academic institution or governing body (i.e., Ministry of Higher Education) that clarifies the equivalency of your qualification to a bachelor’s degree. This can be especially important for university degrees that do not adhere to the 4.0 cumulative grade-point average (CGPA) system.
- Transcripts
Please scan and upload copies of your official academic transcripts from all diplomas/degrees/certificates/testamurs for programs which you have received a degree.
If a transcript is not written in English, you must provide a notarised translation. The original and the notarised English translation should be scanned and uploaded as part of your application.
If your educational institution does not use a 4.0 grading scale, you must ensure that your transcripts include a description of the grading scale. If your transcripts do not provide this information, you must submit supplemental official documentation describing the grading scale used. It will also be useful if you can provide supplemental official documentation that indicates the grade-point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale based on the grades or points awarded by your academic institution, or upload a CGPA equivalent calculation using Scholaro’s GPA Calculator. You should include the supplemental document(s) within your transcript document upload when adding the institution within the “Academic History” section of the application. You may also provide a credential evaluation report from services such as WES or ECE (General with GPA).
An “unofficial” or student copy of transcripts can be provided during the application stage. However, if you are admitted to the Executive MBA program, you will be required to submit an official transcript signed and sealed from every school attended that contributed to a degree. Any discrepancies between the scanned transcripts and official transcripts may result in a candidate’s rejection or a withdrawal of our offer of admission.
- Degree Certificates/Diplomas
Please scan and upload copies of all diploma/degree certificates from all programs you have received a degree, an equivalent qualification and/or other professional qualification.
If a transcript is not written in English, you must provide a notarised English translation. You should upload your diploma/degree certificate as a separate document upload when adding the institution within the “Academic History” section of the application.
While not required, the ASB Admissions Committee encourages all applicants to submit a valid GMAT, GRE, or Executive Assessment (EA) score as part of their application. We accept GMAT, GRE, or EA and have no preference for one over the other.
Test scores are only valid for five years. Therefore, for those applying to the ASB Executive MBA 2025 intake, we will consider all scores taken after January 1, 2020. We ask that you also include percentiles when submitting your score. You may self-report your scores within your application and have your official GMAT or GRE scores sent to Asia School of Business.
- There is no program code required for the GMAT or EA
- MBA GRE School Code: 7568
The Admissions Committee reserves the right to request additional supporting documents if required.
In order to obtain an international student visa to attend ASB, applicants are required to provide proof of their English proficiency. International applicants whose native language is English OR who have received a university undergraduate degree taught in English automatically fulfil this requirement.
All other international applicants must provide proof of their English language proficiency by submitting one of the following supporting document or valid test scores (the minimum required score is in brackets):
- IELTS Academic (Overall band 6.0)
- TOEFL (Internet-based (60), Essentials (Online) (8.5))
- Cambridge English Advanced/Proficiency (169)
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic (59)
- Malaysian University English Test (MUET) (Band 4)
We will only accept English language proficiency test scores taken within two years of the start date of the intake you are applying for. Therefore, for applicants planning to enter the Executive MBA program in 2025, we only accept the above English language proficiency test scores taken after January 1, 2023.
Applicants who are required to provide proof of English language proficiency are responsible for ensuring that their official test score report is sent to ASB.
- For IELTS, ASB’s RO name is “Asia School of Business”
- For TOEFL, ASB’s reporting code is B408
Please submit a one-minute video that introduces yourself to the ASB community. Your video will help the Admissions Committee to get to know you better, to learn more about your passions, accomplishments and aspirations, and to understand what unique qualities set you apart from your peers.
Important Notes:
- The video should not exceed 1:00 minute total in length
- You may upload your video OR host your video externally (i.e., YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox); Please ensure that you provide an unprotected link (no password required)
- You must appear in person in your video
- Be authentic and be yourself!
ONE Letter of Recommendation will be required for the Executive MBA application. However, we request you to provide a backup recommender’s contact information in the event of an additional reference will be required.
Professional recommendations are preferred from individuals who are able to speak with certainty about your professional achievements and potential. We do not accept recommendations from family members or friends.
Letter of Recommendation
The first recommender must submit an online recommendation. We do not accept any recommendation via email.
ASB utilizes the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation online form. Please choose your recommender who is able to provide specific answers to the following questions:
- Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization. (Maximum word count: 50 words)
- How does the performance of the applicant compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? (E.g., what are the applicant’s principal strengths?) (Maximum word count: 500 words)
- Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (Maximum word count: 500 words)
- Is there anything else we should know? (Optional)
More information about the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation can be found here.
Important Notes:
- Applicants must input the name and contact information for each recommender, including their email address. Upon saving the information, the first recommender will receive an email with recommendation instructions. We prefer that a professional or academic email address be used for the recommender – not a personal one.
- Several corporate servers block our recommendation emails. We encourage you to confirm with your recommender that he/she has received the email request. If your recommender does not receive the relevant email, please ask him/her to check their spam/junk folders and add Asia School of Business (emba.admissions@asb.edu.my) to the list of trusted senders. If your recommender encounters difficulty in submitting the online recommendation, please contact the Admissions Office for assistance.
- It is the applicants’ responsibility to remind their recommender of the application deadline in order for the application to be completed on time. An application will not be considered complete until the recommendation has been submitted.
Important Notes
Applications are due by 3:00pm Malaysia Standard Time on the deadline date, including all required documents and recommendation letter:
- Round 1: Friday, May 31, 2024
- Round 2: Friday, Aug 30, 2024
- Round 3: Thursday, Oct 31, 2024
All international students are encouraged to apply as early as possible to allow sufficient timelines for international student visa applications.
In exceptional circumstances, the admissions team may grant an extension to the application deadline. In order to request for one, please email admissions with the email heading: “APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENSION REQUEST” and explain why you are requesting for an extension. Extensions are at the discretion of the admissions team and all decisions are final.
There is no application fee required at this time.
Interviews will be scheduled by invitation only, after an initial evaluation of a completed application. Invited applicants will be notified by email and provided a link to register for the interview. The interview will be conducted in-person or virtually via Zoom.
The Admissions Committee gives every application the fullest possible review and does not consider appeals of admissions decisions. All applicants are informed of admission decisions through the online application system, including those who do not get invited to interview.
Applicants admitted to the program early in the admissions cycle will be invited to attend various admissions events. Those interested in visiting our campus must make an appointment by writing to emba.admissions@asb.edu.my with 2-3 suggested dates and times.
ASB also hosts several public admissions events in Kuala Lumpur and around the world. For a full list of admissions events, please click here.
For information regarding the Executive MBA tuition fees, please visit our EMBA Program page.
If admitted, we require an MYR10,000 enrollment deposit to secure your place in the class. Enrollment deposits are due according to the deadline listed in the admission decision letter.
The ASB Executive MBA Program will officially kick-off with a two-week mandatory orientation beginning Jan 2025. All students are required to attend in person at the start of the program.
*Schedule and dates are subject to change
The ASB Admissions team is here to support you. If you have any questions, please email us at emba.admissions@asb.edu.my.
Contact Us
Asia School of Business (DU046(W))
Bangunan Akademik ASB,
11, Jalan Dato’ Onn,
50480, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
info@asb.edu.my
+603 2023 3000
Contact Us to learn more about Asia School of Business. (DU046(W))