Asia School of Business

MBA Admissions

((R/340/7/0591) (08/27) (MQA/FA7909))

Overview

Admissions Overview

We are excited about your MBA journey at Asia School of Business! Our intentionally diverse student body values intelligence, curiosity, and proactive change-makers. If you are a pioneer at heart, eager for new experiences, we warmly encourage you to apply to ASB and embody the MBA candidate profile we seek!

We are excited about your MBA journey at Asia School of Business! Our intentionally diverse student body values intelligence, curiosity, and proactive change-makers. If you are a pioneer at heart, eager for new experiences, we warmly encourage you to apply to ASB and embody the MBA candidate profile we seek!

Admissions

Admissions Deadline

The application for the 2024 MBA intake is now open!

 

ASB adheres to the following application deadlines for our 2024 intake. Applications are due at 3:00 pm Malaysia Standard Time on the deadline stated below, including all required documents and a recommendation letter.

 

ASB encourages prospective candidates to apply in Rounds 1 and 2, as the competitive nature of Round 3 applications may result in a lower chance of admittance and limit consideration for fellowships. International students are especially encouraged to apply in Rounds 1 or 2 due to the timelines for processing student visa applications.

 

For more information about ASB, reach out to us.

**Malaysian applicants

ROUND 1

Tuesday,
Oct 31, 2023

ROUND 2

Wednesday,
Jan 31, 2024

ROUND 3

Tuesday,
Apr 30, 2024

ROUND 4**

Friday,
May 31, 2024

Criteria

Admission Criteria

ASB selects candidates with a high degree of intellectual capability and emotional maturity from an impressive international pool of applicants.

Our rigorous MBA program is suited for students who have performed at a superior level in their university studies, demonstrated the ability to pursue personal goals, exhibit a high level of integrity, and have professional work experience. We expect applicants 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
  • At least 2 years of post-graduation work experience
  • Proof of English proficiency

Process

Admission process

At ASB, Action Learning is embedded into everything we do. Every semester, students can select from over a dozen Action Learning projects spread across the world depending on their industry and subject of interest.

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.

 

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 submit an updated 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.

All applicants must have a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in order to apply to the Asia School of Business MBA Program. 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 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 academic transcripts from all programs you attended that contributed to 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 Grade Point Average (GPA) 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 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; however, if you are admitted to the 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 rejection or a withdrawal of our offer of admission.

 

  • Degree Certificates/Diplomas

Please submit a copy of all diplomas/degrees certificates for programs from which you have received a degree. If the original is not in English, you are required to submit notarised 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 MBA 2024 intake, we will consider all scores taken after August 1, 2019. 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.

Important Note:

  • The Admissions Committee reserves the right to request additional supporting documents if required.

In order to obtain an international student visa to study at ASB, applicants are required to provide proof of their English proficiency. International applicants whose native language is 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):

 

  • Supporting letter to confirm English language as the medium of instruction for the undergraduate degree.
  • IELTS (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 only accept English language proficiency test scores taken within two years of the start date of the program. Therefore, for applicants planning to enter the ASB MBA program in 2024, we only accept the above English language proficiency test scores taken after August 1, 2022.

 

Applicants that are required to provide proof of English language proficiency are responsible for ensuring that their official test score reports are sent to ASB.

 

  • For IELTS, ASB’s RO name is “Asia School of Business”.
  • For TOEFL, ASB’s reporting code is B408.

Important Notes:

  • For a Malaysian national who did not complete his/her undergraduate degree in English, you are required to submit either one of the ESL test scores above in accordance with the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysian guideline.
  • ASB reserves the right to request an applicant to take one of the above-mentioned English proficiency exams.

All applicants are required to submit a video as part of their application. In no more than 1 minute, your video should introduce 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).
  • The video submission is an opportunity for you to showcase aspects of your personality that you wish to highlight to the Admissions Committee; therefore, you must appear in person in your video.
  • Be authentic and be yourself!
  • Please be sure to double-check that your video upload or video link is working fine for both the audio and video portions.

ONE Letter of Recommendation will be required for the 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.

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 recommenders who are 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 recommenders do not receive the relevant email, please ask him/her to check him/her spam/junk folders and add Asia School of Business to the list of trusted senders. If your recommender encounters difficulty submitting the online recommendation, please email admissions@asb.edu.my for assistance.
  • It is your responsibility to remind your recommenders 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 3:00 pm Malaysia Standard Time on the deadline date, including all required documents and recommendation letter:

 

Round 1: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Round 2: Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Round 3: Tuesday, 30 April 2024
Round 4: Friday, 31 May 2024 **Malaysian applicants

 

*All international students are strongly encouraged to apply in Rounds 1 or 2 due to timelines for processing international student visa applications.

 

*In exceptional circumstances, the admissions team may be in a position to grant an extension to the application deadline. In order to request one, please email admissions with the email heading: “APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENSION REQUEST” and in the email 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.  Depending on your location, the interview will be conducted in person or virtually via Zoom.

 

As part of the interview process, you are required to prepare a one-page presentation slide. Your presentation should include a brief introduction about yourself, a professional summary including your educational background, and information about your current role and company, if applicable. You may include an organization chart to show where you are within the company, as well as any leadership or extracurricular activities you have participated in as well as your career goals.

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 enough in the admissions cycle will be invited to attend various admissions events. Those interested in visiting our campus must make an appointment by reaching out to 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. Click here to view our calendar.

For information regarding the MBA tuition fees, please visit our website.

If admitted, we require a 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.

If you opt for an accommodation at the ASB Residences (ASBR), we require a minimum of MYR2,600 housing security deposit for Room Type A or more, depending on the room selection, which must be paid prior to moving into the ASB residential facilities.

Friday, 16 August 2024: 
ASB Residential facilities available for check-in
Friday, 16 August 2024 – Thursday, 22 August 2024: 
International student arrival 
Monday, 26 August 2024: 
Day 1 of Orientation

The ASB MBA program will officially kick off with a compulsory multi-week orientation program beginning August 26, 2024. All students are required to attend the full orientation 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 admissions@asb.edu.my.