Undergraduate Program - Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park

Admission Standards
for the Robert H. Smith School of Business at College Park

All students will apply for admission to The Robert H. Smith School of Business by submitting an application to:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions,
1st Floor, Mitchell Building
Phone: (301) 314-8385

Admission to the Smith School is competitive. Admission requirements and policies may be subject to change. Please check online for the most up-to-date information, dates and locations of information sessions. Also, please refer to the Frequently Asked Admission Questions section below to get answers to many of your admission questions. Upper-division BMGT programs are offered at both College Park and at the Universities at Shady Grove in Montgomery County.

Freshmen

Direct admission to the Smith School is offered on a space-available basis to first-time applicants who present the most competitive academic records. All students admitted directly to BMGT as freshmen must demonstrate satisfactory progress.

All students admitted as freshmen must demonstrate satisfactory progress (2.0 GPA or better) plus completion of Gateway courses (BMGT 220, BMGT 230, ECON 200 or 201, and MATH 220 or 140--each with "C" or better) by the semester they reach 45 credits (excluding AP & ESL), at which time they will be reviewed in order to continue in the BMGT major. (Note: Only one repeat of one single course to the set of Gateway courses will be accepted to remain in BMGT. Appeals will be considered.)

Internal and External Transfer Students

Students who began at UMCP or a Maryland System School in Spring 2004 through Spring 2005 were grandfathered under the Spring 2001 admission standards, through Spring 2007. At this time all students must meet the current admission standards, detailed below.

All students applying for admission to BMGT as transfer students—whether internal transfers already enrolled at UMCP or external transfer students entering the university for the first time—will be subject to competitive admission for a limited number of spaces in the BMGT program at each program location.
To be considered for admission, applicants must complete the following requirements:
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA (preferred, may vary based upon the applicant pool)
- Minimum junior standing (60 credits earned)
- Completion of 50% of lower-level university core requirements
- Completion of Gateway courses, all with "C" or better:
  - BMGT 220 & 221 Principles of Accounting I & II
  - ECON 200 & 201 Principles of Micro- & Macro-Economics
  - ENGL 101 Introduction to Writing
  - MATH 220 or 140 Calculus I
  - BMGT 230 Business Statistics or equivalent
Co-curricular involvement, leadership experience and honors and awards will also be considered in the admission decision. Students are strongly encouraged to submit with their applications a resume and letter detailing their accomplishments and experience.
Application Deadlines for Transfer Students: Completed applications, transcripts and all supporting documents must be received not later than:
- Fall Semester:
  - 1st business day of June (Priority Deadline)
  - 1st business day of August (Final Deadline)
- Spring Semester:
  - 1st business day of December (Priority Deadline)
  - 5th business day in January (Final Deadline)
Note: For external transfer applicants in the Spring, all transcripts and supporting documentation must be received by the 10th business day of January.
Please submit completed applications to:
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Attn: LEP Coordinator
Mitchell Building
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-5235

Frequently Asked Admissions Questions

1. I have heard about the BMGT Program at Shady Grove. What is this?

The Smith School offers the upper division portions of four majors—Accounting, Marketing, International Business, and General Business with specialization in Entrepreneurship through the Universities at Shady Grove, located in Montgomery County. The Smith School program at Shady Grove is taught by the same corps of faculty, consists of the same coursework, and has the same entrance requirements as those offered at UMCP. Students may apply directly to the Shady Grove program, and may also apply to both Shady Grove and College Park. Admission is competitive at both locations, due to capacity limitations. All students who wish to apply for admission to the Shady Grove campus may contact Associate Director Luke Glasgow at 301-738-6079 for additional information.

2. Are my grades and credits from another college or another major counted in the GPA I need to be admitted to BMGT?

Yes. All grades from all coursework taken anywhere are included. All credits previously attempted are included when calculating your total number of credits, regardless of how many are transferable to the University of Maryland. You are required to submit transcripts for all coursework previously taken. Advanced Placement and ESL credits, however, need not be included in the number of credits completed for purposes of meeting admission requirements.

3. How can I find out if the courses I took at my previous college transfer to the University of Maryland?

Please refer to the Transfer Credit Center Web site and click on transfer course look-up, then click on the state where your previous school is located, then click on the school. You can see if courses from your previous institution transfer to the University of Maryland at College Park, and if they are equivalent to UMD courses. To have a course evaluated you need to take the course description and course syllabus from that course to the Transfer Credit Center or to the appropriate department after you have been admitted.

4. How will I know for sure that I will be admitted? May I indicate a preference for program location?

You will be evaluated for admission in a competitive pool of other applicants for the same semester. You may indicate your preference of program location in your cover letter. Current campus location is taken into account in the admission decision; however, the admission committee will offer placement to either College Park or Shady Grove business program, based upon capacity in the program and the strength of your application. While we understand the preference of many students to study on the main campus, space limitations prevent us from accommodating all of the admitted students at the Smith School at College Park.

5. If I am not admitted, may I apply again the next semester?

You can apply once only to each program location—College Park or Shady Grove. If you apply to College Park and are not accepted, you may apply to Shady Grove. Alternatively, you may apply to Shady Grove and College Park at the same time, indicating your first preference.

6. When shall I apply for admission?

If you have completed all of the gateway courses by the end of spring semester, you should submit your application by the priority deadline of the first business day of June. Approximately 2/3 of the fall entering class will be admitted from this priority deadline pool. If you need to complete gateway courses or improve your GPA, you can apply after the first summer session, for the final deadline of the first business day of August. The priority deadline for spring semester is the first business day of December and the final spring deadline is the 5th business day in January. NOTE: All transcripts and supporting documentation must be received by the final deadline (exception: for external transfer applicants in the Spring, all transcripts and supporting documentation must be received by the 10th business day of January.). You cannot complete requirements in summer session II or winter term and apply for immediate admission to the fall or spring semesters, respectively.

7. Who can I talk with to assess my chances of admission to BMGT?

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has a Limited Enrollment Counselor who is knowledgeable about the requirements and strategies for admission to the Smith School. (Please call 301-314-8385.) These counselors offer walk-in hours during the Fall and Spring semesters from 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Monday and Thursday. Their summer hours are Wednesday and Thursday from 1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. In addition, regular information sessions are offered by the Admissions Office throughout the year. Please check the Admissions Office Web site, and/or here.

8. How can I be advised if I want to go on Study Abroad?

If you wish to study abroad prior to your admission to BMGT, you will be advised by your current advisor to enroll in non-business courses, or business courses which have already been approved as equivalent by the university and articulated in the Transfer Credit Center database (TCEQ). The Smith School strongly discourages study abroad in your 1st semester in BMGT.

9. Will I be able to apply to BMGT Honors and/or Smith Fellows Programs for my 1st semester in BMGT?

Undergraduate Fellows programs are restricted to BMGT majors. Because applications are taken to BMGT Honors and other fellows programs during the spring semester, you would be permitted to access the Smith online portal, UNet, to submit your application online, but you must submit your transcript and letters of recommendation on paper to the Smith School Undergraduate Studies Office by the deadline date. At this time, prospective BMGT majors are only eligible to apply for BMGT Honors. Click here for more information and to apply.