Admission requirements

Profile of a successful applicant

At GIBS we have a rigorous selection procedure to admit the best possible class from the large applicant pool and to ensure that our students are likely to succeed – a total of 200 students are admitted across our three classes.

Evaluate yourself against this checklist to see whether you could qualify for a place in our MBA programme:

A minimum of a bachelors degree
Five years’ work experience, at least two years of which must have been at management level
Leadership potential (your experience, letters of reference and application essays should all reveal that you can assume a leadership role in the world of work)
Good English language skills to actively participate in academic debate
A minimum of matric-level Mathematics
Competence in the use of a scientific or financial calculator
Competence in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and a web browser
Postgraduate level of intellectual ability (as assessed via GIBS entrance test or GMAT)
A high level of energy, maturity and ambition and commitment to enhancing your career.

The average age of the GIBS MBA student is 32 years.

MBA Admission Requirements

Degree
A bachelors or higher level degree. Occasionally GIBS accepts a few non-degreed applicants who have exceptional career records, have completed any other tertiary qualification and achieved above average scores on our selection test. Non-degreed applicants must provide copies of their matriculation certificates.

Work experience
A minimum of five years’ work experience, of which at least two years should have been at managerial level.
Mathematics
Matriculation certificate-level competence in Mathematics.

You meet the GIBS MBA requirements, what’s the next step?

Once you have examined the MBA admission requirements and feel qualified to apply for the MBA degree, you can begin the application process.

Be sure to read through the application process before you complete any forms or book your entrance test. We advise that you prepare your application essays before you start filling out the application form. The essay topics can be found on the application process page.

If you meet the requirements for the MBA, you will need to fill in the online MBA application form, supply all the required and relevant information, and follow the application process correctly. In order to qualify for the GIBS MBA, you must complete the entrance test or the Graduate Management Admission Test. You will also have to ask your referees to complete the electronic reference forms which they can submit directly to GIBS.

What to expect

Visit the curriculum page to read about core courses, elective courses, the compulsory global module and the integrative business research project.

The programme schedule is also available online.