ADMISSIONS

There are currently two paths to graduating with your MBA online at Rice Business: the Experienced Track and the Early Career Track.

The Experienced Track is best suited to working professionals who have accrued three or more years of work experience before applying for the online MBA program.

However, if you are a recent graduate or an early-career professional with 0–3 years of work experience, you are eligible for the Early Career Track. There is no minimum work experience requirement, but you must have a strong undergraduate academic background.

Because the Early Career Track is currently only available for the October 2026 cohort, early application is advised. Students in the Early Career Track will join a dedicated cohort of fellow early career professionals for the first year of study before joining the mainstream online student body.

During their first academic year, Early Career Track students participate in the required Leadership Accelerator and Professional Development Seminar Series, featuring live online sessions led by faculty with alumni engagement to support career exploration, career readiness, and leadership development.

For our Experienced Track, we offer four class start dates per year: January, April, July and October. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and we review all parts of each submission. This means that we evaluate your candidacy based on a variety of elements in addition to your test scores and work experience—including your essays, virtual interview, leadership roles, community involvement and career progression. View our complete list of application requirements.

We are currently only offering an October 2026 start date for the Early Career Track.

The application fee for the online MBA is $150.

Applications are now being accepted for the following start dates: