MMH

The Cornell Graduate School application forms are available online.   The application includes two essays: one personal statement and one MMH-specific question addressing your experience and career interests.  You can begin the application for no charge, but a $70 fee will be required when you submit it.

You will need to upload a résumé (curriculum vitae) that indicates your education and employment history up to your online application.  Please include specific start and end dates for the positions you have held (i.e., use month and year, such as March 2004–May 2005 instead of just 2004–2005).

Send official academic transcripts from all colleges/universities you have attended to our office (see address below).  Transcripts should indicate all courses you have taken, grades received in each, degree you earned, and date the degree was conferred. 

You must have a bachelor's degree or equivalent to be eligible to apply. If your transcript is not in English, please submit an official and certified English translation of it in addition to an original copy.  If you earned your degree outside the U.S., you may wish to contact an agency such as World Education Services to evaluate your credentials.

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is required of all applicants.  We do not accept GRE scores.  Use code 5JW-C3-61 when filling out the GMAT registration to have your scores sent to us.  Over the past three years, successful applicants averaged a GMAT total score above 630.

Two letters of evaluation are required.  At least one should be from a recent employer who can attest to your work-related skills and the second may be from either an academic or additional professional source.  MMH evaluation forms are available in the online application.

Applicants are required to complete an interview either on-campus or off-campus.  On-campus interviews are conducted by faculty or staff members, and off-campus interviews are conducted by MMH alumni. Applicants to either campus can interview on either campus.  We encourage you to request your interview early in the application process.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is required of applicants whose native language is not English, with some exceptions.  Those who have received at least two years of university-level instruction in English, at a university located in a country whose official language is English, are not required to take the TOEFL or IELTS exams but are welcome to do so.  Results of both exams are valid for two years.

TOEFL: The following minimum scores in each section of the TOEFL exam are required: 20 in writing, 15 in listening, 20 in reading, and 22 in speaking.  Use Cornell's Institutional Code of 2098 and the School of Hotel Administration Department Code of 80 when submitting your TOEFL test scores.  Cornell's Graduate School provides more information about minimum TOEFL score subsection requirements and score reporting.

IELTS: A minimum score of 6 (overall and in each subsection) in the academic module of the IELTS exam is required.  Request that your scores be sent to the School of Hotel Administration (Graduate Admissions) through your IELTS testing center.  IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.

International students may also be required to pass a writing benchmark. All of our classes are in English and require participation in class discussions, as well as intensive writing, reading, and involvement in group projects.  Successful candidates will have a full command of both spoken and written English.  Even if your TOEFL/IELTS score exceeds the minimum requirement, you may still be required to enroll in an intensive English course, preferably in the United States, before you begin the program.

International students who are admitted to the MMH program are required to complete a Financial Responsibility Form (FRF) for the Ithaca campus [PDF 33KB] or the Singapore campus [PDF 33KB] that certifies you can cover the cost of tuition for the full year of the program.  Submission of this form is required before an I-20 form (needed to obtain a visa to study in the United States) can be released.  For additional information about immigration requirements, please contact the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) at Cornell or the International Student Centre at Nanyang Technological University.  Each office can help with a variety of issues, from travel information to immigration status, to campus orientation, and more.