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

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions in the Mitchell Bldg administers the Smith School of Business at College Park admission process. Applications to the Smith School can be accessed here. For questions, call 301-314-8385 or e-mail lep@umd.edu.

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 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 a minimum grade of "C", 2.000 equivalent, 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.)
  • Students must be in the process of completing BMGT 221 and Econ 200 or 201 in the semester in which they reach 60 credits. Students should have completed 50% of CORE by the time they have reached 60 credits.

Internal and External Transfer Students

Internal and external transfer students may apply to compete for admission to the Smith School of Business after they have earned 45 credits, and if accepted, will be provisionally admitted for the semester following the completion of their 60th credit. Admission will be finalized once all requirements are confirmed at the end of the following semester. Below are the current admission standards.

  • 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 the university's general education requirements.
    • Completion of Gateway courses, all with "C" (2.000 equivalent) 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, 130 or 140 Calculus I
      • BMGT2301 or 2312 (or equivalent) Business Statistics
  • 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.
  • Students may be in the process of completing BMGT 221 and ECON 200 or 201 in the semester in which they apply for admission but must have successfully completed all gateway courses by the end of the current semester. Students should have completed 50% of CORE by the time they have reached 60 credits.
  • Only one “gateway” or performance review course may be repeated to earn the required grade and that course may only be repeated once. This repeat must occur no later than the semester in which the student is applying for admission. Students may not repeat a gateway course that was first taken in the semester in which they apply for admission to the Smith School.
  • Application Deadlines for Transfer Students: Completed applications, transcripts and all supporting documents must be received not later than:
    • Fall Semester:
      • March 15th
      • June 15th
    • Spring Semester:
      • November 1st
  • Applications to the Smith School can be accessed here.  For questions, call 301-314-8385 or e-mail lep@umd.edu.

1 The following courses are approved substitutes for BMGT230: BIOM301, CCJS200, ECON321, EDMS451, GEOG306, PSYC200, and SOCY201.
2 The following courses are approved substitutes for BMGT231: ENCE302, ENEE324, ENME392, or STAT400.

Frequently Asked Admissions Questions

1. I have not yet completed Accounting II and the second Economics course needed for admission. What is the latest I can complete these courses and be considered for admission?

Students may be in the process of completing BMGT 221 (Accounting II) and the second economics course (ECON 200 or ECON 201) in their fourth semester—or the 3rd semester in which they apply for admission at 45-credits earned. However, all grades and documentation to confirm successful completion of all gateway courses with a “C” grade or better and 60 credit hours earned must be received by the end of the following semester.

2. 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, General Business with specialization in Entrepreneurship, and International Business, 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. 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 or lglasgow@rhsmith.umd.edu for additional information.

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

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.

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

Please go to the Transfer Credit Center website 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 College Park, and if they are equivalent to UM courses. To have a course evaluated, take the course description and syllabus to the Transfer Credit Center or to the appropriate department after you have been admitted.

5. 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.

6. 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. You may apply to Shady Grove and to College Park at the same time, indicating your 1st preference.

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

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has a Coordinator of Limited Enrollment Programs 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 at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions (located on the ground floor of the Mitchell Bldg) 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?

All Smith Undergraduate Fellows programs are restricted to BMGT majors. As a prospective student, you may access the Smith online portal, UNet, to submit your application online. Your acceptance would be provisional, based upon the final admission decision. For more information and to apply, please click here.

10. Will I be admitted if I complete all the admission criteria and have at least a 3.000 overall grade point average?

Admission to the Smith School is competitive for a limited number of spaces at both locations (College Park and Shady Grove). Therefore a 3.000 overall grade point average does not guarantee admission to the Smith School. It is strongly recommended that students applying to the Smith School have alternative majors in place in case they are not admitted to the Smith School.