How to Apply to Business at the University of Arizona Eller College: Enter as a Business Management Major, Complete the Foundation, Then Apply for Professional Admission, with Requirements and Timeline for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

At the University of Arizona in Tucson, undergraduate business is taught by the Eller College of Management. The main degree is the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA); Eller also offers a BA in Economics and a BS in Integrated Business and Engineering. The BSBA has a foundational phase and a professional phase, and the professional phase requires a separate application. Here is what you need to know, based on the University of Arizona’s official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. Two-phase admission

• Apply to the university first: main-campus BSBA students are admitted as Business Management majors; Economics BA and Integrated Business and Engineering BS students enter those majors directly.
• Foundational phase: courses in accounting, business math and statistics, writing, economics, MIS and business communication.
• Professional Admission: after the foundation, apply to the upper-division program. Eligible students are guaranteed Business Management and may apply to other business majors, some competitive. Economics and Integrated Business and Engineering follow posted prerequisites instead.
• Majors: Eller’s majors page says the BSBA has nine majors; the transfer page lists Accounting, Business Economics, Business Management, Entrepreneurship (separate application), Finance, Marketing, MIS and Operations Management. The numbers differ; check the site when you apply.

2. Applying for Professional Admission

• Eligibility:
  • cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 (only the UA GPA counts once you have 12+ graded UA units);
  • at least 36 units, on track for 50 by the end of the application semester;
  • foundation courses: ACCT 200 and 210 (one complete); MATH 116, BNAN 276 and BNAN 277 (two complete; an approved calculus course can replace MATH 116); a writing sequence such as ENGL/WRIT 101 and 102; ECON 200 or ECON 201A/201B; MIS 111 and 112; BCOM 214. In-progress courses must be passed that semester.
• Accounting and Finance: from the spring 2027 application (summer or fall 2027 start), you need a C or higher in ACCT 200 (or an equivalent) within the last 8 years.
• Process: attend an online orientation, submit the application ($55 fee), meet an advisor, upload a cover letter and resume, and take part in an interview (a one-minute introduction plus a values case that changes each semester).
• Major placement: list three choices. Outside Business Management, applicants are ranked on cumulative GPA, foundation GPA and the combined cover letter, resume and interview score.
• Admission with Excellence: a 3.75 cumulative GPA and 3.75 foundation GPA guarantee your first-choice major.
• Timeline (spring 2027 cohort): applications due 18 September 2026, documents by 21 September, interviews 25–26 September, decisions around 9 October.

3. Students at high schools in China

• Applying to the university: apply through the Common App. Required high school courses: 4 years of English, 4 of math, 3 of laboratory science, 2 of social science, 2 of a second language and 1 of fine arts or career and technical education.
• Testing: SAT/ACT are not required for general admission; scores can help with placement or competency requirements.
• Gaokao, A-level, IB, AP: the pages reviewed publish no score conversions for Chinese qualifications; use the transfer credit tool for AP and college credit.
• English (for admission): IELTS 6.5; TOEFL iBT 79 (4 on the post-January 2026 scale); Duolingo 110; PTE 60; Cambridge 180; or SAT EBRW 580 / ACT English 21. Scores must be within two years of applying.
• English (for Professional Admission): students admitted as international students must have TOEFL 79 (4 new scale), IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 110, SAT EBRW 580 / ACT English 21, CEPT 110 or a CESL endorsement on file when they apply.

4. Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver)

• Academics: the same course requirements apply; conversions for BC or Ontario grades are not published, so ask Admissions.
• English: three years at a high school where the medium of instruction is English, with a C or better in English, meets the requirement through coursework.

5. Transfer students

• University requirements: 12+ transferable credits after high school; a minimum 2.0 cumulative college GPA; applicants under 22 must also meet core competency requirements.
• Into Eller: transfers also enter as Business Management majors and use Professional Admission; the transfer GPA counts every attempt at every institution and must be 2.75. Community college students may apply for Professional Admission in their final semester while their UA application is in progress.
• Upper-division credit: 300/400-level BSBA requirements accept only upper-division courses from AACSB-accredited schools, reviewed by syllabus.
• Deadlines: spring 2027, 1 December 2026; fall 2027, opens 1 January and closes 1 June 2027.

6. Deadlines

• First-year, fall 2027: opens 1 August 2026; Early Action 1 November (priority for admission, merit aid and the Honors College); decisions from 15 January 2027. Later applications follow Regular Decision on a space-available basis. Enrollment deposit by 1 May.
• Application fee: $80 for non-Arizona residents, non-refundable.

7. Costs

• Nonresident estimate: tuition and fees $44,400, housing and food $17,770, books $600, travel and miscellaneous $5,000, for about $67,770. The table is labelled “2026-2026 figures”, which appears to be a typo.
• Tuition freeze: tuition and mandatory fees will not rise in 2027-28 for undergraduates, including nonresidents.
• Eller differential tuition: Eller’s transfer page notes a differential for the professional phase, but the current amount is not published (the figures shown are for 2022-23); use the tuition calculator.
• Scholarships: applicants are reviewed automatically for merit aid; apply early.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Apply through the Common App by 1 November 2026 for the BSBA (entering as a Business Management major)
• IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 79 (4 new scale); international students need this on file for Professional Admission
• Complete the foundation courses with a GPA of 2.75+, aiming for 3.75
• Prepare a cover letter, resume and interview

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Meet the same course requirements; three years at an English-medium school can satisfy English

Transfer students:

• 12+ credits and a 2.0 GPA for university admission; 36 units, 2.75 GPA and foundation courses for Professional Admission
• Fall deadline 1 June; spring deadline 1 December

Sources: The University of Arizona, Eller first-year admissions; BSBA Professional Admission; Eller transfer students; Eller undergraduate majors; Eller international students; International undergraduate admissions; First-year application; Deadlines; Transfer admission; Undergraduate costs. Information is for fall 2027 entry. Check the University of Arizona for the latest details.