Waiver exams present an opportunity for students to waive the corresponding core course by demonstrating knowledge mastery in a particular subject area. If you have extensive academic or professional experience in the subject matter being tested, we encourage you to try an exam. This option allows you to delve into more advanced electives earlier in your academic journey.
Before the start of the first Fall semester of the program, matriculated students will be able to take waiver exams during an established time window. These exams are administered only once for each incoming class, so students are encouraged to take the exam if they are interested in waiving an eligible core course during the fall or spring semester of their first year with the program.
Students may also choose to participate in the Automatic Waivers process if they hold eligible credentials for the Finance and/or Accounting courses.
Financial Accounting | MBA 202
- Passed the CPA exams administered by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Accountants with comparable international certifications may also request a waiver.
- And/Or passed level II of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam
Introduction to Finance | MBA 203
- Passed level III of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam
Past academic or relevant professional experiences will not be considered in place of the required certificates or exam results.
Waiver exams are graded by faculty on a Pass/No Pass basis. Due to the high exam volume, faculty members are not able to share individualized exam performance feedback beyond the general Pass/No Pass assessment.
Waiving a core course does not reduce the total number of units needed to graduate. To replace units due to waiving a course, students can either take an additional MBA elective(s) or take an upper-division UC Berkeley course outside of Haas.
More information about waiver exams will be available through the New Admits website for incoming classes.