Admissions

MHA Admission Requirements: GPA, GRE, Experience and What Schools Ask for

What Are the Admission Requirements for an MHA?

MHA requirements come down to a bachelor's degree, a GPA near 3.0, sometimes healthcare work experience, and an application sent either straight to the school or through HAMPCAS. Tests are fading: 158 of the 452 programs on this site say no GRE or GMAT is needed and 44 more let you waive it. The bigger variable is after admission, since 155 programs require an administrative residency, internship or practicum before you graduate. Use the program matcher to filter by the requirements you already meet.

Researched and edited by Taylor Rupe · Updated September 28, 2026

An applicant fills out a paper application form on a clipboard at a sunlit wooden desk — Photo: Kampus Production / Pexels

What MHA Requirements Look Like Across 452 Programs

MHA requirements are lighter than most people expect. At the core you need a bachelor’s degree, official transcripts from every college you attended, and recommendations (HAMPCAS calls them evaluations). What changes from school to school is the fine print: the GPA line, whether a test score can replace it, how much healthcare experience counts, and how you send the application.

This site tracks 452 healthcare administration master’s programs at 312 schools, and the pattern is clear. Tests are mostly gone. GPA floors cluster around 3.0, with work experience or a test score as the back door. Experience is optional for early-career tracks and mandatory for executive ones. And 155 programs build a residency, internship or practicum into the degree itself, which matters more to your schedule than anything in the admissions file.

Your bachelor’s major is rarely a gate. The BLS names health administration, nursing and business as common majors for medical and health services managers, and MHA programs admit from all three.

GPA: The 3.0 Line and the Ways Around It

Where a program’s own wording names a GPA line, it sits at or near 3.0. But the useful part is what happens below it, and several schools write that into their policies:

Louisiana State University-Shreveport admits applicants with a 2.5 to 2.99 GPA who have three years of professional work experience, and offers a GMAT route with a minimum score of 450 for applicants below its thresholds. See the LSU Shreveport online MHA.
Loma Linda University waives the GRE for applicants who meet its 3.0 minimum and requires it below that line (Loma Linda MHA).
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University accepts a GRE of 300 or a GMAT of 600 as an alternative to its 3.0 requirement (FAMU MHA).
CU Denver asks applicants with a GPA under 3.30, or fewer than three years of full-time professional experience, to submit an additional statement for its MBA in Health Administration.

So a GPA under 3.0 isn’t the end of the road. It usually means one of three things: show work experience, submit a test score, or write a stronger statement. If you apply through HAMPCAS, know that its calculated GPA counts every college course you’ve taken, including grades a school forgave under its own policy.

Do You Need the GRE or GMAT?

Probably not. Of the 452 programs, 158 say plainly that no GRE or GMAT is needed, 44 let you waive the test under stated conditions, and only 4 state that a test is required. The waivers are specific, so read them against your own record:

Program	Test policy in the school’s words	CAHME
UF MHA (full-time residential)	GRE required only for applicants without three quantitative college courses (9+ credits, grade B or better)	Yes
Auburn University at Montgomery online MHA	GMAT not required for applicants meeting the undergraduate GPA threshold	Yes
University of North Florida MHA	GRE or GMAT encouraged for applicants without professional healthcare administration experience	Yes
Wichita State MBA, Health Care Administration	Required; waived with three or more years of managerial experience, a U.S. master’s degree, or a qualifying GPA	No
University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne MHA	Required only for bachelor’s degrees from non-regionally accredited institutions	No
USC MHA	GRE/GMAT not required	Yes
NYU online MHA	GRE/GMAT optional	Yes

If you want to skip testing altogether, the MHA programs with no GRE list filters for it.

Prerequisites and Your Undergraduate Major

Few MHA programs list course prerequisites the way nursing or medical programs do. The ones that do focus on two things: quantitative preparation and a link to health or business.

UF’s rule is the clearest example of the first. Three quantitative college courses, at least 9 credits with a B or better, and the GRE disappears. If you’re short, adding a quantitative course before you apply can take the test off the table.

Samford University shows the second. Its online MHA admits applicants with a bachelor’s in a health or business-related field. With any other major, you need current healthcare experience or three years of prior healthcare experience. So an English major working as a unit clerk qualifies, and an English major working in retail doesn’t.

Requirements by the Numbers

Degree type	Programs	No GRE/GMAT	Waivable	Required	Residency or internship
MHA	216	90	22	3	102
MS / MA	94	26	7	1	30
Healthcare MBA	126	35	15	0	14
MPA	7	3	0	0	2
MPH	9	4	0	0	7

Counts of programs whose own pages state the policy, September 2026; programs that don't state a test policy aren't counted in the three test columns.

How Much Work Experience Do MHA Programs Want?

This is where program types split hardest. Early-career programs admit you straight from a bachelor’s. Executive programs want you already managing.

Program	Experience requirement
Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences MS	No prior health care experience required
Indiana University-Bloomington online MSHM	Not required; open to current undergraduates through mid-career professionals
CSU Northridge MHA	One year of paid healthcare work preferred; internships and volunteer work considered
Western Connecticut State online MHA	At least one year of full-time work experience or equivalent
GW online MHA (MHA@GW)	2 years in the health sector or 3 years in another industry, and currently employed in health care
CSU Long Beach MSHCA, accelerated	Minimum three years of U.S. health care industry experience
USC Executive MHA, online	Ideally five to seven years of health administration experience
University of Memphis Executive MHA	Minimum five years of healthcare management or clinical experience

Read “preferred” and “required” as different words. CSU Northridge prefers a year of paid work but considers internships and volunteering. GW requires current employment in health care for its online format, which rules out career changers still working elsewhere. If you have five or more years in management, the executive MHA programs are built for you and usually waive testing.

HAMPCAS or Direct: How You Actually Apply

There are two ways in. Most programs take applications on their own university portal. A smaller group uses HAMPCAS, the Healthcare Administration, Management & Policy Centralized Application Service run with AUPHA, where you fill out one application and send it to several programs.

How HAMPCAS Works

Cost: $130 for the first program and $50 for each additional one. Some programs add their own supplemental fee.
Cycle: the 2026-2027 cycle opened August 20, 2026 and closes August 6, 2027. Each program sets its own deadline inside that window.
Materials: you report every college you attended, send official transcripts to HAMPCAS, type in all your U.S. coursework, and request evaluations through the system. HAMPCAS verifies everything before releasing it to your programs.
Extra requirements: each program still sets its own rules, including test scores and supplemental applications.

Deadlines vary a lot. On the 2026-2027 list, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health closes January 15, 2027, George Washington University’s MHA closes March 15, 2027, and Concordia University-Irvine’s MHA runs to August 6, 2027. Check the Johns Hopkins MHA and Concordia University-Irvine MHA profiles for what each program adds.

A Timeline That Works

HAMPCAS’s own suggested schedule is a good plan for direct applications too. Create your account and line up recommenders at least three months before the deadline. Ask colleges to send transcripts 10 to 12 weeks out. Submit 6 to 8 weeks before the deadline, because verification takes time and a missing transcript stalls everything.

Residency, Internship and Practicum Requirements

Admission is the first hurdle. The residency is the one that shapes your life for a year. 155 programs require some form of administrative residency, internship or practicum, and the size ranges from a short project to a full year in a hospital:

Program	What you complete
UAB MSHA (residential)	9 to 12 month paid administrative residency after coursework
USC MHA	1,000-hour administrative residency under a senior-level manager
Loma Linda MHA	800-hour practicum, reduced for clinical students
UF MHA	400-hour internship between first and second year
GW MHA (residential)	Residency of at least 280 hours, usually a summer internship
Grand Canyon University MSHA	150-hour practicum and an evidence-based project
Samford online MHA	120-hour internship, or an executive-mentored project with 5+ years of experience

Working adults get options. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences pairs its 10-week summer residency with a management project for students already working full time in health care (UAMS MHA). GW lets employed students do an approved special project. If you can’t leave your job, look for that wording before you apply.

A Checklist Before You Apply

Match your GPA to a stated policy. Under 3.0, target schools like LSU Shreveport or FAMU that publish an alternative route.
Count your quantitative courses. UF waives the GRE after three quantitative courses with a B or better.
Be honest about experience. Under two years points you to early-career programs. Five or more opens executive tracks.
Decide whether you can do a residency. A 1,000-hour residency like USC’s is a different commitment from a 120-hour internship like Samford’s.
Check CAHME status. 143 programs on this site are covered by CAHME accreditation. The CAHME checker confirms any one of them, and the CAHME-accredited list shows them all.
Run the cost. Requirements are only half the decision. See whether an MHA is worth it before you commit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Get Into an MHA Program With a 2.5 GPA?

Some programs spell out a route. Louisiana State University-Shreveport admits applicants with a 2.5 to 2.99 GPA who have three years of professional work experience, and offers a GMAT route with a minimum score of 450 for applicants below its GPA thresholds.

Do You Need a Healthcare Background to Get Into an MHA?

Not for early-career programs. Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences says no prior health care experience is required, and Indiana University's online MS in Healthcare Management is open to current undergraduates. Executive tracks are different: CU Denver's Executive MBA in Health Administration requires at least five years of healthcare experience.

How Much Does HAMPCAS Cost?

HAMPCAS charges $130 for the first program and $50 for each additional program. Some programs add their own supplemental fee on top.

When Should You Start an MHA Application?

HAMPCAS suggests creating your account at least three months before your deadline, asking schools to send transcripts 10 to 12 weeks out, and submitting 6 to 8 weeks before the deadline so verification finishes in time.

Is the GRE Required for an MHA?

Rarely. Only 4 programs on this site state that a test is required outright. 158 say no test is needed and 44 allow a waiver, usually tied to your GPA, quantitative coursework or management experience.

Does an Undergraduate Business Degree Help With MHA Admission?

It can. Samford University's online MHA admits applicants with a bachelor's in a health or business-related field directly, while applicants with any other bachelor's need current or three years of prior healthcare experience.