Admissions Blog

How to fulfill the Quantitative Requirement for Conditional Admits

By Ciara Comerford '23
Posted Mar 28 2023

Congratulations! You have been admitted! Many students been offered a conditional acceptance but need just one more requirement before starting your time at SIPA: the quant provision.

In order to prepare for that quantitative core curriculum you’ll encounter in your first year at SIPA, the admissions office makes enrollment conditional on fulfilling a certain level of quantitative coursework. For some applicants, they’ve already completed this before applying, but for others admission is conditional on completing some coursework before arriving in August.

For those of you that did receive a conditional admission, this post is for you! I’m going to recap all the details and tips you might want to know so we can see you in the Fall.

What are the requirements?

So, you’re conditionally admitted - what do you do next?

You have two options:

  1. Take Principles of Macroeconomics AND Principles of Microeconomics

OR

  1. Take Calculus

For either of these two paths you must achieve at least a B+, although if you can do better then please do! We do require a letter grade of a B+ or higher, so Pass/Fail is not allowed.

Where should I take the class(es)?

So now you’ve decided which class(es) you’re going to take and you know you need to get a B+. Now you need to decide where to take the class.

We require all students to take the class at an accredited school, but we’re unable to endorse or name a specific school, but I do have a few pieces of advice on what to consider when choosing which program is right for you:

  • Think about your personal financial situation: some programs are cheaper than others and this may be something that you want to think about.
     
  • Is the program virtual or in person? This can be an important factor, especially if you are located outside the US.
     
  • Whether or not the program is synchronous or asynchronous can also matter to a lot of students - being able to control when you learn can be especially important for those with busy and inflexible schedules.
     
  • Using the US News list of accredited schools and colleges allows you to ensure that whichever program you choose is at an institution that is accredited. Once you find a good fit, make sure that it appears on this list. Plus, this is a helpful article to help guide you on this topic on whether or not an online course is accredited.
    • Please note that courses taken through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), Coursera, EdX, StraighterLine, Outlier, and other online services do not satisfy this requirement as they are not considered to be accredited programs.
    • Additionally, while international and non-degree based US schools are allowed, there is no comprehensive list of whether or not such programs are accredited.
    • You would need to be sure that these courses are included in your WES ICAP course by course evaluation if the course is international.
  • You may email our office with links and school details if you are unsure.

What are the deadlines for the quantitative requirement?

Finally, please note that the deadline to submit evidence of your enrollment in the summer courses of your choosing is June 30, 2023, and the deadline to complete the requirement is August 18, 2023. By this date you must have sent in your official transcripts to the admissions office confirming that you have completed the course(s) and achieved a B+. We recommend following up with our office via email when the official transcript has been sent so that it can be retrieved. You are responsible for ensuring that the course is complete and official transcript are sent to us by the deadline.

Why do I even need to do this?

We completely understand that this seems like a lot of work for future students to undergo, but the quantitative curriculum that includes Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and Quantitative Analysis is an integral part of the core program at SIPA. Ensuring that every admitted student is confident in the basics of these subjects makes sure that no one is left behind once classes start, and that every student is set up for success. Admissions is only looking out for your interest when determining whether you need to take additional quant courses this summer. 

I still have questions, what should I do?

If you still have any questions or would like to make sure that your plans are in line with these requirements then feel free to shoot us an email at [email protected], or sign up for office hours with a staff member here - we’d love to help!

We’re so excited to have you as part of our community at SIPA. See you in August!