Admission Criteria
Fall Admission 2026
Applicants must meet the minimum eligibility criteria to be considered for admission to the PhD Management Programme.
Admission is purely merit-based and rests solely on the following criteria:
- Academic Record;
- Performance in the Admission Test;
- Research Statement (Research Statement Template);
- Two Letters of Recommendation;
- Online Application Submission;
- Online Submission of Supporting Documents and Fee Payment; and
- Interview (if called)
To be considered for admission evaluation, ensure all steps are completed on or before the stipulated deadline.
Note: These are the minimum requirements that applicants need to fulfil in order to be eligible to apply. Fulfillment of these criteria does not guarantee admission to LUMS. Admission decisions made by the University are final.
Academic Record
A minimum of 18 years of education is required for applying to the PhD Management Programme.
Applicants are required to have obtained their Undergraduate and/or Graduate degrees related to Management, including but not limited to Economics, Accounting, Finance, and Operations. We welcome applications from other fields as well, especially from Social Sciences and Engineering, but such applicants may be required to complete some non-credit coursework.
Applicants who have obtained their degrees from institutions that are not listed with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, will be required to obtain an Equivalence Certificate from the HEC. For further information, visit: www.hec.gov.pk
As a minimum academic performance, all applicants must have obtained a CGPA of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4) or First Division (60% in the annual system) in their Master’s degree (MPhil/MS/Equivalent).
Note:
Applicants completing their last degree by May 30, 2026, are also eligible to apply for Fall 2026 admission.
Test Requirement
Applicants are required to take One (1) of the following tests to be considered for Fall 2026 admissions:
Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
GMAT scores are valid for Five (5) years. Scores of GMAT taken before April 26, 2021, will not be considered valid for the Fall 2026 admission. For further details, visit www.mba.com
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
GRE (General) scores are valid for Five (5) years. Scores of GRE (General) taken before April 26, 2021, will not be considered valid for the Fall 2026 admission. For further details, visit www.ets.org
NTS GAT (General)
NTS GAT (General) scores are valid for Two (2) years. Scores of NTS (General) taken before April 26, 2024, will not be considered valid for Fall 2026 admission. Moreover, a cumulative score of 60 in GAT (General) is the minimum requirement for admission. For further information, visit www.nts.org.pk
LGAT (LUMS Graduate Admission Test)
LUMS Graduate Admission Test (LGAT) will be conducted only once for Fall 2026 admission at the designated cities of Pakistan. LUMS Graduate Admission Test (LGAT) includes Quantitative, Verbal, and Analytical sections. The LGAT Scores will be valid only for Fall 2026 admission. The LGAT scores will be used for application evaluation and will not be disclosed to applicants.
Note:
If the applicant has taken more than one test or attempt, the best score of a single test or attempt will be considered for application evaluation.
The GMAT/GRE (General) is offered as a Computer adaptive test worldwide. The LUMS code to receive official GRE (General)/GMAT scores from Pearson and ETS is 0679.
Submission
The admission application will be considered for evaluation after the successful completion of the following four (4) STEPS by the applicants on or before the stipulated deadlines:
Online admission application submission;
Online submission of scanned copies of required supporting documents;
Submission of an appropriate application processing fee; and
Online submission of the letters of recommendation by the referees.
Application Processing Fee
The application processing fee is PKR 11,500.
- LUMS Graduate Admission Test (LGAT) registration fee is PKR 3,000.
The application processing fee is USD 200 for international applicants.
Note:
Applicants must complete and submit their Online Admission application on or before April 14, 2026, 5:00 pm (PKT).
Applicants are required to submit scanned copies of all supporting documents on or before April 15, 2026.
After the successful submission of the Online application, applicants must make the Processing Fee payment by the deadline.
Referees must submit completely filled Letters of Recommendation by the given deadline.
Completion of all steps is mandatory. Applications, documents, or fees received after the stipulated deadline will not be processed.
Application Review/Interview Performance
Applicants are encouraged to provide complete and correct information regarding their academic achievements, research reports, attended workshops, and extracurricular activities, and must tell LUMS about their success stories to substantiate their applications.
Applications will be reviewed by the relevant committee. Shortlisting for interviews will be done based on the applicant's academic achievement, quality of work experience, and admission test scores. Only short-listed candidates will be called for the interviews.
Letters of Recommendation
A minimum of two (2) Letters of Recommendation are compulsory for applying to the PhD Management Programme.
Research Statement
To complete the application process for the PhD Programme, applicants must submit a comprehensive research proposal. The PhD dissertation is a substantial undertaking involving empirical research, and its primary objective is to advance the existing body of knowledge within the academic management community on a specific subject of interest.