Core Course Waivers

Waiver exams allow students to demonstrate mastery of a specific subject area, providing them the opportunity to waive the corresponding core course. If you have extensive academic or professional experience in the subject matter being tested, we encourage you to try an exam. Waiving provides the option to start taking more advanced electives sooner in your academic career.

Five fall core courses and two spring core courses have the option to waive, either by passing an exam or qualifying for an automatic waiver.

In this section:

• Core Course Waiver Options
• When and How to Take Waiver Exams
• Accommodations for Disabled Students
• Automatic Waivers
• What to Do if You Successfully Waive a Course

Fall Core Course Waiver Options

Spring Core Course Waiver Options

When to Take Waiver Exams

The waiver exam period for the Class of 2027 will open at 8:00 AM PDT on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, and close at 10:00 AM PDT on Tuesday, August 5, 2025.

Students who are interested in attempting to waive a fall and/or spring core course must take the corresponding exam during the specified exam window. This is the only opportunity during the year to take waiver exams for both fall and spring core courses. Requests to take early or late exams cannot be accommodated.

Any of the waiver exams can be taken at any time during the exam period.

How to Take Waiver Exams

In June 2025, we will send email invitations from bCourses to a course called 2025 Core Waiver Exams. Once you accept the invite, you will have access to the full waiver exam site in bCourses and instructions on how to take the waiver exams.

We strongly encourage you to visit the waiver exam bCourses site prior to the day you plan to take an exam. The site contains a helpful sample exam designed to test the quiz functionality on your computer as well as give insight into the various question types you’ll encounter on the exams.

Exams will be administered remotely through the UC Berkeley bCourses platform. bCourses is also the primary learning platform students use to access core prep workshops and class course materials.

All exams are timed. Once you start an exam, you must complete it in the time allocated for that exam. You may only attempt an exam once.

Please make sure to have a strong and consistent internet connection when taking an exam. Requests to retake an exam due to poor internet connectivity cannot be accommodated.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Academics Team at ftacademics@haas.berkeley.edu.

How Exams are Graded

Waiver exams are graded by faculty on a Pass / No Pass basis. Due to high exam volume, faculty members are not able to share individualized exam performance feedback beyond the general Pass / No Pass assessment.

When to View the Results of the Exams

You will be able to view your exam results starting Tuesday, August 12, 2025.

Next Steps: Passing Grade

A passing grade on a waiver exam demonstrates subject matter mastery according to Haas's program standards. This exempts you from taking the corresponding core course. Students who pass will be unenrolled from the core course by the Academics Team and will receive an email with instructions on how to enroll in available elective classes to replace the waived units.

If you successfully waive a core course but would like to remain enrolled in the course, you can do so. Send an email to the Academics Team at ftacademics@haas.berkeley.edu and let us know so we can make sure your enrollment request is processed.

Next Steps: Non-Passing Grade

There is no penalty if you don’t pass– you simply take the corresponding 7-week core classes. You’ll be automatically enrolled in the class by the Academics Team with no additional action needed on your part.

Accommodating Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities are eligible to receive exam accommodations through the Disabled Students' Program (DSP). Please note that the assessment process may take up to a month, so starting the application process early is recommended.

Start by following the application process to request accommodations. The DSP application process may take a few weeks to complete, so please begin early if you would like to apply accommodations to the fall and spring waiver exams. Once your accommodation request has been approved, please notify the Academics Team at ftacademics@haas.berkeley.edu and we will apply your accommodations to your exam(s).

How to Best Prepare for Waiver Exams

Here are the resources and study tips Haas faculty have suggested students utilize when preparing for waiver exams. Documents on the Waiver Prep page are password protected (password is: oski2027) due to faculty intellectual property. The materials are for individual use only and are not to be duplicated or shared.

Automatic Waivers 

To automatically waive out of Financial Accounting and/or Introduction to Finance without taking the waiver exam(s), students will be asked to provide a copy of the following certificate or exam results.

Past academic or relevant professional experiences cannot be considered in place of the required certificates or exam results.

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
• Complete this form and upload a copy of your certification or exam results for an assessment of your credentials. We will review your request within 5 business days. If you have not received confirmation from us after 5 business days, please send a follow-up email to ftacademics@haas.berkeley.edu for a status update.

Introduction to Finance | MBA 203

• Passed level III of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam
• Complete this form and upload a copy of your certification or exam results for an assessment of your credentials. We will review your request within 5 business days. If you have not received confirmation from us after 5 business days, please send a follow-up email to ftacademics@haas.berkeley.edu for a status update.

Past academic or relevant professional experiences will not be considered in place of the required certificates or exam results.  

Contact the Academics Team at ftacademics@haas.berkeley.edu if you have questions regarding the Automatic Waiver Request process.

Replacing Waived Units

Waiving a core course does not reduce the total number of units needed to graduate. Students will need to replace the number of units of waived courses with valid elective courses.

The Academics Team will hold a virtual information session to share more information about replacing waived units. 

Academic Advisors will also be available for one-on-one conversations as you weigh options for finalizing your fall schedule.

If you successfully waive the Operations and/or Macroeconomics course, you can connect with us to plan your spring schedule once spring elective options are announced later in the fall semester.

Waiver Info Session

The Academics Team will host an information session to provide an overview of the waiver exam process and share the options for replacing waived units.

🗓️ Date: Friday, July 11, 2025
🕤 Time: 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM PDT
🔗 Zoom: Click on this link to access the session on July 11, 2025.

See the below recording and presentation from the previous year:

• Recording of Waiver Exam Info Session Fall 2024.mp4
• Presentation of Waiver Exam Info Session Fall 2024.pdf

You can review this FAQ to become more familiar with the waiver process. 

NEXT: Preparing for Core Course Waivers (password: oski2027)