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Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the things prospective students ask us most often. If you've got a specific situation you want to chat about, schedule a one-on-one call with our team or email us at hello@altmba.com

When is the next session?

We run the altMBA once a quarter, in January, April, July, and October. 

April 2024
Monday, April 22nd to Thursday, May 23rd

July 2024
Monday, July 22nd to Thursday, August 22nd

October 2024
Monday, October 21st to Thursday, November 21st


To stay up-to-date with application deadlines and new session dates, please sign up for email updates. If you have any questions, drop us a line at hello@altmba.com.

 

What's the time commitment?

The time commitment for altMBA is 20 hours a week, for five weeks (31 days). 

Most important are the 16 hours a week of live calls that require your participation. These calls take place on Tuesday and Thursday nights (6-9pm) and all day on Sunday (9am-5pm). Here's an illustration of the weekly schedule

  • Live calls for the Sydney Time Zone take place on Wednesday and Friday nights (6-9pm) and all day on Sunday (9am-5pm).

Since altMBA is a worldwide program, we offer the workshop in five different time zones. 

  1. Greenwich Mean (London)
  2. Eastern (New York)
  3. Central (Chicago)
  4. Pacific (San Francisco)
  5. Australian Eastern (Sydney)

It's important to know the altMBA was designed for leaders working full-time with busy schedules (many have families too). We ask a lot of our students, but that's because we know that real change takes time, effort, and a willingness to show up.

If you'd like to see a copy of the current session's calendar drop us a line at hello@altmba.com and we'll share it with you.

Who is altMBA for?

We believe all great leaders started out as beginners. 


Leading people through difficult changes and uncertain times requires tremendous skill, but you can get better at it with practice. The myth of the “born leader” distracts us and persuades us we don’t have what it takes. The truth is: you can become a better leader, and you probably should. Leaders have the leverage to make their work more meaningful, to create lasting impact in their community, and get tremendous personal rewards. 

What are you waiting for?

How does it work?

Fast, proven, and effective: our curriculum is hands-on. More than 75% of your time is dedicated to shipping your work—practical projects that allow you to apply what you learn.                      

The altMBA is for doers. Get results in 31 days. 

What's the curriculum?

altMBA uses a prompt-based method of learning. Each of the 13 written prompts in the workshop are designed to compel participants to action and spur forward their thinking.

Most of the prompts will allow students to specifically work on their real-life goals and projects.

Over the course of the workshop we'll focus on the following skill sand topic—each of which is critical to being a successful leader.

  • Goal-setting
  • Business modeling
  • Decision making
  • Empathy and worldviews
  • Building culture
  • Intentionality
  • Marketing methods
  • Gaining buy-in
  • Public speaking
  • Leading through ambiguity
  • Strategy and critical thinking
  • Giving and receiving feedback
  • Having difficult conversations

This process results in new habits and a mindset better suited to managing a team, building a business, or making a career transition.

How long has altMBA been running?

Founded in 2015 by best-selling business author and entrepreneur Seth Godin, altMBA has transformed the lives of over 6,000 alumni from 90 different countries. Since 2020 altMBA has been owned and operated by Alex Peck, one of altMBA's early employees.

 

What is the cost?

The cost of tuition is $4,950 USD. There are no additional fees for taxes, tech platforms, or workshop materials

What financial aid is available?

We understand that the financial commitment of the altMBA can be a hurdle to joining us, so we have a few options we hope are helpful.

  1. Employee Reimbursement
  2. altMBA Alumni Referral
  3. Leaders of the World Scholarship

We've detailed each of these in their own FAQ in more detail.

We are also happy to jump on a call for additional support.

 

How does Employee Reimbursement work?

Companies big and small are seeing the impact of offering altMBA to their leaders. Individual development and growth make the entire organization stronger and provide a great way to support and incentivize employees.

Many of our students are able to gain buy-in from their managers to join the altMBA with their company's financial support. 

We've found our digital brochure is helpful in communicating to managers why the altMBA is a worthwhile investment. 

What is the alumni referral rate?

The strength of our community is one of the most enduring parts of the altMBA. We put incredible care into creating each cohort, working to ensure that it comes together into a tight-knit group. We hear often from alumni who say they still meet with their cohorts regularly, even years after the workshop.

So, when an alumni steps forward and says "I recommend this person" we pay attention. We know our alumni are our greatest ambassadors. When they see the potential in someone, our trust goes up.

Each referral makes it easier for us to build a strong cohort. As a show of gratitude, we offer anyone referred by an alumni a preferred tuition rate of $4,450 USD. 


 If you don't have an altMBA alumni connection, we recommend reaching out to the alumni community via LinkedIn. In the Alumni tab, you can view and search through thousands of folks who have listed the altMBA as part of their education. You’ll find many are open and willing to connect.

Be sure to add your referrer's full name to the, "Were you referred by an altMBA alumni?" in your application.

 

What is the Leaders of the World scholarship?

We recognize there may be factors that impact the ability of leaders to join the workshop. This might be due to conversion rates to USD, employment status, or other financial limitations. 

We’ve created this scholarship to help those who would not have access to the altMBA without financial support, and who have shown a history of leadership, setting important goals, and prioritizing social impact.

This scholarship applies to both non-profit and for-profit work. 

It's important to know this scholarship reduces tuition by 60% to $2,000 USD, and is limited to only a few seats per session. Admission as a scholarship student is more competitive than the traditional application. 

To apply for this scholarship, please look for the section of the application form that says "Please consider my application for the Leaders of the World scholarship" and tell us how your work impacts the community you serve. We hope to hear specific examples of how your work has impacted your community in the past, as well as how a scholarship to altMBA will amplify this work.

Please note: scholarship recipients are not eligible to defer or withdraw. Because scholarship seats are limited, it’s important to be committed and ready to leap in.

What does a great application look like?

Your application will require intention and curiosity, but you're ready even if it doesn't feel that way. 

When reviewing applications our team looks for three key factors: 

  1. Understanding: How will altMBA aid your growth?
  2. Alignment: What's the relationship between your goals and what we can provide?
  3. Openness: What examples do you have of being open to personal change and transformative experiences?

It's important for every applicant to stand out. With that aim in mind we put together a few pro-tips on how to make your application shine:

  • You're more than a resume. Yes, your career trajectory tells us a little about you, but we want to know who you are beyond your professional goals and achievements. Consider telling us more about where you’ve been, where you’re going, what you’re passionate about, how you spend your free time, moments of change…
  • You're ready to show up. The altMBA works because of the people looking out for you, contributing to you, rooting for you. And we make that happen by selecting people who are eager to do that for others. This is a commitment of time, money, and energy, so putting the effort into your application is a signal that you’re ready to show up for yourself and your classmates.
  • You know why it's a good fit. Communicating why the altMBA is critical to your journey will help us determine if we can help you make the change you’re looking to make.
  • You're done waiting. What do exceptional leaders have in common? They don’t wait. They ship and they ship often. The same applies to submitting your application. Competition gets tougher as we near the final deadline for each session. There are only a limited number of seats per workshop and once we’re full, we’re full.
  • You care enough to go the extra mile. Take a minute to read over your application one more time before you hit submit. The extra polish you add doesn’t go unnoticed.

Mostly, apply. Simply apply. That's the most important tip we can share.

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Have more questions?

Get in touch. We're here and happy to help.