The 62nd International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition
Spring 2026 - CBA 485 and GBA 685
Applications are accepted only in the Fall
Application Process
To apply, students must submit the online application form located here, along with a personal statement.
- Application DEADLINE October TBD 2025 by 5 pm
- Notifications No Later Than October TBD 2025
- Application TIP: Finish your statement and save it as a PDF before starting the online form!
- Please follow the instructions and details below to write your personal statement.
Acceptance to be on a team is through the application. The best candidates will be those CSULB students who have completed their core coursework. It is recommended that Undergraduate students have completed IS 301, MKT 300, MGMT 300, and Acct 201 before applying. Usually juniors and seniors. MBA students must be in the Evening MBA or Online MBA program to receive credit and be eligible for this course. MBA students who have completed one year's worth of coursework are clearly eligible. In some cases, first-year MBA students with undergraduate business degrees, extensive business work experience or a strong desire to learn and compete might be qualified to be on an MBA team.
While no specific GPA is required, students who have earned at least a GPA of 3.0 if an undergraduate and a 3.3 if an MBA, like a challenge, are problem-solvers, and have a flexible schedule that will allow them to meet on weekends or other times with their team members are especially encouraged to apply. The competition is time-consuming. Expect to spend between 4-and 10 hours outside of class each week working with your team. Good writing, analytical, presentation, and computer skills, including the ability to use Excel or other spreadsheets, are skills essential to being successful in the competition.
Please write, and attach to the application as a pdf format, a one-page personal statement addressing the following questions:
- Why do you want to participate in this competition?
- An assessment of your analytical skills including the ability to read and understand financial statements and use and create linked spreadsheets.
- An assessment of your writing and presentation skills.
- An assessment of your interpersonal/team skills/leadership skills.
- Any personal constraints (time or other) that might limit or interfere with your participation on a team.
- Why do you think you should be chosen for a team? This would include a discussion of your work ethic, your work experience, and any special talents or skills (speaking, writing, quantitative, or other) that you would be able to bring to your team.
TIP: Write this and save as pdf format before starting your application form.
The course schedule will follow the competition, not that of a regular semester. The tentative schedule for participation in the competition is as follows:
- Early, December 2025 , at 7:00 PM. Required orientation meeting. There will be an overview of the upcoming competition, a discussion of materials, and information about getting prepared for the competition. Teams will be formed, and roles selected.
- After the December meeting, individuals will prepare by reading the simulation Player’s Manual and learning how the simulation works. You will meet with your team members to organize and plan for practice sessions.
- Late, January 2026, is the first “official” class session. The class meets on Monday evenings at 7:00 PM. It will be offered as a Hybrid course. Six classes are in-person, not including the Intensive Phase.
ALERT: Unlikely but subject to change depending on class progress, General dates presented for 2026
- January Late
- February Early
- February Late
- March Early
- March Late
- April Middle
The Intensive Phase will be around April 24 – 26,. You must be available the entire time from Thursday afternoon through Saturday late afternoon in person
Important:
- Following the competition, students will write a personal two-page paper on what they learned from the competition. The course ends at the end of the Intensive Phase and once the student reflection paper and second peer review is submitted.
- Students are required to pay normal student fees associated with registering for a course at CSULB. The University will cover the competition application fees and hotel expenses in April.
So you are ready? Applications Open in Fall and End in October.
Apply to Join the CSULB COB ICBSC Team
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact by email: Barbara Barcon at Barbara.Barcon@csulb.edu
TIP: Schedule a private Zoom call to learn more
Each year students say that the competition has been the most rewarding experience of their college career. Some have said the greatest benefit was the realistic opportunity to apply academic concepts; others said the greatest benefit was being an integral part of a closely-knit, finely honed team. Students listing the competition on their resumes have discovered that it has helped them land a job or a valuable internship. Some have even benefited from interviewing a person that had earlier participated in the competition as a judge or team member. For students, the benefits include:
- Hands-on experience of actually "running" a corporation
- Bringing together functional academic concepts resulting in an integrated, applied management experience
- The taste of battle with, at times, stirring success, or, at times, stunning failure--at least in the perspective of the moment
- Feeling the synergy of the team experience
- Earn three units of elective credit, if the program allows (always check with your advisor)
- "The single most rewarding experience in my entire college career." (quote from a former student participant)
- Become part of the CSULB winning tradition
- Great resume builder!
