Full-time MBA admissions
Requirements and steps
ESMT warmly welcomes applications from students of all nationalities. We are an international business school that thrives on international exchange and discourse, and the ESMT community is committed to building peace.
The application process helps us learn about each other. You want a program that will accelerate your career and open up new opportunities. We want a diverse group of professionals who share our values, want to be part of our mission to develop responsible leaders, and who will thrive academically, personally, and professionally in the MBA program.
Apply to ESMT if you are:
- Ready to seize your future and accelerate your career in Europe or beyond
- Aligned with our values of community, curiosity, courage, and rigor
- Excited to join an MBA program where you can tailor your academic journey to meet your needs
- Committed to your learning and development, and are ready to support others in theirs
Admission requirements
To apply to the program you will need to meet all of the following requirements:
- At least three years of consecutive postgraduate, professional experience
- An undergraduate, or first university, degree of minimum 3 years (bachelor)
- Strong GMAT, GRE, or BAT scores (the average GMAT score is 640)
- To send your GMAT score to ESMT, search for ESMT by name
- GRE scores should be sent to 7768 - European Sch Mgmt Tech ESMT
- The ESMT admissions test (BAT) will be administered by your application manager
- English proficiency test scores
- If English is your native language or you earned a university degree exclusively taught in English you do not need to take an English proficiency test.
- TOEFL scores (95 minimum), PTE score (64 minimum), IELTS score (7 minimum), or other English proficiency tests are accepted). ESMT Berlin accepts MyBest™ scores for the TOEFL iBT® test, in addition to TOEFL iBT scores from a single test date. The ESMT TOEFL institution code is 8707.
When evaluating your application, we look for a diverse group of professionals who share the school’s mission and who will succeed academically and professionally in the MBA program. Each detail of your application is considered and we specifically seek:
- Excellent analytical ability, both quantitative and qualitative
- International outlook, intercultural competence, and a responsible approach to business
- Proven teamwork skills in stressful situations
- Leadership potential, especially for high-performance career growth in a global environment
- Willingness to learn from others in a collegial environment
Admission deadlines
You have seven opportunities to apply for the full-time MBA and the deadlines are shown below. Apply in round 1, 2, or 3 and you will qualify for an early application scholarship.
To have your application reviewed, it needs to be complete. That means that we need to receive your online application plus digital copies of your transcripts (including grade overviews), your GMAT or GRE test score, and at least one professional recommendation. You will be informed about next steps soon after the round deadline and if you are successful we look forward to meeting you during an interview.
Notes
If you are a graduate of a Chinese university, there are some additional steps you need to take in order to study at a German university. This process can take up to 6 months to complete. Please visit the APS website (Chinese; Deutsch) for further information.
If you are applying from Australia, Brazil, Canada, El Salvador, EU, Honduras, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the United States, you DO NOT need a visa to enter Germany as a student. This can change so please check with us or your nearest German Embassy or Consulate.
Application steps
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Step 1: Online application
To begin the admissions process, applicants complete and submit an online application. The application is easy to follow, and will ask you for the following information:
- An up to date CV showing at least three years of postgraduate professional experience
- At least one professional recommendation
- Answers to the following questions (max 250 words per essay)
- Describe your specific career aspirations and your reason for pursuing an MBA at ESMT Berlin.
- The values of ESMT Berlin are community, curiosity, courage, and rigor: which of these values resonates most with you and why?
- You can invite one guest for dinner, be they living, dead, fictional, or other. Who would you invite and why?
- Optional: Is there any other information, not covered in the application, that you would like us to know about you?
- Transcripts of your undergraduate degree detailing courses and grades
- A valid GMAT or GRE score, or Indicate that you would like to take the ESMT admissions test (BAT)
- €50 application fee
Please note applications submitted without one of these documents will be considered incomplete and will not be considered for review in that round. Therefore, incomplete applications will be reviewed only in the following round if the necessary documents are submitted and the application can then be considered complete.
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Step 2: First screening
Completed online applications will be reviewed once the application round has closed (see table above for admission deadlines).
- If you meet our minimum requirements, you will be invited for your admissions interview.
- If you do not meet our requirements, we will let you know on the day your application was reviewed.
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Step 3: Interview
Admission interviews take place at the ESMT Berlin campus or via Zoom. The interview will last 40-50 minutes and help us learn more about you, assess your interpersonal skills, career goals, and aspirations. This is also an opportunity for you to ask us any questions about the school or program.
Please see the table above for the application rounds and corresponding interview dates.
Depending on your indicated preferences you can now take the ESMT Business Admissions Test. This is a two hour, online, test that evaluates academic aptitude over four sections of 30 minutes each: communication analysis, critical thinking, data analysis, and data interpretation. The test costs $100 USD and must be paid before it can be taken. Please ask your admissions manager for more details.
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Step 4: Decision
After all interviews in a particular round are completed, the Admissions and Scholarship committees meet to agree admission and scholarship decisions.
This means that if you are accepted into the MBA program, you will receive both an admission and a scholarship decision at the same time.
Please see the table above for the application rounds and corresponding notification dates.
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Step 5: Accept your offer
To secure your place in the MBA, you will need to pay a non-refundable deposit of €4,000 by the date indicated in your offer letter.
Congratulations and we look forward to welcoming you to ESMT Berlin!
The ESMT Admissions Test
IMPORTANT UPDATE - GMAT / GRE
Admissions Contact
