Admissions

To apply to the program you will need to meet all of the following requirements:

• At least three years of postgraduate professional experience at the time of program start.
• A bachelor’s degree of at least three years duration (minimum 180 ECTS), or equivalent qualification.
• Strong score in an admission test. ESMT accepts scores from the following admission tests:
  • The ESMT admission test (BAT, learn more). This is a two-hour, online, test that costs US$100 and is delivered by Business Test Methods. Contact the admissions team if you want to take the BAT.
  • The GMAT exam
  • GRE
  • GMAC Executive Assessment.
• English proficiency test score (if applicable)
  • 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. If you have worked in an English speaking country or an organization whose language of communication was English for 12 months or more the English proficiency test requirement may be waived. A strong command of the English language should also be demonstrated in the admission interview.
  • TOEFL - 95 minimum; we accept MyBest™ scores; our institution code is 8707
  • PTE - 64 minimum
  • IELTS - 7 minimum

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.

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
• Two professional recommendations
• Answers to the following questions: (max 250-500 words per essay)
  • Describe your specific career aspirations and reasons for pursuing an MBA at ESMT Berlin.
  • Failures are rich learning opportunities and help us to grow. Tell us about a setback in your life (personal, academic, or professional), your reaction to the setback, and how it changed you
  • 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, GRE or ESMT admissions test (BAT)
• €100 application fee

Depending on your indicated preferences you can now take the ESMT Business Admissions Test (BAT). 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.

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 be considered complete.

Completed online applications will be reviewed once the application round has closed (see table below for admission deadlines).

• If you meet our minimum requirements, you will be shortlisted and invited for your admissions interview.
• If you do not meet our requirements, we will let you know on the day your application was reviewed.

If shortlisted, you will be invited to interview. Admission interviews take place at the ESMT Berlin campus or via Zoom. 

The interview will last 40-50 minutes and is a two-way conversation that allows you to discuss your goals, ask questions, and explore whether the program is the right fit for you. Your admissions manager will learn more about you, and 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.

Interviews take place approximately one-to-two weeks after each application round closes (please see the table below for an indication of dates).

After all interviews in a particular round are completed, the Admissions and Scholarship committees meet to agree on 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.

Decisions are communicated approximately three weeks after the admissions deadline for each round.

To secure your place in the MBA, you will need to pay a non-refundable deposit of €6,500 by the date indicated in your offer letter.

Congratulations and we look forward to welcoming you to ESMT Berlin!

The ESMT admission test (BAT) is taken online and is administered on behalf of ESMT by Business Test Methods. It costs US$100 and preparation materials are available online once you have registered.

In order to take the test, please reach out to our admissions team.

Find out how to ace the BAT with MBA programs director Rebecca Loades.

The GMAT can be taken online or in person. However, online testing times are more flexible and there is no need to find a local test center.

For these reasons, instead of sitting for the traditional in-person GMAT test, we recommend that you take the GMAT online test.

Click here for more info about the GMAT online 

If you are preparing to take the GMAT, you can also test your knowledge first with the Mini GMAT Quiz.

ETS offers candidates the option to take the GRE® General Test at home or at a test center.

The GRE® General Test is available everywhere that the computer-delivered GRE General Test is normally available, with the exception of Mainland China and Iran.

Learn more about the GRE General Test at home