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Selection quotas
All applications that fulfil the entry requirements go on to the selection process
If you are qualified for admission (meaning that you fulfil all the entry requirements for the programme(s) applied for, and you have complied with the rules and deadlines for admission), your application will move on to the next phase in the admissions round: the selection process.
The selection process sorts applications into a ranking list. Study places are then distributed in order, from the top to the bottom of this list, until all the places have been filled.
We handle all qualified applications in one or two of the following selection quotas:
Quota 1: Your final upper secondary exam grades determine whether or not you can be accepted
Quota 1 selection is for qualified applicants with an eligible Grade Point Average (GPA)
- You have an eligible GPA if you have a Danish upper secondary exam GPA or an international upper secondary exam GPA that can be converted to the Danish grading system. See if your international GPA can be converted under International Applicants > Table of Comparisons.
- All applicants with an eligible GPA are handled in Quota 1 (even those also handled in Quota 2)
- Quota 1 uses only the GPA from your upper secondary exam as a selection criterion among qualified applicants
Application deadlines for Quota 1:
- Applicants with a non-Danish upper secondary exam that can be converted to the Danish grading system must apply by 15 March, 12 noon Danish time
- Applicants with a Danish upper secondary exam must apply by 5 July, 12 noon Danish time
Further information concerning application and documentation deadlines can be found under Deadlines.
How to apply in Quota 1:
There is no special way to indicate in your application at Optagelse.dk that you wish to apply in Quota 1. All qualified applicants who apply within the given deadlines above will be automatically assessed in Quota 1.
Read more about selection in Quota 1
As there are a limited number of study places at each of CBS bachelor programme, all qualified applicants in Quota 1 are ranked according to their GPA and in accordance with their application priorities if applying for more than one programme. The study places allocated in Quota 1 are then filled according to this ranking.
We do not know what the minimum GPA required to guarantee a study place through Quota 1 is until the end of July, when all the applications have been processed and the study places have been distributed. By checking statistics from previous years, it is possible to observe trends and get an idea about what general grade level you can expect, but remember that your chances of being admitted also depend on the GPAs of all the other qualified applicants.
It is not possible to improve your GPA. Once an upper secondary exam has been completed and the final GPA has been calculated, it is fixed with regards to the admission process to CBS. If you have completed two upper secondary exams or re-taken your upper secondary exam to improve your grades, the earliest GPA will be used (if just your latest upper secondary education has a GPA that can be converted into a Danish GPA, then that's the GPA that will be used).
If you do not have one of the international exams that are equivalent to a Danish upper secondary exam and a GPA that can be converted into the Danish grading system according to our table of comparisons, then you cannot be assessed in Quota 1.
Quota 2: We make an overall assessment of your application
Selection in Quota 2 is for qualified applicants with post-upper secondary experience or without an eligible GPA:
- Applicants with an eligible GPA who have completed any of the activities listed further down after graduating from upper secondary school, and want to be assessed on the basis of an overall assessment rather than just their GPA during the selection process (you will also be assessed in Quota 1)
- Applicants without an upper secondary exam GPA, or a GPA that cannot be directly converted to the Danish grading system (See if your international GPA can be converted under International Applicants > Table of Comparisons).
- Applicants who do not have a formal qualifying upper secondary exam (read more at Entry requirements in the section "General entry requirement")
Applicants in this quota undergo an overall assessment that takes into account various selection criteria, listed below.
You must always meet the programme's specific entry requirements in order to be considered qualified for admission and assessed in Quota 2.
An overall Quota 2 assessment includes:
- Exam results for each specific entry requirement fulfilled
- Extra-curricular activities such as employment, extended periods abroad, residential periods at a Scandinavian folk high schools, etc., completed after you have finished your upper secondary exam (maximum 12 months worth of activities in total)
- Motivational essay for certain programmes and types of applicants
As this is an overall assessment, it is impossible to put precise figures on the concrete assessment; instead, an overall picture of the application, and therefore the applicant's background, is created from the documentation provided in the application. For programmes where a motivational essay is included, this weighs high in the selection process. However, there is no difference between, for example, whether you have work experience or further education. Below we have described all the criteria and activities that can be included in the overall assessment of your application.
Your exam results within each specific entry requirement are a part of the overall assessment in Quota 2.
It is possible to re-take exams in the specific entry requirements and improve your grades. When processing your application, if you fulfil a specific entry requirement in more than one way, we will always choose the exam will the highest grade as part of the overall Quota 2 assessment.
A motivational essay is part of the overall assessment in Quota 2 for most bachelor programmes.
Programmes with a motivational essay
- BSc in Business Administration and Digital Management (DM)
- BSc in Business Administration and Service Management (SEM)
- BSc in Business Administration and Sociology (SOC)
- BSc in International Business (IB)
- BSc in International Business and Politics (IBP)
- BSc in International Shipping and Trade (SHIP)
- HA i markeds- og kulturanalyse (MAK)
- HA i projektledelse (PRO)
- HA(fil.) – erhvervsøkonomi og filosofi (FIL)
- HA(it.) – erhvervsøkonomi og informationsteknologi (IT)
- HA(kom.) – erhvervsøkonomi og virksomhedskommunikation (KOM)
- HA(psyk.) – erhvervsøkonomi og psykologi (PSY)
Please note that the motivational essay is not a part of the overall assessment of applications to any bachelor programmes not mentioned on the list above. Should you upload a motivational essay for other programes than the ones mentioned above, it will not be included in the overall assessment of your application.
Deadline for the motivational essay
Your motivational essay(s) must be uploaded to your application in Optagelse.dk by the application deadline of 15 March 12 noon (CET). Motivational essays uploaded after the deadline will not be included in the overall assessment.
Requirements and recommendations for the motivational essay
Naming your essay
It is a requirement that the name of the file that you upload to www.optagelse.dk containing your motivational essay includes the following terms: Motivational Essay OR Motiveret Ansøgning. This is important in order for us to be able to identify the document containing your essay.
There is a limit for the number of characters that optagelse.dk allows for a file name. If you're applying for several programmes, you can add the programme name in abbreviated form to the file name (see the recommended abbreviations in the list of programmes that use a motivational essay published above).
For example: Motivational essay SEM, Motivational essay PRO, Motivational essay PSY.
- If you are applying for a programme taught in Danish, your motivational essay must be written in Danish, Swedish or Norwegian.
- If you are applying for a programme taught in English, your motivational essay must be written in English.
Number of motivational essays
You must write a motivational essay for each programme you are applying for. You cannot upload one motivational essay covering all the programmes.
Author
You are required to write your own motivational essay(s).
Format
You must upload the motivational essay as a PDF file to Optagelse.dk. This means that you will need to save your motivational essay as PDF file before uploading it. If you are unsure about how to convert a file to PDF, you can read Microsoft's guide on how to convert a file to PDF.
Requirements for assessment
Your motivational essay will only be included in the overall assessment if, by the Quota 2 deadline, a minimum of three months has passed since the completion of your upper secondary education.
Recommended length of the essay
We recommend that the motivational essay should take up approximately 2 A4 pages.
You are welcome to use this template: 
Template for the Motivational Essay
Recommended format
We recommend that you write your motivational essay without splitting it into sections with separate subheadings. We also recommend that you try to cover the topics suggested below.
Recommended information
As we strive to have an admission proces that minimises potential bias, we recommend that you do not upload pictures of yourself or any unnecessary personal information.
Content of the motivational essay
You must write your motivational essay(s) yourself. Doing this will give you the opportunity to get to know more about the programme and find out what catches your interest and if the programme is indeed something for you.
Remember to be concrete and specific when you write your motivational essay; be personal and show us who you are, and what you are like together with other people.
We want to admit students who come from various backgrounds, with different interests and dreams, and therefore we would like to know more about you:
What do you find exciting about the programme? It could be specific subject areas, combinations of subjects or methods of working during the programme, or perhaps how it will help you build upon your own background.
What does community mean to you in your studies? It could involve academic collaboration with other students, a safe and inspiring study environment, the ability to be yourself, or something else that is important to you.
- Work experience is only counted if it is a minimum of 1 month block, from one and the same employment period and place.
- A month block is achieved only by working minimum 30 hours per week for 30 consecutive days or minimum 120 hours per month.
- A maximum of 12 month blocks are included in the overall assessment (even if you have worked more than 12 months, only 12 months will be included in the overall assessment).
No distinction is made between different types of work experience. Voluntary work, military service and maternity/ paternity leave are also included under the category of work experience.
Requirements for assessment
Your work experience will only be included in the overall assessment if, by the Quota 2 deadline, a minimum of three months have passed since the completion of your upper secondary education.
You must document your work experience
We accept the following documentation:
Employer's declaration or- Wage slips are also accepted as a form of documentation for employment. We need to be able to see the hours worked per week clearly in your wage slip and the dates of the duration of your work, from start to finish.
An employment contract is NOT valid documentation
Self-employment
To document self-employment we need the following:
- Annual report/statement of accounts, and
- Business plan, and
- Solemn declaration of your working hours (min. 30 weekly hours/ 120 hours per month with start- and end date for the period in question) and that you did not receive any transfer income in the period in question, and
- Documentation from the municipal authorities if you received public funding for your company, such as enterprise allowance, etc.
Work in EU less developed/ transition regions
- If you have worked in a EU 'less developed region' or a 'transition region', it carries extra weight in the overall assessment.
Click here to see a map of the regions to determine if the region you have worked in is part of the above: Map of regions
EU decision regarding the regions: Document
It is your responsibility to point out that you have worked in a EU 'less developed region' or a 'transition region'.
Travel abroad is counted when:
- You have had an uninterrupted stay of minimum two consecutive months in another country (one month is counted as 30 days). You must remain in the same country for a minimum of two months. This means that you can stay in maximum three different countries during the six months that can be taken into account in the assessment.
- The country in question cannot be the country you took your upper secondary exam in.
- A maximum of 6 months of travel abroad can be taken into account in the assessment.
Requirements for assessment
Your travel abroad will only be included in the overall assessment if, by the Quota 2 deadline, a minimum of three months have passed since the completion of your upper secondary education.
You must document your travels abroad
We accept the following documentation:
- Passport stamps or
- Boarding cards or
- Documentation for activities abroad, such as employer's declaration, grade transcript etc.
Travel plans/ bookings/ ticket are not accepted as proof of travel abroad.
- Further education is defined as continuation from upper secondary school level and is thus at a higher level. We do not take into account educational qualifications below bachelor level.
- Further education is counted only if it was carried out in blocks of 5 ECTS-points (equal to 1 month of full-time education). If your grade transcript uses a different system of credits other than ECTS-points, we will carry out a conversion from local credits into ECTS-points.
- A maximum of 60 ECTS-points (equating to 12 month blocks) will be used in the assessment.
Requirements for assessment
Your further education will only be included in the overall assessment if, by the quota 2 deadline, a minimum of three months have passed since the completion of your upper secondary education.
You must document further education
We accept the following documentation:
An official grade transcript showing the total number of ECTS-points (or credits, teaching hours etc.) you have obtained, and showing that you have passed the exams. The transcript must be verified with the stamp and/ or signature of the issuing institution.
Folk high school is only counted when:
- You have resided at the folk high school
- It had a duration of minimum 2 months (1 month equals 30 days)
- The folk high school is listed on the following website: https://www.hojskolerne.dk/
- A maximum of 6 months in total will be taken into account
Requirements for assessment
Your folk high school (in Scandinavia) will only be included in the overall assessment if, by the quota 2 deadline, a minimum of three months have passed since the completion of your upper secondary education.
You must document your residence at a folk high school.
We accept the following documentation:
- Diploma for completed stay, with an indication of the period you resided at the folk high school.
- Confirmation that you are currently attending the school, with a start date and an expected end date. The confirmation must be signed/stamped by the school and dated.
NB: double activities are no longer a part of the Quota 2 assessment, starting with the admission year 2025. Therefore no double activity will be taken into account (regardless of when the activity took place) for the Quota 2 assessment for the admission round 2025 and onwards.
Activities done before completing your qualifying exam (upper secondary education) will not be taken into consideration during the assessment of your application(s), unless you have completed your qualifying exam the year you turned 23 years of age (or more). If that is the case, please contact bacheloradmission@cbs.dk.