Entry requirements

On these pages you can find general information about admission to CBS’ graduate programmes.

Admission process - general principles

To qualify for a CBS master's programme, applicants must fulfil all of the following:

  • The programme’s language requirement (Danish or English at a certain level)
  • The programme’s specific entry requirements
  • The general entry requirement of having a bachelor degree

All CBS master's programmes have a limited number of places. If there are more qualified applicants than places available at a programme, there will be a selection process, according to programme-specific selection criteria. In other words, fulfilment of the entry requirements does not guarantee admission.

You can find specific entry requirements, selection criteria, and language requirements for each programme by viewing their individual admissions pages. View all CBS master's programmes.

How are my qualifications evaluated?

Your educational background at bachelor level is subject to an overall, concrete assessment, in order to establish whether you complete the minimum required academic prerequisites to study the master programme you have applied for.

We expect you to have qualifications that are equivalent to a CBS bachelor degree. Your bachelor degree must be issued by a nationally or regionally accredited, internationally recognised institution of higher education. Furthermore, in order to be considered relevant and qualifying for the master's programme you are applying for, your bachelor degree must include specific academic disciplines, defined for each master programme as a certain number of ECTS-points within specific areas of study.

Your courses must have a specific academic content and level equivalent to bachelor courses at CBS. It is CBS Admissions who determine if a course can fulfil a certain specific entry requirement or not. We base our assessment on official course descriptions and study programme regulations published for your bachelor degree.

Typically, the specific entry requirements are covered by academic and research-based courses at bachelor level (for example, courses taken at CBS, Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen and similar research-based PhD-granting institutions of higher education).

If you completed vocational, practice-oriented courses (for example, courses as part of a Danish Professional bachelor’s degree programme), their academic level and content will not be equivalent to  CBS bachelor courses, and they are therefore unlikely to cover the specific entry requirements of master programmes at CBS.

The exact number of ECTS-points stated in the specific entry requirements must be covered. For example, 29 ECTS-points are not sufficient for covering a 30 ECTS-point requirement. If your grade transcript does not indicate the courses' workload in ECTS-points, CBS Admissions will carry out a conversion.

Courses done at master level cannot be used.

Relevant work experience cannot make up for any missing ECTS-points either.

Keep in mind that, as well as entry requirements, each programme also has its own set of selection criteria, which are used if there are more qualified applicants than places available at the programme.
 

I am enrolled in a bachelor degree (but I have not completed it yet)

You can apply for a master’s programme even if you have not yet finished your bachelor degree. However, if you are accepted to a master’s programme, you will have to document that you have finished your bachelor’s degree before you can begin studying at CBS. You will be expected to upload your final bachelor diploma and grade transcript before study start of the programme at the latest.

Read more about being conditionally accepted and how to document that you have completed your bachelor degree.
I don't have a bachelor degree (and I am not enrolled in one)

Applicants to higher education in Denmark must have a relevant bachelor education or another relevant education at the same level according to the rules and regulations set out by the Ministry of Higer Education and Science in the "Admission Order" on Admission and Enrolment to Bachelor's and Master’s Programmes at Universities ("Adgangsbekendtgørelsen") § 28.

Applicants who do not fulfil this entry requirement will be assessed as a dispensee according to § 32 in "Adgangsbekendtgørelsen".

"Adgangsbekendtgørelsen" (The Admission Order) can be found at retsinformation.dk (in Danish only).

What do we take into consideration when assessing you as a dispensee?

  • The contents of the courses within the specific entry requirements
  • Number of ECTS-points within the specific entry requirements
  • The personal statement
  • Documented interest for and experience in the relevant area
  • The academic content of your educational background
  • To some extent your grades in general

Personal statement:

A personal statement must prove that you are well informed and have put a lot of thought into your choice of education. It should explain the purpose and motivation of you choosing this particular education. You should answer questions such as:

  • What can you bring to the table?
  • Why do you think your educational background is relevant?
  • Why do you think your work/ life experience is relevant?
  • How can you compensate for the fact that you do not fulfil the general entry requirement?
  • Your educational background is the most important factor in our assessment, however, your life and work experience might also be considered, if they are relevant with regard to the chosen programme.

Your personal statement must not exceed two A4 pages.

Previous studies at Master's level


Do you already have a master's degree?

If you already have a two-year Master’s degree, whether Danish or international, you can only be accepted to a Master's programme if there are places available. As CBS has many more applicants than study spaces, we do not expect to have any available places.


Exemption
You can apply for exemption from this rule if exceptional circumstances apply to your case. You must be able to document that it is not possible for you to use your previous master's degree on the labour market.

The deadline for submitting an application for an exemption from the master's rule is the same as the application deadline for admission. Exemption is rarely granted.

You can read more about the rules and regulations governing admission to Master's programmes in Denmark here: Adgangsbekendtgørelsen 3 (available in Danish only).

Previously passed courses at master's level

If you have passed any courses at master’s level, but you have not yet finished a master's degree, prior to starting a master's programme at CBS, you must indicate this in the application form. If you are accepted to a master's programme at CBS, any courses at master’s level you have passed before study start will be assessed and may be credit transferred into your programme.

The assessment takes place after you have been offered and accepted a study place at CBS, and it is made by the study board of the respective master's programme.

Are you currently enrolled at another master's programme?

You can only be enrolled in one full-time programme at a time in Denmark or abroad. If you are accepted to CBS and accept the study place offer, you must withdraw from any other full-time programme before 1 September, otherwise you will face legal consequences.

 

The page was last edited by: Web editor - Student Communications // 01/30/2023