General admission requirements and admission process – Master of Science

Degree requirements: 

• A successfully completed Bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS credits) in the field of business administration, finance or economics 

or 

• A successfully completed Bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS) with a minimum of 80 ECTS credits within a field of study that is relevant to the specialisation of the MSc degree programme  

Grade requirements: 

• Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.50 (B) on an ECTS scale
• Minimum grade C in courses relevant to the MSc degree programme

Standardised admission tests:
If your bachelor’s degree is from a country outside Norway/Nordics, you must submit your result from one of the tests below and achieve the minimum scores indicated: 

• GMAT: 600
• GRE: 158 (Quantitative). There is no minimum requirement for the verbal reasoning score, but the higher the score the better it is for your application.

Home editions
If you are prevented from taking the tests above due to test center closures we accept the following home edition tests:

• GMAT Online Exam (600)
• GRE General Test at Home: 158 (Quantitative). There is no minimum requirement for the verbal reasoning score, but the higher the score the better it is for your application.

If you send your test results electronically from the test providers’ databases, please note:
GMAT: There is no institution code – just search for BI in the search field. It does not matter what program at BI you send the result to – we will find your result regardless. NB! Special instructions apply for QTEM-applicants. Please read information on each QTEM-program’s webpage.
GRE: Select BI by using the institution code 0497

A student with a slightly lower GPA than 3,5 on the ECTS grading scale, but no less than 3,3, may still meet the admission requirements if his/her GMAT-result is good. The admission formula provides a simple way of combining a GPA with a GMAT-result. Please note that a GPA below 3,3 will not be accepted, no matter how high the GMAT score result. In the same way, a GMAT score result below 540 will not be accepted, no matter how high the GPA.

The general admission requirements is a minimum GPA of 3,5 on the ECTS grading scale (or equivalent) combined with a GMAT-score of 600 (for students with a non-nordic education that does not have a degree from a partner Institution). The standard admission formula for admission is:

Standard admission (3,5 x 200) + 600 GMAT = 1300

Language tests:
If your first language is not English, and you are not from Norway/Nordics, you must demonstrate English competency with one of the following*: 

• IELTS Academic overall score of 6.5
• TOEFL iBT overall score of 90
• Pearson PTE Academic overall score of 62
• University of Cambridge exams:
  C1 Advanced (Certificate in Advanced English, CAE) overall score of 176
  C2 Proficiency (Certificate of Proficiency in English, CPE) overall score of 180

Home editions
If you are prevented from taking the tests above due to test center closures we accept the following home edition tests for the intake to the academic year of 2021/2022:

• TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition test (90)
• IELTS Indicator test (6,5)

BI’s institution code for TOEFL is 0529

*Does not apply to the Master programmes taught in Norwegian: the Master in Accounting and Auditing and the Master in Law and Business.  

Exemptions and waivers
In certain circumstances an exemption from these test requirements may be granted. For more information, see the section on Exemptions and Waivers.

Our master’s degree programmes are looking for candidates who demonstrate the following:

International mindset: willingness to experience new cultures, languages, and life outside their comfort zone as demonstrated through exchange semesters or study, work or volunteer experiences abroad.

Professional potential: relevant experience demonstrated through internship (s), relevant work experience or leadership roles in extra-curricular or volunteer activities. 

Academic ability: interest for learning and applying knowledge as demonstrated through strong academic standing or significantly improved academic standing over the course of a programme of academic study.

For applicants who are close to, but do not meet all the minimum requirements, an individual overall assessment may be conducted. In this process, applicants who can demonstrate that they match our applicant profile, may be given an offer of admission. The assessment will be made on the basis of the transcript of grades, letters of reference from your employer, the motivation letter and the CV.

Please note that an overall assessment will only be conducted for applicants with a GPA between 3,3 and 3,5 on the ECTS grading scale (or the equivalent GPA on a different grading scale). An overall assessment is contingent that you meet the course and grade requirements to the programme to which you have applied.

INTERNATIONAL MINDSET
Examples of activities that can generate 0,1 points:
- Exchange semester (university level, at least one semester)
- Work experience abroad of at least 4 months
- Volunteer experience abroad that corresponds to approximately 4 months full time effort

Examples of activities that does not generate points:
- Tourism, backpacking or other trips/periods of living abroad without a clear work-, study- or volunteer related purpose

PROFFESIONAL POTENTIAL
Examples of activities that can generate 0,1 points:
- Internship(s) relevant for the particular MSc program of at least 2 months full time employment (or the equivalent in part time internship)
- Work experience considered relevant for the particular MSc program of at least 5 months full time employment (or the equivalent in part time employment)
- Leadership roles in extra-curricular or volunteer activities (for example student organizations) corresponding to at least 4 months fulltime work.

Examples of activities that does not generate points:
- Work experience in general – the experience must be relevant to the MSc program

ACADEMIC ABILITY
Examples of activities that should generate 0,1 points:
- Significantly improved GPA (comparison between 1st– year and 3rd– year GPA.)
- Significantly improved grades in subjects of particular relevance to the MSc programme.

Applicants can only receive 0,10 extra points per category. Examples: Two exchange semesters do not generate 2 * 0,10 points. And a shorter work experience than the minimum listed cannot result in 0,05 points.

Work experience should be proved by the submission of a letter of reference from the employer. The letter must include start and end date, workload and a brief description of the applicant´s tasks.

Applications received by 1 March will be given priority. BI Norwegian Business School will continue to accept applications until 1 August. No applications will be accepted after this date. Offers of admission will be made based on availability of seats in the programmes. Applicants from outside the EU who do not currently reside in Norway must apply by 15 June to allow time for securing a student residence visa.

As you go through the steps in our application portal, you will be asked to upload the following documents:  

• Official university/college transcripts and diplomas: Submit copies of transcripts and degrees (diplomas) which are certified as true copies and include an official explanation of the grade scale used. If you have not completed your undergraduate education when applying, use a copy of your most recent transcript. Also include a list of courses you are taking in your final semester. Academic records must be accompanied by a certified English translation if the originals are not in English or a Scandinavian language.
• Motivation letter: Describe your dreams and ambitions, and how they relate to your choice of MSc programme at BI. Why do you want to take this master’s programme, what have you done in your life that have prepared you for this, and how will the MSc programme help you achieve your career and personal goals? How do you match BI’s applicant profile? The letter, written in English, should not exceed one page.
• Curriculum Vitae (CV): Upload a one-page CV including relevant education, work and volunteer experience, and any academic, sport, or leadership achievements.
• GMAT/GRE test score: This is mandatory if your bachelor’s degree is from a country outside Norway/Nordics. These standardised tests are used by business schools around the world to test your readiness for master-level studies. Ask that your test results be forwarded directly to BI from the test centre, or upload a copy of the score report to your online application. Applicants from our partner schools or from business schools that have international accreditations may request a waiver for this requirement.
  GMAT Institution Code: 0529
  GRE Institution Code: 7365
• TOEFL/IELTS test score: If your first language is not English, and you are not from Norway/Nordics, you must demonstrate English competency with a test. Ask that your test results be forwarded directly to BI Norwegian Business School from the test centre or upload a copy of the score report to your online application. If your mother tongue is English or you have studied in English for many years, you may request a waiver for this requirement.
  TOEFL Institution Code: 0529
  IELTS copies are accepted if the TRF number is visible

NB! If you are applying to a Master Programme that is taught in Norwegian, your CV and motivation letter must be written in Norwegian. Please note the programme specific admission requirements (links at the bottom of this page).

International applicants must also include the following: 

• A financial declaration. We ask for a general overview of how you intend to finance your degree and living expenses. Please use our financial declaration template. Why do we ask for this? As part of the process to secure a study visa, students from outside the EU will be required by the Norwegian government to provide a deposit covering tuition and one year of living expenses. They will be required to do this for both years in the master’s programme.
• Passport: Submit a copy of the identification page in your passport.

• To help you in the application process, we have made a Checklist.
• Learn how we evaluate your transcript here.
• Information about enrolment, deadlines, deposit and fees.