Frequently Asked Questions

ISM has a network of around 190 partner universities worldwide. Our International Office offers assistance in choosing a partner university. Depending on your course of study, you can choose from a variety of universities and countries.

The tuition fees for the semester abroad depend on your choice of partner university: In Europe, 95% are already covered by the ISM tuition fees. There are no additional costs here.

At our overseas partner universities, things can be a little different. Especially when choosing partner universities from USA, Australia and New Zealand, additional costs will arise, as the tuition fees there are higher than at ISM.

Our International Office will provide you with comprehensive information about each international university you are interested in.

No specific grade point average is required for the application, but the final grade of the first degree (e.g. Bachelors) is included in the overall assessment. Furthermore, we check your personal suitability in a selection process at ISM. You can register online for an appointment for our admission test. You will then receive an overview of the application documents to be submitted and the questions to be answered.

You will work on this in advance at home and present your results in a Power Point presentation on your selection day when you will meet (online) with the study program director. In addition, we would like to get to know you and your study motivation in the subsequent interview. The decision on the allocation of a study place is usually made within one to two working days after the interview.

We need the following documents from you:

• Curriculum vitae (CV).
• Letter of motivation.
• School-leaving certificate (certified) copies.
  Qualifying you to study at a higher education institution. The original document must be submitted by the start of the study. Alternatively, prospective students with a special educational background or a particular aptitude in their future field of study can also be recognized under the German Higher Education Act. Not sure to possess the school entry qualification? Please ask your study advisor and we will do a fast check to verify if you are eligible.
• External proof of knowledge of foreign languages (if available).
  To be able to choose Spanish or French as second language, you need a proof of German proficiency of at least a B2 level (e.g. TestDaf). If you have any separate certificates of achievement confirming your foreign language proficiency (e.g. TOEFL test), please also submit them to us. However, these certificates are not obligatory for your application to study at the ISM. You may hand them in until the start of your studies.
• Work/internship certificates (if available).
• Copy of your national ID card.
• One digital passport photo (colored, jpg format, high resolution).

The online admission test is divided into two parts:

Part 1: Elaboration of a case study presentation (such as brief presentation of the results of your Bachelor studies or another term paper)

Part 2: Online interview with the program director on the admission test day

For part one you can suggest a presentation topic or receive from our study advisor a list of topics after your online registration for an admission test, of which you have to choose one. You will elaborate your ideas in a power point presentation (15 to 20 minutes/about 10 to 12 slides). We need your presentation two working days (latest) prior to your online interview appointment.

Within the interview, first you will present your power point and discuss your current issues afterwards. The rest of the test is a classical interview with questions about your personal career, your professional and personal goals as well as your motivation for the master program of your choice.

If you have a foreign bachelor degree, we will check whether your qualification entitles you to study in Germany before taking our admission test.

Please send a scanned copy of your curriculum vitae and transcript of records and your bachelor diploma by email to the study advisor at the campus of your choice.

Master tuition fees are of 6,480 Euro per semester (over 4 semesters) which includes the master thesis fee. Furthermore, you have to pay an enrollment fee (one-time payment) of 600 Euro (for EU citizens) or 1,500 Euro (non-EU citizens).

Please note if you require a visa for studying in Germany: The Federal German Embassy requests to open a block account with the amount of 10,236 Euro for the visa process.

This amount will be paid back in monthly instalments (853 Euro per month) during the first year of studies at ISM. We recommend to open this block account through FINTIBA or Expatrio.

All international students have to pay a deposit (3,000 Euro) to secure their place on the study program. This is not an extra fee and will be deducted from the tuition fee of the first semester.

Depending on the course of study and semester, the costs range from approx. 30-100 Euro.

The tuition fee is 27,300 Euro in total incl. Master's thesis.

If you sign a study contract by January 31, you will also receive an early bird discount of 1,000 Euro.

There is no charge for the admission interview.

You can apply as early as one year before you wish to start your studies. You can make an appointment for your Skype interview with the responsible student advisor at campus Dortmund where we offer this program (email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Please send your CV and work experience in advance by email so that your suitability can be checked.

Application for the MBA General Management is possible until February 28 the year of start of your studies. A later application is possible after consultation in justified cases.

Please contact your Master & MBA study advisor at campus Dortmund (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). The admission procedure ends as soon as the limited study places have been allocated. Early application is therefore recommended, especially if you require a German study visa. Also, having a job in Germany is required in order to apply for this position.

In principle, when changing universities, it is possible to have achievements from the previous study program credited. Each individual case is examined individually. The prerequisite is that the achievements were made at a state-recognized university. Please contact a study advisor for further information.

For the MBA General Management, missing ECTS points can be compensated by relevant work experience. Please contact our study advisor (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for more information.

A pre-master is not offered for the MBA General Management.

The tuition fee is of 28,800 Euro in total including master's thesis fee. Monthly payments are also possible.

Sign a study contract by January 31 and you will receive an Early-Bird Discount of 1,000 € on the regular tuition fee!

In principle, ISM would like to make it possible for every suitable applicant to study at ISM, regardless of their individual financial situation. Therefore, ISM supports high-achieving students through scholarships. An application can be made directly to our study advisor responsible for MBA programs (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). information at Student finance or in our Financing Brochure (PDF).