Most Master in Management interviews test the same two things: your motivation and your fit. Vlerick’s interview does that too — but it adds a third element that catches unprepared candidates off guard. In Vlerick’s own words, the faculty interviewer is there to assess “your motivation, fit and knowledge of international management, sustainability and strategy.” That last clause is the difference. This guide decodes Vlerick’s admission interview for the Masters in International Management and Strategy (MIMS) — the format, what it really assesses, and how to prepare for the part most applicants miss.
(The interview material here is drawn from Vlerick’s own admissions pages, last checked June 2026; the timing section was re-read at source on 2 September 2026. Schools adjust their process between cycles, so confirm the current format, test options and dates on Vlerick’s site before you rely on any specific.)
Where the interview sits in the process
Vlerick admits to the MIMS through a rolling, capped-seats process — not the numbered rounds an earlier version of this guide described. In broad strokes, the application has three moving parts:
- The academic file — your degree (a master’s, or a three-to-four-year bachelor’s from a recognised institution for applicants outside Belgium) and supporting documents.
- An analytical test — satisfied by Vlerick’s own in-house online test (numerical reasoning, plus abstract reasoning where applicable), or a GMAT or GRE meeting Vlerick’s published minimums. (More on this below — it’s why Vlerick is one of the more test-flexible top-15 schools.)
- The admissions interview — an online interview of about 30 minutes with faculty.
Being invited to the interview means your file has cleared the first bar — so treat the invitation as a positive signal, not a final hurdle to fear. The interview is where Vlerick decides whether the person behind the file is a genuine, informed fit for the programme.
What the interview actually assesses
Vlerick states the interview looks at three things. Two are familiar; one is not.
- Motivation. Why a Master in Management, why now, and why Vlerick specifically. The standard “why us” material — but make it concrete: name the things about MIMS that fit your plan (the international-and-strategy focus, the Brussels location and EU-capital recruiting access, the 10-month full-time structure, the careers service), not generic praise.
- Fit. Whether you’d thrive in — and add to — a small, highly international cohort. Vlerick’s class is compact and internationally mixed, so be ready to show how you’d contribute and collaborate.
- Knowledge of international management, sustainability and strategy. This is the distinctive one. Vlerick wants candidates who are genuinely engaged with the field the programme teaches — able to talk intelligently about international business, strategy and sustainability, and to connect those themes to your own interests and goals.
That third element changes how you prepare. A motivation-only interview rewards self-knowledge; Vlerick’s also rewards subject awareness. You’re being checked for whether your interest in international management and strategy is real and informed — not just a sentence on a form.
How to prepare for the part most candidates miss
You can prepare the motivation and fit elements the way you’d prepare for any MiM interview: know your story, know your goals, know why this school. The differentiator is preparing the subject-knowledge dimension. A sensible approach:
- Be able to discuss the field, not just yourself. Have a view on a current theme or two in international management, strategy or sustainability that genuinely interests you — a trend, a company example, a question you find compelling. The goal is to sound like someone who reads about and thinks about this field, because that’s exactly what Vlerick is checking.
- Connect the subject back to your goals. The strongest answers bridge the two things at once: “I’m drawn to [theme] in international strategy, which is part of why I want this programme and the [specific] direction I’m aiming for.” That hits motivation, fit and knowledge in one move.
- Don’t fake depth. This isn’t an exam with model answers, and an interviewer who teaches the subject will see through a memorised talking point instantly. Engage honestly with a couple of themes you actually find interesting; informed curiosity beats rehearsed jargon.
- Mind that it’s online and short. Thirty minutes goes fast over video. Test your setup, be concise, and lead with your point — the format rewards clarity over long wind-ups.
A useful mental model: prepare as if you’re about to have a substantive conversation about international business with a future professor, not just to be asked why you want the degree. That framing puts you in the right register.
The test-flexible route worth knowing about
One reason Vlerick is worth a close look for applicants without a GMAT: its analytical-test requirement can be met through Vlerick’s own in-house online test, not only an external GMAT or GRE. For candidates who’d rather not sit (or pay for, or wait on) a standardised exam, that’s a genuine no-GMAT route into a top-15 FT Masters in Management.
If you do take the GMAT or GRE, Vlerick publishes minimum scores — confirm the current thresholds on Vlerick’s admissions page rather than relying on second-hand figures, as they’re adjusted between cycles. (For help choosing, see GMAT vs GRE for a European MiM.) The honest read: the in-house option makes the test the most flexible part of Vlerick’s process — which puts more weight on the file and the interview to do the discriminating.
Timing: apply earlier rather than later
Correction, from a re-read of Vlerick’s own pages on 2 September 2026: Vlerick does not admit in rounds. The process is rolling — applications are assessed as of October for the following September intake — and places are allocated, in the school’s own words, “first come, first served”.¹ There is no round to be early for; there is only a queue and a cap.
That leaves three dates worth planning against for the September 2027 intake, and only one of them is what most applicants would call a deadline:
- Before February — the scholarship clock. Vlerick asks for the scholarship application to be submitted together with the programme application, before February.¹ Applying for admission first and money later is, on the school’s own description, too late.
- 30 April 2027 — the hard one. If you need a visa to study in Belgium, Vlerick states it expects your application by 30 April at the latest for the following September intake.¹ This is a requirement, not the recommendation an earlier version of this guide called it.
- June 2027 — the outer edge, for visa-exempt applicants only.¹ Legitimate, but a June file competes for what is left rather than for the whole class.
Map those against your readiness on the deadline tracker, and apply as early as your file is genuinely ready.
The bottom line
Vlerick’s admission interview is a ~30-minute online conversation with faculty that assesses motivation, fit and — unusually — your knowledge of international management, sustainability and strategy. Prepare the motivation and fit like any MiM interview, but don’t stop there: be ready to talk intelligently about the field, connect it to your goals, and engage honestly rather than reciting jargon. Combined with Vlerick’s test-flexible admissions (its in-house analytical test is a real no-GMAT route) and its rolling, capped-seats timing, the interview is where a strong file becomes an offer — so treat the invitation as the opportunity it is.
For the rest of the picture, see the full Vlerick MIMS profile for fees, class profile and outcomes, the best MiMs in Belgium for context, and map your dates on the deadline tracker. When you’re preparing the whole application, the admissions toolkit walks through positioning your profile and your story.
Sources & how to confirm
The interview format (online, ~30 minutes, faculty-conducted), the three assessment areas (motivation, fit, and knowledge of international management, sustainability and strategy), and the analytical-test options (Vlerick’s in-house online test, or GMAT/GRE with published minimums) are drawn from Vlerick Business School’s own Masters in International Management and Strategy admissions pages (vlerick.com), last checked June 2026. ¹ The timing section was corrected on 2 September 2026 against a fresh read of the MIMS programme page: the process is rolling as of October rather than round-based, places are allocated “first come, first served”, the non-EU application deadline is 30 April 2027 for the September 2027 intake, visa-exempt applicants have until June, and scholarship applications are due with the programme application before February. The interview is described by format and assessed themes only — no specific questions are invented or asserted (we don’t publish invented “real” interview questions). Test-score minimums, round dates and process details change between cycles; confirm the current requirements on Vlerick’s own admissions page before you rely on them. Nothing here asserts a figure Vlerick does not publish.