MiM application jargon, explained.

Most European MiMs admit in fixed rounds — batched deadlines (Round 1, Round 2, and so on) whose applications are judged together. Some review on a rolling basis instead, deciding as applications arrive until seats fill. Either way, applying earlier is usually the safer bet.

The month a cohort actually starts. Most European MiMs run a single September intake, though a handful add a January (spring) start.

The non-refundable charge to submit an application, often somewhere between €50 and €150. Some schools waive it — for early applicants, fair attendees, alumni referrals or financial need — so it is worth asking before you pay.

The sum you pay to hold your seat after you accept an offer, later credited against tuition. How large it is — and how much is refundable if you withdraw — varies by school.

A conditional offer holds your place subject to something still outstanding — a final transcript, a test score, language proof. An unconditional offer has no remaining requirements: the place is yours.

Neither admitted nor rejected, but held in reserve in case places open up. A short, genuine letter of continued interest can help your case.

Postponing an accepted place to a later intake. Policies differ — some schools grant a year on request, others ask you to reapply.

The current, shorter GMAT (since 2024): three sections and a 205–805 score scale that is not comparable to the old 200–800. It is the default admissions test wherever one is required.

Almost every MiM that asks for a test accepts either. The GRE is more flexible across degree types; the GMAT is the business-school native. Pick the one your scores favour.

Many European MiMs do not require a GMAT or GRE at all, or will waive it for a strong academic record, a quantitative degree or work experience. How you ask matters.

A French-language management aptitude test that some grandes écoles accept (or require) in place of the GMAT, chiefly for their French-track admissions.

The two most widely accepted English-proficiency tests for non-native speakers. Schools publish a minimum overall score, and sometimes per-section minimums too.

A cheaper, at-home English test that a growing number of MiMs now accept — but not all of them, so confirm it is allowed before you rely on it.

The essay (sometimes framed as a cover letter) explaining why this programme and why now. It is the spine of most European MiM applications.

The prompt asking what you want to do after the degree and how the programme gets you there. Specificity beats grand ambition.

An extra, not-required prompt — usually room to explain a weakness (a low grade, a gap) or add context. Use it only when you genuinely have something that helps.

References from people who can speak to your academic or professional ability. Who you ask, and how you brief them, matters more than their title.

The one-page record of your education, experience and achievements, usually in a European format. Admissions and recruiters both read it closely.

A recorded, asynchronous interview (Kira Talent is the common platform): you answer timed questions to camera with no live interviewer. It is increasingly standard for MiM admissions.

A structured problem-solving interview used heavily in consulting recruiting — you work a business problem aloud. Relevant to MiM graduates targeting consulting.

A multi-exercise recruiting day — group tasks, presentations, interviews — common in European graduate hiring.

France’s prestigious, highly selective higher-education institutions, which sit outside the public-university system. The top French MiMs — HEC, ESSEC, ESCP and others — are grandes écoles.

Holding all three major business-school accreditations at once — AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA. Fewer than 1% of schools worldwide do; it is a useful (though not sufficient) quality signal.

A prestigious one-year international management qualification run through a global alliance of one top school per country, usually taken alongside a member school’s own MiM.

A track where you earn two degrees — typically by spending part of the programme at a partner school abroad.

A French “gap year” built into the degree — an optional break, usually for internships, between programme years. Common at French grandes écoles.

A work-study track at French schools where you alternate between class and a paid company placement, often with tuition partly covered by the employer.

A term spent at a partner university abroad, credited toward your MiM — a core part of most European programmes’ international appeal.

A programme officially classified as science, technology, engineering or maths. The label matters mainly for longer post-study work eligibility in some countries.

A MiM is a pre-experience degree — designed for recent graduates with little or no full-time work history, unlike the post-experience MBA, which expects several years of it.

The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System — the standard “credit” unit across European degrees (a full academic year is roughly 60 ECTS). It is how a MiM’s workload, and its standing as a real master’s, are measured.

How your home grading scale — a 10-point system, a percentage, a first-class honours, a CGPA — maps onto what a European school expects. Most read your transcript in context rather than forcing a single converted number.

Third-party verification that your foreign degree is equivalent to a European one. Some schools ask for it at application, others only at enrolment.

Whether a three-year undergraduate degree qualifies you. It does at most European MiMs, though a few expect a specific duration or credit count.

MiMs are open to graduates of any discipline — engineers, humanities and science majors included — not only business undergraduates.

The Financial Times’ annual Masters in Management league table — the most-cited MiM ranking. It is built largely on salary, career progress and international mix, so read it knowing what it weights.

A school’s published graduate-outcomes data — placement rate, salary, top employers. The numbers reward careful reading, because definitions and response rates vary between schools.

The make-up of an admitted cohort — average age, GMAT, months of work experience, nationalities, gender split. A truer picture of who gets in than the marketing page.

The entry permit non-EU students need to study in an EU country. Requirements — proof of funds, health insurance, an acceptance letter — vary by country.

The route to stay and work after you graduate. France, Germany, Ireland and others offer a job-search or work period, but the terms differ by country.

The in-country permit that legalises your stay once you arrive, often following or replacing the initial entry visa.

A frozen bank account that proves you can fund your stay — Germany’s well-known student-visa requirement, where you deposit a set sum and draw it down monthly.