No GMAT is required, a GMAT is the most valuable thing you can bring, and a GMAT can be imposed on you. All three are true, and they come from the same two documents. Alba's admission requirements list a bachelor's degree, two letters of recommendation, official transcripts, a CV in English, three essays 'as indicated in the application form', a passport or Greek ID copy, evidence of English, and the EUR 60 fee — no test among them.¹ ⁵ On the test itself: 'A GMAT (GMAT Focus Edition) score of 515 or higher, or a GRE score of 155 or above, is considered a strong asset for applications to the MSc program of choice.'⁵ Then the money. Alba's named-scholarship page lists 'Scholarships of 40% for MBAs and MSc programs for GMAT ≥ 645', filterable to the MSc in Management, with an application deadline of 'Ongoing'.⁶ Forty percent of EUR 12,500 is EUR 5,000 — twice what the GPA table alone can award, and more than the 30% ceiling the merit scheme reaches with every other criterion stacked. It is the clearest instance in this catalogue of a school that does not require a test and then pays five thousand euros for one. And the clause that makes 'optional' conditional: 'Applicants with a less robust academic background may be conditionally admitted to their chosen Master's program, subject to the Academic Committee's evaluation. In such cases, the committee may require the submission of a GMAT score of 515 or higher (or a GRE score of 155 or above) prior to the beginning of the program.'⁵ The programme page states the same rule more bluntly, requiring the score 'before registering'.¹ That is a requirement created by a decision about your file rather than published against your application, which is why this profile records the test as not required and prints the clause instead of burying it — the same distinction Sweden's public schools forced onto this site. Everyone sits an interview: 'All candidates will be asked to go through a personal online interview', and admission is 'determined by the Admissions Committee based on the applicant's qualifications, personality and demonstrated commitment'.⁵ English is a separate gate and a generous one: Cambridge, Michigan or MSU Proficiency, TOEFL 100, IELTS 6.5, or the Duolingo English Test at 125 — with the waiver carrying no country condition whatsoever: 'Candidates who have completed a bachelor's degree at a university or business school where the medium of instruction for all courses was English, are exempt from the requirement to provide proof of English language proficiency.'⁵ Compare the field in our English-evidence comparison and the Duolingo guide, and read the wider test picture in MiM in Europe without the GMAT.
Not required, and paid for when you have one. A GMAT Focus Edition score of 515 or a GRE of 155 'is considered a strong asset', and Alba's named-scholarship page offers 'Scholarships of 40% for MBAs and MSc programs for GMAT ≥ 645' — 40% of EUR 12,500 is EUR 5,000, double the largest merit award the GPA table alone can reach. The clause to read twice: applicants 'with a less robust academic background may be conditionally admitted', in which case the committee 'may require the submission of a GMAT score of 515 or higher (or a GRE score of 155 or above) prior to the beginning of the program' — so the test is optional by policy and can become compulsory for one applicant by decision
| Test policy | Not required, and paid for when you have one. A GMAT Focus Edition score of 515 or a GRE of 155 'is considered a strong asset', and Alba's named-scholarship page offers 'Scholarships of 40% for MBAs and MSc programs for GMAT ≥ 645' — 40% of EUR 12,500 is EUR 5,000, double the largest merit award the GPA table alone can reach. The clause to read twice: applicants 'with a less robust academic background may be conditionally admitted', in which case the committee 'may require the submission of a GMAT score of 515 or higher (or a GRE score of 155 or above) prior to the beginning of the program' — so the test is optional by policy and can become compulsory for one applicant by decision |
|---|---|
| GPA | A bachelor's degree in any discipline, with no minimum grade published. What the GPA does decide is money: Alba's merit-scholarship table sets a tuition waiver of 20% for a UK first / US 3.60+ / Greek AEI 8.01+, 15% for a 2:1 high (66-69 / 3.31-3.59 / 7.51-8.00) and 10% for a 2:1 (61-65 / 3.00-3.30 / 7.01-7.50), with work experience, advanced degrees, professional qualifications and interview performance able to raise the total 'up to 30%' |
| Work experience | None required. Alba states a three-year minimum for its MBA and none for the MSc programmes, and describes this one as being for 'young graduates and junior professionals (with business or non-business backgrounds)'. Experience is not a gate here but it is worth money, counting toward the part of the merit scholarship that lifts a GPA-based waiver toward 30% |
| MiMs we track admitting without a required GMAT/GRE | 75 of 118 |
A GMAT or GRE is not required to apply to the Alba Graduate Business School MiM — it is one of the 75 of 118 Master's in Management we track (about 64%) that admit without a required test. See every European MiM you can apply to without a GMAT on our MiM without the GMAT shortlist, or read how GMAT waivers work.
Most European MiM programs, including this one, accept the GRE and often the GMAT Focus Edition or a school-specific test as alternatives, and weigh the whole application — academics, internships, essays, and interview — rather than the score alone.
Frequently asked questions
Does Alba's MSc in Management require the GMAT?
No — but read the conditional clause. Alba states that a GMAT Focus Edition score of 515 or a GRE of 155 'is considered a strong asset', not that either is required. Two things qualify that. A score of 645 or higher earns a 40% tuition scholarship, worth EUR 5,000 and more than any GPA-based award the merit table can reach. And an applicant 'with a less robust academic background may be conditionally admitted', in which case the Academic Committee 'may require the submission of a GMAT score of 515 or higher (or a GRE score of 155 or above) prior to the beginning of the program' — so the test is optional as published policy and can become compulsory for one applicant by decision.
Do you need IELTS or TOEFL for Alba's MSc in Management?
You need one of four kinds of evidence unless you are exempt: a Cambridge, Michigan or MSU Proficiency, TOEFL 100, IELTS 6.5, or the Duolingo English Test at 125. The exemption is unusually wide and carries no country condition at all: 'Candidates who have completed a bachelor's degree at a university or business school where the medium of instruction for all courses was English, are exempt from the requirement to provide proof of English language proficiency.' Most European schools that waive the test attach a majority-English-speaking-country condition to it; Alba does not, which matters most to applicants from India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Bangladesh.
Sources
- Alba Graduate Business School — MSc in Management, programme page. Key facts read verbatim: 'DURATION Full Time (12m) & Part Time (24m) / evening classes', 'Application Deadline LAST CALL – LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE | New Application Deadline: 14 September, 2026', 'START DATE September 2026', 'FEES € 12,500'. Positioning: the programme 'is offered to young graduates and junior professionals (with business or non-business backgrounds) who aim to enter the world of business or advance their existing careers', a 'general management program that offers an up-to-date, balanced, and internationally competitive curriculum', with 'extensive opportunities to take courses abroad through student exchange agreements with a large network of top Business Schools worldwide'. Structure: '30 US credits' across three academic periods full-time or six part-time, with four streams — General Management, International Business, Entrepreneurship, Energy Management — and a capstone of MSc Thesis, New Venture Project or Career Development (internship or professional development). On-page admission block: 'Hold a bachelor degree; Provide evidence of excellent command of the English language; A minimum GMAT (Focus Edition) score of 515 or above (or a GRE score of 155 or above) will strengthen the application for the program', with the weak-file clause requiring the score 'before registering'. LANGUAGE NOT STATED 2026-09-07: the page names no language of instruction and no ECTS figure. NO outcome data of any kind is published — no employment rate, salary, class size, intake profile or ranking ↗ — Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece
- Alba — Tuition and fees list. 'Price per credit (US credits) is €380 for all MSc Programs'; the five MSc programmes (Marketing, Strategic HRM, Finance, Management, Shipping Management) share one line — 'Courses Cost: €11,400 and a Non-Refundable Deposit of Tuition fees (at registration): €1,100' — for '€12,500 payable in installments'. The deposit 'is payable when confirming your acceptance of an offer of a place. This is part of your tuition fee and will be deducted from the total amount upon enrollment.' Outside tuition: 'a one-off €60 non-refundable application fee' and 'An additional €50 fee is required for Graduation & Commencement'. Refunds: 'AGBS students who withdraw a course within ten working days of the beginning of each semester will be fully refunded for this course.' NO nationality split appears anywhere on this page ↗ — Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece
- Alba — MSc in Management Program (Full time) 2026 - 2027, course and payment schedule (PDF, 3 pages, sha256:3b6b78a4acffdd5a, read with npm run pdf:text on 2026-09-07). FEE INTAKE CHECKED 2026-09-07 — the document labels its own cycle. 'Total US credits 30', 'Total Tuition Fees (Books are not indluded) 12,500.00€', 'Non-Refundable Deposit of Tuition Fees at Registration: 1,100.00€'. Every course carries its own US credits, contact hours and price at €380/credit: Fall 2026 (1st period) Managerial Economics 2, Accounting and Financial Management 2, UMG 0203 Managing People and Organizations 2, USK 0155 Business Writing Workshop 1, UDS 0170 Quantitative Methods for Business 1 — 'Tuition fees 1st payment (by August 30th, 2026): € 1,520.00', '2nd payment (by October 30th, 2026): € 1,520.00', 'Total fees for this period 3,040.00€'. Winter 2027 (2nd period) Business Analytics 2, UMK 0104 Marketing Management 2, Strategy Formulation & Implementation 4, Operations and Supply Chain Management 2 plus the chosen stream course — payments of € 2,280.00 by 30 December 2026 and 27 February 2027, 'Total fees for this period 4,560.00€'. Third period Sustainability Business Ethics & CSR 1, Digital Business Strategies 2, stream electives, and a 4-credit MSc Thesis, New Venture Project or UTR 0075 Career Development — payments of € 1,900.00 by 30 April 2027 and 1 June 2027, 'Total fees for this period 3,800.00€'. The three periods total €11,400, which with the €1,100 deposit is exactly €12,500. Footer: 'The School reserves the right to re-examine the structure of all Academic Programs and proceed to any necessary changes in the total year schedules' ↗ — Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece
- Alba — MSc in Management Program (Part time) 2026 - 2028, course and payment schedule (PDF, 4 pages, sha256:8fdd7515d5cdcce1, read with npm run pdf:text on 2026-09-07). Same 'Total US credits 30' and same 'Total Tuition Fees (Books are not indluded) 12,500.00€' as the full-time route, spread over six periods and twelve dated payments: Fall 2026 €760 + €760, Winter 2027 €1,140 + €1,140, Spring 2027 €570 + €570, Fall 2027 €760 + €760, Winter 2028 €1,140 + €1,140, Spring 2028 from €1,330. FEE BASIS CHECKED 2026-09-07: the part-time route is a two-year total that equals the one-year full-time total, because it is the same 30 credits at the same €380 — not a per-year figure ↗ — Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece
- Alba — Information for Applicants 2026-2027, MSc programmes (PDF, 1 page, sha256:9119b812bf028217, read with npm run pdf:text on 2026-09-07). Documents: application form, 'A certified copy of their Bachelor's degree', official transcripts from every institution attended, 'Two letters of recommendation (Alba accepts recommendation letters, either in Greek or in English language)', 'A personal detailed CV in English language', 'A copy of the police ID (for Greek citizens), or passport (for International candidates)', and the €60 fee. ENGLISH EVIDENCE CHECKED 2026-09-07: 'Candidates are required to hold either the Proficiency (Cambridge or Michigan or Michigan State University (MSU)), or take the TOEFL (the minimum required score is 100), or IELTS (the minimum required score is 6.5), or the Duolingo English Test (the minimum required score is 125)'; and the exemption carries NO country condition — 'Candidates who have completed a bachelor's degree at a university or business school where the medium of instruction for all courses was English, are exempt from the requirement to provide proof of English language proficiency.' (The admission-requirements web page states the same exemption slightly wider, as 'Native English-speakers and graduates of under/graduate degrees taught exclusively in English'.) TEST: 'A GMAT (GMAT Focus Edition) score of 515 or higher, or a GRE score of 155 or above, is considered a strong asset', and 'Applicants with a less robust academic background may be conditionally admitted to their chosen Master's program, subject to the Academic Committee's evaluation. In such cases, the committee may require the submission of a GMAT score of 515 or higher (or a GRE score of 155 or above) prior to the beginning of the program.' PROCESS: 'All candidates will be asked to go through a personal online interview'; 'Applications submitted with missing documents will remain on hold and will not be processed until all required documents are received'; 'Admission to the program is determined by the Admissions Committee based on the applicant's qualifications, personality and demonstrated commitment'; 'Alba operates on a rolling admissions basis and accepts applications throughout the year'; 'Applications received after the program's start date will not be considered for the current intake but will be evaluated for the following year's intake.' Application fee mechanics: 'Upon submission of the online application, candidates will receive their unique banking ID and detailed instructions for completing the payment of the non-refundable application fee of €60 via email. The issuance of the banking ID typically requires 2-3 working days following the online application submission.' The three essays are named on the admission-requirements page ('Three Essays, as indicated in the application form'), not in this PDF. LANGUAGE NOT STATED: the document names no language of instruction ↗ — Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece
- Alba — Named Scholarships, filterable by programme (the filter list includes 'MSc in Management'). 'GMAT SCHOLARSHIPS — Scholarships of 40% for MBAs and MSc programs for GMAT ≥ 645. APPLICATION DEADLINE: Ongoing'. Also listed: 'ULYSSES KYRIAKOPOULOS ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP — Partial scholarships for various MSc programs. APPLICATION DEADLINE: 31 May 2026' and 'ULYSSES KYRIAKOPOULOS EXPENDABLE SCHOLARSHIP — Partial scholarships, based on a combination of academic/professional excellence, high academic & professional potentials and presence of financial need', plus six further named awards (NielsenIQ, International Propeller Club Piraeus, Leventis Foundation, Seanergy, SEV, Triton, WISTA Hellas) none of which names the MSc in Management. STACKING CHECKED 2026-09-07: no page read states whether a named award may be held alongside the merit waiver, and this profile says so rather than assuming either way ↗ — Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece
- Alba — International Students. Living costs: 'Monthly living cost for studying in Athens depends on students' life style. A rough estimation of average living cost in Athens is approximately 300-400 Euros per month (excluding accommodation).' Housing: 'Alba provides fully furnished, single or shared, apartments (with en-suite kitchen and bathroom) in walking distance from the School's campus. Accommodation is not included in the tuition fees however international students are eligible for discounted fixed rates per month including all bills' — no rate is published. Visa: 'For non-EU member candidates, a Student National Type D Visa (Category H.5) is required. Once registration is completed, the International Student Services Office (ISS) will contact students directly to begin the visa procedure.' The school then 'provides full guidance and assistance in issuing a twelve-month student residence permit for Greece' and 'covers both the residence permit commission fee and all legal expenses, including lawyer representation'. Funding, and note that it does NOT match the merit-scholarship PDF's ceiling: 'International students are eligible to partial scholarships up to 20% on tuition fees depending on the application excellence and the quality characteristics of the candidate. If the applicant provides a GMAT-focus edition score more than 645, then the scholarship on tuition fees will be 40%' — 'more than 645' against the named-scholarship page's '≥ 645'. 'We can pre-approve your scholarship before you apply for enrollment to an Alba program.' No post-study work rule for Greece is stated on this page ↗ — Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece
- Alba — Merit-based Scholarships, Office of Financial Assistance and Planning (PDF, 1 page, sha256:c247192355011372, read with npm run pdf:text on 2026-09-07). 'Merit Scholarships are awarded on the basis of: a. Academic performance b. Candidate's overall profile.' The published GPA table, columns 'UK | US | Greek AEI - GPA | Scholarship (% of Tuition)': '70+ first | 3.60+ | 8,01+ | 20%'; '66-69 (2:1 high) | 3.31-3.59 | 7,51-8,00 | 15%'; '61-65 (2:1) | 3.00-3.30 | 7,01-7,50 | 10%'. Then: 'Additional criteria including, but not limited to, work experience, advanced degrees, professional qualifications and interview performance, may increase the total tuition waiver up to 30%.' Condition: 'Students awarded a merit scholarship are required to maintain strong academic performance and comply with all College regulations, including the Student Conduct Code' ↗ — Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece
- Alba — Financial Assistance (need-based grants). The eligibility test that excludes almost every international reader: an applicant must 'Meet all requirements for admission to the Alba Graduate Business School', 'Demonstrate financial need', and 'File taxes in Greece and declare sufficient income to cover living expenses and part of the Alba tuition' — stated again as 'Only students that file taxes in Greece may apply for need-based financial assistance'. Scope: 'Financial assistance is given for tuition only and does not cover other fees.' No amount, percentage or deadline is published, and the page makes no statement about holding a need-based grant alongside a merit scholarship. Separately, Alba's Work Study page states that ACG 'employs students on a part-time basis to assist in the daily operations or ad hoc projects of the administrative and academic offices', that 'Student employees may work for up to 15 hours per week', that a minimum cumulative index of 2.30/4.00 must be maintained, and — the clause a non-EU applicant must read — that a non-EU student needs 'a copy of their current Residence Permit valid for employment' because 'A residence permit for studies or vocational training does not provide a right for employment' ↗ — Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece
- Alba — Quality and Accreditations. ACCREDITATION CHECKED 2026-09-07, and the scope matters more than the list. NECHE: Alba is covered by the US institutional accreditation, which is 'authorized by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)'. AMBA: 'All Alba MBA programs are accredited by the Association of MBAs' — the MBAs only. EFMD Global: 'both the MSc in Finance and MSc in Strategic Human Resources programs were accredited', described as 'the only EFMD Accredited programs in Greece' — so NOT the MSc in Management. AACSB: membership since 2015, which is not accreditation and this profile does not present it as one. Also CFA Program Partner status for the MSc in Finance, PRMIA University Partner, and SHRM alignment for the MSc in Strategic HRM. The page states nothing about the language of instruction, about ECTS, or about recognition of the degree in Greece or the EU ↗ — Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece
- The American College of Greece — Accreditation and Validation. The sentence that defines what the degree is, verbatim: 'AUG is accredited by NECHE, an accreditation that includes ACG's operations in Greece by means of an agreement between AUG and ACG covering all programs currently offered at ACG.' Dated reference: 'May 27, 2021 – Formal report from the NECHE accreditation'. Separately, and scoped to the undergraduate college rather than to Alba: 'The American College of Greece – Deree College is approved by The Open University as an appropriate organisation to offer higher education programmes leading to Open University validated awards.' SCOPE CHECKED 2026-09-07: the Open University validation is Deree's, not Alba's, and is not applied to this profile. The page states nothing about a Hellenic Ministry of Education licence or about professional-equivalence recognition of the degree in Greece ↗ — The American College of Greece
- Alba — International Office. The only published statement anywhere on Alba's site that converts its US credits into ECTS, and it is scoped to a term rather than to a degree: 'International graduate students from all over the world have the opportunity to collect 8-10 US credits (20-24 ECTS) per term and transfer the credits to their home institution.' On that ratio a 30-US-credit degree is roughly 72 ECTS, but Alba publishes no ECTS total for the MSc in Management, so this profile records none in its data and states the derivation in prose instead. Also: 'Through exchange programs, inbound graduate students from international business schools around the world have the opportunity to study at Alba', and 'Alba has established a steadily growing network of partners across the world' ↗ — Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece
- Alba — MSc in International Business and Management. SCOPE CHECKED 2026-09-07, and recorded as a page rather than as a programme: this URL returns HTTP 200 but does NOT appear in Alba's own navigation, which lists exactly five Masters Programs (Management, Strategic HRM, Finance, Marketing, Shipping Management). It describes a degree with the same fee ('FEES € 12,500'), the same structure ('Full Time (12m) & Part Time (24m) / evening classes'), the same 'START DATE September 2026' and near-identical positioning prose to the MSc in Management, under a superseded name — and it carries a stale deadline the live page does not ('Rolling Admission | Upcoming Deadline: February 27, 2026'). It also publishes a timetable the live page does not: 'Weekday classes between 18:00 – 22:00, three times per week on average.' That timetable is NOT stated for the MSc in Management and is therefore not recorded as a fact of it here; the live page's own 'Part Time (24m) / evening classes' is ↗ — Alba Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece