No GMAT is required, and Católica Porto is unusually explicit about what it does instead. The application page states that a file 'must contain elements that provide evidence of the academic and scientific competence of the candidates, as well as the command of the English language', and then, in one sentence, exactly where a test sits: 'The GMAT test is valued in the selection process to assess the academic and scientific skills.'⁶ Valued, not required — and the document checklist bears that out: the GMAT appears under 'Optional documents that may strengthen your application', beside 'Other complementary evaluation materials'.⁶ The three published selection criteria are the 'academic and scientific curriculum', the 'undergraduate degree classification' and 'professional experience or research', with no weightings attached — so this is a scored file, not a scored test.⁶ Entry is open across disciplines: 'Graduates from different scientific areas can apply to the Masters of the Católica Porto Business School.'⁶ There is no business-degree prerequisite of the kind Twente and RSM publish, and no GRE route is mentioned either way. The one place a GMAT stops being optional is the money, and it is worth reading before you decide to skip the test: on both of the school's pages, a candidate whose bachelor's comes from a foreign institution can reach the merit scholarship only with a GMAT — over 615 on the admissions platform, at least 650 on the school's fees page.⁶ ⁷ So for an international applicant the honest summary is that the GMAT is optional for admission and effectively mandatory for a fee waiver. How that compares across the continent is on MiM in Europe without the GMAT, GMAT vs GRE for a European MiM and GMAT waivers.
Not required and not a threshold. Católica Porto states only that 'the GMAT test is valued in the selection process', and lists it among optional documents 'that may strengthen your application'. It becomes decisive in exactly one place — the merit scholarship, which a foreign-degree holder cannot reach without one; see the fees note
| Test policy | Not required and not a threshold. Católica Porto states only that 'the GMAT test is valued in the selection process', and lists it among optional documents 'that may strengthen your application'. It becomes decisive in exactly one place — the merit scholarship, which a foreign-degree holder cannot reach without one; see the fees note |
|---|---|
| GPA | No published minimum. Undergraduate degree classification is one of three stated selection criteria, alongside the academic and scientific curriculum and professional experience or research. A score of 16.0 is the merit-scholarship threshold, not the admission bar |
| Work experience | Not required. 'Professional experience or research' is the third of the three published selection criteria, so it is scored rather than demanded, and no minimum is published |
| MiMs we track admitting without a required GMAT/GRE | 75 of 118 |
A GMAT or GRE is not required to apply to the Católica Porto School of Business and Economics 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 Católica Porto's MSc in Management require the GMAT?
No. The school states that 'the GMAT test is valued in the selection process' and lists it under optional documents that may strengthen an application, alongside three published selection criteria — academic and scientific curriculum, undergraduate degree classification, and professional experience or research. There is one important exception, and it is about money rather than admission: on both of the school's own pages, an applicant whose bachelor's degree comes from a foreign institution can only qualify for the merit scholarship with a GMAT score. The two pages disagree on the number — 'over 615 points' on the admissions platform, 'at least 650 points' on the school's fees page — and both were read on 2026-09-06.
Sources
- Católica Porto School of Business and Economics — MSc in Management, programme overview. Names the five specialisation options ('Business Analytics', 'Service Management', 'Management Control', 'International Management', 'Human Resources Management') and states that 'the programme is organised in a common core in the 1st semester'. Also the source for the ranking claims stated on this profile, verbatim: 'The MSc in Management at Católica Porto School of Business and Economics was included in the Financial Times' ranking for the 100 best programmes worldwide - the "Masters in Management 2025" ranking. Highlights: - 8th place globally in Career Progress - 5th place globally in Salary Increase, the highest ranking among Portuguese business schools.' Programme director: Susana Costa e Silva. NOTE THE SHAPE OF THAT CLAIM: the school publishes the two sub-ranks it won and NOT its overall position, and this profile therefore sets no rankingFT — see the negative recorded below ↗ — Católica Porto School of Business and Economics
- Católica Porto — MSc in Management, programme outline (the per-course ECTS table). Semester I, common to every specialisation: Financial Statement Analysis and Performance 6, Marketing in the Digital Age 6, Operation Management 6, People Management 6, Strategy and Organization 6, Research Seminars I 2 — 32 ECTS. Semester II is published once per specialisation and each column also totals 32 ECTS (Services Management reaching it partly through electives, marked '(Elective)' on the page). Semester III, 'for all specialisations': Research Seminars III 2 and Master's Final Assignment 30 — 32 ECTS. NO PROGRAMME TOTAL IS STATED ANYWHERE, on this page or on the Portuguese-language programme page (cpsbe.porto.ucp.pt/pt-pt/mestrados/mestrado-em-gestao, also read 2026-09-06), so the
ectsfield is deliberately left unset rather than filled with the 96 these three columns sum to. The site's own schema comment requires a stated programme total; a figure we computed is not one ↗ — Católica Porto School of Business and Economics - Católica Porto — MSc in Management, Structure. THE LANGUAGE-OF-INSTRUCTION SOURCE, and the reason this profile is scoped to three specialisations rather than five. The page carries a two-by-two table headed 'Daytime' and 'Evening (7:00 PM-10:30 PM)' with rows 'Portuguese' — Human Resources Management (daytime), Management Control (evening) — and 'English' — Business Analytics, International Management, Service Management (daytime). The prose beneath it says, verbatim: 'Classes fully taught in English for the specialisations in International Management, Business Analytics, and Service Management. Classes taught mostly in Portuguese for the specialisations in Human Resources and Management Control. In some subjects, however, classes may be taught entirely or partially in English. All students are expected to have a good command of English.' Also: 'The classes are held from Monday to Friday and on Saturday mornings. The daytime regime is preferred in the morning, and the post-work regime operates from 7 pm to 10:30 pm.' Venue: 'the Católica campus in Porto, Foz' ↗ — Católica Porto School of Business and Economics
- Católica Porto — MSc in Management, Specialisations. Confirms the split in the school's own words — 'Of the 5 specialisations, we have 3 in English and 2 in Portuguese' — and labels each one in its heading: '1. Management Control (evening, mostly in Portuguese)', '2. Business Analytics (daytime, in English)', '3. Service Management (daytime, in English)', '4. International Management (daytime, in English)', '5. Human Resources Management (daytime, mostly in Portuguese)'. A CONTRADICTION WITHIN THIS PAGE, recorded rather than resolved: International Management is headed 'daytime' and its body ends 'This specialisation will be entirely conducted in English and preferably scheduled between 5:30 PM and 8:30 PM' — an evening slot the Structure page's table does not show. Business Analytics's body agrees with its heading ('conveniently scheduled during working hours'). Also from this page: Service Management is linked to the school's S.Lab and to double degrees with the University of Groningen in Healthcare Management and Supply Chain Management ↗ — Católica Porto School of Business and Economics
- Católica Porto — MSc in Management, Accreditation and Recognition. 'The quality of teaching and learning at Católica Porto School of Business and Economics, and of the School's other core activities, is recognised by the three most relevant international accreditation agencies in management and economics: AMBA, since 2013; EQUIS, since 2016; AACSB, since 2021.' Also states the school 'has been selected as one of the Top 100 European Business Schools by the Financial Times "European Business School Rankings"', that the Management, Finance and Marketing masters 'have been included in the QS Business Master's Rankings 2025', and the Portuguese national accreditations: A3ES decision 'Accredited', dated 14-10-2022, and DGES registration R/A-Cr 222/2015/AL01 dated 01-02-2021 ↗ — Católica Porto School of Business and Economics
- Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Porto) — Católica Porto Business School Masters admissions platform, 'APPLICATIONS 2026/27'. Reached from the programme page's Applications link (www.candidaturas.porto.ucp.pt/en/masters-cpbs, which 301s to admissions.porto.ucp.pt/en/masters-cpbs). FEE INTAKE 2026/27, and it is the only cycle the school prices: 'Fees for the academic year 2026/27 … Tuition and fees are set out annually and published in a separate document (fees table), so the amounts to be charged in subsequent academic years will increase.' Application Fee 'UCP graduates: free / Other students: €75'; Enrollment Fee '(for the 2-year period – includes school insurance and student card): €780.00'; Tuition Fees '1st year: 10 monthly installments of €726.40 | Total 1st year: €7,264' and '2nd year: 5 monthly installments of €726.40 | Total 2nd year: €3,632'. Admission: 'Graduates from different scientific areas can apply'; 'The GMAT test is valued in the selection process to assess the academic and scientific skills'; criteria 'Academic and scientific curriculum / Undergraduate degree classification / Professional experience or research'. ENGLISH EVIDENCE CHECKED 2026-09-06 and it is the loosest rule read anywhere in this corpus: the 'Official English language certificate at level B2 or higher according to The Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (or equivalent, e.g., TOEFL, IELTS, FCE or CAE)' is listed under 'Optional documents that may strengthen your application', not among the required ones. Deadlines 2026/27: phase 1 'Until March 05, 2026', phase 2 'April 13 to June 18, 2026', phase 3 'July 20 to August 20, 2026'. 'Available Places … Management: 160' footnoted 'Total number of places across all specialization areas.' Merit scholarship on THIS page: 'Applicants with a minimum application score of 16.0 are eligible for a scholarship. Eligibility for Master's degree applicants who hold a bachelor's degree from a foreign higher education institution requires an additional GMAT score of over 615 points', renewal average 15.0 ↗ — Universidade Católica Portuguesa
- Católica Porto — Masters (MSc), Tuitions and scholarships. This is the page every one of the five masters links to as 'Fees, scholarships and other funding', including the MSc in Management, and it carries NO tuition figure at all — 'Check all the information here' links out to the admissions platform above. What it does carry is a SECOND, DIFFERENT statement of the merit-scholarship rule: 'Candidates are eligible for scholarship if they have an enrolment average of at least 16,0 points from a Portuguese University or a GMAT score of at least 650 points'; 'Students who complete the degree in a foreign higher education institution will only be eligible for scholarship award if they present a GMAT with a score of at least 650 points'; renewal on '30 ECTS per semester with no failures' and a weighted average 'equal to or greater than 16.0 values'. Against the admissions platform's 615 and 15.0, read the same day. Neither page is dated. Both are stated on this profile. Also from this page: 'Scholarships for International Students … applicants coming from other countries, who have a non-Portuguese nationality and do not live in Portugal. The amount of the scholarship correspond to partial exemption of tuition fees during the first year of the Master's Programme (curricular component. Scholarships are awarded based on the Master's application score and an interview.' ↗ — Católica Porto School of Business and Economics
- NEGATIVE RECORDED 2026-09-06 — the programme's FT Masters in Management 2025 POSITION could not be read. The school states inclusion in the FT's 'ranking for the 100 best programmes worldwide' and publishes two sub-ranks (8th Career Progress, 5th Salary Increase) but never its overall place, and rankings.ft.com is not reachable from this site's fetcher ('Claude Code is unable to fetch from rankings.ft.com'). This is a REFUSING-CLIENT negative, distinct from the WAF family (tbs-education.com, tilburguniversity.edu), the moved-URL family and the client-side-rendering family (SKEMA, Maastricht SBE). No rankingFT is set on this profile, and no rank is stated anywhere on it: the two sub-ranks are quoted as what they are. Do not fill this from an aggregator ↗ — Católica Porto School of Business and Economics