The GMAT and GRE are optional for the M.Sc. Management Science, not required — and Goethe is unusually specific about what they are worth, because it publishes the formula that decides admission rather than describing it. Every eligible applicant is given an admission score built from five weighted criteria: the average bachelor's grade at 51%, ECTS earned in quantitative-methods modules at 39%, international experience at 4%, and the GMAT/GRE verbal and quantitative sections at 3% each. Applicants are then ranked on that score and the selection committee sets the admission threshold after the fact, from the number and quality of files received — so there is no cut-off to aim at, and the school publishes no admitted-student average. Each criterion has its own published points table. The bachelor's grade scores 10 points at a German 1.0–1.4 and steps down to 1 point at 3.2 or worse, with only the first decimal counted and the rest truncated rather than rounded. Quantitative ECTS score 10 points at 30 or more and 1 point at 3 or fewer — and Goethe distinguishes modules that teach quantitative methods (maths, statistics, econometrics, operations research, data analysis) from modules that merely apply them, which explicitly excludes micro and macroeconomics, finance, accounting, marketing and operations management. The GMAT/GRE sections are scored on percentile, 10 points at the 91st and above, tapering to zero below the 50th. International experience is worth up to 10 points: 5 for a complete degree abroad, 2 per exchange semester to a maximum of 4, 2 for an internship or work abroad of at least two months, and 1 for certified B2 French, Spanish or German. The practical read: the two academic criteria carry 90% of the score between them, so this is a transcript-driven admission, and the tests are the 6% you use to nudge a borderline file. If you are weighing test-optional routes generally, see our guide to a MiM in Europe without the GMAT.
Scored, and Goethe publishes the formula: the GMAT/GRE verbal and quantitative sections are worth 3% each of the admission score, against 51% for the bachelor's grade and 39% for quantitative-methods ECTS
| Test policy | Scored, and Goethe publishes the formula: the GMAT/GRE verbal and quantitative sections are worth 3% each of the admission score, against 51% for the bachelor's grade and 39% for quantitative-methods ECTS |
|---|---|
| MiMs we track admitting without a required GMAT/GRE | 75 of 118 |
A GMAT or GRE is not required to apply to the Goethe University Frankfurt 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
Do you need the GMAT for the Goethe M.Sc. Management Science?
Sources
- Goethe University Frankfurt — M.Sc. Management Science (programme overview: English-taught, four semesters, ~80% international, cohort limited to ~42) ↗ — Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Economics and Business
- Goethe University Frankfurt — M.Sc. Management Science: Application (degree requirements, English thresholds, GMAT/GRE optional, APS; window re-read verbatim 1 Sep 2026: "You can apply for the master's program from January 15 until May 15 (application for the first semester)", early applicants notified within four to six weeks and the remainder in July) ↗ — Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Economics and Business
- Goethe University Frankfurt — M.Sc. Management Science: Programme content (120 ECTS structure; Accounting / Finance / Information Management / Marketing Analytics concentrations; up to 24 ECTS in German) ↗ — Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Economics and Business
- Goethe University Frankfurt — M.Sc. Management Science: FAQ (no tuition fees for EU and non-EU master's students; ~€334 per-semester contribution incl. transit pass) ↗ — Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Economics and Business
- Goethe University Frankfurt — Wikipedia (founded 1914, public research university in Frankfurt am Main, ~42,000 students, finance-and-economics focus) — corroborating context ↗ — Wikipedia
- Goethe University Frankfurt — Rückmeldung und Semesterbeitrag (authoritative central page; winter semester 2026/2027 Semesterbeitrag 408,28 EUR, itemised: Deutschland-Semester-Ticket 226,80 · Studierendenwerk 106,50 · Verwaltungskostenbeitrag 50,00 ("gesetzlich festgelegt, unverändert seit 2004") · AStA-Studierendenschaft 17,10 · Palmengarten-Ticket 1,10 · Sozial-/Kulturticket 2,20 · Campus-Bike 2,98 · AStA-Härtefonds 1,60) ↗ — Goethe University Frankfurt
- Goethe University Frankfurt — M.Sc. Management Science: selection process. INTERVIEW CHECKED 2026-09-03: admission is a published weighted score — average bachelor grade 51%, ECTS in quantitative-methods modules 39%, international experience 4%, GMAT/GRE verbal 3% and quantitative 3% — after which "all applicants are ranked according to their admission score. The Selection Committee reviews the ranking list and decides about the threshold score." No interview or oral stage exists in the procedure. SELECTION CHECKED 2026-09-04: re-read for the per-criterion POINT TABLES behind those weights, which the 09-03 read did not capture. Bachelor's grade: 1,0-1,4 = 10 points, 1,5-1,7 = 9, 1,8-1,9 = 8, 2,0-2,1 = 7, 2,2-2,3 = 6, 2,4-2,5 = 5, 2,6-2,7 = 4, 2,8-2,9 = 3, 3,0-3,1 = 2, >=3,2 = 1, with "only the first digit after the decimal point" counted and the rest truncated, foreign grades converted by uni-assist under the modified Bavarian formula. Quantitative ECTS: >=30 = 10 points, 25-29 = 9, 22-24 = 8, 19-21 = 7, 16-18 = 6, 13-15 = 5, 10-12 = 4, 7-9 = 3, 4-6 = 2, <=3 = 1 — counting only modules "in which quantitative methods are taught and not modules in which they are solely applied", i.e. maths/analysis/algebra, statistics/stochastics, econometrics, quantitative methods, operations research, time-series analysis, data science and quantitative market research, and explicitly NOT micro/macroeconomics, finance/accounting, decision theory, business informatics, general marketing or operations management; only modules completed within the bachelor's count. GMAT/GRE verbal and quantitative sections scored independently on percentile: 91-100 = 10 points, 81-90 = 9, 71-80 = 8, 61-70 = 7, 56-60 = 6, 50-55 = 5, below the 50th = 0. International experience, max 10: complete studies abroad 5, each semester abroad 2 (max 4, double degrees counting as 4), internship or work abroad of at least two months 2, an additional B2-certified language (French, Spanish, or German if not native) 1, certificate no older than five years at the 15 May deadline. SCOPE NOTE: this page is headed and introduced as the selection process for the M.Sc. Management Science, but its international-experience paragraph reads "for the master in International Management, we aim to select students who..." — Goethe's own copy from a sibling programme, not a scope change; the tables above are the ones this page publishes for Management Science ↗ — Goethe University Frankfurt
- Goethe University Frankfurt — M.Sc. Management Science: Application, English proficiency section. ENGLISH EVIDENCE CHECKED 2026-09-05: accepted qualifications are 'TOEFL ibT: 95', 'IELTS Academic: 7.0', 'UNIcert: level 3' and 'Cambridge Advanced: C1' (TOEFL institution code B073; GMAT/GRE are stated not to be English proficiency tests), and 'We accept language certificates which are maximum five years old.' The exemption is a single conjoined criterion — a "Bachelor's degree from an institution with English as the sole language of instruction and from a majority English speaking country" — with the country list delegated to the UK Visas and Immigration Department's own page. ↗ — Goethe University Frankfurt