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English level A - Graduate programmes
Deadline
You must document that you fulfil the English language requirement by the application deadline.
If you need to take a language test/exam, your scores must be available to CBS Admissions by the application deadline at the latest. To ensure that your test/exam scores are available to us on time, it is important that you sign up for a test/exam taking place well in advance of the deadline. You should expect 3 weeks from the test date until the results become available to CBS.
If you have already taken an IELTS or TOEFL test, remember to check that your test date (not to be confused with the date your test results were issued) is no older than two years by the application deadline. If your test date is more than two years old by the application deadline, then your test will not be accepted.
Do I fulfil the English level A requirement?
If you have passed English at the A level from an upper secondary school in Denmark (ie. stx, hhx, htx, hf), you fulfil this requirement. Otherwise, the English requirements are very strict and only the qualifications listed below are accepted as alternative fulfilment.
NB: Even if you are studying a bachelor programme at CBS, we do not have the documentation you sent in with your bachelor application, so you must upload it when you apply for a master's programme.
There are three approaches to documenting fulfilment of the English language requirement:
Upper secondary qualifications
Only the exact qualifications listed below fulfil the English A language requirement. In your application you must upload the exact documentation described below, as proof that your upper secondary qualifications fulfil the language requirement.
The requirement is not met if the courses/qualifications listed below have been failed.
Other qualifications or types of documentation do not fulfil the language requirement.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
| Required courses and levels | Required documentation |
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Official IB diploma and/or transcript Alternatively, give CBS access to your results via IBO.org. |
European Baccalaureate (EB)
| Required courses and levels | Required documentation |
| • L I • L II • L III – 6 years (documentation for 6 years must be included) |
Official EB diploma and/or transcript |
Australia
A complete upper secondary education from Australia, where the majority of the education has been taught in English, fulfils the English A language requirement.
Required documentation:
Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE) as well as Statement of Result or Record of Achievement or Qualifications Certificate, covering subjects and grades during the last two years of the secondary education.
Austria
| Required courses and levels | Required documentation |
English as a first foreign language, min. 11 weekly hours accumulated during the final three years of the Oberstufe |
Reifeprüfung diploma certificate including Stundentafel covering (min.) 4 years of the Oberstufe |
Reife- und Diplomprüfung diploma certificate including Stundentafel covering (min.) 5 years of the Oberstufe |
Bulgaria
| Required courses and levels | Required documentation |
| English as first foreign language (556 number of classes) AND English Intense Study (648 number of classes) |
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Canada
A complete upper secondary education from Canada, where the majority of the education has been taught in English, fulfils the English A language requirement.
Required documentation:
High School Diploma / Graduation Diploma (or equivalent for your province) as well as Transcript of grades / High School Results (or equivalent for your province)
Denmark
| Required courses and levels | Required documentation |
| English at level A | Upper secondary (ie. stx, hhx, htx, hf) certificate:
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| Official IKV assessment |
England, Wales, Northern Ireland
| Required Qualifications | Required Documentation |
| A complete upper secondary education from England, Wales or Northern Ireland, where the majority of the education has been taught in English, fulfils the English A language requirement. | GCSE certificate(s) (with a min. of 6 subjects) as well as A-level (Advanced level) certificate(s) (with a min. of 3 subjects) both taken in the UK. |
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Official A level certificate |
Germany
| Upper Secondary Exam | Required Qualifications |
| Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife (Abitur) / Zeugnis der Reife / Reifezeugnis |
English passed (5 points or higher) as a higher level course (either erhöhtes Anforderungsniveau or Leistungskurs) in both the Qualifikationsphase and the Abiturprüfung as part of the Abitur. Courses marked erhöhtes Anforderungsniveau or Leistungskurs may be designated in a number of different ways such as:
Required documentation: |
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Waldorfschule / Rudolf Steiner Schule |
English passed (5 points or higher) as a written Prüfungsfach and marked as a higher level course (either erhöhtes Anforderungsniveau or Leistungskurs) in the Abiturprüfung. Courses marked erhöhtes Anforderungsniveau or Leistungskurs may be designated in a number of different ways such as:
Required documentation: |
| Deutsche Internationale Abitur/prüfung (DIA/DIAP) |
English passed (5 points or higher) as a higher level course (either erhöhtes Anforderungsniveau or Leistungskurs) in the Qualifikationsphase and as a written Prüfungsfach in the Abiturprüfung. Courses marked erhöhtes Anforderungsniveau or Leistungskurs may be designated in a number of different ways such as:
Required documentation: |
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Fachhochschulreife or fachgebundene Hochschulreife |
No exam included in this qualification fulfils the English A language requirement
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Iceland
| Required qualifications | Required documentation |
| For upper secondary studies completed according to the 2008 reform: Minimum 25 Fein (new credits) obtained in English; of these, minimum 15 Fein must be at Þrep (qualification level) 3 or higher |
Official transcript (in Icelandic) for Stúdentspróf NB: Letters issued by the institution that do not list the names, module codes, grades and codes/points for all the passed courses are not accepted. |
| For upper secondary studies completed according to the 1999 reform: Minimum 18 einingar (old credits) obtained in English; minimum one English subject must be at level 6 or higher (e.g. ENS 603) |
Ireland
A complete upper secondary education from Ireland, where the majority of the education has been taught in English, fulfils the English A language requirement.
Required documentation:
The Established Leaving Certificate Examination (Leaving Cert) with a min. of 6 subjects total
Malta
| Required Qualifications | Required Documentation |
| A level | Matriculation Certificate and Advanced Level Certificate og Intermediate Level Certificate. |
New Zealand
A complete upper secondary education from New Zealand, where the majority of the education has been taught in English, fulfils the English A language requirement.
Required documentation:
National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA) levels 1 and 2 and 3
Norway
| Required qualifications | Required documentation |
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The following combinations from the Norwegian upper secondary education courses must be passed: |
Official transcript for the Vitnemål for videregående opplæring |
Scotland
A complete upper secondary education from Scotland, where the majority of the education has been taught in English, fulfils the English A language requirement.
Required documentation:
Scottish Qualification Certificate as well as Summary of Attainment, Detail Record of Attainment and Profiles
Singapore
A complete upper secondary education from Singapore, where the majority of the education has been taught in English, fulfils the English A language requirement.
Required documentation:
Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-level exam certificate with a min. of 4 (H1, H2 and H3) exams total, as well as General Paper and Project Work
South Africa
A complete upper secondary education from South Africa, where the majority of the education has been taught in English, fulfils the English A language requirement.
Required documentation:
National Senior Certificate (Matric/Matriculation Certificate) as well as grade transcript covering subjects and grades during all three years of studies
United States
A complete upper secondary education from the United States, where the majority of the education has been taught in English, fulfils the English A language requirement.
Required documentation:
High School Diploma as well as High School Grade transcript (covering all four years’ worth of subjects and grades) taken in the US.
The following upper secondary qualifications do not fulfil English level A
The highest upper secondary level of English from the following countries does not fulfil English level A. If your upper secondary education is from one of the countries listed below, you will need to take a language test:
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Greece
- Hungary
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- The Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- All non-EU countries other than Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, Singapore, South Africa and the US
The English language requirement must be fulfilled by the application deadline.
To ensure that your test/exam scores are available to us on time, it is important that you sign up for a test/exam taking place at least three weeks before the application deadline.
Only the following English tests and exams are accepted for the fulfilment of the English A language requirement:
TOEFL
TOEFL internet-based test (iBT)
A TOEFL iBT test result of at least 94 with minimum 20 in each discipline is required.
Your scores are only valid if they are no more than two years old by the application deadline and have been shared with CBS (see below).
TOEFL iBT Home Edition is accepted.
MyBest scores are not accepted.
Required documentation:
Your TOEFL scores will be verified in the TOEFL database. You must list Copenhagen Business School as one of your score recipients when you sign up for the TOEFL test, or order a score sheet for Copenhagen Business School if you have already taken the test. The TOEFL institution code for CBS is 7035.
You must upload either your digital copy, or a scan of your hard copy, TOEFL score sheet to the Application Portal.
IELTS
IELTS Academic test
An IELTS academic test result of at least 7.0 with minimum 6.0 in each discipline is required.
IELTS test results that are more than two years old by the application deadline are not accepted.
IELTS Online is accepted.
IELTS One Skill Retake scores are not accepted.
Required documentation:
Your IELTS results will be verified in the IELTS database. Please instruct your test centre to make your results available to Copenhagen Business School, either when you book your IELTS test or after the test date.
You must also upload a scan of your IELTS test report form to the Application Portal. If you have not received the physical test report form, you can upload a document with the "Test Report Form Number" (TRF Number) so we can verify your scores.
CAMBRIDGE EXAM
Cambridge C2 or C1 examination
Required documentation:
You must upload your Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE) or Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) Statement of Results and/or Certificate.
Your results are only valid if they can be verified through the Candidate Results Website. Make sure to register for the service and share your results with Copenhagen Business School. There is no expiration date on the validity of the CPE/CAE exam results.
The following language tests do not fulfil English level A
We do not accept any language tests other than the IELTS Academic test, the TOEFL internet-based test and the Cambridge C2 and Cambridge C1 examinations.
Bachelor degrees from Copenhagen Business School
| The following bachelor degrees from CBS fulfil the English A language requirement: - BSc in Business, Language and Culture - BSc in Business Administration and Digital Management - BSc in International Business - BSc in International Business and Politics - BSc in Business, Asian Language and Culture - BSc in Business Administration and Service Management - BSc in International Shipping and trade - BSc in Business Administration and Sociology - HA i markeds- og kulturanalyse - HA i europæisk business |
English-taught bachelor degree from an English-speaking country
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Bachelor degrees studied entirely in English in one of the following countries fulfil the English A language requirement:
Examples that do not meet the English language requirement: If your bachelor degree is from a university in one of the listed countries, but includes a longer period of studies abroad, or a large number of credits transferred from an institution in a non-listed country, then it does not meet the English language requirement. For example:
Required documentation:
The following degrees do not fulfil English level AHigher education degrees other than the bachelor degrees listed above do not fulfil the English level A requirement |
Other documents/qualificationsWe only accept the qualifications and documents listed on this page. We do not accept any other documents / qualifications including the following:
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