Volume IV – Top European MIF Programs: What and When You Need to Apply

The joyful culmination of your journey to business school will come when you finally get your acceptance. That day, you’ll anxiously open your application portal, rapidly dart your eyes across your screen, and beam a great big smile when you see the good news.

But if you hope to enroll in a top-ranked European Master in Finance (MIF) program in August/September 2025, this exciting day is still a ways away. And if you want to ensure it comes, it’s time to start preparing, leaving no stone unturned on your path to crafting the ultimate applicant profile.

Whether you already have a concrete list of the universities you’re eyeing or are still mulling your options, you must first know what materials you need for your applications and when to submit them.

With that in mind, A1 MBA Consulting is excited to continue our series covering application essentials for the Financial Times Top 15 early career, pre-experience MIF Programs. This post will take a deep dive into the three programs occupying the 11th, 12th, and 13th places, respectively, among European universities in the ranking:

11. ESADE Business School (Spain)

12. EMLyon Business School (France)

13. Cattolicà Lisbon School of Business and Economics (Portugal)

ESADE Business School

Application Deadlines: 

• Round 1: 3 October 2024
  
  
• Round 2: 21 November 2024
  
  
• Round 3: 14 January 2025
  
  
• Round 4: 20 February 2025
  
  
• Round 5: 20 March 2025
  
  
• Round 6: 24 April 2025
  
  
• Round 7: 15 May 2025
  
  
• Round 8: 5 June 2025

Application Materials:

• Completed Application Form
  
  
• Undergraduate Degree and Transcripts
  
  
• GMAT / GMAT Focus / ESADE Admission Test Scores
  
  
• CV
  
  
• Two Professional or Academic Reference Letters
  
  
• Kira Talent Video Assessment
  
  
• Applicants from Non-English-Speaking Countries Must Submit a TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge, Academic Pearson, or Duolingo English Language Test Score
  
  
• Select Candidates Will Be Invited to Conduct an Interview with the ESADE Admissions Team
  
  
• €135 Application Fee

EMLyon Business School

Application Deadlines:

EMLyon Business School is yet to announce its application calendar for students looking to enroll in September 2025. We will add this information as soon as the university publishes it.

Application Materials:

• Completed Application Form
  
  
• CV
  
  
• Certified Copy of Most Recent University Degree
  
  
• Certified Copy of All Academic Transcripts from First Year of Undergraduate Education Until Now
  
  
• GMAT / GMAT Focus / GRE / TAGE MAGE / CAT Score (OPTIONAL)
  
  
• English Proficiency Test Scores: TOEFL, iBT, TOEIC, IELTS, Cambridge (OPTIONAL)
  
  
• Academic or Professional Reference Letters (OPTIONAL)
  
  
• Mandatory EMLyon Digital Test:
  
  
  • 90 Minutes in Length on a Computer with a Working Webcam
    
    
  • “Includes cognitive exercises, motivation questions, and professional role-play in a company setting”
    
    
• €120 Application Fee

Cattolicà Lisbon School of Business and Economics
Application Deadlines:

Cattolicà Lisbon School of Business and Economics is yet to announce its application calendar for students looking to enroll in September 2025. We will add this information as soon as the university publishes it.

Application Materials:

• CV in English Highlighting Professional Experience, International Exposure, and Extracurricular Activities,  
  
  
• Undergraduate Degree from an Accredited University
  
  
• €100 Application Fee
  
  

Apply with Confidence: A1 MBA Consultant