Bachelor’s · Business & Management

Business Administration (Distance Learning) B.Sc.

ISM International School of Management · Dortmund · Official programme page

25 facts from 7 official pages · last checked 14 November 2026

Reviewed by Dennis Maaß, admission and immigration expert
Published 8 November 2026 · Last reviewed 8 November 2026

Key facts

Length, deadlines and costs

Language: English
Source
“The degree programme "Business Administration" consists of 180 ECTS and its intended time-to-degree is six semesters (when studying full-time). There are also part-time versions. The language of instruction is English.”
en.ism.de/images/downloads/examination-regulations/examination-regulations-distance-learning-bachelor.pdf · checked 14 November 2026
The programme page gives "Language English".
Study mode: Online only (no student visa)
Source
“Semester start at any time 100% online or in other modes Degree Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Language English”
en.ism.de/full-degree-students/bachelor-programs/online-business-administration-degree · checked 14 November 2026
A fully online distance-learning degree; ISM's examination regulations add that students choose between a Digital Track (completely distance learning), an On-Campus Track with one semester at an ISM campus and a Practical Track with an internship semester. An online-only degree does not qualify for a German student visa.
Attendance: Full-time
Source
“Standard period of studies 6 semesters (full-time) 9 or 12 semesters (part-time)”
en.ism.de/full-degree-students/bachelor-programs/online-business-administration-degree · checked 14 November 2026
Offered full-time (6 semesters) and part-time (9 or 12 semesters); the dataset holds one value, and the full-time model is recorded. ISM markets the programme for studying alongside work.
Length: 6 or 9 or 12 semesters
Source
“Standard period of studies 6 semesters (full-time) 9 or 12 semesters (part-time)”
en.ism.de/full-degree-students/bachelor-programs/online-business-administration-degree · checked 14 November 2026
Six semesters full-time, nine ('part-time fast') or twelve ('part-time slow') part-time; two additional semesters are included free of charge.
Credits: 180 ECTS
Source
“The degree programme "Business Administration" consists of 180 ECTS and its intended time-to-degree is six semesters (when studying full-time).”
en.ism.de/images/downloads/examination-regulations/examination-regulations-distance-learning-bachelor.pdf · checked 14 November 2026
Intakes: Winter, Summer, Other
Source
“Semester start at any time”
en.ism.de/full-degree-students/bachelor-programs/online-business-administration-degree · checked 14 November 2026
Starts are possible at any time; the examination regulations say students "can be admitted to the first semester of a distance-learning bachelor degree programme any time during a winter or summer semester". All three terms are recorded because the start is not tied to the semester rhythm. Also quoted (same date): https://en.ism.de/images/downloads/examination-regulations/examination-regulations-distance-learning-bachelor.pdf states: "Students can be admitted to the first semester of a distance-learning bachelor degree programme any time during a winter or summer semester."
Non-EU deadline: Rolling, no fixed deadline
Source
“Note on application deadlines: ISM offers rolling admissions and applications are processed on an ongoing basis.”
en.ism.de/faq-admission · checked 14 November 2026
No deadline is published for the distance-learning programmes, which can be started at any time. The 15 June / 15 December cut-off on ISM's on-campus programme pages is for applicants who need a German student visa, which an online-only degree does not support.
Non-EU tuition: €14,640 per programme full-time, 6 semesters at 30 ECTS, 390 EUR a month, two additional semesters included free€15,720 per programme part-time fast, 9 semesters at 20 ECTS, 280 EUR a month€17,160 per programme part-time slow, 12 semesters at 15 ECTS, 230 EUR a month
Source
“Tuition full-time 6 Semester, 30 ECTS per Semester Enrollment fee 600 € Total price (incl. two free additional semesters) 14.640 € 390 € /month Tuition part-time fast 9 Semester, 20 ECTS per Semester Enrollment fee 600 € Total price (incl. two additional semesters) 15.720 € 280 € /month Tuition part-time slow 12 Semester, 15 ECTS per Semester Enrollment fee 600 € Total price (incl. two additional semesters) 17.160 € 230 € /month”
en.ism.de/full-degree-students/bachelor-programs/online-business-administration-degree · checked 14 November 2026
Total price per time model, the same for EU and non-EU students; the glance box gives "Tuition fees from 230 Euro/month, vary by selected time model". The FAQ further down the same page gives different totals per track - "Digital Track (100% online), Price full-time: 13,320 € (plus 600 Euro for registration and thesis fee)", 16,800 EUR for the On-Campus Track (one semester at the Berlin or Dortmund campus) and 11,820 EUR for the Practical Track with an internship semester - which contradicts the fee table above; the fee table is followed here.
Application fee: Not stated by the university
4 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026
en.ism.de/full-degree-students/master-programs/master-international-management/financing
en.ism.de/prospective-students/study-financing
en.ism.de/faq-admission
en.ism.de/images/downloads/admission-regulation/admission-regulations.pdf
No ISM page names an application fee, and none says that applying is free. § 15 of the admission regulations says only that "ISM may charge a fee for conducting the admission procedure" and that the amount must be communicated before the procedure starts. The one-off enrolment fee (600/1,500 EUR) is recorded as registrationFee and the non-EU admission deposit as the institution's otherFees.
Registration fee or deposit: €600 one-off
Source
“Enrollment fee 600 €”
en.ism.de/full-degree-students/bachelor-programs/online-business-administration-degree · checked 14 November 2026
The distance-learning fee tables give one enrolment fee of 600 EUR for every time model and do not distinguish EU and non-EU students.
Places: Selection procedure
Source
“The individual interview is a mandatory part of the selection process. 2If no subject- or program-specific assessments are carried out in accordance with § 12, the selection decision shall be made solely on the basis of the results of the individual interview. 3The individual interview shall be graded as "pass" or "fail. 4Passing the individual interview is a prerequisite for admission to the program.”
en.ism.de/images/downloads/admission-regulation/admission-regulations.pdf · checked 14 November 2026
No cap is published. Admission turns on a structured individual interview graded pass/fail, so the programme is recorded as a selection procedure rather than as unrestricted. § 2 of the admission regulations does say that "The ISM Presidential Board determines the number of study places for the individual locations and on-campus programs for the respective semester based on the available resources" and that it is "announced at the beginning of the application period", and § 3(3) foresees applicants who meet the requirements but cannot be offered a place; ISM publishes no such number on its website. Distance-learning programmes are exempt from the places rule. Five percent of the places on a degree programme are reserved in advance for applicants with disabilities (§ 4(1)). Also quoted (same date): https://en.ism.de/faq-admission states: "No. ISM International School of Management does not have a numerus clausus (NC). Instead of an automatic average-grade based (NC-based) selection process, ISM relies on individual admission interview."
Programme accreditation: Accredited
Source
“Accreditations AACSB, FIBAA, ZFU, German Accreditation Council”
en.ism.de/full-degree-students/bachelor-programs/online-business-administration-degree · checked 14 November 2026
Accredited by FIBAA for the German Accreditation Council and approved by the state central office for distance learning (ZFU), plus the institution-wide AACSB accreditation. ISM's FIBAA accreditation table does not list the distance-learning programmes.

Admission

What you need to apply

School certificate: A general, subject-specific or Fachhochschule university-entrance qualification, or one recognised as equivalent by the competent state authorities; professionally qualified applicants and applicants who qualified abroad can be admitted after ISM's entrance examination (§§ 6-7).
Source
“a general higher education entrance qualification, a subject-specific higher education entrance qualification, a technical college entrance qualification, or a higher education entrance qualification recognized as equivalent by the relevant state authorities”
en.ism.de/images/downloads/admission-regulation/admission-regulations.pdf · checked 14 November 2026
§ 5(1) of the admission regulations asks for a general, subject-specific or Fachhochschule university-entrance qualification or one recognised as equivalent by the state authorities. Applicants who qualified abroad but do not meet that requirement can be admitted under § 7 after passing ISM's own written entrance examination. ISM's page for Indian applicants says a 10+2 certificate must be "equivalent to the German Abitur". Provisional admission is possible if the original documents are missing, with six months to produce them (§ 5(3)).
Minimum grade: No minimum grade and no Numerus Clausus.
Source
“No Numerus Clausus (NC): ISM does not have a Numerus Clausus (NC). Instead, an individual online selection interview is conducted to assess motivation, communication skills, and international orientation.”
en.ism.de/faq-admission · checked 14 November 2026
How your grade is converted: Not stated by the university
3 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026
en.ism.de/faq-admission
en.ism.de/images/downloads/admission-regulation/admission-regulations.pdf
en.ism.de/study-in-germany-for-indian-students
ISM publishes no grade-conversion formula and no equivalence table for foreign grades. Its FAQ expresses the recommended grade on the German scale ("A GPA of 2.5 or higher (on the German grading scale) is generally recommended") without saying how a foreign grade is converted.
Foundation or preparatory course: No foundation year; applicants who qualified abroad without a German university-entrance qualification can sit ISM's own written entrance examination (§ 7 of the admission regulations).
Source
“People who do not meet the admission requirements set out in §§ 5 and 6 but who are eligible to study at an educational institution abroad after successfully attending such an institution and who have also successfully passed the ISM entrance examination are also eligible for admission to the bachelor's program.”
en.ism.de/images/downloads/admission-regulation/admission-regulations.pdf · checked 14 November 2026
ISM offers no foundation year or Studienkolleg for bachelor's applicants. The only bridge is ISM's own entrance examination under § 7 of the admission regulations for applicants who qualified abroad without a German university-entrance qualification; it is written, may be taken in person or virtually and may be repeated once.
English: Level B2. IELTS 6 · TOEFL iBT 80 · Duolingo 110 · PTE 67. Cambridge: First (FCE) 160, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency. TOEIC (Listening/Reading 785, Speaking 160, Writing 150) and ELS English for Academic Purposes level 112 are accepted too; certificates must be no more than two years old. Applicants without a certificate take ISM's own online English assessment as part of the admission procedure.. Exemption: no certificate from a certified provider is needed from applicants whose native language is English or who completed a course of study entirely in English (school-leaving certificate from an English-language school system, a bachelor's degree in English or an English-taught university degree); the admission regulations also accept at least 30 ECTS of modules taught in English at B2 level
Source
“The following language proficiency certificates are accepted for English-taught and billingual (German-English) programs at ISM International School of Management: Language certificates from a certified provider (no more than 2 years old), for example: TOEFL iBT: minimum score of 80 IELTS: minimum overall score of 6.0 Cambridge: First (FCE) with minimum 160 points, or AE (C1 Advanced) or CPE (C2 Proficiency) TOEIC: Listening/Reading minimum 785 points; Speaking minimum 160 points; Writing minimum 150 points Pearson PTE Academic: minimum 67 points ELS English for Academic Purposes: minimum level 112 Duolingo English Test: minimum 110 points.”
en.ism.de/faq-admission · checked 14 November 2026
ISM asks for CEFR B2 in the language of instruction (§ 5(1) no. 4 and § 8(6) of the admission regulations) and lists the accepted certificates and minimum scores centrally, not per programme. No ISM page says whether TOEFL iBT Home Edition is accepted, and no score is given on the new 1-6 TOEFL band scale. Bachelor applicants without a certificate "will be asked to take an online assessment test in English as part of the admission process". ISM's bachelor's programmes page words the exemption as "certificate of English language (if available and only needed if the medium of instruction in your high school was not English; otherwise, you will be asked to take an online assessment test in English as part of the admission process)".
German: Not needed when applying. During studies: optional free German courses in the StudyPlus programme, plus German classes at the Language Center
Source
“for English-language degree programs, English language skills at least at level B2 in accordance with § 10, and 5. successful participation in the selection process in accordance with §§ 11 and 12.”
en.ism.de/images/downloads/admission-regulation/admission-regulations.pdf · checked 14 November 2026
German is required only for ISM's German-language programmes (B2, § 5(1) nos. 2-3 and § 8(5) of the admission regulations). For the English-taught programmes no ISM page or regulation asks for German at application, during the degree or at graduation; German courses are optional and free within StudyPlus. Also quoted (same date): https://en.ism.de/services/language-center states: "At ISM, we offer also free additional language and hands-on courses within our StudyPlus program"
GRE / GMAT / GATE: Not required
Source
“No. ISM International School of Management does not require either the GMAT or the GRE for its Bachelor, Master, or MBA programs. The admission interview and review of application documents replaces the standardized aptitude test.”
en.ism.de/faq-admission · checked 14 November 2026
Stated for the bachelor's, master's and MBA programmes alike; the admission regulations provide for no standardised admission test either.
Other required tests: Not stated by the university
4 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026
en.ism.de/full-degree-students/bachelor-programs/online-business-administration-degree
en.ism.de/faq-admission
en.ism.de/images/downloads/admission-regulation/admission-regulations.pdf
en.ism.de/study-in-germany-for-indian-students
Conflict between two ISM pages: the page for Indian applicants says "At ISM we also require Bachelor applicants to take an online aptitude test in Mathematics prior to their admission interview day", while the central admission FAQ says "No math test is administered as part of the application process." The binding admission regulations only allow subject-specific assessments where the programme's admission requirements announce them (§ 12(1)), and the three bachelor's programme pages announce none, so no required test is recorded. Applicants without an English certificate do take ISM's online English assessment.
Selection: A 30-45 minute online admission interview on motivation, academic goals and intercultural competence, graded pass/fail.
Source
“Step 3: Online admission interview If the application documents meet the requirements, applicants to ISM are invited to an online admission interview. The interview typically lasts 30 to 45 minutes and is designed to assess the applicant's personal motivation and academic goals.”
en.ism.de/faq-admission · checked 14 November 2026
§ 11 of the admission regulations makes the structured individual interview a mandatory part of the selection process for every ISM programme.

India, Pakistan, Nigeria

Rules for applicants from India, Pakistan and Nigeria

English test waiver: Possible for applicants from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, with a school-leaving certificate from an English-medium school or with enough English at school, or with a previous degree taught in English
Source
“Exceptions to the requirement to submit a language proficiency certificate from a certified provider apply to applicants whose native language is English or who have completed a course of study conducted entirely in English (e.g., a high school diploma from an English-speaking school system, a bachelor's degree in English, or an English-language university degree).”
en.ism.de/faq-admission · checked 14 November 2026
Two routes apply to applicants from India, Nigeria and Pakistan: a school-leaving certificate from an English-language school system, and a previous degree taught in English (the admission regulations add at least 30 ECTS of English-taught modules at B2 level). Being from a country where English is an official language is not by itself a basis: ISM ties the exemption to the language of the school or the degree, or to English as a native language. ISM's page for Indian applicants adds that the certificate is "only needed, if the medium of instruction in your high school or university is not English", and that a bachelor's degree older than five years also triggers the requirement. ISM reviews these cases individually ("applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis") and offers its own online English assessment instead of a certificate, so applicants should get ISM's decision in writing. Also quoted (same date): https://en.ism.de/images/downloads/admission-regulation/admission-regulations.pdf states: "2. a secondary school leaving qualification obtained in an English-language school system, 3. a university degree in English studies, 4. an English-language university degree obtained in a country or region where English is the official language and/or where English was the language of instruction, 5. the acquisition of at least 30 ECTS credits (modules taught in English at B2 level) in a university degree program"
Rules that name these countries: India: Indian applicants must include an APS certificate from the Academic Evaluation Centre with their German student visa application; ISM itself does not ask for it.
Source
“Once accepted, you can apply for a German student visa at the German Embassy in India … Indian students will have to include a certificate from the Academic Evaluation Centre (APS) in their application for a student visa. This is called an APS procedure and was introduced in Germany in November 2022.”
en.ism.de/study-in-germany-for-indian-students · checked 14 November 2026
India: Indian applicants who need a student visa are asked to submit the full application and take the admission test by 15 July for a fall start and by 15 December for a spring start.
Source
“We kindly ask Indian students who need a study visa for Germany to submit their full application and take the admission test no later than July 15 for the programs starting in the fall and no later than December 15 for the programs that start in the spring term”
en.ism.de/study-in-germany-for-indian-students · checked 14 November 2026
This page says 15 July for the fall term, while the programme application pages and the admission FAQ say 15 June.
India: An Indian 10+2 higher secondary certificate must be recognised as equivalent to the German Abitur; ISM says it also asks Indian bachelor's applicants to take an online aptitude test in mathematics and English.
Source
“First, ensure your higher secondary education is recognized - this means your 10+2 certificate must be equivalent to the German Abitur. … At ISM we also require you taking an online aptitude test in Mathematics and English (if you do not hold an internationally-recognized English language certificate).”
en.ism.de/study-in-germany-for-indian-students · checked 14 November 2026
ISM's central admission FAQ contradicts the test: "Basic math skills: For coursework in subjects such as statistics, accounting, and investment analysis, basic math skills learned in high school are sufficient. No math test is administered as part of the application process."

The rules for your country across all universities, and the visa rules on English tests, are on the India, Pakistan and Nigeria pages.

More on this programme

Every value was read on an official page and is stored with a verbatim quote; open “Source” to see it. “Not stated by the university” means none of the pages we checked says, and lists those pages. Rules change: confirm with the university before you apply or pay.