Master’s · Business & Management

International Management MBA

IU International University of Applied Sciences · Cologne · Official programme page

24 facts from 4 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
“Language English”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
IU states that all campus programmes are taught entirely in English.
Study mode: On campus
Source
“Mode of study On Campus: Cologne”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
Face-to-face teaching on the Cologne campus, combined with IU's digital platform; IU's study contract calls it a full-time on-campus degree (Vollzeit-Präsenzstudium) with compulsory attendance in some courses.
Attendance: Full-time
Source
“Die IU weist darauf hin, dass es sich um ein Vollzeit-Präsenzstudium handelt.”
www.iu.org/terms-and-conditions-campus-studies/ · checked 14 November 2026
From IU's binding study contract terms for Campus Studies English; some courses carry compulsory attendance.
Length: 3 semesters
Source
“Duration 18 months … Paid as €5,017 x 3 semesters”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
Credits: 90 ECTS
Source
“MBA, 90 ECTS credits”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
Intakes: Winter, Summer
Source
“Study start October or April”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
October is the winter semester, April the summer semester.
Non-EU deadline: Rolling, no fixed deadline
Source
“Applications are open all-year round … there are only 2 intakes per year”
www.iu.org/knowledge-base/faq/ · checked 14 November 2026
IU publishes no application deadline: applications are accepted all year for the next April or October start and are processed as they arrive. No separate date is published for visa applicants; IU only advises applying early enough for the visa and, for the visa file, paying at least one academic year of tuition in advance.
Non-EU tuition: €15,050 per programme
Source
“Total programme cost €15,050 €17,500 Paid as €5,017 x 3 semesters”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
Price IU charges for the whole programme (€15,050, paid as €5,017 per semester over 3 semesters). IU's fee table shows it next to a struck-through list price of €17,500, i.e. a standing 14% programme discount is already applied; paying yearly reduces it by a further 2% (the fee table offers no pay-in-full option for this programme). The same fee is published for all nationalities.
Application fee: None
Source
“Online application No application fees”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
IU charges nothing to apply; the only one-off charge is the €1,500 campus registration fee after admission (registrationFee).
Registration fee or deposit: €1,500 one-off
Source
“One-time campus registration: €1,500”
“Der:die Studierende ist verpflichtet, ein einmaliges Einschreibeentgelt von insgesamt 1.500,00 Euro zu entrichten.” page
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
Paid with the signed study contract once the application is approved and before the letter of acceptance for the visa is issued; the German study contract makes it due at the latest one month before the start and does not refund it if the contract is cancelled by ordinary notice before the start.
Places: Selection procedure
Source
“The interview is a required component of the eligibility check for international applicants … admission screeners will review the reasons and provide recommendations for next steps”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
IU publishes no number of places and no numerus clausus for its campus programmes; admission depends on passing IU's 15-minute online admission interview in addition to the formal requirements, so places are recorded as a selection procedure rather than unrestricted. The German study contract adds that IU may withdraw up to four weeks before the start if fewer than nine students enrol in a programme at a location.
Programme accreditation: Accredited
Source
“Your degree is accredited in Germany and recognised in many countries worldwide”
“welches als Präsenzstudiengang akkreditiert ist” page
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
IU holds system accreditation and therefore accredits its own programmes; its study contract confirms that the Campus Studies English programme is accredited as an on-campus degree. No accrediting agency or accreditation period is published per programme.

Admission

What you need to apply

3-year bachelor’s: Accepted with conditions
Source
“Applicants with an undergraduate degree comprising 180 ECTS credits can compensate for missing ECTS credits (up to a maximum of 30 ECTS) for admission to the 90 ECTS MBA program by Providing proof of at least one year of full-time work experience to compensate for a maximum of 30 ECTS at the start of the study program.”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
The programme requires 210 ECTS. A 180-ECTS (three-year) bachelor's is accepted only if at least one year of full-time work experience gained after the degree compensates the missing 30 ECTS; the MBA requires a year of work experience in any case. IU offers no extra modules for the gap, but states that recognition of knowledge acquired outside higher education is possible in principle.
Subject background: Completed undergraduate degree with 210 ECTS credits from a state or state-recognised higher education institution, plus at least one year of professional work experience gained after the undergraduate degree and before the start of the programme.
Source
“Completed, undergraduate degree with 210 ECTS credits Your degree must be from a state or state-recognised higher education institution/university You must have achieved our minimum grade requirements in your previous degree Proof of at least one year's professional work experience completed prior to the start of study programme. Work experience must have been gained after completion of your undergraduate studies”
“Your undergraduate studies must amount to 210 ECTS to begin a 90-ECTS MBA” page
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
If the first degree is not in a business-related field, IU may still admit applicants whose work experience is in business management, deciding individually after an interview with academic staff.
Minimum grade: A minimum grade in the previous degree is required, but IU does not publish the threshold.
Source
“You must have achieved our minimum grade requirements in your previous degree”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
Neither the programme page nor the central entry requirements state the grade, the scale or how it is applied to Indian, Nigerian or Pakistani degrees.
How your grade is converted: Not stated by the university
3 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/
www.iu.org/start-studying/entry-requirements/
www.iu.org/knowledge-base/faq/
IU publishes no conversion of Indian, Nigerian or Pakistani grades to the German scale; the APS certificate is the document it uses to validate Indian qualifications.
English: IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 90 · Home Edition not accepted · Duolingo not accepted. Cambridge: B2 First with min. score of 176. Proof must not be older than two years
Source
“We accept the following English language skills certificates*: IELTS Academic (at least 6.5 points) TOEFL iBT Test Center (at least 90 points) Cambridge certificate (B2 First with min. score of 176)”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
IU names only these three certificates and specifies TOEFL iBT taken at a test centre, so TOEFL iBT Home Edition is recorded as not accepted; no IU page mentions the Duolingo English Test, PTE Academic or TOEFL Essentials. Certificates must not be older than two years. IU adds that its requirements may differ from those the German embassy sets for the visa.
German: Not needed when applying
Source
“Not at IU. Our programmes are taught 100% in English”
www.iu.org/knowledge-base/faq/ · checked 14 November 2026
No German is required to apply, to study or to graduate; IU offers optional German courses on campus and markets them as a way to improve employability in Germany.
GRE / GMAT / GATE: Not stated by the university
3 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/
www.iu.org/start-studying/entry-requirements/
www.iu.org/knowledge-base/faq/
No IU page requires a GRE, GMAT or GATE score: neither test appears in the admission requirements of this programme, in IU's central entry requirements or in its list of application documents.
Other required tests: dMAT (Digital Master Test; APS India, selected master's applicants from India, intakes from April 2027)
Source
“The Digital Master Test (dMAT) is an online test APS India requires from some Master's applicants from India. … It is required for master's study starting in April 2027 and later”
www.iu.org/knowledge-base/faq/ · checked 14 November 2026
Not an IU test: the dMAT is part of the APS India certification process and applies only to master's applicants from India whose previous degree is in a field on APS India's list. No admission test is required of other applicants.
Selection: 15-minute online admission interview with IU's admission team on academic background, motivation and career objectives; it is a required part of the eligibility check for international applicants and can be retaken.
Source
“Once your application and documents are submitted, you will be invited to a 15-minute online interview conducted by our admission team. During the interview we will discuss your academic background, reasons for pursuing further study, and career objectives.”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026

India, Pakistan, Nigeria

Rules for applicants from India, Pakistan and Nigeria

English test waiver: Possible for applicants from Nigeria, because English is an official language there
Source
“Alternative ways to prove your English language skills: Citizenship: If you are from a country where English is the official and educational language, your passport can serve as proof of English proficiency.”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
IU accepts a passport instead of a test from applicants whose country has English as the official and educational language, but publishes no list of qualifying countries and refers applicants to its study advisors. Nigeria meets the stated condition; for India and Pakistan, where English is one of several official languages, IU states nothing, so applicants from there should expect to need a certificate. No exemption for a previous degree taught in English (medium-of-instruction letter) is published, and IU states that proof of English is required for every programme.
Rules that name these countries: India: Applicants from India need an APS certificate for IU's on-campus programmes; it is applied for after IU's letter of acceptance.
Source
“It is important to note that students from India, China and Vietnam require the APS certificate to validate their academic documents.”
www.iu.org/mbas/international-management-on-campus/ · checked 14 November 2026
India: Master's applicants from India in certain fields of study must take the dMAT as part of the APS process for intakes from April 2027 onwards.
Source
“The Digital Master Test (dMAT) is an online test APS India requires from some Master's applicants from India. … It is required for master's study starting in April 2027 and later”
www.iu.org/knowledge-base/faq/ · checked 8 November 2026

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.