The programme is open to students who have earned 240 ECTS credits in an economics or applied economics university study programme or have a bachelor degree in these areas that is considered by the Joint Studies Board to be equivalent. 

Applicants who are enrolled in the final year of their academic programme should submit an official letter in English from their university confirming that they are expected to finalise their course at the end of the current academic year, and submit up-to-date authenticated transcripts with the results of the previous years.

The proficiency in English of the students of the participating universities is checked by the local academic co-ordinators. Students from other universities should submit proof of an internet-based TOEFL level of minimum 90 (or its equivalent in another TOEFL score system), or a IELTS grade of at least 6.5, or should submit proof of having studied at least one academic year in an English-language programme. 

The selection procedure of all students (with and without an EM scholarship) is a common one. After having passed the eligibility check (see above) the candidates are first ranked according to their study results (GPA and/or class of degree). The weights used to differentiate those applicants who passed the eligibility tests, are the following: 30% for the type of diploma, 30% for the GPA average, 20% for fluency in English and 20% for the reputation of the home university based on the Shanghai ranking.  This ‘reputation’ criterion is applied in conjunction with the requirement to strive for regional balance in the student population. The global intake of new students (with and without a scholarship) is limited to 45.