The ESADE BBA Application: All the Steps, Explained

ESADE's Bachelor of Business Administration has a published intake of 475 places, in two sections (bilingual and English),^[1] and admission is holistic: ESADE gives equal weight to the test, your application and your transcript, and there is no pass mark on the test. Here's the full process and where the admission test fits.

ESADE says none of its degrees has minimum entry grades, but its requirements page publishes reference minimums by education system, "provided as a reference only": for the Spanish Bachillerato, an average of 7/10 for a single degree and 8/10 for a double degree, with a maths minimum of 7/10 for the BBA family; for the IB, a predicted 32/42.^[2] Confirm the current steps on ESADE's official site.

The steps

1. Online application (+ €150 fee). Create an account on ESADE's admissions portal and complete the form. The €150 application fee is paid before you can submit, and it's non-refundable.

2. Academic record. Your transcripts. ESADE names your past academic record, your most recent grades and your education system among the inputs to its decision.

3. Admission test. The ESADE Admission Test (185 minutes in four sections: three multiple-choice reasoning sections with negative marking, plus an English level test with a written task), or the SAT/ACT, which ESADE's other-admissions-tests page accepts for the BBA.^[3] ESADE says the test measures abilities rather than knowledge and cannot be studied for; what you can prepare is the format, the penalties and the pacing.

4. Application essays. Part of the online application, and one of the inputs ESADE lists for its decision: who you are beyond grades, and why the BBA.

5. Personal interview, if required. ESADE's admissions page lists "Personal interview (if required)" among the elements it weighs; it is compulsory only for the Bachelor in Transformational Leadership and Social Impact. ESADE publishes no duration or format.^[4]

6. English. The test includes an English level test, and a certificate isn't mandatory if you sit it. ESADE publishes waiver levels at which you may be exempted from the English level test, with the Admissions Committee making the final decision: Cambridge C1 Advanced 190 (minimum 175 per component) or C2 Proficiency 190, IELTS Academic 7 (minimum 6 per component), TOEFL iBT 100 (minimum 20 per component), among others listed on the requirements page.^[2]

Rolling admissions and timing

ESADE doesn't run rounds. It runs rolling admissions with biweekly Admissions Committees, from October to June or until all places are filled, and warns you not to wait until the end of your last school year because places are limited. After you submit, you pick your test date from a calendar; ESADE schedules several tests a week, and a decision "tends to take at least 3 weeks".^[5] Apply as early as you're genuinely ready.

Where to focus your energy

Your record is largely fixed by the time you apply, and the essays and interview are about who you are. The test is the step with the most to know in advance, and ESADE gives you the material: a sample test for your programme, which it recommends you consult. It also says you cannot study for the test, so treat preparation as knowing the item types, what each wrong answer costs (0.25 per question in the three reasoning sections, none in the English test) and the pace each section demands. Whatever the test, ESADE gives it equal weight with your application and your transcript.

Sources: ESADE's official bachelor admissions pages (admissions, requirements, other admissions tests, FAQ) and the BBA programme page, verified 21 September 2026. EsadePrep is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by ESADE.