All International Management/CEMS graduates must show competency in three languages.
- English (L1): Proof of C1 level required at admission.
- CEMS 2nd language (L2): Must be your mother tongue or proof of Minimum B1 level required at admission and graduation
- CEMS 3rd language (L3): Must reach minimum A1 level by graduation
| Admission Requirement | Graduation Requirement | |
| English | C1 Check here for accepted proof. | Fulfilled at admission |
| CEMS 2nd Language (L2) | Mother tongue / B1
| Fulfilled at admission |
| CEMS 3rd Language (L3) | Indicate your chosen L3 (exit language) in OLAF. No document upload is required at the application stage. Proof will be checked at graduation. | Minimum A1 Level |
Important notes:
There are two possible scenarios for CEMS 2nd language:
1. If your mother tongue is not English, you may use the Mother Tongue Statement to as proof of your CEMS 2nd Language (L2). OR
2. If your mother tongue is English, the Mother Tongue Statement cannot be used for CEMS 2nd language. You must provide proof of at least B1 level in another language at admission.
- CEMS 3rd language (L3) only needs to be declared at admission. Proof of A1 will be checked at graduation.
Your CEMS 2nd Language (L2) must be either your mother tongue (if it is not English) or minimum B1 level at admission.
All possible proof are listed in the table below. You can choose either one of the following to prove your CEMS language.
If your mother tongue is NOT English
| Option | ||
Mother Tongue - a native language that you are fully fluent in |
| Example: If your mother tongue is Spanish, you should declare Spanish in the Mother Tongue Statement. You will then also need to meet the English requirement and provide proof of proficiency in one additional language (L3). |
If your mother tongue is English
| Option 1 | ||
High School Studies completed entirely in this language |
| Example: If your mother tongue is English, but you completed your high school entirely in German, you can upload your high school diploma as proof of your CEMS 2nd language (L2). |
| Option 2 | ||
University Education completed entirely in this language |
| Example: If your mother tongue is English, and you completed your university bachelor’s studies entirely in Korean, you can upload your current university diploma as proof of CEMS 2nd language (L2). |
| Option 3 | ||
University Formal Language Test obtained at a CEMS partner university or a university within the EU/EEA |
| Example: The Erasmus University Language & Training Centre offers assessment tests throughout the year RSM accepts the results of an intake test for admissions purposes. |
| Option 4 | ||
University Language Course obtained at a CEMS partner university or a university within the EU/EEA |
| Example: The Erasmus University Language & Training Centre offers language courses throughout the year |
| Option 5 | ||
| CEMS-accredited commercial test |
| The proof must meet the validity requirements set by CEMS (see Validity tab). |
The following periods of validity apply for accredited language certificates and exams. The reference date for these periods of validity is the first day of the beginning of the programme (1st September 2026):
Proficiency Level | Validity Period |
| C2 and C1 | Valid indefinitely |
| B2 | Valid for 5 years (must be dated after 1 September 2021) |
| B1, A2 and A1 | Valid for 2 years (must be dated after 1 September 2024) |
The following are not accepted as language proof:
- Passport
- Having lived in a country
- Having completed an exchange semester
Additionally, the following languages or language combinations are not allowed:
- Dead/inactive languages such as Latin are not accepted.
- Languages which are too similar to each other are not allowed to be combined as the second and third languages:
- Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian/Montenegrin/Slovenian
- Czech/Slovak
- Danish/Swedish/Norwegian
- Danish/Faroese
- Dutch/Flemish/Frisian/Afrikaans
- German/Luxembourgischer
- Russian/Ukrainian/Belarusian
- Russian/Kazak
- Spanish/Catalan
- Spanish/Galician
When applying for the IM/CEMS programme, you will fill in the RSM Online Application Form. In this form you will be asked to indicate how you want to prove your proficiency in English and your second and third languages.
For CEMS 2nd language (L2):
- If your mother tongue is not English, you can submit a Mother Tongue Statement as your CEMS language (L2).
- If your mother tongue is English, you need to submit academic transcripts or language course certificates at B1 level as proof of your CEMS langguage (L2).
For CEMS 3rd language (L3):
- You only need to indicate your preferred CEMS 3rd language (L3) in the online application form (OLAF). No proof is required at admission.
All required proof must be submitted by the 31st of January. No exemptions can be made.
In order to guarantee the required minimum level of English proficiency, you must be able to show proof of proficiency on at least C1 level (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Language - CEFR). The accepted forms of proof for English proficiency are listed in this FAQ. You can also visit the general admissions requirements page to find out more.
Submit your application early – this way the RSM admissions office can notify you if any documents are missing or insufficient. Applications can be submitted from 1 October onwards.
Contact a university language center (such as the EUR Language & Training Centre) to check whether they can give you an intake test to determine your current level.
In some cases, you may wish to choose a language that cannot be verified by an accredited language institution because no such institutions or exams are available. Unfortunately, this means you cannot use that language for your application.
For example, you cannot claim Hindi as your third language, as there are no accepted methods for verifying your proficiency. Please note that a passport alone is not sufficient proof of language proficiency.
More information can be found on the IM/CEMS category in our general FAQ.