How to apply
The applications for the edition of the programme starting from September 2025 will open end of February 2025.
Before applying, please know that all documents must be correctly submitted in the platform at once, and late requests and/or document submission will not be considered.
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Application informations
Admissions calendar
The admissions calendar for the 5th edition of the Master’s in Global Challenges for Sustainability, commencing in September 2025, is currently being finalized. The calendar will be published in the coming weeks.
Access requirements
At least a Bachelor’s degree or recognised equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree recognized as a sufficient qualification for admission to a master’s degree (EQF level 6 or higher).
English language certification is necessary for programme admission.
C1 is the required level. Students with B2 level will be considered in conjunction with other admission criteria but must attain C1 level before programme registration.
The CHARM-EU team is working on the Admissions Rules and Regulations from the 5th edition of the Master’s in Global Challenges for Sustainability.
How to apply step by step
Check out the application procedure step by step:
Specific conditions:
Applicants must complete the application-form in the admissions platform. The application will be considered if it meets the following requirements:
- All required documents have been submitted before the indicated deadline.
- The admission fee has been paid.
The admission fee for academic year 2025-2026 is 30,21€ (non-refundable fee).
Applicant’s allocation preferences for Phase 1 will be considered, but final allocations will depend on available places in all the universities. For the 2025 edition, note that:
- Phase 1 will be only offered in Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Utrecht University (UU) and Eötvös Loránd University Budapest (ELTE).
- If these locations have reached full capacity, the Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg (JMU) will be opened and, if it also reaches its capacity, the Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences (HRW) will also offer Phase 1, depending on demand.
- The resolution of acceptance in the master’s will include your firm allocation for Phase 1 in TCD, UU or ELTE.
- Only in case you rank JMU or HRW as your first option in your application and the locations are finally opened, you will be relocated.
Mobility is compulsory in the Flexible Phase of the Master’s (Phase 2). Take into account the track and location you are interested in for Phase 2 before deciding the university for Phase 1.
Note: The information given in the admissions form about track for the Flexible Phase of the Master’s (Phase 2) is not binding. Candidates will be asked to confirm or change their final track an location for Phase 2 once admitted and before their enrolment (track binding).
Documents to be submitted
Required supporting documents for admission:
You must complete the application form and upload the required documents during the week in which you submit your application on the platform (before Sunday 23.59 CET).
Once uploaded, documents will be reviewed. If there is any incomplete or mistaken document, your will be asked to send or amend the document/s in a specific deadline.
Applications with incomplete documentation after the indicated deadline will not be taken into consideration. It is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure that the application form is complete, that all required documents are submitted in the appropriate format, and that the admission fee has been paid.
You must upload in pdf format the following documents in your application file. For admission purposes, all documents must be submitted in English with the exception of the bachelor’s degree or equivalent and the academic transcript. Both documents can be submitted in any of the official languages of the CHARM-EU Alliance institutions that provide the Master (Catalan, Spanish, English, Dutch, Hungarian, French, Swedish/Finnish, German and Norwegian).
- Valid ID card
For EU students, national ID or passport can be used. For non-EU students, only passport is accepted. - Bachelor’s degree diploma or recognised equivalent
If the diploma is not available yet, up-to-date transcript will suffice. Non-EU students should submit an additional statement from the university recognising that the qualification is sufficient to apply to a Master’s level program. - Academic transcript
Acceptable transcript formats must include the mean grade updated until the last evaluation period (GPA).
If the GPA is not included in the transcript, students should submit an additional statement from the university including the grade point average.
*In case of students with multiple degrees (Bachelor’s or Master’s), only the one uploaded will be assessed. - English language test scores with a LEVEL C1
The CHARM-EU team is working on a list of accepted English certificates.
English C1 is the required level and must be achieved in all skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking). Applicants with B2 level will be considered in conjunction with other admission criteria but must attain C1 level before programme registration.
Exemptions: Applicants with the Nationality of an English-speaking country and coming from Education Systems of English-speaking countries or with a previous university degree delivered in English (Bachelor level minimum) are exempt and must provide a document that proves their cause for exemption (passport, certified from the university where they studied in English, etc). - Curriculum Vitae
Include clear sections on Intercultural experience (languages, relevant international and additional cultural experiences) and Civic engagement (relevant experiences and practical examples of the candidate’s past and current engagement).
- Product
Choose a specific and local challenge related to sustainability (i.e. the challenge should not be general but specific to your surroundings, city or personal experience).
Using this challenge, create a coherent and comprehensive product in English summarising the challenge, interrelated issues and potential solutions.
Ensure to explain:
- why you have selected this challenge;
- your personal experience with this challenge;
- analyse it in a critical way
- through the lens of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Format: selected by the candidate, some options but not limited to essay, poster, video, booklet, pamphlet, podcast, mindmap.
Guideline: length 500–750 words, or 6–8 minutes to listen/watch/read.
Disclaimer: the use of artificial intelligence is discouraged for content generation. Any suspicious products may result in the rejection of the application.
- Video/audio presentation
Download the video/audio instructions.
In English. PDF format with the link to the video/audio recording. - Inclusion: If you tick the box to be considered for Inclusivity Points, and once you have correctly uploaded your application documents by the deadline, you will be contacted by a member of the DEI Team to provide a relevant rationale and, where appropriate, supporting documentation. If you wish to provide documentary evidence (e.g. medical report confirming disability / document in relation to socio-economic status), please arrange such documentation in anticipation of contact by the DEI Office. These documents will be handled with the utmost sensitivity and solely by the DEI Team for the purposes of the application process only.
Selection criteria
The admissions rubric is based on the competencies identified for selection in the CHARM-EU Rules and Regulations: Admissions.
- Academic excellence (10 points)
10 points will be distributed according to previous degree’s finale grade mark, converted in a A-D scale, following the grading equivalence table. If the country of the candidate is not listed in this table, the CHARM-EU Programme Board will decide the conversion to be applied.
- General academic competencies (40 points)
These competencies will be assessed through the documents and files submitted by the student.
For more detailed information, please check out the required supporting documents for admission here.
- Critical thinking (10 points): Quality, originality, coherence, relevance of arguments in the product in relation to the chosen challenge, given different perspectives. Originality and feasibility of ideas and plans expressed in the product.
- Analytical skills (10 points): The candidate’s analytical skills show the thought processes they went through to arrive at a given conclusion and discuss the implications of this, in a structured and clear way, using suitable expressions. Arguments are presented with clarity and clear reasoning.
- Knowledge SDGs (10 points): Relation of the selected challenge to sustainability, awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals and identified linkage to these.
- Personal reflection (10 points): Explaining the personal (individual/communal) relation to the selected challenge, including lived experience.
- Personal competencies (40 points)
This will be assessed through the documents presented by the student. Intercultural competence (10 points): languages, relevant international and additional cultural experiences. Oral communication (10 points): the applicant makes a convincing video/audio presentation of their commitment and expectations. The applicant makes good use of the allocated time and questions. Civic engagement (10 points): relevant experiences and practical examples of the candidate’s past and current engagement. Commitment to programme entry (10 points): clear expectations from the programme, its structure, components and design; willingness to contribute.
- Inclusion (10 points)
In order to ensure access and inclusion, applicants from under-represented communities (in terms of age, gender, family status, disability, sexual orientation, race and ethnic origin, religion, migration status, membership of the Roma and Traveller communities, and socio-economic background in all aspects of higher education, among others), that wish to be considered for these 10 additional points can indicate this on their application. Once those applicants have correctly uploaded the application documents by the deadline, they will then be contacted by a member of the DEI Team and invited to provide a relevant rationale by way of a short explanation with regards barriers in their educational journey and/or underrepresentation in Higher Education. Where appropriate, applicants can provide supporting documentation (e.g. medical report confirming disability / document in relation to socio-economic status). Ticking the box to be considered for inclusivity points is optional for the applicant.
Admissions regulations
The Admissions Regulations for the 5th edition of the Master’s in Global Challenges for Sustainability, commencing in September 2025, is currently being finalized.
Once ready, you will find the Admissions Regulations from the Master’s in Global Challenges for Sustainability on Policies and Regulations.