CEMS Plagued by Exchange Announcement Delays

The CEMS Master in International Management at NHH is consistently ranked as one of top management masters in the world by QS Rankings and the Financial Times. Those who get into the program will get an additional degree to your NHH master in International Management.

“Early Next week?” The Three Words That Stressed 102 Students 

The final exchange results for the 2026/2027 academic year were released on February 12th. Last year, results were published on January 29th. This 2-week delay creates stress for students planning exchanges, mandatory internships, visas and housing, especially for those also applying to the regular exchange program and those going abroad in the upcoming fall semester. 

After a painful wait until the very last day of January, 68 of the 102 applicants were accepted. However, the final cohort is expected to be smaller, as some students decline their offer. Many Norwegians who apply in their third year choose to defer their offer for a year, and others choose to not partake in the program at all. 

The Changing Applicant Pool 

Of the 68 accepted students, 47 are Norwegian. This reflects a general trend from recent years, with more Norwegian and fewer internationals participation. Norunn Økland, the CEMS Program Manager at NHH, cites the increasing tuition fees for non-EU students as the main reason for this shift. 

Sickness and Changing Systems

The severe delay in updates is being explained by the main contact person being sick for the most important part of the decision-making process. At the same time, the new Academic Director, Stig Tenold, has also been heavily involved in this year’s CEMS application process, slowing down the process.

However, his involvement was for a bigger purpose: to streamline the CEMS application process at NHH in the future, and manage to avoid this sort of delays in the future. Applicants are now asking themselves if this is the real reason or if the final decisions had not already been made after interviews in December? 

Potential Application Changes

Several rumours have circulated about a potential new application process for the 2028/2029 cohort. The main proposed difference would be to integrate the CEMS application into the master’s application itself. This change would also equalize the process for Norwegians and Internationals.

Currently, Norwegian students have two possibilities to apply (in their third and fourth year), while internationals only have one. 

With more information to follow, the new CEMSies should not experience any consequences in their study program. CEMS remains as one of the most prestigious opportunities at NHH, with some of the most accomplished alumni.

The question remains though, whether NHH administration can ensure that the experience matches the program’s global reputation. Let’s hope that the next steps for the 2026/2027 cohort won’t follow the trend of publishing information 2 weeks later than expected.