Business Administration

Bachelor's
Author:
Andero Kalju

2 January

Application system opens

15 April

Application deadline

25 May

Admission results

2 September

Academic year starts
Level of study
Bachelor's
Study language
English
Duration and credits
3 years , 180 ECTS
Form of study
Regular study
Location
Tartu
Student places
25
Tuition fee
4,200 EUR/year
Tuition waivers
no tuition waivers
  • The University of Tartu belongs to the top 350 universities in the world (see Rankings and Surveys).
  • Extensive practical learning includes internships, company visits, lectures by top industry specialists, business events, and even developing your own company.
  • A business degree gives you the foundation to take your career anywhere.
  • Studies cover all significant business administration areas, from marketing to finance.
  • Study at the University of Tartu Delta Centre, which brings together a vibrant community of students, researchers and innovators in computer science, business and economics, mathematics and statistics.

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a 3-year full-time programme preparing students for successful entry to the international or local labour market and further studies. The programme aims to develop a thorough understanding of an enterprise and its environment. It covers all significant areas of business administration: business law, management, economic policy, accounting, finance, marketing, ethics, human resources, global economy, innovation and research methods.

Studies involve analysing real-life cases, lectures by company representatives, group works, home assignments that engage several courses at once, company visits, drafting a business plan etc. Students are also expected to complete an internship in companies. A wide-ranging curriculum enables students to continue on the path they prefer the most after graduation.

I chose Business Administration because I am convinced I will always use the knowledge I am studying now. The University of Tartu provided me with everything I asked for. I thought it would be hard for me to study in another country, but this university's warmth and friendliness helped me overcome all of my fears. Moreover, I love meeting people here who have the same interests as mine. Therefore, I think there would not be any better specialisation for me than Business Administration, and the University of Tartu made me sure of that.

Zhanet, International Student Ambassador from Kazakhstan

Why study business in Estonia?

  • Due to its geopolitical position, the Estonian economy has always been very international and linked to the global economic community.
  • Estonia has the most startups and the most unicorns per capita in Europe. As of 2024, Estonia has been the birthplace of 10 unicorns: Skype, Playtech, Wise, Bolt, Pipedrive, Zego, ID.me, Gelato, Veriff and Glia.
  • Estonia is one of the most dynamic and innovative regions in the European Union, known for its modern IT solutions and communication technologies.
  • Many globally successful businesses like Bolt, Skype, Playtech and Ericsson are located in Estonia.
  • The University of Tartu is the forerunner of business education and research in Estonia, focusing on providing high-quality business education in the rapidly changing global economic situation. UT is Estonia's highest-ranked university in Business and Economics, according to THE World University Subject Rankings.

Extracurricular activities

Students can take part in extracurricular activities to further develop their skills. The sTARTUp provides entrepreneurial programmes for students who seek opportunities to put their academic knowledge into practice. It brings together students from different fields from all around South Estonia to solve a wide range of problems, find working solutions, build prototypes and develop business models.

BBA students are often involved in the AIESEC network and participate in the annual Student Startup camp. Open lectures ranging from the power of improvisation to policymaking in the EU are held regularly by the university.

Programme highlights in media

Students will receive a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences (BA) degree upon completing the programme.


Course and module details

This programme structure is the latest one confirmed by the university. Next year's modules will be updated by 15 April. Significant changes to the programme will be announced in advance on this website. Check the Study Information System for the latest updates.

School of Economics and Business Administration

The School of Economics and Business Administration (SEBA) is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences, with a history of more than 75 years of teaching business and economics. It has a leading role in Estonian economic and business education with internationally qualified and experienced staff.

SEBA is Estonia's top research centre in economics, international business and management. The school aims to provide a vibrant research environment linked to international centres of excellence and produces high-level academic and policy-relevant economic analysis.

SEBA is located in the University of Tartu Delta Centre. The University of Tartu Delta Centre brings together a vibrant community of students, researchers and innovators in computer science, robotics, technology, mathematics, statistics, economics, management and business. The centre combines learning, excellence in research and the challenges of business and society, creating innovative solutions for economic and social progress.

Read more about the School of Economics and Business Administration here and the University of Tartu Delta Centre here.

University of Tartu Delta Centre

Visit us virtually

Explore Tartu, the School of Economics and Business Administration, and student dormitories through the university's virtual tour here.


University of Tartu Delta Centre tour

After graduation, students have a wide range of possible career choices and opportunities. Thousands of School of Economics and Business Administration graduates work successfully in private businesses, hold influential positions in public companies and institutions, or have continued in academic careers worldwide, incl. many outstanding business and political leaders, notably Mr Siim Kallas, former Vice-President of the European Commission.

After completing the BBA degree, there are also opportunities to continue at the master's level at the University of Tartu, e.g. Innovation and Technology Management, Quantitative Economics.

Admission requirements for Business Administration
 

NB! Citizens of the Russian Federation who, under the legislation of the Republic of Estonia, cannot apply for a long-stay visa or residence permit to study or do not have a valid legal basis to stay in the Republic of Estonia until the end of the curriculum’s standard period of study are not eligible to apply to the University of Tartu in the 2024/2025 academic year.

According to the current legislation, citizens of Belarus can apply for Estonian long-term visa or temporary residence permit for studies and are therefore eligible to apply to the University of Tartu.

Applications are evaluated based on

 

  • the score of the motivation letter (yields 60% of the final score)

  • online entry test in Mathematics (yields 40% of the final score)

The motivation letter must be submitted with your online application by April 15 at the latest.

Please write a brief motivation letter (in English, maximum of 4600 characters with spaces) based on the following points:

  • give an overview of your objectives and motives to study Business Administration;
  • explain why you choose the University of Tartu as a study place;
  • describe linkages between your previous studies and/or if relevant also of your work experience and the programme of Business Administration;
  • describe your career perspectives after completing the programme of Business Administration;
  • describe how you are planning to finance your Bachelor's studies in Tartu;
  • provide other relevant information that you consider we should know about you or your studies.

Evaluation criteria:

  • reasoning in describing the objectives and motives to study in the programme (max 40 points) - assessment of applicant´s objectives and motives to study in the programme, reasons for choosing the UT School of Economics and Business Administration, description of career perspectives after completing the programme and other relevant aspects regarding choice of the programme;
  • linkages between earlier studies and/or work experience and the Business Administration programme (max 20 points) - assessment of applicant´s ability to link the previous education (including academic activities) and/or work experience to the study programme;
  • argumentation skills  (max 40 points) - assessment of applicant´s skills of argumentation and discussion as presented in the written text, including logicality of the structure of the letter, relevance of the information and arguments presented and abilities of self-expression in the written form.

The maximum score for motivation letter is 100 points and the result is positive only if the applicant gains 51 points or more.

The entry test aims to assess competencies in mathematics. It is an online test taken on the UT tests platform (www.testid.ut.ee) between May 15 and 21, 2024 and it can be completed only once. The test contains high-school mathematics: algebraic and trigonometric expressions, geometry, functions and their graphs, equations and inequalities, limits, differentiation, integration, and their applications. The test contains up to 10 exercises that shuffle within questions. There are mixed-type exercises, containing dropdowns, radio buttons, and checkboxes, as well as input boxes for algebraic expressions and numbers with or without units. Every candidate will obtain a random, unique selection of exercises with random parameters.

The total time limit is 120 minutes.

The applicant should be prepared to have paper and pencil at hand while taking the test to perform some intermediate calculations.

All applicants are responsible for the quality of their internet connection. Before starting the test, updating the web browser is required. Once interrupted, the test cannot be concluded.

All test takers receive a total score without individual feedback on each question. The maximum possible score is 100 points. The minimum positive score result is 51 points.

Usernames for entering the Moodle platform will be sent to qualifying applicants a few days before the test.

Only those applicants who score 66 points or higher (out of 100) as a combined score from both the motivation letter and the entry test will be considered for admission.

For further information on assessing candidates´ academic performance and calculating admissions´ score see here.

How to apply
 

The following information applies to international students and Estonian students who graduated abroad:

Application system opens on 2 January and closes on 15 April. The following documents must be submitted electronically via DreamApply by the application deadline:

  1. online application

  2. motivation letter

  3. official certified copy of the secondary school certificate and grade list in the original language (must include description of the grading scale). NB! Applicants graduating in one of the the member countries of EU, OECD, CIS (СНГ), Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, IB Diploma programme or graduating with A-level exams in the upcoming spring/summer and having their secondary school certificate issued later than the application deadline should electronically submit their most recent grade list (grades for all your high school years up until the moment of application) by the application deadline, 15 April. The grade list should be supplemented by an official statement from the issuing school indicating current enrolment and expected graduation date. Admitted candidates are required to post the certified copies of their graduation documents as soon as these have been issued (these must reach us by the end of July at the latest).
    NB! Applicants from other countries can only apply if they have already obtained their final graduation documents and can submit these by the application deadline, 15 April.

  4. official certified translation of the secondary school certificate and grade list into English. As certified translations we consider 1) official translations made by the issuing institution (school, exam centre etc) bearing their original signature, stamp etc, or 2) translations certified by a sworn translator or notary.

  5. proof of English language proficiency

  6. copy of valid international passport page stating the applicant’s personal particulars

  7. confirmation/receipt of application fee payment (if applicable). All international applicants are required to pay the application fee EUR 100, unless they have Estonian citizenship and/or have completed their previous study level in Estonia. An application will only be processed after the fee has been received by the UT. 
     

Submitted applications can not be edited. It is only possible to upload new documents (e.g. graduation certificates). Applicants will receive feedback and notifications through the DreamApply system to their e-mail. Incomplete applications or those submitted by e-mail will not be considered for admission.

Guide to submitting electonic application on DreamApply.

The evaluation of applications will be made based on the electronic copies added to DreamApply. A general ranking list will be formed based on the electronically submitted applications and admission results (including offers) will be announced to all applicants personally via DreamApply by 25 May at the latest. Admitted candidates are expected to accept or decline the offer in DreamApply in 7 days. If the decision is not communicated to UT via DreamApply by the stipulated deadline, UT reserves the right to withdraw the admission offer.

NB! It is not possible to postpone/defer the beginning of studies to the next academic year.

Terms and conditions of the admission offer
Admission offers are conditional. This means that there are conditions in the offer which the applicant needs to fulfil in order to be admitted (e.g. sending application documents by post; obtaining the required level of education). If the conditions are not met, UT has the right to withdraw the offer. Also, UT reserves the right to withdraw or amend any offer or revoke the matriculation of a student, if it becomes evident that the application contains fraudulent information, the qualification does not provide access to the chosen study programme or the student is found to have omitted key information from the application. Should such circumstances occur, UT will not be liable for any material or immaterial loss which the student may suffer as a result.

Once the admission results have been announced, all admitted students are required to send the application documents by post to: Student Admissions, University of Tartu, Ülikooli 18-133, Tartu 50090, ESTONIA.

The documents are expected to be mailed only by those receiving the admission offer (unless instructed otherwise by the Admissions staff). The documents must reach the university within 3 weeks from the announcement of the offer. If the application documents do not reach the UT Student Admissions by the deadline, UT has the right to withdraw the admission offer. Applicants will be informed via DreamApply when their documents have arrived.

Requirements for educational documents
All copies of educational documents (secondary school certificate and grade list/transcript) must be officially certified. By certified we mean that the copies should bear an original signature and seal of the authority certifying that these are true copies of the original document(s). The copies can be certified either 1) by an authorised official of the issuing institution, or 2) by a notary, or 3) with an Apostille attached. NB! Country-specific requirements may specify the way documents from certain countries must be certified. Please note that UT does not accept simple copies made on the basis of already certified copies (primary copies are needed).

All admitted students are required to present their original qualification certificates upon arrival (unless these were sent directly from the issuing institution).

Paying the tuition fee (applicable to those receiving a fee-based study place offer)

  • EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are required to pay the fee for the first semester once they arrive in Tartu (by 20 September at the latest after signing the fee contract, please read more here).
  • Admitted students from other countries are required to pre-pay half of the first semester's tuition fee. The invoice along with the pre-payment deadline and payment details will be sent to applicants via DreamApply after they have accepted the admissions offer and the University has received the hard copies of the application documents. Second part of the fee is due on 20 September. NB! The official admission letter (necessary for visa application) will only be issued once the University of Tartu has received the pre-payment.
  • NB! Once you have been offered a fee-based study place, be aware that it will not be changed into a fee waiver study place. By transferring the pre-payment to the university, you confirm that you have informed yourself about the process of the visa and temporary residence permit application and you are able to arrive in Estonia by the start of the academic year. If you have any questions please contact studentvisasupport@ut.ee.

The official admission letter will be sent to admitted students electronically via DreamApply only after the admissions office has received and reviewed hard copies of the application documents, and received the tuition fee pre-payment (if a pre-payment was required, please see Step 3 for more details). 

NB! The electronic admission letter is also sufficient for non-EU students for applying for visa/residence permit in Estonian embassies.

Once the admission letter is issued, accepted students may proceed further with arranging their arrival. All non-EU students should first consult information on the process of visa and temporary residence permit application to be sure, as where and when the relevant documents need to be applied. Note that housing at the UT dormitories can be applied during a limited period of time, unless specified otherwise on the website. 

NB! Admitted students who are not citizens of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland need to make sure they obtain the Estonian long-term visa on time in order to be able to participate in the orientation programme for international students held in the last week of August. They are also required to visit the Admissions Office in person to complete their arrival registration by September 2, 2024, at the latest. Failure to do so will result in the revocation of their admission decision and visa.

For housing alternatives please find further information on Tartu Welcome Centre website.  
Travel information can be found here.

Based upon common queries, the most important information has been summarised into a pre-arrival information website UT Getting Started.

Estonian applicants should apply via National Admission Information Systems (SAIS). Further information in Estonian is available here.

Tuition fee and scholarships

Practical info for new students

International Student Ambassadors

Ask about the programme and admission
Diana Eerma
Programme Director for Business Administration
School of Economics and Business Administration
Maris Luhamets
Specialist for International Studies
Faculty of Social Sciences
School of Economics and Business Administration
Specialist for International Studies
Narva mnt 18–4002
+372 737 6317

Student Admissions

Contact form

 

Student shadowing

Live one day as a University of Tartu student by shadowing a current student. Register here.

Image
Student Shadowing

 

Application deadline
#admissions
Information about participating in an online entrance interview when applying to the University of Tartu
21.03.2024
#studies #admissions
Restrictions on studying tuition-free for the second or more time
08.03.2024
#admissions
Pay attention to common mistakes when applying to the University of Tartu: submit documents on time, meet English language requirements, and choose the right programme to ensure smooth admission.
01.03.2024
#students #admissions #alumni
The programme celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022. Many students have graduated from the programme.
30.11.2023