About the university
ISM University of Management and Economics is a small private business school in the centre of Vilnius. It was founded in 1999 and now offers bachelor's, master's, executive and doctoral programmes, all focused on business, economics, finance and management. Its building is on Gedimino Avenue, Vilnius's main street, a few minutes' walk from the Old Town.
ISM is the most internationally accredited business school in Lithuania. It holds AACSB accreditation, and in 2026 its Global Leadership and Strategy master's became the first programme from the Baltic states to enter the Financial Times Masters in Management Top 100, at 47th, and ranked 7th worldwide for value for money. It also has five Eduniversal Palmes of Excellence. Teaching is in small groups, with many case studies, company projects and guest lecturers from business.
The bachelor's programmes run for three years plus a thesis semester (210 ECTS) in management and marketing, economics and data analytics, economics and politics, finance, international business and communication, and entrepreneurship. Master's programmes are taught on weekday evenings (18:00 to 21:15, about three evenings a week), designed for students who also work, and cover marketing, financial economics, leadership and strategy, innovation and technology management, and sustainability.
For Indian students ISM is a premium, business-only option: fees are higher than at public universities (about €7,140 a year for bachelor's and €7,350 a year for most master's), but class sizes are small, the network with Lithuanian employers is strong, and the evening master's schedule makes part-time work easier. ISM does not have its own dormitories; it helps students find rooms in co-living places and private flats.
- Founded
- 1999, in Vilnius
- Type
- Private, non-profit business university
- Accreditation
- AACSB; ISM says it was the first Baltic university to earn it
- Best-known ranking
- Global Leadership and Strategy master's: 47th in the FT Masters in Management ranking 2026
- Language
- Almost all subjects taught in English
- Exchange and double degrees
- Exchange with more than 100 universities; double degrees with BI Norwegian Business School and KEDGE Business School
- Location
- Gedimino Avenue 7, in central Vilnius
- Intake
- September; studies start by 2 September after an Intro Week
Rankings
Financial Times Masters in Management ranking (Global Leadership and Strategy) 2026
47th in the world
Financial Times Masters in Management ranking: value for money 2026
7th in the world
QS / THE World University Rankings 2027
Not ranked (specialised business school)
Popular courses with Indian students
- Postgraduate
Global Leadership and Strategy
- Fee / year
- €9,800
- Duration
- 90 ECTS, about 1.5 years (evening classes)
- Intakes
- September
- English
- B2 English (IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo or ISM's own test; check the master's admission rules)
- Postgraduate
International Marketing and Management
- Fee / year
- €7,350
- Duration
- 1.5 years plus a 6-month thesis (120 ECTS, evening classes)
- Intakes
- September
- English
- B2 English (IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo or ISM's own test; check the master's admission rules)
- Postgraduate
- Fee / year
- €7,350
- Duration
- 1.5 years plus a thesis (120 ECTS, evening classes)
- Intakes
- September
- English
- B2 English (IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo or ISM's own test; check the master's admission rules)
- Postgraduate
Innovation and Technology Management
- Fee / year
- €9,800
- Duration
- 90 ECTS, about 1.5 years (evening classes)
- Intakes
- September
- English
- B2 English (IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo or ISM's own test; check the master's admission rules)
- Postgraduate
Business Sustainability Management
- Fee / year
- €9,800
- Duration
- 90 ECTS, about 1.5 years (evening classes)
- Intakes
- September
- English
- B2 English (IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo or ISM's own test; check the master's admission rules)
- Undergraduate
Business Management and Marketing
- Fee / year
- €7,140
- Duration
- 3 years plus a 6-month thesis (210 ECTS)
- Intakes
- September
- English
- IELTS 6.0 (no section below 5.0), TOEFL iBT 60, PTE 52 or Duolingo 115
- Undergraduate
- Fee / year
- €7,140
- Duration
- 3 years plus a 6-month thesis (210 ECTS)
- Intakes
- September
- English
- IELTS 6.0 (no section below 5.0), TOEFL iBT 60, PTE 52 or Duolingo 115
- Undergraduate
- Fee / year
- €7,140
- Duration
- 3 years plus a 6-month thesis (210 ECTS)
- Intakes
- September
- English
- IELTS 6.0 (no section below 5.0), TOEFL iBT 60, PTE 52 or Duolingo 115
Fees for international students
| Course | Duration | Fee / year (EUR) | Approx. in rupees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Leadership and Strategy | 90 ECTS, about 1.5 years (evening classes) | €9,800 | ≈ ₹10.4 lakh |
| International Marketing and Management | 1.5 years plus a 6-month thesis (120 ECTS, evening classes) | €7,350 | ≈ ₹7.8 lakh |
| Financial Economics | 1.5 years plus a thesis (120 ECTS, evening classes) | €7,350 | ≈ ₹7.8 lakh |
| Innovation and Technology Management | 90 ECTS, about 1.5 years (evening classes) | €9,800 | ≈ ₹10.4 lakh |
| Business Sustainability Management | 90 ECTS, about 1.5 years (evening classes) | €9,800 | ≈ ₹10.4 lakh |
| Business Management and Marketing | 3 years plus a 6-month thesis (210 ECTS) | €7,140 | ≈ ₹7.6 lakh |
| Finance | 3 years plus a 6-month thesis (210 ECTS) | €7,140 | ≈ ₹7.6 lakh |
| Economics and Data Analytics | 3 years plus a 6-month thesis (210 ECTS) | €7,140 | ≈ ₹7.6 lakh |
Fees are for international students for the entry year shown on each course page and can rise each year. Approximate exchange rates (based on ECB reference rates, March 2026). Actual rates on your payment date will differ.
Want a course shortlist with fees?Our counsellor will compare courses at ISM University of Management and Economics with similar universities in Lithuania.
Scholarships
- Bachelor's, early admission
ISM scholarship competition (bachelor's)
Value: Up to 50% off tuition (for example Finance: €3,570 a year instead of €7,140)
Eligibility: Applicants in early admission (1 November to 30 April) who take the scholarship test; awards depend on your competitive score and test result.
Official page (opens in a new tab) - Master's
ISM graduate discount
Value: About 30% off (for example €2,573 instead of €3,675 a semester)
Eligibility: ISM bachelor's graduates who continue to an ISM master's.
Official page (opens in a new tab) - Master's
Corporate sponsor discount
Value: About 15% off tuition
Eligibility: Employees of ISM's corporate sponsor companies.
Official page (opens in a new tab) - Full-time master's
Lithuanian State Scholarship for master's studies
Value: Covers most of the tuition and pays a monthly stipend
Eligibility: Citizens of listed countries only (for example Armenia, China, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine); India is not on the list.
Official page (opens in a new tab)
Admission requirements
Undergraduate
- Class 12 equivalent to the Lithuanian school-leaving certificate, with a minimum competitive score of 5.5 (on ISM's scale).
- Your score weights maths at 40% and English and other subjects at 20–30% each; if you have no maths exam, ISM uses its own maths test.
- A motivation letter or video and an interview count towards admission; a low interview score can lead to rejection even with good marks.
- Early admission runs from 1 November to 30 April and is the only route to the scholarship test; general admission dates are posted on ISM's website.
- If you sign a conditional agreement by 31 May, you pay a €500 reservation fee, deducted from autumn tuition.
- After signing the study agreement you pay one semester's tuition within 7 days; ISM then supports your residence permit application.
Postgraduate
- A bachelor's degree; ISM assesses your grades, motivation and an interview.
- Classes are on weekday evenings, so most master's students work or do internships during the day.
- Apply online at apply.ism.lt; the admission fee is not charged during early admission.
- Non-EU students must arrive by 15 September if their residence permit was issued by 1 September.
Documents
- Passport
- Class 12 certificate and mark sheets, apostilled (bachelor's)
- Bachelor's degree certificate and transcripts, apostilled (master's)
- English test result taken within the last 2 years, or a request for exemption if all your education was in English
- Motivation letter or video
- CV (master's)
- Proof of funds and health insurance for the residence permit
Check if you are eligibleShare your marks and test scores and our counsellor will tell you which courses you can apply for.
English language requirements
| Test or route | Typical requirement |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.0 overall with no section below 5.0 |
| TOEFL iBT | 60 or more |
| PTE Academic | 52 or more |
| Duolingo English Test | 115 or more |
| ISM English test / exemption | ISM's own test (55 points) is accepted; the admissions committee may exempt applicants educated fully in English. Scores apply to bachelor's admission; ISM may also test you after the interview. |
Accommodation and living costs
ISM has no dormitories of its own. Its accommodation team shares a guide to co-living places and rental websites and helps students one to one, and students sign contracts directly with landlords. Because ISM is in central Vilnius, plan for city-centre rents or a longer commute. The figures below are the costs ISM and the government publish; check current rents before you budget.
| Item | In EUR | Approx. in rupees |
|---|---|---|
| Living-cost minimum for the residence permitLegal minimum for 2026–27; private rent in Vilnius usually needs more | €577per month | ≈ ₹61,162 |
| Lithuanian health insuranceISM's estimate; insurance is compulsory | €50–150per year | ≈ ₹5,300 – ₹15,900 |
| ISIC student card with Vilnius transport e-ticket | €13one-off | ≈ ₹1,378 |
| Reservation fee (bachelor's conditional agreement)Deducted from autumn tuition | €500one-off | ≈ ₹53,000 |
| Payment administration feeFrom ISM's 2026–27 price list | €50one-off | ≈ ₹5,300 |
Campus and location
ISM's building is on Gedimino Avenue in central Vilnius, steps from cafés, the Old Town and public transport. Vilnius is the main hub for international companies, banks and shared-service centres in Lithuania, which is useful for business students looking for internships.
- One central building with classrooms, a library and study spaces, rather than a large campus.
- Small groups and many company projects, case studies and guest lectures.
- Exchange with more than 100 partner universities and double-degree routes with BI Norwegian Business School (Norway) and KEDGE Business School (France).
- Intro Week for international students before classes start, plus pre-arrival webinars from May to August.
- Lithuanian language courses start in mid-September.
- No on-campus housing: students rent rooms in co-living buildings or private flats across the city.
Careers and graduate outcomes
ISM publishes salary and position data from its own graduate surveys. The figures below are for its Finance bachelor's and its FT-ranked master's; they cover all graduates, not only international students, and are not a promise of future results.
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Finance bachelor's: average gross salary three years after graduating | €3,039 a month | ISM Graduate Survey 2022 (programme page) |
| Finance bachelor's: in middle or top management two years after graduating | 25% | ISM Graduate Survey 2022 (programme page) |
| Global Leadership and Strategy: alumni salary growth | 17th in the world | Financial Times Masters in Management 2026 |
| Global Leadership and Strategy: overall alumni satisfaction | 9.04 out of 10 | ISM, reporting FT survey data (2026) |
| Time graduates can stay to look for work | Up to about 15 months | Lithuanian Migration Department; Study in Lithuania |
Studying in Lithuania
Visa rules, work rights and living costs apply to every university in Lithuania. Our country guide covers them in detail:
Other universities in Lithuania
Photo: Vyckal, CC BY-SA 3.0 PublicVilnius University (official website, opens in a new tab)
Vilnius, LithuaniaOften chosen for Medicine & Health Sciences, Business & Management, Computer Science & IT
Photo: BigHead, CC BY-SA 4.0 PublicVilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) (official website, opens in a new tab)
Vilnius, LithuaniaOften chosen for Engineering, Computer Science & IT
Photo: BigHead, CC BY-SA 4.0 PublicOften chosen for Engineering, Computer Science & IT, Data Science & AI
- Public
Vytautas Magnus University (official website, opens in a new tab)
Kaunas, LithuaniaOften chosen for Business & Management, Arts, Design & Media, Life Sciences
- Public
Mykolas Romeris University (official website, opens in a new tab)
Vilnius, LithuaniaOften chosen for Law, Business & Management
Photo: Ziko van Dijk, CC BY-SA 4.0 PublicOften chosen for Medicine & Health Sciences, Nursing & Allied Health, Life Sciences
FAQs
How much does ISM cost for Indian students?
About €7,140 a year for most bachelor's (€24,990 for the whole 3.5-year programme) and €7,350 a year for the 2-year master's, from ISM's 2026–27 price list. Shorter 90-ECTS master's cost €14,700 in total.
Can I get a scholarship at ISM?
Bachelor's applicants in early admission (1 November to 30 April) can sit the scholarship test for up to 50% off tuition. The Lithuanian state master's scholarship is not open to Indian citizens.
Are ISM master's classes full time?
They are full-time programmes taught on weekday evenings, about three evenings a week from 18:00 to 21:15, so many students work during the day.
Does ISM have hostels?
No. ISM helps you find a room in a co-living building or a private flat, and you sign the contract directly with the landlord.
Is ISM recognised?
Yes. It is an accredited Lithuanian university with AACSB accreditation, and its Global Leadership and Strategy master's is ranked 47th in the FT Masters in Management ranking 2026.
Sources
- ISM: website and programme list (opens in a new tab)
- ISM: study price list 2026–27 (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- ISM: bachelor's admission regulations (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- ISM: Finance bachelor's (opens in a new tab)
- ISM: International Marketing and Management master's (opens in a new tab)
- ISM: FT Masters in Management ranking 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- ISM: full-time international students (opens in a new tab)
- Study in Lithuania: scholarships (opens in a new tab)
Official website: www.ism.lt/en (opens in a new tab)
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