Applying to EDHEC’s finance MSc: selection, CV and letter

Search for “EDHEC MSc finance” and you rarely land on a single programme: the school offers several, each with its own specialisation, prerequisites and way of assessing candidates. An application that suits quantitative finance is not the one you would submit for corporate finance or accounting. This guide goes through the different specialisations, what the school asks for, how to build a CV and a letter that fit the track you choose, and what to plan for if the answer is no.

⚠️ Warning: admission conditions, application rounds and fees change from one year to the next, and EDHEC’s official pages do not always agree with one another (we point out the gaps below). Everything that follows draws on the school pages listed at the end of the article, consulted in October 2026. Those pages are the reference, not this guide.

What the programme offers and who it is for

On the school’s website, the finance programmes are grouped under the heading “Master in Finance programmes”. So there is no single “MSc Finance”, but a family of programmes. Here are the main ones, with the focus the school gives them:

MSc in Corporate Finance & Banking: investment banking and corporate finance, including risk management and complex transactions. The core modules cover mergers and acquisitions, advanced corporate finance and financial modelling;
MSc in Financial Engineering: advanced quantitative finance, aimed at capital markets, trading, structuring, portfolio management, risk management and hedge funds. Two tracks are announced: “Quantitative Investment Solutions” and “Systematic Trading”;
MSc in International Finance: global finance careers, with two concentrations, “Capital Markets” (discretionary and systematic investing, sales trading, risk) and “Financial Analysis” (equity and debt markets, modelling, private equity);
MSc in Accounting & Finance: international accounting, reporting and auditing, with the concentrations “Audit and Financial Control” and “Consultancy and Deals Advisory”;
MSc in Climate Change & Sustainable Finance: finance for the low-carbon transition, as a double degree with Mines Paris-PSL.

What they have in common, according to the programme pages: teaching in English, a campus in Nice (Sophia-Antipolis for the climate programme), 120 ECTS credits, an academic year from September to May, then a four-to-six-month internship or work placement starting in June. Several of these programmes are announced as eighteen months full time. Most also include a final project.

Which specialisation for which profile?

The keyword “edhec finance quantitative” points to the MSc in Financial Engineering, which the school describes as highly selective and aimed at candidates with market-finance training or a strong quantitative background. For an engineer or a mathematician, it is the natural route. For a business student aiming at investment banking, Corporate Finance & Banking is a better match. A profile torn between markets and financial analysis will look at International Finance. And someone coming from accounting or audit will find a place in Accounting & Finance.

A word on method: the school offers a short online quiz to point you to the right programme. Take it, but above all compare each page’s modules with what you have already learned and with your plans. The question is not “which one is the most prestigious?” but “which one leads to the job I want?”. If you are still unsure about the jobs themselves, our article on how to land a finance internship as a student helps you test a sector before committing for eighteen months.

Selection criteria and profile of admitted students

EDHEC publishes neither a scoring grid nor a typical admitted profile, and we will not invent one. The school’s pages do let us establish what is asked, and spot the nuances between programmes.

What the school states

A bachelor’s degree of at least three years. For Corporate Finance & Banking, International Finance and Accounting & Finance, the page speaks of an engineering or business/finance background. For Financial Engineering, it asks for a finance background. Engineers and quantitative graduates are welcome if they show finance coursework or relevant internship experience.
Proof of English proficiency, except for native speakers and holders of a degree taught in English for at least three years. The accepted tests are TOEFL, TOEIC and IELTS, with minimum scores given on the pages (for example 92 on the TOEFL iBT, 850 on the TOEIC and 6.5 on the IELTS Academic). Check the current list before sitting a test.
Two letters of recommendation. Referees receive a link and can fill in a form or attach their own letter. The school states that it does not contact them: choosing and briefing your referees is up to you.
An online video interview, in English, once the application is validated: about five questions on motivation, interest in the programme and past experience, with a practice session beforehand.

The grey areas to clear up

Two points are not consistent from one page to another, and we would rather flag them than settle them:

The aptitude test (GMAT, GRE, TAGE MAGE). The lists of prerequisites describe it as optional for these MSc programmes, but the school’s FAQ says these tests are generally required for finance programmes. Write to the admissions team before deciding whether to sit a GMAT: both options have a cost.
The Financial Engineering interview. One programme page speaks of a recorded video interview, whereas the application guide describes, for this MSc, a direct online interview with the Selection Committee. Find out which format applies to your round.

What can reasonably be inferred

A file of five elements (CV, letter, transcripts, recommendations, interview) and admissions reviewed on a rolling basis suggest that the school looks for consistency between a background, a plan and the programme targeted. That is an inference, not a published rule. For a quantitative MSc, transcripts in mathematics, probability and programming are likely to weigh heavily. For a corporate finance application, internship experience and modelling skills will show more. In both cases, what you write must be something you can explain aloud.

For the certifications that complement a degree (and sometimes stand in for an aptitude test when it comes to credibility), see our comparison of the CFA and FRM.

Building a suitable academic CV

The CV is the first document read, and it must be in English since the programme and the interview are. Aim for two pages at most, but above all a document where every line answers the question “why this programme?”. The structure below fits all five specialisations; what changes is the order of the evidence.

A structure that gets to the point

Header: name, e-mail, phone, city, LinkedIn profile if it is up to date.
Education first: degrees obtained and in progress, institution, exact months and years, documented honours or rankings, relevant courses.
Professional experience: internships, work-study, assignments, with concrete results.
Projects and extracurricular: finance society, investment club, case competitions, modelling projects.
Skills, languages and interests: tools, languages with the test that supports them, genuine interests.

Tailoring the content to the specialisation

Quantitative finance (Financial Engineering). Put forward your courses in probability, statistics, optimisation and programming, then projects: a strategy backtest, an option valuation, a risk model. Write for instance “Priced European options with a Monte Carlo simulation in Python and compared the results with the analytical formula”. List only real work: that is exactly what the interview will check.
Investment banking and corporate finance (Corporate Finance & Banking). Bring out internships in M&A, transaction services, audit or banking, the financial models you built and case competitions. A line such as “Built a three-statement model for a listed retailer and compared three scenarios on margins and capex” says more than “advanced Excel”.
Markets and analysis (International Finance). Highlight market tracking, investment pitches, international experience and certifications in progress.
Accounting and audit (Accounting & Finance). Emphasise standards, audit or financial control assignments and reporting tools.

In every case, give exact dates, the nature of each experience and the weekly volume for part-time work. Avoid lists of tasks without results (“Participated in financial analysis” tells the reader nothing) and keep typography consistent: dates, capitals and punctuation identical from one block to the next.

For a readable layout, our corporate finance CV example is a good base. It is written in French for recruitment: adapt it into English and into an academic version rather than copying it. The general logic of an admissions CV is covered in our academic CV for an admissions file 🔗.

Writing a strong motivation letter and handling the interview

The letter: a plan, not a summary of your CV

The motivation letter is one of the required documents, and the school specifies that a separate letter is needed for each programme if you apply to two (you may apply to two programmes at most). In its application guide, EDHEC asks for a concise text centred on your career trajectory and on why this specific programme serves your goals. Write it in English, on one page, following this outline:

The career plan (three to four sentences): the job you are aiming at and why. “Structuring equity products” and “advising on merger and acquisition deals” do not justify the same programme.
The link with your background: two or three precise facts from your courses, internships or projects.
The choice of programme: cite verifiable elements from the official page, such as a track, a module, a certificate or the way the academic year leads into the internship. Not the school’s reputation.
Your contribution: what you bring to a cohort, for example a scientific profile moving into markets or international experience.

If a sentence could appear unchanged in another candidate’s letter, replace it with a fact.

The video interview

The announced principle is simple: questions on motivation, interest in the programme and experience. The school says there are no right or wrong answers and offers a practice run before recording. Prepare:

Your background in two minutes, consistent, with the reason for choosing this specialisation;
Every line of your CV, including tools and projects;
A basic technical question if you are aiming at Financial Engineering: review probability, statistics and market finance, and be ready to reason aloud.

To practise motivation and technical questions, our guide on preparing for an investment banking interview is a good starting point, even though the format differs.

Calendar and documents

The calendar

For the programmes whose pages we read, EDHEC announces a start in early September, a final deadline in June, and several application rounds, each with a closing date and a results date. The number of rounds depends on the country of your previous degree: five rounds for a non-French degree, four for a French degree, the last one open only if seats are available. A first round opens in the autumn for graduates of a foreign institution. Decisions generally take about three weeks, and an admitted candidate has three weeks to confirm their place by paying the tuition deposit.

We deliberately do not reproduce all the dates: they change every year, and an outdated date can cost you an application. Check the table on your programme’s page and plan backwards:

the English test, early enough to be able to retake it;
the recommendation requests, several weeks ahead;
the transcripts and proof of degree;
the CV, the letter and at least one outside proofread.

Applying in an early round keeps later rounds in reserve if the first answer is not favourable.

The documents to provide

According to the official pages, the online file includes:

a CV;
a motivation letter (one per programme);
transcripts covering your whole academic record;
two letters of recommendation;
an English test result, unless exempt;
where relevant, an aptitude score (GMAT, GRE, TAGE MAGE), to be confirmed with the school;
the video interview.

Scanned colour copies are accepted. Tuition fees appear on the school’s page with the note that they are for information only and subject to change: read that section before applying, since the cost needs preparing just like the file.

📊 Worth noting: the programme ends with four to six months of work experience, and the school’s page says that many students find their jobs through it. A well-made CV will therefore serve you twice: for admission, then for that placement.

Common mistakes and plan B

The mistakes that cost the most

Choosing the specialisation for prestige. A quantitative file submitted for a corporate finance programme, or the reverse, shows immediately in the letter.
Trusting a forum or an aggregator. Thresholds, fees and interview formats there are often out of date or contradict the school.
Leaving the aptitude test question unresolved. Sitting a needless GMAT wastes time, and skipping a required one can cost an application.
Last-minute recommendations. A rushed referee writes a generic text.
The same letter for two programmes. The school asks for one letter per programme.
A file that does not hang together. A “markets” plan with only audit internships and no explanation gives an impression of scatter.
Neglecting the video. It needs preparing: lighting, sound, structured answers, and the practice run the school offers.

A plan B built now

A rejection does not close the door on finance careers. Prepare in parallel:

Another specialisation at the same school, which showcases your profile better (the school allows two applications);
Other finance master’s programmes with compatible calendars, for instance by comparing with our guide to applying to ESSEC’s Master in Finance;
A later round, if the school still has one open, with a file improved on the weak point you identified (English, experience, recommendations);
An internship or work-study position that strengthens your profile for the following year;
A certification such as the CFA, which can be prepared alongside your studies.

In every case, keep the same standard: a clear CV, a precise letter, evidence. A good file serves several applications.

Ready to create your finance CV? Our editor handles the layout for you and produces a PDF that applicant tracking systems (ATS) read correctly, since they screen out poorly structured documents before a human sees them: Create my CV for free.

Sources

EDHEC, Masters in finance 🔗: list of finance programmes, language, duration, work experience, start date and final deadline, consulted in October 2026.
EDHEC, MSc in Financial Engineering 🔗: prerequisites, documents, interview, tracks and application rounds.
EDHEC, MSc in Corporate Finance & Banking 🔗: prerequisites, documents, modules, final project and application rounds.
EDHEC, MSc in International Finance 🔗: concentrations, prerequisites, documents and application rounds.
EDHEC, MSc in Accounting & Finance 🔗: concentrations, prerequisites and documents.
EDHEC, “How to Apply for an EDHEC Master’s Degree” 🔗: application steps, tests, interview and decision times.