As a general rule, candidates must have obtained the minimum entry qualifications specified in the Notice of Competition / Call for Expression of Interest by the application deadline. Qualifications awarded after this date are not taken into account.

However, by way of exception, for the Graduate Administrators competition (AD5), candidates must have a level of education corresponding to completed university studies of at least three years, attested by a diploma, the award of which must have been decided no later than 30 September 2026, irrespective of the application deadline. Please see Annex III of the Notice of competition for examples of minimum qualifications.