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IB Diploma and University Admission in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

We found no official rule on the IB Diploma in Bosnia and Herzegovina. No admission law mentions it, and there is no national table that converts IB points into an admission score. An IB Diploma is treated as a foreign secondary-school certificate: it must be recognised by the competent ministry, and the university then applies its own conditions. This guide shows what that means in practice and what you need to ask.

What the basic requirement is

Eurydice states that applicants to bachelor's studies need four years of secondary school, and that admission is based on secondary-school results and the entrance exam. The University of Banja Luka says anyone with a four-year secondary school in Bosnia and Herzegovina or a "corresponding secondary school abroad" may enrol, and that for a school finished abroad the competent authority carries out a recognition procedure. Ask the university how it counts the years of schooling behind your IB Diploma.

Recognition of the IB Diploma

Recognition is done by the education ministry of the entity or canton, not by CIP, and the Law on Administrative Procedure applies. The Sarajevo Canton rulebook says the ministry takes into account the education system of the issuing country, the school's curriculum, the length of schooling and the conditions under which the certificate was issued, and converts grades with comparative scales. It asks for a sworn translation, certified copies, a transcript of grades and, where the issuing country's ministry publishes one, a grading scale. We found no official page that mentions the IB by name, so ask the ministry which documents it wants from an IB school: the Diploma, the transcript of results and the school's own certificates for earlier years are the likely candidates.

Procedures and documents are in document recognition for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sarajevo Canton must decide within 30 days of a proper request. The Federal Ministry names no number of days, and the Republika Srpska ministry gave none on its page.

International programmes and the University of Sarajevo

The University of Sarajevo says that candidates from "approved international programmes" and candidates from countries that emerged from the former Yugoslavia can compete and sit the entrance exams, but must submit a completed high-school certificate or a nostrified document. Which international programmes count as approved is not defined on that page, so ask the faculty whether the IB is included. The same page says that candidates who finished school abroad may enter the competition before recognition and enrol once it is complete, at the latest by the start of the academic year.

Entrance exams still apply

At public universities, ranking combines school results and an entrance exam, according to Eurydice. We found no rule that waives the exam for IB students. Many faculties, in medicine, architecture, the arts, sport and engineering, hold an entrance or aptitude exam, so check what the faculty tests and whether your IB subjects prepare you for it.

Timing with IB results

IB results arrive in July. Public calls usually run in June and July, with a second registration period in September for free places and for candidates who finished school abroad, according to Eurydice. The University of Banja Luka's second round in 2024/25 took documents on 26–30 August with an exam on 2 September. So the second round is realistic for May-session students, but dates change every year, so read the current call. Start recognition as soon as you have your results, and ask the ministry how long it will take.

Private and English-taught universities

Private universities set their own admission rules. We could not confirm from official pages how IUS, Burch or SSST treat IB grades, so ask their admissions offices whether they use IB points, predicted grades or their own tests. See bachelor's degrees in English in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Questions to send to the university

  1. Is the IB Diploma accepted as a secondary-school qualification for this programme?
  2. Which IB subjects or levels are required, and is there an entrance exam?
  3. Which authority recognises my diploma, and by when must it be done?
  4. Are IB points converted to a score, or do you use only the exam?

Where to look next

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.