Today we meet Denise Pu, Head of MBA Marketing and Admissions at CEIBS, who joins us to talk about admissions in this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series.
Denise Pu leads the same programme from which she graduated in 2012. She returns to the school after a career spanning banking and wealth management, entrepreneurship, and leadership advisory across the United States, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Shanghai. Denise holds a BSc in Management Science from the University of California, San Diego and an MBA from CEIBS.
Read on for her insights into the CEIBS MBA program, admissions and more.
Clear Admit: What is one aspect of your MBA program that you wish applicants knew more about?
Denise Pu: We have the strongest alumni business community in China. We are serious about selecting candidates who may potentially become a member of the life-long community.
CA: Walk us through the life of an application in your office from an operational standpoint. What happens between the time an applicant clicks “submit” and the time the committee offers a final decision?
DP: The online application (essay, letters of reference, resume, GMAT or GRE score and other basic information) will be reviewed by our admissions team. Selected candidates will then be invited to an admission interview. Then the candidates’ full evaluation (online application + interview) will be reviewed by our Admission Committee and Scholarship Committee (for merit-based scholarships), for decisioning on admissions result and scholarship opportunities.
CA: How does your team approach the essay portion of the application specifically? What are you looking for as you read an essay? Are there common mistakes applicants should try to avoid? What is one key thing candidates should keep in mind as they sit down to write?
DP: This is typically the first step where we get to know you, unless you’ve already been to our admission events or have participated in our campus tours. So, we look for authenticity in the essays where we should have a base understanding of your aspirations and allow us to imagine how the CEIBS MBA community can support your growth. We want to be so curious to hear from you directly that we’d invite you to the next step – the interview.
CA: Could you tell us about your interview process? Approximately what percentage of applicants are invited to interview, who typically conducts interviews, and what should candidates expect in terms of interview style and format?
DP: We offer both in-person and virtual interview options as we have a large volume of international applicants. The interview typically lasts between 30-40mins, and will always be conducted by at least two interviewers. The interviewers will include one CEIBS professor who teaches the MBA program, and one dept head from either Admissions & Marketing, InnoLab, Career Development Center, Program Operations or Program Administration. Interviews style vary as we want to put our candidates in a dynamic environment as they’d experience in the program, but they can expect a genuine interest in getting to know the candidates across the board.
CA: Is there anything in particular international students should keep in mind during the admissions process?
DP: We encourage international students to apply early, so they can plan out their potential cross-continent move with the right information at the right pace.
CA: Conversations about MBA value often center on jobs, salaries, and ROI. What are some of the other ways students benefit from the MBA experience that may be harder to quantify upfront?
DP: The power of the cohorts and the strength of the alumni community, which is rewarding both in the short- and-long term. The network, the know-how, the unconditional support of the community is what ultimately sets business schools apart.
CA: Are there any trends in the applicant pool, admissions process, or MBA experience that you are particularly focused on right now?
DP: CEIBS MBA program is rooted in developing global business talents who can build bridges between China and the world. We are very focused on keep curating cohorts which are diverse not only in passports but in both professional and personal experiences. While AI is integrated in our curriculum, we continue levelling the human skills of our students – judgement, decision making and leading hybrid workforces to make an impact in the world.
CA: Is there anything else you’d like to highlight about your MBA program or admissions process?
DP: CEIBS MBA Class of 2029 admissions will kick off on Sept 12th, 2026, with an online + offline flagship event. Please join us!
