CEIBS
The China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Zurich, and Accra. The Shanghai campus is home to CEIBS’ MBA program and is approximately 20 minutes from the city center in the Pudong district, in the quiet neighborhood of Jinqiao. As the clear economic and business hub of China, Shanghai is an ideal location for MBA students interested in a globally-focused education and a plethora of post-MBA career opportunities. The CEIBS MBA is well known for its “China Depth, Global Breadth” emphasis as well as preparing leaders to enter the global business economy.
In addition to the Full Time MBA, CEIBS also offers a Finance MBA, a Global EMBA, a Hospitality EMBA, a DBA program, and an EMBA.
FAQ
What is the tuition for CEIBS’ MBA program?
The tuition fee for the 16-month MBA 2026 program is RMB 488,000, or approximately $68,000. Living expenses for on-campus dormitories are RMB 3,000 per month.
What is the average GMAT score for admission to CEIBS’ MBA program?
The average GMAT score for the last three years of incoming classes at CEIBS is 688.
Does the CEIBS MBA program accept the GRE?
Yes. The CEIBS MBA program accepts the GRE. They also offer the CEIBS Admission Test, which is similar to the GMAT, but does not include the AWA or IR section.
What is the average GRE score for admission to CEIBS’ MBA program?
The average GRE score for the incoming class from the last three years is 325.
What is the minimum number of years of work experience required for admission to CEIBS’ MBA program?
CEIBS’ minimum number of years of work experience is 2 years.
What is the median starting salary for graduates of the CEIBS MBA program?
The median starting salary for CEIBS MBA graduates is RMB 428,400. The salary will vary by industry, with CPG and manufacturing jobs seeing the higher salaries.
How long is CEIBS’ full-time MBA program?
CEIBS’ full-time MBA spans 16 months and there is also a 12-month option. The program begins in August.
What are the application deadlines for CEIBS’ MBA program?
The Early Action MBA application deadline is October 15, 2025. The Round 1 application deadline is December 3, 2025. The Round 2 deadline is March 18, 2026. The Round 3 deadline is May 20, 2026.
What percent of CEIBS MBA students are women?
The percentage of the class at CEIBS that are women is 46.3%.
What type of interview does CEIBS use for MBA admissions?
Interviews are by invitation only and required for admission. Chinese residents must travel to campus for a face-to-face interview, and applicants outside of China may be able to interview via telephone or video conferencing. Interviews are conducted by CEIBS faculty, department directors, alumni, and admissions managers. In most cases, applicants will be interviewed by two interviewers. Each interview is approximately 30 minutes in English.
Admissions
Class Profile
For CEIBS’s full-time MBA 2024, 2025, and 2026 cohorts as of August 2024, there was an average of 115 students enrolled per cohort, representing 14 countries. These cohorts matriculated with an average of 5.4 years of work experience.
The average GMAT score was 680 and the average GRE score was 326. On average, nearly half of each cohort were made up of women, and 21.6% of the cohorts originated outside of China.
Application Procedures
CEIBS offers three rounds of admissions each year, typically in December, March and May, as well as an Early Action round, for which there is an October deadline and a refunded application fee for successful candidates. Prospective students are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
A completed application consists of an online application form, at least two years of full-time work experience, GMAT/GRE/CEIBS Admission test scores, university degree/certificate and transcript, copy of ID/passport, English language proficiency, a business card, mandatory essays, two letters of recommendation, and a nonrefundable application fee. Application requirements and admissions criteria are identical for Chinese and international students, though international students must hold a valid visa (international students can apply for a student visa/X1-Visa) to enter China, and then apply for a Student Resident Permit for the duration of their time at CEIBS. All application materials must be submitted in English.
Interviews are required for admission. After reviewing applications, the admissions office will create a short-list of applicants to interview. Applicants residing in Mainland China must travel to campus for a face-to-face interview. Applicants outside of mainland China may be able to interview via telephone or video conferencing.
Essay Topic Analysis
Recommendation Questions
CEIBS Q&A's
CEIBS LiveWire and DecisionWire
Academics
Faculty
CEIBS employs 104 faculty members across five academic departments: Economics/Decision Sciences, Finance/Accounting, Strategy/Entrepreneurship, Organizational Behavior/Human Resource Management, and Marketing. The faculty composition is approximately 60% international faculty members and 40% Chinese faculty members. The school also houses numerous research centers and think tanks as well as hosting numerous seminars, symposiums and forums.
Curriculum
The full-time MBA can be completed in 12 or 16 months. The 12 month program is an accelerated version of the 16 month program. The 16 month program is broken into eight terms of approximately two months each.
The program begins with the online pre-program module, Orientation Week and a kick-off in August. This is then followed immediately by Term 1 and Term 2, which lasts from September through December. MBA students in the 12-month program then have four more terms, while those in the 16-month program have six more terms. Students may pursue an internship or take more elective courses.
A total of 60 credits are required to graduate, 32 of which are earned in five core foundation areas: Strategy, Economics and Decision Sciences, Finance and Accounting, Marketing, and Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management. Core courses are mandatory and cannot be waived. The remaining 28 credits are made up of a wide variety of electives.
International experience is built into the program. On both MBA programs, term 3 includes an overseas module; on the regular length (16 month) program, students partake in another international exchange during term 5. The former encompasses experience ranging from lectures to company visits; the latter makes use of the more than 40 partnerships that CEIBS holds with elite institutions
Another hallmark of the program is the Integration Consulting Project, in which students work together in groups to act as consultants for firms.
In addition, CEIBS offers two U.S.-based coordinated degree programs: an MBA/MALD at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University, or an MBA/MPH at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Other MBA Degree Options
In addition to the full-time MBA, CEIBS offers a Finance MBA, a Global EMBA, a Hospitality EMBA, and an EMBA.
The part-time Finance MBA is designed for senior and middle-level managers in financial management. The program lasts nearly two years, meeting on average two weekends a month with a few courses on weekdays, and is taught exclusively in Chinese. The Global EMBA focuses on ambitious business leaders who want to take their career to the next level. The part-time program lasts 24 months and starts in November of each year, and students are required to have at least 8 years of work experience, 5 of them in managerial positions. The 24-month part-time Hospitality EMBA combines business education with service management and is offered in various locations throughout Asia and Europe. Lastly, the part-time EMBA meets four days a month, lasts two years, and offers attendees the chance to join China’s largest EMBA alumni network.
Degree Offerings at CEIBS
Full-Time MBA: https://www.ceibs.edu/mba
One-Year MBA Option: https://www.ceibs.edu/mba/one-year-option
Finance MBA: https://www.ceibs.edu/fmba
Global EMBA: https://www.ceibs.edu/gemba
Hospitality EMBA: https://www.ceibs.edu/hemba
Campus Life
Clubs, Conferences and Competitions
CEIBS has 16 student clubs that vary between academic, professional, and personal interests. For example, the CEIBS MBA Social Impact & Responsibility Club organizes educational and discussion-based events, industry seminars and company visits to help instill the skills needed to approach climate change challenges in business.
CEIBS hosts a number of symposiums throughout the year, including a Department of Strategy & Entrepreneurship Annual Academic Symposium. The Department of Economics and Decision Science holds an annual academic symposium as well, with an alternating focus on economics and decision science each year. The school’s three other departments also partake in running symposiums.
In addition to annual conferences, students also take part in a number of business competitions each year, including the annual INNOVATEChina. Focusing on different industry issues each year, teams of students from all over the world compete to develop solutions into business proposals to tackle some of China’s most dynamic challenges, both locally and globally.
Campus Spaces
Though situated outside of Shanghai’s city center, the CEIBS campus is a thriving center of innovation and academia. It is known for its impressive appearance, blending Chinese and European architecture in a manner which embodies the school’s core value of “China Depth, Global Breadth.” Its facilities offer students a technologically advanced and comfortable experience, in a building designed both to awe and to welcome. Many of the MBA lectures and events are held in the Sinopec Auditorium, within the CEIBS Shanghai campus.
One central academic hub is called Academic Centre IV. This space houses lecture theatres, discussion rooms, and administrative offices. Additionally, the Commons Building on Phase III of the campus provides a large gathering space for students to relax and dine between classes. The Shanghai campus also includes a library, an auditorium, a conference center, and student residences.
Students choose to either live in one of four on campus dormitories, or off campus in the surrounding area. Most off-campus accommodation recommended by CEIBS is close to the campus and costs roughly $75 USD per day.
MBA Careers
Career Services
CEIBS’s Career Development Centre (CDC) is dedicated to supporting MBA students to define and achieve career goals that align with their personal aspirations. The CDC provides self-assessment tests, career counseling, workshops, mock interviews, and role-playing practice.
The CDC hosts recruitment fairs outside of Shanghai, on-campus corporate presentations, and structured alumni engagement programs to further strengthen a student’s professional network.
Career Statistics
73 of the 119 graduates of the CEIBS MBA Class of 2024 sought employment, and nearly 90% accepted a job offer within 3 months of graduating. The most popular industry for CEIBS MBA grads was manufacturing at nearly 22%. Technology was the second choice, as 18.5% of 2024 graduates selected the field. Nearly 17% of graduates went into the financial services industry. Healthcare hired 13.8% of the graduates. Around eight percent each chose CPG and media/entertainment for their post-MBA industry. Nearly five percent chose education, and the remaining 9.3% chose another industry. The overall median salary came in at RMB 428,400.
In regards to region, roughly 86% of the Class of 2024 settled in Mainland China. Close to 10% moved to the Asia Pacific region. Roughly 5% headed to Europe or America.
Financing
Financing
The tuition fee for the 16-month MBA 2027 class is RMB 488,000, or approximately $68,000. Living expenses for on-campus dormitories are around RMB 3,000 per month, which includes water, electricity, AC, and WiFi.
CEIBS offers a variety of funding options for students looking to finance their MBA, including conditional-based fellowships, merit-based scholarships, loans, needs-based education funds, and company sponsored scholarships. In the MBA class of 2026, more than 50% students received financial aid covering 20-100% of their tuition fees. No separate application is necessary for merit-based scholarships, though applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible to ensure availability. Merit scholarships are awarded for both professional and academic achievements, personal accomplishments, interview performance, and an applicant’s potential for contributions to the MBA program. For international students, CEIBS partners with Prodigy Finance to offer loans. Other loan opportunities differ depending on the student’s country of origin.
Cost of Attendance
In-state tuition and fees: RMB 488,000 for all students, approximately $68,000
On-Campus Room and Board: RMB 3,000 per month for a single room
Off-Campus Room and Board: Varies, approximately 230 and 620 RMB per day for a single room
Recent News
Contact
Address
MBA Admissions Office CEIBS
699 Hongfeng Road Pudong Shanghai 201206, PRC
Phone: +86-21-2890 5555
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.ceibs.edu/mba
X (Twitter) Handle: @ceibs