INSEAD
Located in France’s Fontainebleau Forest, INSEAD’s 20-acre Europe campus is approximately an hour south of Paris. INSEAD also has another main campus in Singapore, as well as an executive education building in Abu Dhabi. Along with its full-time MBA program, INSEAD offers a Global Executive MBA program. Additionally, the INSEAD MBA program has partnerships with other global business schools including, Wharton, Kellogg, and China’s CEIBS, as well as joint degree programs with the Teacher’s College of Columbia University and Johns Hopkins SAIS. INSEAD’s full-time MBA program takes place over a condensed 10-month timeframe and requires its students to have knowledge of two different languages by the time of graduation.
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FAQ
What is the tuition for INSEAD's MBA program?
The tuition for INSEAD’s class entering August 2025 is €103,500. The tuition is €107,600 for the January 2026 intake. For more cost and fees information visit https://www.insead.edu/master-programmes/mba/financing
What is the average GMAT score for admission to INSEAD’s MBA program?
The average GMAT score for the latest class at INSEAD is 700.
Does the INSEAD MBA program accept the GRE?
Yes. The INSEAD MBA program has accepted the GRE for a few years now.
What is the average GRE score for admission to INSEAD's MBA program?
The average GRE scores for the incoming class at INSEAD are 160 Verbal and 163 Quant.
What is the minimum number of years of work experience required for admission to INSEAD's MBA program?
INSEAD does not state a minimum requirement for years of work experience. However, it is important for candidates to be aware that they are being considered against other candidates with a range of 2-10 years of experience.
What is the average age of an INSEAD student?
The average age of an INSEAD MBA student is 29 years.
What is the average starting salary for graduates of the INSEAD MBA program?
The average starting salary for INSEAD MBA graduates is €108,500, with a median sign-on bonus of €27,600. The salary will vary by industry, with consulting and finance jobs generally commanding the higher salaries.
How long is INSEAD's full-time MBA program?
INSEAD offers a 1 year MBA program. Students may begin in August or January for a 10-month term.
What are the application deadlines for INSEAD's MBA program?
For the INSEAD August 2026 intake, the deadlines are as follows: Round 1 is September 16, 2025. Round 2 is November 4, 2025; Round 3 is January 20, 2026; Round 4 is March 10, 2026. For the INSEAD January 2026 intake, the deadlines are as follows: Round 1 is March 11, 2025; Round 2 is April 22, 2025; Round 3 is June 17, 2025; Round 4 is August 26, 2025. To know more about INSEAD’s MBA program application rounds, please visit https://www.insead.edu/master-programmes/mba/admissions#dates
What percent of INSEAD MBA students are women?
Forty-two percent of the class at INSEAD are women.
Admissions
The Class Profile
INSEAD’s typical combined class, which consists of both the August intake and the January intake, has a total of over 1,000 members.
The July 2025 class, which matriculated in August, is comprised of 486 students. They represent 73 different nationalities. Forty-two percent of the 25J class are women. Their average age landed at 29 at the time of matriculation and they had an average of 5.5 years of work experience. When it came time to take the GMAT, new INSEAD students landed an average score of 700. For those who opted to take the GRE, they earned average scores of 160 Verbal and 163 Quant.
Application Procedures
Because INSEAD has two classes per year, there are two sets of deadlines for applicants to keep in mind. Individuals hoping to join the January intake can submit their applications in in early March, late April, late June, or early August. For those pursuing an August start date, the timing shifts so that the first deadline is in mid-September, the second in early November, third in late January, and final in early March. To apply, applicants must submit a completed online application (including a profile section that is similar to a resume), two letters of recommendation, and required essays. Once those materials are submitted, applicants are given an application ID and the chance to upload a photograph of themselves, their official transcripts, their GMAT or GRE scores, and English language certifications (TOEFL/IELTS/PTE scores); applicants must also pay a €250 application fee. Following application submission, the admissions committee sends applicants a unique link and instructions to complete four video interviews. The video interviews are due 48 hours after the application deadline and do not replace the face-to-face interviews with INSEAD alumni. The admissions committee then notifies those applicants who are selected for an interview within six weeks following application submission. INSEAD often schedules two interviews with applicants, which are conducted by INSEAD alumni in applicants’ countries of residence.
Application Checklist
- Profile
- Two Letters of Recommendation
- Job Description Essays
- Essays
- Photograph
- Application Fee
- Official Transcripts
- GMAT or GRE Score
- English Language Certification (only if applicant’s native language is not English)
- Second Language Certification
Essay Topic Analysis
Recommendation Questions
INSEAD Q&A's
INSEAD LiveWire and DecisionWire
Academics
Faculty
INSEAD employs nearly 200 faculty that teach courses across nine academic areas. In addition to their teaching responsibilities, these professors help organize and direct INSEAD’s research efforts and Centres of Excellence, which range in focus from the Blue Ocean Strategy Institute to the Global Private Equity Initiative.
Curriculum
INSEAD takes advantage of a number of different teaching methods in its classrooms, allowing its faculty to design courses that utilize the case study method, computer simulation exercises, role play, lectures and class discussions. Upon their arrival on campus, students are assigned to a diverse study group of five to six students that work together on a number of class projects throughout their first few periods at INSEAD.
INSEAD accepts two classes per year, one beginning in August and graduating the following June, the other starting in January and concluding the following December. Regardless of the start date, classes go through the same curriculum and follow an academic calendar divided into five eight-week periods. Each period ends with an exam, essay, or project and a short break before the next period ensues, and January entrants also have an eight-week summer break during which they are encouraged to complete internships. During the first half of their studies, students must enroll in INSEAD’s 14 core courses, which cover foundational business topics including accounting, marketing, organizational behavior, operations management and strategy, among others. Students take six core courses in their first period and six in their second period. In the third period, students complete their remaining two core courses and are given their first opportunity to better sculpt their education by taking four elective courses. The fourth period consists entirely of 3.5 elective courses and the fifth period concludes with three electives and a capstone project. INSEAD offers over 75 electives across its nine academic areas.
Students are asked to choose their preferred starting campus when they apply to the MBA program and are generally given that preferred location for their first two periods, though that is not guaranteed. Six weeks after beginning their studies, students are given the opportunity to express their preference for the location of their third, fourth and fifth periods, which also includes the option of participating in Wharton, Kellogg, or CEIBS campus exchanges. Though INSEAD does ensure that all students will have the opportunity to study at its Singapore and European campuses, it does not guarantee that students’ preferences for the timing of those stays will be met.
Other MBA Degree Options
In addition to its 10-month full-time MBA Program, INSEAD also offers a Global Executive MBA program for experienced managers. The length of this part-time program is determined by the campus at which students start—Fontainebleau, Singapore or Abu Dhabi—and ranges from 14 to 17 months. The school estimates that students will need to commit 51 to 60 working days over the course of the program. In addition to the Global Executive MBA, INSEAD offers a dual Executive MBA program in conjunction with Tsinghua University.
Elective Areas at INSEAD
- Accounting and Control
- Decision Sciences
- Economics and Political Science
- Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise
- Finance
- Marketing
- Organisational Behavior
- Strategy
- Technology and Operations Management
Degree Offerings at INSEAD
Full-time MBA
Fontainebleau, Singapore
https://www.insead.edu/master-programmes/master-business-administration
EMBA
Fontainebleau, Singapore or Abu Dhabi
https://www.insead.edu/master-programmes/global-executive-mba
Dual Degrees
MBA/MAIR with John Hopkins
MBA/MA in Educational Leadership with Columbia University
https://www.insead.edu/master-programmes/master-business-administration/curriculum#partnerships
Campus Life
Clubs, Conferences & Competitions
Outside of their academic responsibilities, INSEAD students can take part in a wide range of extracurricular activities. The school’s 44 student-run clubs cover students’ social, professional and cultural interests and include organizations such as the INSEAD Sailing Club, the INSEAD Energy Club and the INSEAD Women in Business Club. In addition to their regular offerings, such as recruiting treks and group lunches, student clubs help organize events on campus. The INSEAD Private Equity Club, for instance, hosts Private Equity conferences on both the Asian and European campuses. Students also take the lead in organizing the Global Leader Series, which brings prominent business leaders to the Asian and European campuses to speak about their career paths.
To further celebrate the international diversity on its campuses, INSEAD sponsors Cultural Festivals. These events are organized by student cultural groups in order to let the larger community learn more about their home countries. For example, the Panda Week Campaign showcased Chinese culture, food, and dance, as well holding discussions about business in China.
Campus Spaces
INSEAD has two main campuses, one in France and the other in Singapore. Headquartered in Fontainebleau, the French campus’s facilities include 29 teaching spaces, over 100 study group areas, the Georges and Edna Doriot Library, a bookshop, a gymnasium and housing accommodations for those enrolled in short-term programs. Students in the full-time MBA program are not provided with on-campus housing, and they are instead advised to rent apartments and houses in nearby neighborhoods.
The Singapore Campus was opened in 2000 and includes a 24-hour research center called Tanoto & Research Learning Hub, a bookshop, and a gymnasium. In 2015, INSEAD opened the Leadership Development Centre on the Singapore campus. It includes four amphitheaters each with seating capacity for 50 to 70. Each amphitheater has its own pre-function and meeting rooms, and several large and small meeting rooms. As with the European campus, INSEAD’s Singapore campus only offers accommodation to those in shorter-term programs. Full-time students are encouraged to contact a real estate agent in order to find lodging during their time on the Asian campus.
MBA Careers
Career Services
The INSEAD Career Services team provides a variety of services to its students to help them prepare for recruiting process and their future careers, even before matriculating. They offer a pre-MBA webinar on candidate’s INSEAD CVs, cover letters and more. Career Core Courses in topics like career connections, proving value and finding the right fit, take place during Periods 1 and 2. For the remainder of the program, students are guided to create their job search strategies by taking Career Elective courses. These courses can include doing industry research, learning more networking skills, sitting in on discussion panels, preparing for interviews, learning salary negotiation skills, and participating in networking events.
Career Statistics
Ninety-eight percent of the 843 members of the MBA Classes of December 2023 (’23D) and July 2024 (’24J) responded to INSEAD’s Career Services survey. Within three months of graduation, 80% of respondents reported that they had received at least one job offer. The annual mean salary for the class was €108,500, with a median sign-on bonus of €27,600.
Members of the two classes entered a variety of sectors upon graduation. The most popular sector was management consulting, which was chosen by 55% of graduates. The corporate sector claimed 21% of the class. Financial services took in 13%. The remaining 11% went into tech/media/telecom.
Of the 562 graduates reporting their post-MBA location, 30% of the classes settled in Western Europe and 24% of the class accepted positions in the Asia Pacific region. Twenty-three percent settled in Africa/Middle East. Five percent headed to North America and nine percent to Southern Europe.
Financing
The tuition for INSEAD’s class entering August 2025 is €103,500. The tuition is €107,600 for the January 2026 intake. In addition to this base cost, accepted students should factor in an additional €1,500 for the January intake and €2,000 for the August intake for the optional Business Foundations Program. Students should also expect to spend between €30,000 and €32,000 in living expenses, depending on which campus they are based in and whether or not they have a car lease payment. INSEAD offers both need-based and merit-based scholarships, and applicants need to fill out separate scholarship applications to be considered for these awards. Some students may be awarded “spot scholarships” based on the strength of their application to INSEAD’s MBA program alone with no separate application needed. Students can also finance their educations through private loans or through loan programs offered by their countries of citizenship. All admitted INSEAD students are eligible to apply for a loan from the International Loan Programme from Prodigy Finance.
Program Tuition (August intake, Fontainbleau)
- Tuition Fees €103,500
- Bus. Foundations Programme (optional) €2,000
- Laptop €1,000
- Approx. Living Expenses €30,000
- Total €135,200
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Contact
INSEAD Europe Campus
Mailing Address:
Boulevard de Constance
F-77305 Fontainebleau Cedex
Phone: +33 1 60 72 40 00
INSEAD Asia Campus
Mailing Address:
1 Ayer Rajah Avenue
138676 Singapore
Phone: +65 6799 5388
INSEAD North America Offices
Mailing Address:
224 Townsend St,
San Francisco, CA 94107
United States
Phone: +1 888 547 7323
Email: [email protected]
Web: https://www.insead.edu/master-programmes/master-business-administration
Blog: https://intheknow.insead.edu/