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An international powerhouse, INSEAD has built its reputation by attracting students from all around the world\u2014a typical incoming class features more than 75 nationalities!\u2014and by opening campuses in three vastly different areas: picturesque Fontainebleau, France<\/strong>, the school\u2019s original campus, about an hour\u2019s drive from Paris; Singapore<\/strong>, near the financial district; and the city center in Abu Dhabi.<\/strong> In addition, INSEAD opened its San Francisco Hub for Business Innovation<\/strong> in 2020 to provide a place for local startups to collaborate with the school\u2019s leaders and alumni.<\/p>\n INSEAD requires entering students to be fluent in English and to have at least a B1 level knowledge of a language beyond English. Students also must reach the A2 level in a third language before the end of their studies. INSEAD is consistently ranked one of the top business schools in the world\u2014Financial Times<\/em>\u00a0named INSEAD the second best program in Europe and fourth overall in the publication\u2019s 2025 Global MBA Ranking.<\/p>\n Though a shorter program of ten months compared to the traditional two-year MBA that most US-based business schools offer, INSEAD provides a comprehensive learning experience during its five periods of study. Courses are intense; INSEAD\u2019s curriculum is regarded as 80% of a typical two-year MBA crammed into one year. The core curriculum is divided into three periods, consisting of 14 courses in total. The last two periods are dedicated to electives and the capstone course, in which students work in teams to solve realistic business challenges and present their findings to INSEAD alumni.<\/p>\n With more than 72,500 alumni in nearly 200 countries, INSEAD offers students opportunities to work with businesses on intense independent projects, solving real-world business problems and presenting their findings to senior management. More than 40 student clubs are available on campus, ranging in focus from sports and social to business. Many student-run INSEAD conferences are hosted alternately on the Europe, Asia, and Middle East campuses, including the INSEAD Americas Conference<\/strong> and the Asian Private Equity & Venture Capital Conference<\/strong>. Students at INSEAD\u2019s three campuses also stay connected by maintaining the school\u2019s traditions. The annual DASH<\/strong> event, for example, started in 2001 when students in Singapore set up an informal race from housing to campus to make it to class on time. Today, DASH has turned into an annual costumed event and takes place on all campuses annually.<\/p>\n INSEAD students start their studies in either August or January<\/strong>. The January intake provides an opportunity for an internship mid-way through the program. The core curriculum for both intakes is broken down into five periods, in addition to a pre-MBA introductory period. Period 1 (P1) features six core courses, including \u201cPrices & Markets\u201d and \u201cFinancial Accounting,\u201d as does P2, which includes such courses as \u201cManaging Customer Value\u201d and \u201cLeadership Communication Foundations.\u201d P3 features two core courses, \u201cBusiness and Society\u201d and \u201cMacroeconomics in the Global Economy.\u201d<\/p>\n P4 and P5 consist of solely electives, in addition to the capstone course that takes place at the end of P5. Language studies<\/strong> are an integral part of the INSEAD experience. Students must be fluent in English and speak a second language at a B1 (\u201cpractical\u201d) level at the time of matriculation, and they are expected to reach at least an A2 level of proficiency in a third language before graduation.<\/p>\n Elective courses cover a range of topic areas, from Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise to Finance, Marketing, and Technology and Operations Management. For some electives, students are placed in real businesses solving real cases<\/strong> and present their findings and analysis to senior management. Other electives have country-specific modules related to doing business in China or the Middle East, for example. In these courses, students travel to the country and visit local businesses with the goal of understanding the area\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n The INSEAD capstone course takes place at the end of Period 5 and allows students to work in teams to solve realistic management challenges and present their findings to school alumni. Members of the alumni pool also play various roles, such as government officials or possible investors, throughout the challenge. Students are expected to put what they have learned into action and present the fictional company with solutions, for which they will receive feedback and a final grade.<\/p>\n Typical Class Profile<\/strong><\/p>\n Career Placement (Class of 2024)<\/strong><\/p>\n Geographical Placement (Class of 2024)<\/strong><\/p>\n INSEAD requires all applicants to have completed a\u00a0four-year bachelor\u2019s degree<\/strong>\u00a0(or its equivalent if the applicant graduated outside of the United States) and to provide unofficial academic transcripts<\/strong> with their application. If the applicant is admitted, they are expected to provide official academic transcripts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n All INSEAD applicants must submit a\u00a0resume<\/b><\/a>\u00a0with their application. The school notes on its website that although applicants typically have an average of six years of work experience, \u201capplicants with less experience who demonstrate exceptional maturity and outstanding leadership through their professional and personal experiences will also be considered.\u201d<\/p>\n INSEAD requires\u00a0two\u00a0recommendation letters<\/a>.<\/strong> In business school applications, obtaining a recommendation from\u00a0a direct supervisor or a manager\u00a0<\/strong>is usually the best option. If you do not have a current direct supervisor or manager, consider\u00a0past supervisors, colleagues, or clients,<\/strong> based on your work situation. Family members and friends are typically not\u00a0suitable recommenders<\/a>.<\/p>\n INSEAD asks that applicants provide one recommendation from their current employer, preferably a supervisor or a manager. \u201cIdeally, recommendations should come from your workplace; your current supervisor or manager is usually a good choice. Alternatively, it can be from someone who has had a chance to evaluate you in a professional setting, for example, a client, a former supervisor or a colleague from your community service or extracurricular activities. Academic recommendations are acceptable, but they are less likely to address our main interest, which is to assess your ability to work with and manage others as well as your potential for senior management,\u201d the school\u2019s website states.<\/p>\n INSEAD accepts\u00a0the GMAT<\/strong> and the GRE<\/strong>\u00a0to fulfill the test score requirement, and all applicants must provide a score. On its website, with regard to the classic GMAT, the school advises applicants to \u201caim for a score as close as possible [to] or above 640.\u201d Since the INSEAD program is conducted entirely in English, applicants whose native language is not English are also required to provide a\u00a0TOEFL, IELTS<\/strong>, or PTE<\/strong>\u00a0score. Applicants can also demonstrate fluency in English with a university degree from a school where all courses are taught in English.<\/p>\n An\u00a0interview<\/a>, a video interview, and three essays\u00a0<\/strong>are also required of INSEAD applicants. In-person interviews are conducted on an\u00a0invitation-only basis<\/strong> by INSEAD alumni, and two separate interviews are usually required. These are some common questions and prompts in INSEAD interviews:<\/p>\n The numerous clubs available on campus at INSEAD often host company-sponsored events in addition to social gatherings. Career clubs are not exclusive; all students are invited to attend visits by high-visibility speakers from such companies as LVMH, Marvel, the World Health Organization, and Google. Clubs also compile industry-specific resume books that are shared with human resources contacts from a range of companies and arrange career treks to nearby cities.<\/p>\n Consulting is probably the only industry for which students do not need to make a conscious effort to be recruited, as more than enough consulting firms come to campus to actively recruit candidates. INSEAD is typically regarded as a notable recruitment channel for such consulting giants as McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, and Bain & Company.<\/p>\n On its website, the school describes the atmosphere on campus as \u201ca cultural melting pot of experiences that triggers students to re-shape their perceived reality beyond the classroom; from sports activities to unforgettable travel experiences, or from cheerful parties to intimate heartfelt dinners.\u201d On weekends, many students organize trips across Europe or Asia, which are a great way to get to know people from INSEAD\u2019s other campuses.<\/p>\n The INSEAD Women in Business Club hosts various events throughout the academic year, the largest of which is the annual INSEAD Women in Business Conference.<\/strong> The 2024 event was hosted with the theme \u201cOwning Our Future.\u201d The conference featured a fireside chat, a lecture, and a cocktail reception.<\/p>\n Get ready to write! INSEAD has one of the longest sets of required essays of any top MBA program \u2014 they definitely demand that you put in the time to prove your interest in the program. Additionally, you\u2019ll need to record three short videos and perform a live written assessment for the video component of the school\u2019s application. So give yourself plenty of time to think about the stories you want to tell and the messages you want to convey across your Job Description and Motivation Essays, and make a plan so you can be sure to include them all.<\/p>\nINSEAD Curriculum<\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nINSEAD Statistics<\/h2>\n
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Application Requirements for INSEAD<\/h2>\n
Bachelor\u2019s degree and transcripts<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/b>Resume<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/b>Recommendations<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/b>Test scores<\/b><\/h3>\n
Anything else?<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Extracurriculars at INSEAD
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\nTips for Your INSEAD 2025\u20132026 Application Essays<\/h2>\n
<\/b>Job Descriptions<\/b><\/h4>\n
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Motivation Essays<\/b><\/h4>\n
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Video Essay<\/b><\/h4>\n
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