What kind of people INSEAD intakes for its MBA program?

INSEAD, one of the largest graduate B-Schools all over the world is also amongst the toughest to get into for pursuing an MBA. Its MBA program has been consistently ranked amongst the top globally by Financial Time.

Differentiating qualities of INSEAD graduates

51% of INSEAD’s class of 2020 had GMAT scores ranging from 710 to 750
91% of graduates were employed within 3 months of graduation with an average salary of $105, 900
It is the 2nd business school in the world whose MBA program produced 2nd most CEOs of the 500 largest companies globally
The same MBA program also produced the 6th most number of billionaires globally

INSEAD’s MBA program specialty

INSEAD strongly believes in diversity among its students and prepares them for every kind of global business challenge. In order to ensure the same it has set certain requirements for intaking students for its MBA program, they are as follows:

INSEAD admits no more than 10% of students of the same nationality
Each student needs to speak 3 languages to graduate

The entire course is taught in the English language only

Decoding the 4 admission criteria of INSEAD

INSEAD looks for people with intellectual curiosity, personal qualities to contribute to the different activities that are organized at INSEAD, and a desire to stretch themselves in a rigorous academic programme.

Its motto “The Business School for the World” justifies the diverse student body that it possesses of candidates who come from different parts of the world. The following 4 criteria are the basis on which students are selected for admission at INSEAD:

Ability to contribute

This criterion is based on INSEAD’s culture of interaction among students of different backgrounds who come from around the world, students and alumni, students and professors. They look for candidates who not only aspire to achieve their goals but also contribute to a team/group, what different and unique they can add to their team.

They prefer candidates who have contributed to their communities which they were a part of at home, school, college, etc. If the contribution is done in the long term it is a plus point as it indicates the consistent and dedicated performance of the student.

Some key qualities and skills that the admission committee looks for are: maturity displayed through simple acts, energetic attitude towards any task be it complex or simple, motivated and balanced individual. Well, rounded students with excellent communication and interpersonal skills are what INSEAD looks out for.

International motivation

Students who have international work experience or any kind of global exposure are preferred. Adaptability and flexibility in multicultural environments are a must-have for students aspiring to study at INSEAD as they will be interacting with other students from diverse backgrounds so being comfortable in an international setting is absolutely important.

Students are also evaluated on the basis of the language component and their insights on international business.

Academic capacity

INSEAD also prefers candidates with a good prior academic record which includes the undergraduate academic performance and total score in standardized tests.

For GMAT the candidate should have scored at least 70-75% in both Quant & Verbal and for GRE 80% in both Quant & Verbal. For college performance evaluation is done on the basis of GPA and the competitiveness amongst the students in that college.

If the student has also gathered some work experience during their University days it is a huge plus point as it shows the multitasking nature of the candidate.

Leadership potential

Candidates who have served in any kind of leadership role and exhibited exemplary performance in their respective roles are prioritized. Certain points can be highlighted by the aspiring candidates in their essays like with context to a situation they can show how they handled challenging situations in their leadership roles.

They can also mention about leaders who inspire them and how. INSEAD also looks for what qualities or skills a candidate possesses that makes them unique and fit for a leadership role.

Candidates who qualify all these above-mentioned criteria together form an exciting, dynamic, and diverse student body of INSEAD.

Check out our other interesting articles:

What kind of people INSEAD intakes for its MBA program?

Differentiating qualities of INSEAD graduates

INSEAD’s MBA program specialty

Decoding the 4 admission criteria of INSEAD

Ability to contribute

International motivation

Academic capacity

Leadership potential