INSEAD · MBA GUIDE
INSEAD’s MBA runs for ten months in five eight-week periods, starting in Fontainebleau or Singapore, with 900 to 950 students a year from about 90 nationalities. Start here to understand the program and prepare each part of your application.
August 2027 intake
GET TO KNOW THE PROGRAM
You start in France or Singapore and spend the first two periods on your home campus. After that, you can switch campuses or take an exchange at Wharton, Kellogg, or, for January starters, CEIBS in Shanghai.
PERIODS 1 AND 2
Twelve core courses, from financial accounting and strategy to organisational behaviour and operations, fill your first two periods.
PERIODS 3 TO 5
You finish the last two core courses and choose 10.5 electives from more than 75, across 10 academic areas.
THE CAPSTONE
A capstone project puts your learning into practice in a simulation of real business challenges.
Each eight-week period ends with an exam, essay, or project, and August starters study for ten consecutive months. January starters have a two-month summer break, which they can use for an internship.
Campus choice: You choose France, Singapore, or both. Your preference doesn’t affect admission, but if your campus is full you’ll be offered the other one, and later changes are rare.
August or January: The two intakes are equal in size and composition, and equally competitive. January starters get a summer break they can use for an internship.
If investment banking is your goal: INSEAD strongly encourages you to consider the January intake, because investment banks fill full-time roles mainly through summer associate programs.
Exchanges: About six weeks in, students bid for their campus, exchanges, and electives for Periods 3 to 5. You’ll get at least one chance to switch campus, but INSEAD can’t promise which period.
Abu Dhabi: INSEAD’s third campus isn’t a starting campus, but the MBA elective Doing Business in Middle East takes place over several days in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Visas: A French student visa can take several months, so non-European applicants should apply early. You can’t submit the visa application more than six months before you travel. EU citizens don’t need one. In Singapore, INSEAD helps you apply for a student pass.
Your study group: You start in a group of five or six students, chosen to be as varied as possible in age, gender, nationality, experience, and background.
A day in the core: You often have two or three 90-minute classes a day, Monday to Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., plus assignments and group projects.
Grades: Exams are graded on a curve with a mean of 3.0, but the curve doesn’t force anyone to fail. You need an average of 2.1 to graduate, and INSEAD never shares your grades with recruiters.
UNDERSTAND WHAT INSEAD LOOKS FOR
INSEAD assesses your ability to contribute, your academic capacity, your international motivation, and your leadership potential. It says your test score is just one of several criteria.
ABILITY TO CONTRIBUTE
INSEAD looks for distinctive perspectives and experiences that will enrich a class drawn from about 90 nationalities.
Letrado’s adviceThink about what you know that classmates from other countries and industries won’t. Specific situations from your work say more than a list of places you’ve been.
INTERNATIONAL MOTIVATION
INSEAD wants curiosity about, and openness to, different cultures and perspectives, and its language requirement is part of that.
Letrado’s adviceDescribe a time you had to adjust how you worked with someone from a different background, and what it taught you about yourself.
LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL
INSEAD looks for evidence of initiative, responsibility, and the ability to inspire others.
Letrado’s adviceChoose examples where you made a call or brought people along, even without a big title, and say what happened next.
WHAT INSEAD DESCRIBES
A video assessment, due within 48 hours of your deadline: four video questions and one written answer
Interviews with INSEAD alumni, usually in your country of residence, if you’re pre-selected
For each video question, you have 45 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to answer; the written question allows five minutes. After the alumni interviews, the Admissions Committee reviews your full application.
Kira lets you practice with sample questions as often as you like, but each real question gets one take.
INSEAD MBA
You don’t need a business background: INSEAD welcomes applicants from the arts, law, medicine, the military, non-profits, and other fields.
INSEAD has no minimum score and looks at each section. For the GMAT Focus Edition, it recommends at least the 60th percentile in Verbal and the 66th in Quantitative and Data Insights; for the GRE, 80% or above in both sections.
INSEAD doesn’t publish a class-specific GMAT average or an admission rate, and has no minimum GPA.
WHAT INSEAD DESCRIBES
Both letters are due by your deadline, and INSEAD wants them to show your leadership and management potential. Academic references are accepted but may show that less well.
INSEAD’s admissions office says a letter’s quality matters more than the writer’s seniority. If you can’t ask your current employer, a client, a former supervisor, or a colleague from community work can write instead.
WHAT INSEAD SAYS
INSEAD’s MBA admissions pages don’t set a rule on AI. They do expect “honesty and transparency at every stage,” and INSEAD may run background checks if information seems false or misleading.
Its admissions team suggests writing what you’d tell a friend over coffee, not what you think the committee wants to hear, and explaining any gap in your career honestly.
PLAN THE APPLICATION
INSEAD reviews applications for the August 2027 intake in four rounds. Applications close at midnight French time on each deadline, and the whole process takes up to 10 weeks from submission.
Round 1
Sep 15, 2026Round 2
Nov 3, 2026Round 3
Jan 19, 2027Round 4
Mar 9, 2027A complete application includes your test score, an English test if needed, your documents, two recommendations, the fee, and the video assessment. Non-European applicants should allow several months for a French student visa.
Two job description questions and three motivation essays, plus a CV in any format. The fee is €250.
Required, with no waivers and no preference between the tests. There’s no minimum, but INSEAD looks at each section, and scores are valid for five years.
Scanned transcripts and diplomas, proof of fluent English (a TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE score, or an English-taught degree), and a declaration of your second language.
Preferably from people who have seen your work, such as a current or former manager, client, or colleague. An optional third can go with your supporting documents.
A video assessment for everyone, and two alumni interviews if you’re pre-selected.
Which round: INSEAD says every round is equally competitive and that taking enough time matters most; its admissions team says the essays alone can take as long as eight to ten weeks. It encourages Round 1 or 2 if scholarships are a priority or you need time to relocate.
Scholarship deadlines: For the August 2027 intake, Round 1 applicants have until October 22, 2026, and the later rounds’ deadlines are December 7, 2026, February 24, 2027, and April 12, 2027, all at 23:59 CET.
January intakes: The January 2027 rounds closed on March 17, April 21, June 30, and August 25, 2026. INSEAD hasn’t published dates for the January 2028 intake yet.
Loans: INSEAD lists Lendwise and Prodigy Finance, which lend to admitted students, so you apply after your offer. Prodigy currently lends only to students from India and some African countries.
No minimum GPA: INSEAD looks at the courses you took and your grades in each. Applicants without a first degree are welcome if their career record and GMAT score are excellent.
Which tests: INSEAD accepts the GMAT (the Focus Edition or the older 10th edition) or the GRE (the original or shorter version), taken in person or online. Its MBA pages list no other tests.
More than one score: INSEAD considers every score you report, gives the most weight to your highest, and accepts the GMAT Superscore. Send your individual scores too, because it values effort, consistency, and improvement.
Timing and codes: You can test up to your deadline and have scores sent directly: code DL3-S8-89 for the GMAT, 0970 for the GRE. If you take the GRE near your deadline, also upload the unofficial score report.
Free practice: INSEAD offers free GMAT and GRE practice quizzes, an e-book guide, and a study planner.
Deferrals: INSEAD generally doesn’t grant deferrals, so apply for the intake you plan to attend.
Reapplying: You can reapply for a later intake with a new application. INSEAD suggests doing so if your profile has changed significantly.
Feedback: INSEAD can’t give individual feedback on applications it turns down.
English tests: INSEAD recommends at least TOEFL iBT 105 (5.5 on the new format), IELTS 7.5, or PTE 72, taken within two years of your deadline. An English-taught degree can replace the test, but living or working in English doesn’t count.
Your second language: You need a second language at a practical (B1) level. Your native language counts; native English speakers can show a recognised certificate or evidence of study in the language.
Two languages, not three: The current policy, revised in March 2026, asks for English and one other language. The native language you declare appears on your final transcript and can’t be changed later.
WRITE IN YOUR OWN VOICE
2,000 words in totalOur sum for the written questions: two job description answers of 500 and 300 words, and three motivation essays of 500, 400, and 300 words.
INSEAD says the job description answers aren’t academic essays or business reports, and should reflect your own voice. It calls the motivation essays a critical part of its evaluation.
Letrado’s adviceWrite the career summary first. Once your decisions are clear there, the motivation essays can focus on who you are, not on what you did.
Summarize your career since university and the reasoning behind key moves, then describe your current role: its scope, responsibilities, team, budget, and results.
Describe your short- and long-term goals, including geography, industry, and function, how you’ll bridge the gap, and how INSEAD will help.
Include your strengths and weaknesses, how you’re working on your development, and the experiences that shaped you, with specific examples.
The second essay asks about a highly stressful situation and what it taught you about yourself and others. The third asks for anything important not covered elsewhere.
MAKE ROOM FOR THE FINANCIAL QUESTION
Tuition for the current intakes is €109,860, and INSEAD estimates living costs of €30,000 in Fontainebleau or €32,000 in Singapore for the ten months. By our sum, that comes to €139,860 or €141,860. The fee for the August 2027 intake isn’t published yet.
STUDENTS WITH A SCHOLARSHIP
of the 2026 classes received an INSEAD scholarship, averaging €24,000.
THREE KINDS OF SCHOLARSHIP
Need-based and merit-based awards need an application. Spot scholarships go directly to candidates with outstanding profiles.
ROUND 2 SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE
After you apply, choose up to four scholarships and submit by 23:59 CET. Decisions arrive on January 27, 2027.
Scholarships are available in every round, and INSEAD says it has doubled its scholarship funds over the last three years.
INSEAD scholarships (opens in a new tab)PUBLISHED TUITION · AUGUST 2026 AND JANUARY 2027 INTAKES
€109,860Tuition covers course materials, the library, IT, gym access, health insurance, and your alumni association subscription. Living costs are extra.
For the August 2027 intake, use the fee INSEAD publishes for it. Add about 30% to living costs if you’re coming with a partner.
INSEAD fees and financing (opens in a new tab)Letrado’s adviceChoose your application round with the scholarship deadline in mind, so you have time to pick your four scholarships carefully.
INSEAD reports a median salary of €100,000 for its December 2024 and July 2025 classes, with 81% holding an offer within three months of graduating.
Employment statistics (opens in a new tab)ADMITTED TO INSEAD · K.A.
She had six years of steady progress in regional technology operations in Singapore, limited formal management, and no founder story. We helped her describe real decisions and define a focused next step.
Company acronyms became plain descriptions, and team results were separated from her own contribution.
She recommended delaying a product rollout because local support teams weren’t ready, disagreeing with more senior colleagues.
A move into product operations, with responsible regional expansion as the longer-term aim.
INSEAD’s first job description question asks for the reasoning behind your career decisions, which is exactly what K.A.’s application was built around.
HER INSEAD OUTCOME
Offered a place in the INSEAD MBAHER CHOICE: INSEAD
The ten-month program reduced her time away from work. It also meant an intensive recruiting timeline, a trade-off she accepted because her next role was already clear.
ALSO ADMITTED TO
WHEN YOU’D LIKE A HAND
Bring your questions to a free 45-minute introduction with your proposed mentor. Afterward, we’ll email a personalized plan with recommended next steps.
