INSEAD MBA Class Profile | Work Experience, Average GMAT Scores & Scholarships

The INSEAD MBA normally comprises around 1,000 students split across two intakes: one in January, and one in August. Students can enroll in the program in either France or Singapore.

According to the latest available program data, the average age in the INSEAD MBA is normally 29. The youngest student in the program is 23 and the oldest is 35.

Just over one-third (38%) of INSEAD MBA students are women. Although that figure has been steadily increasing in recent years (it was 31% in 2015), it still lags behind the female student ratio at other leading European schools such as IESE (40%), SDA Bocconi (43%), and London Business School (45%). In fact, just one school in the Financial Times’ top 20 schools has a lower female student ratio than INSEAD (Esade, 34%).

Where do INSEAD MBA students come from? 

The INSEAD MBA can justifiably claim to be one of the most diverse MBA classes across the globe. The class has an international student ratio of 97%, with students coming from 75 different countries. A total of 110 different nationalities are represented in a typical class.

Most INSEAD MBA students are from Europe (36%), closely followed by the Asia Pacific region (33%). A further 11% come from North America, 10% from the Middle East, 7% from South America, and 3% from Africa.

When you consider the fact that you can study the program in either France or Singapore, with optional study trips to the US, China, and Abu Dhabi, it’s easy to see why INSEAD calls itself ‘The Business School for the World.’

INSEAD MBA: Average work experience

INSEAD doesn’t publish a breakdown of the employment background of its MBA students. However, the school website does mention that its students mostly come from management consulting, financial services, technology, media and telecom, and the corporate sectors.

INSEAD MBA students normally have anywhere between three and nine years of work experience under their belt before starting the program. The average in a typical class is six years.

Many INSEAD students join the program in order to change careers. That’s reflected in the stats: for example, 35% of former financial services professionals moved into management consulting after graduating. Overall, 72% of INSEAD MBA students join the program intending to change sector, function, or country.

INSEAD MBA: GMAT Scores

INSEAD doesn’t publicize the average GMAT score of its MBA students, nor does it specify a minimum overall score for applicants.

However, earlier this year in an interview with BusinessBecause, the school's former executive director, Virginie Fougea, said: 

"We don’t work with a specific target score. We are flexible and look at other elements in the application. We take a holistic approach, so we never isolate the test result from the rest of the application. We consider the university the person attended, whether they have an undergraduate degree, and their work experience.

"We also look at the individual sections—verbal, quant, and the new data insights section. If someone’s quant score is lower, we can look at their data insights to assess whether they’ll handle the finance courses in the program. So, we really break it down—we never isolate the total score from the rest of the application, we always look at it as a whole."

INSEAD MBA: Scholarships and financial aid

There are various financial aid opportunities for aspiring INSEAD MBA students, with more than 150 scholarships available in any given year. And plenty of students benefit from them. For the class that graduates in July 2025, around 40% of students received some form of scholarship award. 

The average amount awarded was €21,200 ($23,460), which would cover approximately 20% of the total tuition fees of €103,500 ($114,550).

It’s also worth pointing out that 21% of the most recent INSEAD MBA were sponsored by their employers, which means their company covered some or all of the tuition fees. With this in mind, it may be worth asking your employer to see if they’re willing to do the same.

The first thing to note is that all of these figures are averages, and INSEAD doesn’t set a minimum requirement in terms of age, work experience, or GMAT score. If you happen to fall below the average in any of these areas, it doesn’t mean you won’t be accepted.

INSEAD prides itself on being ‘The Business School for the World,’ and an international student ratio of 97% reflects that. So if you’re looking for an MBA with a truly international experience, INSEAD can offer you that.

Although the INSEAD MBA is extremely diverse in terms of geography, it lags behind other top schools when it comes to gender diversity. Just 38% of INSEAD MBA students are female, which is one of the lowest ratios of the top 20 schools in the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking.

You don’t necessarily need to come from a business background to be accepted at INSEAD—but the majority of its MBA students do come from management consulting, financial services, technology, media and telecom, and the corporate sectors. They have on average six years of work experience. 

Again, these are only averages, and if you don’t meet them then it doesn’t mean you won’t be accepted. It’s far more important to put together a compelling application that gets to the heart of who you are as a person. As long as you can demonstrate that you’re a unique applicant who can bring a fresh perspective to the class, you have as good a chance as anyone of being accepted.