The top European schools are beginning to open their 2019-2020 admissions for the class of 2020. Here is our run-down of the top 10 European MBA schools, according to Poets&Quants’ rankings, and the dates we know so far. You can also consult our master calendar of deadlines for the world’s top business schools.
Some schools have not yet confirmed their deadlines, so we will update the information as soon as we get it.
INSEAD reports the highest average GMAT scores of any European business school. File photo
INSEAD
The admissions process begins with the candidate uploading application documents, then recording video answers to four questions – they have 45 seconds to think, and 60 seconds to give an answer.
Selected candidates will take one or two interviews in their home country with INSEAD alumni. The Admissions Committee makes the final decision. The process takes 10 weeks from start to finish.
Applications deadlines:
Round 1: September 18, 2019
Round 2: November 6, 2019
Round 3: January 15, 2020
Round 4: February 26, 2020
IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain
IESE Business School
The Early Decision Round was introduced for the class beginning in 2019 and proved popular, with many early applicants winning large scholarships. (Candidates in this round have to pay their deposit by Christmas.) IESE evaluates all candidates during an assessment day.
The school has reduced the number of recommendations from two to one.
Application deadlines:
Early Decision Round: 03/09/201
Round 1: 10/10/2019
Round 2: 08/01/2019
Round 3: 03/03/2020
Round 4: 05/05/2020
HEC Paris MBA students
HEC PARIS
HEC has two MBA start-dates: January and September.
The application process has five steps. 1) Filling in an online contact form. 2) A full application. 3) Apre-selection jury assesses applications. 3) Two interviews conducted by HEC MBA alumni, consisting of a presentation followed by a discussion. 5) An admissions jury makes the final decision.
There are monthly deadlines, and the admissions process takes five weeks to decision. Successful applicants have about a month to confirm that they will take up their place.
Admissions deadlines for January 2020 intake:
May 2, 2019
June 3, 2019
July 1, 2019
August 16, 2019
October 15, 2019*
November 15, 2019*
*non-EU applicants are recommended to apply earlier than this, for visa reasons
IMD is nestled near the mountains of Switzerland but also has a campus in Singapore
IMD
At IMD, the application process has two stages: an online application, then a face-to-face interview and assessment which includes an interview, team experience, and networking.
For the MBA program starting in January 2020, IMD has reduced its number of rounds from five to four.
Application deadlines:
Round 1: 1 February
Round 2: 1 May
Round 3: 1 August
Round 4: 1 October
Note that the October deadline is open only to applicants exempt from long term Swiss visa requirements)
Part of the ESADE campus
ESADE
The application process involves uploading documents to the ESADE website, and an interview by an associate director of admissions either in Barcelona or at an off-campus admissions event, or by via Skype.
Application deadlines:
Round 1: October 1, 2019
Round 2: November 26, 2019
Round 3: January 14, 2020
Round 4: February 11, 2020
Round 5: March 10, 2020
Round 6: April 21, 2020
Round 7: 19 May 2020
Round 8: June 20, 2020 (For EU residents only. This round will only run if places remain on the program.)
London Business School
London Business School
LBS has not yet finalized the admissions process for the class starting in August 2020, and say: “We are very happy with our rigorous and highly personalized admissions process, so don’t anticipate any changes next admissions season.”
Assuming the timetable doesn’t change, we can expect there to be four rounds to be as follows:
Applications deadlines:
Round 1: September 2019
Round 2: January 2020
Round 3: March 2020
Round 4: April 2020
We’ll add more detail when we get it.
Saïd Business School at Oxford University
University of Oxford Said Business School
The University of Oxford’s Said Business School has not yet finalized their applications process for the class commencing in September 2020, but assuming there are no radical changes from previous years the application will consist of an online application, including two 500-word essays, followed by a face-to-face interview.
Judging by past years, we assume that the deadlines will be:
September 2019
November 2019
January 2020
April 2020
We’ll add more details when we get them.
University of Cambridge Judge Business School
University of Cambridge Judge Business School
The applications for the MBA class commencing in 2020 open in July. Judge say they expect to make no significant changes to the process, which consists of an online application, followed by a face-to-face interview, usually in Cambridge or in rare cases by webcam.
Judging by past years, we assume that the deadlines will be:
Round 1: September
Round 2: October
Round 3: January
Round 4: March
Round 5: May
(We’ll add more details when we get them.)
SDA Bocconi School of Management in Italy
SDA Bocconi
Applicants apply online, sending in their GMAT/GRE scores, references and other documents. Selected applicants are called for an interview, either in Milan or a city close to them, or in rare cases by webcam.
The admissions process for the class commencing in September 2020 begins in July 2019, and continues on a rolling basis until 10 April 2020.
Mannheim Business School in Germany
Mannheim
The application process at Germany’s Mannheim Business School has four stages. 1) submitting the recommendation letter, certificates, English language certification, and a GMAT score report. 2) The first interview, followed by a case study which candidates do at home. 3) Second interview. 4) The admissions committee make their decision.
Mannheim runs a rolling admission process, but early applicants are more likely to be successful. Apply before November 30, 2019, for €3,000 tuition fee reduction in, and March 31, 2020, for a €2,000 reduction.
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