Poets&Quants Top Business Schools

Contact our general manager with any questions. Profile updated: July 14, 2023.

HEC Paris

MBA Program Stats

Annual Tuition: €98,000

Annual Tuition Non-Resident: €98,000

Acceptance Rate: 20%

Full-Time Enrollment: 260

Average GPA: 3.7

Median GMAT: 690

International: 95%

Female: 40%

Male: 60%

Average Age: 30

What You Need To Know

The HEC Paris MBA

HEC Paris, located in the town of Jouy-en-Josas, France, can legitimately claim to be one of the best B-schools in Europe. The latest ranking from The Economist backs the claim, with HEC ranking No. 1 this year for “Potential to Network” and No. 2 for “Increase in Salary.”

Associate Dean of HEC’s MBA Andrea Masini says, “HEC’s MBA is designed to maximize the chances of career transformation. Often these days people don’t just want to increase their salary, but also to have an impact on society and have a purpose in life through the way they do business. HEC’s 16-month MBA, which is longer than most European ones, gives you the chance to figure out what your purpose is. We strongly emphasize taking decisions in uncertain and highly multicultural conditions. We think that 16 months working in a context as diverse as it can be is the best training for leading a multinational corporation or creating a company with a global market.”

Academics And Programs

HEC has two MBA intakes each year — in January and September, capped at 300 students — over 94% of whom are international. At 16 months, the HEC full-time MBA is longer than the 12-month European standard, which allows students to mull their future more than some shorter programs that seem to catapult students from one job to another.

The school offers an extensive program of career workshops coupled with an impressive roster of company visits, as well as the opportunity for students to incorporate an internship—or two—into their studies. HEC does indeed like to focus on the transformational potential, saying that two-thirds of its MBAs change either geography, sector, or focus, while a remarkable 80% change two or more.

For the first half of the curriculum, students undertake the Fundamental Phase, consisting of core business and management courses. After eight months, students move on to the more exploratory Customized Phase, in which they become experts in their field of interest. Customization takes place through the choice of seven specializations: Entrepreneurship, Finance, Advanced Management, Strategic Marketing, Strategy, Digital Innovation, or Sustainable & Disruptive Innovation. This phase also involves electives, a fieldwork project, and a wide choice of international exchanges.

As for internships, students can intern during the program or at the end of their MBA Program with lengths varying from 2 months to 6 months or more. Last year, over 65% of HEC Paris MBAs had internships all over the globe, both in person and remotely.

Aside from participating in a plethora of conferences and clubs, students love to frequent the Creative Destruction Lab, where they have the opportunity to work directly with highly scalable start-ups dedicated to finding solutions to climate change. The school also works closely with Station F, the world’s biggest start-up campus. Students also benefit from having access to the HEC Incubator where some of France’s most accomplished entrepreneurs gather. Students can capitalize on the school’s participation in the Paris-Saclay Innovation Cluster, dubbed “The Silicon Valley of France.”

The school is surrounded by some of France’s best research institutions, high-tech businesses, and start-ups, all of which HEC students can access. Firms and investors come and pitch ideas to MBA students, who then work on commercializing the technology. The ideas are then pitched to CEOs and VCs, and some develop into real businesses. The entrepreneurial streak in this MBA clearly rubs off: 20% of HEC Paris MBAs go on to found their own businesses at some point.

Students continually name the Outdoor Leadership Seminar and the MBA Tournament (MBAT) as two of their favorite traditions at the HEC Paris MBA.

During the Outdoor Leadership Seminar, students spend two days proving and improving their leadership and problem-solving skills supervised by military-trained professionals. They learn to lead in situations where they don’t have all the answers, where they confront obstacles that they’ve never seen before – learning how to leverage the strength of their team to accomplish a common goal.

The MBA Tournament, the “MBA Olympics” — a sports competition between more than 1,500 MBA students from schools across Europe, with a smattering of competitors from U.S. schools. This is a great leadership opportunity for students who get to run the financing, marketing, logistics and operations of a large-scale event with a half-a-million-euro budget.

HEC also offers dual degrees, in which students can take the MBA in 12 months and spend another year studying for a master’s at institutions such as Yale, National University of Singapore, or the London School of Economics.

Why Students Chose

“The HEC MBA was always the best natural fit for my needs and ambitions as I aim to make a ‘triple jump’ in geography, industry, and position. It offers me a 16-month program with a rigorous study of business fundamentals, ample opportunity for internships and specialization, and plenty of space for personal discovery. Importantly, I will be embedded in one of the strongest and prestigious alumni networks in the world.” Jan Debets (‘24)

“As I’m planning to change the industry, it was important to me that the business school was located near Paris, the capital of the beauty industry. This attracts me with science-based R&D activity, non-trivial marketing challenges, and consumer-oriented philosophy. HEC Paris has partnerships with the beauty industry leaders, and I hope to get an MBA internship in one of such companies.” Svetlana Toropova (’24)

“Being one of the most densely populated and ethnically diverse cities in the world, Paris presents opportunities to gain exposure to people, ideas, and experiences from nearly any and everywhere. Aside from the incredible diversity within Paris itself, the proximity to and ease of traveling within the rest of Europe is something that I couldn’t pass up. Last but certainly not least, the proximity to some of the best restaurants in Europe is a huge plus for a budding foodie like me.” Idris Bailey (’24)

 “After having worked on Wall Street for three years post-graduation, I am looking forward to exploring entrepreneurial paths forward. The incubator HEC Paris at Station F could offer me the opportunity to jumpstart any startup ideas I have. Additionally, the strong alumni network also paves way for mentee-mentor relationships where I could learn from successful alumni.” Sophie Shen (’24)

“HEC Paris is the best school for pursuing a career in financial services. My post MBA goal is to work at a leading Investment Bank in a front office or business-facing role, hence HEC Paris’ MBA program is the right choice for me. It would help me build a strong foundation of finance and business. Moreover, HEC Paris has a 16-month program with an option to pursue a summer internship, which are very important to gain an insight of the financial services industry for people wishing to pursue a career in financial services, especially Investment Banking.” Kopal Gupta (‘24)

Career Stats

Compensation Statistics of HEC Paris’ MBA Grads

Compensation 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
Median Salary $123,911 $115,827 $114,720 $120,000 $113,000 $127,249 $112,949
Median Sign On Bonus $24,321 $18,687 $25,162 $36,926 $28,123 $28,329 $23,588

 

HEC Paris MBA Graduate Employment Offers

Employment Stats 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
MBAs Employed 3 months post Graduation 91% 92% 93% 85% 92% 93%

 

Industry Choices of HEC Paris MBAs

Industry Sector 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
Consulting 37% 25% 16% 26% 27% 24%
Consumer Products 2% 3% 3% 3% 4% 8%
Energy 4% 3% 3% 2% 6% 5%
Financial Services 17% 15% 17% 13% 19% 18%
Govt./NGO/Education 2% 2% 4% 3%
Healthcare 3% 5% 5% 8% 6% 10%
Manufacturing 6% 8% 3% 9% 7% 3%
Media & Entertainment 1% 2% 2% 2%
Real Estate 1% 2% 2%
Retail & Luxury 2% 8% 9% 9% 7% 5%
Technology 20% 23% 36% 23% 16% 17%
Transportation/Logistics 3% 4% 1% 4% 3%
Other 3% 1% 5%

 

Where HEC Paris MBAs Went to Work

2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
Amazon Amazon Amazon Amazon Amazon A.T. Kearney
Accenture Bain & Company Hello Fresh zalando Atos Accenture
Amadeus BCG Microsoft L’Oreal Bain & Company Alix Partners
Bain & Company Deloitte Loreal Estee Lauder Boston Consulting Group Amadeus
McKinsey & Company Deutsche Telekom ABInBev Medtronic Deloitte Amazon
CiP DHL Consulting Richemont McKinsey & Company Hilti Bain & Company
Siemens EY Credit Suisse Novartis L’Oreal Bank of America Merrill Lynch
EY Infosys Hilti Johnson & Johnson LinAgora Citi
BCG Globalpraxis Schneider Electric CMA CGM McKinsey & Company Credit Suisse
Roche Google Bain & Company Bain & Company Microsoft DHL Consulting
Kearney Hilti IFC essilor PwC DWS
J.P. Morgan Kearney Societe Generale Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Schneider Electric Essilor
 Ericsson KPMG McKinsey & Company BCG Societe Generale Johnson & Johnson
 Credit Suisse McKinsey & Company KPMG EY Strategy& KPMG
 MUFG Microsoft pwc Montor Deloitte Uber L’Oreal
 Konsert Petronas zalando BASF Worldline McKinsey & Company
 FTI Consulting Roland Berger Johnson & Johnson Atos Monitor Deloitte
 PIMCO Simon Kucher + Partners Uber pwc Morgan Stanley
 Globalpraxis Uber Montor Deloitte Natixis
 Roland Berger Wipro Nike Renault Nissan Mitsubishi
 Strategy& Roland Berger
 Hello Fresh Sanofi
 L’oreal Schneider Electric
Societe General

Admissions For HEC Paris

From HEC Paris

A Truly Unique MBA Experience 

At the HEC Paris MBA, you will find the ideal environment to realize your full potential and become a business leader for the 21st century. Working alongside your high-achieving peers and with our world-class professors, you will build your competencies in an energizing, collaborative community that mirrors the diversity of today’s global economy.

A perfect equation between the size of our intakes – limited to 300 students yearly – and an individualized approach to learning means that your ideas and input are valued. This encouragement comes from faculty, staff, and other students, in an environment where everyone knows your name and participants form a close-knit community for life. Conversations with your peers – 95% international – will shape your viewpoint, enrich your experience, and prepare you to work with people from many different backgrounds and cultures.

Excellent professors at the forefront of research will build upon your unique talents and shape your learning experience. Our faculty infuse a rare combination of broad experience, personal insights, and the latest in advanced-management thinking into their classes.

During our 16-month program, you will develop the core management skills needed to excel in any industry, anywhere in the world. You will also go much deeper, with the flexibility to pursue international exchanges and internships, as well as specialized studies and hands-on learning in the sector of your choice.

HEC Difference 

HEC Paris enjoys a longstanding tradition of educating the leaders who are at the forefront of business. The school has graduated more CEOs of Fortune Global 500 companies than any other university in Europe, according to the 2017 Times Higher Education Alma Mater Index. Alumni is made up of 80,000 professionals from 152 countries across the world.

We not only teach the theories behind leadership, but we also provide the ideal environment to put those theories to the test. We offer a series of hands-on opportunities, such as the two-day Outdoor Leadership Seminar, the newly introduced New Horizon Capstone, and the student-run, multisport MBA Tournament (MBAT), develop your confidence to lead in all circumstances, and teach you how to motivate others to work toward a common goal.

At the HEC Paris MBA, we pave the way for transformation. Many of our students succeed in changing their career paths, whether it is by sector, function, or location.

For the Class of 2023, the majority of our students made a career transformation, with 67 percent changing sector, 64 percent changing function and 61 percent changing their location.
In the Class of 2023, 69 percent changed at least two of these three career elements, while 34 percent made the “triple jump.”
International mobility continued to be a strong trend in our post-graduation placements, with 68 percent of the class securing employment outside of their home country.

Essay Questions For HEC Paris

Application Essay Questions

1. Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective?* 500-word limit

2. What do you consider your most significant life achievement?* 250-word limit

3. Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. 250-word limit

4. Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? 250-word limit

5. Please choose from one of the following essays*: 250-word limit a. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why? b. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyse it. c. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).

6. If there is anything else you would like to share with us that has not already been shared elsewhere in your file, please feel free to use this space. 900-word limit (optional essay)

Scholarship Essays

Candidates who are admitted to the HEC Paris MBA will be automatically considered for all of the following scholarships. No additional essay or separate application is required for the following:

– Excellence

– Diversity

– Paris Saclay Innovation Cluster

However, should you have additional information not already included in your file which you believe will be important for the Scholarship Jury to consider for the above scholarships, you are free to share it in the space below. no word-limit (optional essay)

In order to be considered for the L’Oreal Scholarship, you must submit an additional 1500-word essay discussing the style of leadership that you believe maximizes creativity and innovation. 1500-word limit (optional essay)

In order to be considered for the Forté Scholarship for Women, you must submit an additional 1,500-word essay explaining why you should be a Forté Scholar at the HEC Paris MBA. 1500-word limit (optional essay)

(The below essays for the Laidlaw Scholarship are not included on the application, so please email this in a separate PDF to admissionmba@hec.fr)

In order to be considered for the Laidlaw Scholarship for Women (Optional Essay Space)

1. Describe what becoming a Laidlaw Scholar would mean to you. 200-word limit

2. As a future Laidlaw Scholar, how will you contribute to helping develop a new generation of leaders?. 200-word limit

Student Features For HEC Paris

Meet The HEC Paris MBA Class Of 2024

An impressive class descends on Jouy-en-Joses

Meet The HEC Paris MBA Class Of 2023

First-years enjoy the best of two worlds

2023 Best & Brightest MBA: Jay Yen, HEC Paris

“Taiwanese-American who loves and has operationalized travel so well to become HEC’s Minister of Travel”

2023 MBA To Watch: Thandiwe Mkhetshane, HEC Paris

“A renaissance woman, a risk-taker who enjoys fashion & photography”

2021 Best & Brightest MBAs: Emric Navarre, HEC Paris

“Patient and discreet, with an eye for detail and an ability to lead.”

2022 MBA To Watch: Folasade Owoeye, HEC Paris

“Frenchified Nigerian, introverted extrovert, always in search of the next adventure”

2021 MBAs To Watch: Jonas Kanafani, HEC Paris

“A project manager who oversaw the construction of railroad bridges and is passionate about movies”

2021 MBAs To Watch: Maria Olivo, HEC Paris   

“Someone looking to have a meaningful impact and make a difference”

2021 Best & Brightest MBAs: Michael Venditto, HEC Paris

“A collaborative but decisive leader and a passionately devoted friend”

2021 Best & Brightest MBAs: Emric Navarre, HEC Paris

“Patient and discreet, with an eye for detail and an ability to lead.”

School Features

Congrats to Albert Kwame Mensah of HEC Paris for being named a 2023 Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professor.

2023 Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors: Albert Kwame Mensah, HEC Paris

Congrats to Albert Kwame Mensah of HEC Paris for being named a 2023 Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professor.

2023 Best & Brightest MBA: Vernice Arahan, HEC Paris

“Proud Filipina American always willing to whip up a good meal and share stories together”

2023 Best & Brightest MBA: Jay Yen, HEC Paris

“Taiwanese-American who loves and has operationalized travel so well to become HEC’s Minister of Travel”

2022 Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors: Yangjie Gu, HEC Paris

She brings enthusiasm and deep industry knowledge into all her lectures on marketing

MBA Watch For HEC Paris

MBA Watch is where thousands of MBA applicants not only get to tell their story but have John A. Byrne, MBA admissions coaches and our audience, assess their odds of admission and get help to improve their chances of getting in!

Mr. Rowing Guy

Joined a start-up construction company at the age of 17 as an intern.

Mr. Army Guy

Army Officer who has worked all over the country and also for two years in a foreign diplomatic assistance mission for India.

Ms. Indian Dental Surgeon

A dentist with three years of clinical experience, I now want to tap into my leadership potential by getting my MBA and assuming a managerial role.

Mr. Product Manager

27/Male/Indian: Working currently as a Product Manager.

Ms Journalist

I am a journalist with over six years of work experience.

Ms. Freelancer

I had been working as Frontend Developer for a start up for about 4 years when I decided to try my luck with freelancing.

Mr. Energy Consultant

I am an engineering graduate with masters in electrical engineering.

Mr. Indian Journalist

Working as a policy and business journalist for the last 6.

Mr. Global Graduate Scheme

Son of a first-gen entrepreneur saw my dad’s industrial firm flounder at the growth stage.

Mr. Michelin Man

Hello! I currently work as the lead of the Inventory management team for the second-largest tyre manufacturer in the world.

Rankings Data For HEC Paris

HEC Paris International MBA Rankings

Year Poets&Quants
2023-2024 10
2022-2023 10
2021-2022 6
2020-2021 4
2019-2020 5

News Coverage For HEC Paris

HEC Paris Raises Over €213 Million, The Most Ever By A French School

Thousands of students have received scholarships thanks to Impact Tomorrow, which concludes after five years

Meet The Professors Of The HEC Paris MBA

Nine profiles of faculty behind HEC Paris's MBA program: Discover their research, teaching methods, and personal stories

HEC Paris Launches Accelerated 1-Year MBA

Applications are now open for the new 12-month program that is aimed at working professionals, which will launch in January 2025

HEC Paris MiM Student Balances Academics & Olympic Dreams

Follow Patrice Eselé's journey: How the runner has balanced his master in management studies & Olympic aspirations

2024 Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors: Federica De Stefano, HEC Paris

Congrats to Federica De Stefano of HEC Paris for being named a 2024 Best 40 Under 40 MBA Professor.

mba rankings

U.S. Firms Dominate HEC Paris Ranking Of Top Growth Capital Firms

Nine of the top 10 and 13 of the top 20 companies in the second annual ranking are based in the United States

At HEC Paris, ‘Triple Jumpers’ Dwindle — But Consultants Soar

Number of triple jumpers continues to decline, according to 2023 jobs report, down for a third straight year

Meet The Alumni: HEC Paris

Poets&Quants gathered the perspectives of ten HEC Paris alumni, who shared their insights on their time at the B-school

Meet The HEC Paris Alumni: Megan Scullion

'HEC is known for kindness within its cohorts and its collaborative spirit, which I valued over anything competitive and cutthroat'

Meet The HEC Paris Alumni: Emma Zaraisky

'I aspired to refine my leadership skills and the program's robust offerings in this domain were a perfect fit'

Meet The HEC Paris Alumni: Solape Oguntayo

There is no real secret to success but consistency is always key!

Meet The HEC Paris Alumni: Moussa Nakoulima

'Being part of the network of talented and skilled people I met during my MBA is one of the highlights of my time at HEC'

Meet The HEC Paris Alumni: Bruno Mickael da Silva

'My most cherished memory at HEC Paris revolves around the deep and meaningful personal connections I formed with my classmates'

Meet The HEC Paris Alumni: Gilberto Domingos Modenesi Filho

'So many extraordinary memories, like food tasting events in our friends’ rooms, MBAT preparation and participation, the Talent Show, Piano Bar events etc.'

Meet The HEC Paris Alumni: Mario Mihajlov

'I’m immensely proud to be the first Macedonian ever to graduate from HEC Paris MBA'

Meet The HEC Paris Alumni: Parveen Karjiker

'The best experiences and opportunities arise when you take a chance on something that you had not previously considered'