HEC Paris MBA Application Guide
Explore our insights on what the HEC Paris MBA program
has to offer, along with the latest facts and stats.
About HEC Paris
HEC Paris students learn how to think critically, challenge the status quo, and collaborate with people very different from themselves. The school considers itself the alma mater of CEOs, claiming to have graduated the heads of more Fortune Global 500 companies than any other university in Europe.
The program’s reputation and international scope have grown in recent years – its regularly ranked amongst the top three European business schools by the Financial Times, and on average, 90% of students hail from outside France.
HEC stands out for offering a 16-month program of study with two intakes: January and September. This occupies a unique space between the one-year programs like INSEAD and traditional two-year programs. The 16-month program offers the intensity of an accelerated program while allowing students to pursue an internship or fieldwork project for one of the four-month segments.
Many students have taken advantage of this option to gain entry to their post-MBA employers in cities like London, Paris, New York and Hong Kong. As part of the Paris Saclay Innovation Cluster, HEC Paris is able to attract some of the most innovative partners to work alongside students.
HEC has also formed significant double degree partnerships with schools like Yale and NYU in the U.S., LSE in the UK, and Chinese University of Hong Kong and Tsinghua University in Beijing, creating diverse global opportunities to experience two international schools with their full alumni networks and career services.
HEC is also known renowned for inaugurating and hosting the MBA Olympics – the MBAT – which is the largest gathering of MBA students in Europe. HEC oversees this three-day, multisport competition for, on average, 1,500 participants from 15 leading international business schools.
Strengths and Specializations
Marketing, strategy, entrepreneurship, finance, leadership, social impact
Graduating Class of 2025
MBA Class Size: 235
Avg. Work Experience: 6 years
Avg. Age: 30
Avg. GMAT: 690
International Students: 95%
Female Students: 40%
Tuition: €99,000
Post-MBA Careers (class of 2023)
Career Sectors: Consulting 37%; Technology 20%; Finance 17%; Manufacturing 6%; Retail & Luxury 2%
Top Recruiters: Amazon, Siemens, CIP, Jp Holdings, Bain & Company, Accenture, Credit Suisse, McKinsey, EY, Ericsson, MUFG, BCG, Mandiri, FTI consulting, Pimco, Kearney, Roche, Global Praxis, Roland Berger, Strategy&, Schneider Electric, Hello Fresh, ZS, Wipro, Amadeus, Infosys BPM, L’Oreal, Archery, JP Morgan
Avg. Base Salary: $123,911; Salary Increase: 133% (source: FT Rankings 2024)
Employment accepted within 3 months of graduation: 91%
HEC Paris Rankings
Admissions
Two Intakes: January and September each year
Deadlines:
HEC September 2025 Intake Deadlines:
| Application Deadline* | Decision Date* | Deadline to Confirm* |
|---|---|---|
| 16 September 2024 | 18 October 2024 | 17 November 2024 |
| 14 October 2024 | 15 November 2024 | 12 December 2024 |
| 12 November 2024 | 13 December 2024 | 14 January 2025 |
| 16 December 2024 | 17 January 2025 | 13 February 2025 |
| 19 January 2025 | 14 February 2025 | 13 March 2025 |
| 16 February 2025 | 14 March 2025 | 17 April 2025 |
| 16 March 2025 | 18 April 2025 | 15 May 2025 |
| 20 April 2025 | 16 May 2025 | 19 June 2025 |
| 18 May 2025 | 20 June 2025 | 17 July 2025 |
| 22 June 2025 | 18 July 2025 | 15 August 2025 |
| 22 July 2025 | 1 August 2025 | 15 August 2025 |
HEC January 2026 Intake Deadlines:
| Application Deadline* | Decision Date* | Deadline to Confirm* |
|---|---|---|
| 19 January 2025 | 13 February 2025 | 13 March 2025 |
| 16 February 2025 | 14 March 2025 | 17 April 2025 |
| 16 March 2025 | 18 April 2025 | 15 May 2025 |
| 20 April 2025 | 16 May 2025 | 19 June 2025 |
| 18 May 2025 | 20 June 2025 | 17 July 2025 |
| 22 June 2025 | 18 July 2025 | 15 August 2025 |
| 17 August 2025 | 19 September 2025 | 16 October 2025 |
| 21 September 2025 | 17 October 2025 | 20 November 2025 |
| 19 October 2025 | 21 November 2025 | 18 December 2025 |
| 23 November 2025 | 19 December 2025 | 31 December 2025 |
*All deadlines are by 11.59pm CET
Essays:
- 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?
- What do you consider your most significant life achievement?
- 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.
- Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be?
- Please choose from one of the following essays: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). - Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words)
Fortuna Tips & Advice
Read Fortuna’s Tips & Strategy for the HEC Paris Essays & Interview Presentation
View our hour-long video strategy session: MBA Admissions Masterclass on London Business School, INSEAD & HEC Paris.