IESE MBA: Shaping Global Business Leaders Through Purpose and Precision
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Overview
At its core, the IESE MBA is about preparing responsible leaders for a complex, global business world. The program is intentionally structured to combine academic rigor with real-world relevance, blending technical knowledge with a humanistic approach to decision-making.
The IESE MBA is a 15- to 19-month full-time program that provides a holistic general management education with the flexibility to tailor your MBA experience. The program integrates practical business knowledge with a values-based leadership philosophy, equipping graduates to lead with both competence and conscience.
Class Profile
IESE’s class profile reflects the diversity and dynamism of today’s global economy. Students bring unique perspectives from across the world, creating a learning environment that encourages collaboration, curiosity, and leadership through inclusion.
29
Average age
5.4 years
Work experience
350
Class size
55+
Nationalities Represented
85%
International Students
35%
Female Representation
Curriculum
IESE's curriculum is meticulously crafted to shape not only skilled business professionals, but also responsible leaders. The emphasis on leadership development, global business, and innovation prepares students to take on challenges with insight and integrity.
The IESE MBA curriculum is designed to offer a broad foundation in general management, followed by a customisable second year tailored to your professional goals.
Year 1
The first year focuses on key business disciplines, leadership skills, and integrated thinking.
Term1
Analysis of Business Problems
Capital Markets
Communication
Decision Analysis
Financial Accounting
Leadership
Marketing Management
Career General Preparation
Term 2
Business Ethics
Managerial Accounting
Marketing Planning and Implementation
Operational Finance
Operations Management
Business Analytics
Digital Transformation of Organizations and Markets
Term 3
Competitive Strategy
Corporate Finance
Fundamentals of Entrepreneurial Management
Operations Strategy
Global Economics
Summer
At IESE, you will be encouraged to make the most of every moment, including your summer break. Between June and August, you have the chance to pursue one of three distinct options depending on your objectives:
Students doing the 15-month format
Second year electives
Summer classes will focus on Marketing, Information Systems and Entrepreneurship.
Students doing the 19-month format
Corporate internship
Gain experience working in the sector of your choice.
Take the opportunity to explore new sectors, companies, or roles anywhere in the world. If you are interested in changing the direction of your career, this is a perfect opportunity to try out something different.
The corporate internship lends a truly international dimension to your MBA. You will have the chance to gain important experience and build real connections that can lead to job offers.
Summer entrepreneurship experience
The IESE Summer Entrepreneurship Experience is an intensive summer program embedded within the IESE MBA, designed to support students in developing entrepreneurial ventures with guidance from the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center. It offers hands-on experience and mentorship to help students test and advance their business ideas.
Who It’s For:
Track 1: Students with a clear entrepreneurial idea or ongoing project who wish to develop it further.
Track 2: Students interested in entrepreneurship but without a specific idea, who are open to joining IESE-facilitated teams working on high-potential innovations.
Program Timeline:
On-campus: Mid-June to end of July, featuring structured modules and in-person engagement.
Off-campus: August, focusing on project development.
Reporting: Students present the economic feasibility of their project in early September.
Participants may continue their work through the second-year elective NAVEI (New Ventures).
Structure:
Students follow customized plans developed with IESE’s entrepreneurship faculty.
The program includes three academic modules (e.g., ideation, market analysis, prototyping).
Weekly structure: two days of on-campus sessions (lectures, guest talks, workshops, one-on-one mentoring) and hands-on project work the rest of the week.
External visits and connections to the local startup ecosystem are also part of the curriculum.
Enrollment:
Applications open during the third term of the first MBA year. The Entrepreneurship Department faculty review all submissions and select participants based on project potential and fit.
This program equips IESE MBA students with the tools and mentorship to accelerate their entrepreneurial ambitions.
Social internship at a non-profit organisation
Learn the practicalities of how business skills can bring benefits to nonprofits.
If part of your career plan is to do good by doing well, you should consider spending your summer break at a world-class non-profit organizations.
Year 2
The second year puts you in control, offering flexibility to specialise, experiment, or expand globally. Electives and exchanges add layers of customisation to align with your career direction.
Global exchange program
Do you want to sample life at Wharton or Yale? What about a term at London Business School or HEC Paris? Or perhaps you’d like to experience what business is like in China, Australia, India or Latin America?
You can opt to spend the first semester of Year 2 at world-leading business schools spanning five continents. This is your chance to deepen your global perspective, broaden your horizons and build your international experience.
International modules
You can take a one or two-week module at another IESE campus or at an allied business schools on four other continents. An intensive and highly impactful experience, the international modules give you an unparalleled insight into diverse business environments and cultures.
Mexico City
Shenzhen & Hong Kong
New York
Nairobi
Madrid
Electives & concentrations
Drill deeper into your business interests by choosing from 140-plus different electives those that best reflect your own career plan. Each course has been carefully crafted to give you an essential, unique and interlocking perspective on general business management.
Admission
The IESE MBA admissions process is designed to assess whether a candidate’s ambitions and strengths align with the program’s challenges. Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree and, if not native English speakers, demonstrate English proficiency, as the program is taught in English.
GMAT or GRE scores are required, but admissions decisions also heavily weigh personal motivation, leadership potential, career goals, communication skills, and overall fit with IESE. The process helps both the applicant and IESE determine if the program is the right match.
These are the expecting dates for MBA Class of 2027:
KEY DATES | Application Deadline |
R1 | September 26, 2024 |
R2 | January 9, 2025 |
R3 | March 20, 2025 |
R4 | May 6, 2025 |
Admission Process
Follow the six steps below to begin your IESE MBA journey.
Apply online
A completed application form
Completed Kira video essays
Application fee
Official transcripts
CV
GMAT/GRE test
English test: recommended score of TOEFL 100 | IELTS 7.5 | PTE Academic 68 (C1), and Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English minimum level B
One letter of recommendation
Mandatory essays (online form)
Military or Civil Service Obligation Passport-size digital photograph (max. 2Mb.)
Apply online and upload scans of the following documents in English. We recommend that you:
Keep a copy of all documents
Clip each of the different documents separately
Do not submit books, theses, or other materials not requested in this section
Video Essay & Test Requirements (IESE MBA Application):
As part of the IESE MBA application, candidates are required to complete a Video Essay. After submitting the written application and paying the application fee, applicants will receive a Kira Video Essay link within 24 hours. This link will expire after 48 hours, so it's recommended to submit the written portion several days before the round deadline. The video essay consists of two questions, and the application will only be considered complete once responses are submitted. Full instructions are provided with the link.
Additionally, all applicants must submit either a GMAT or GRE score. IESE accepts both the classic GMAT and the new GMAT Focus Edition, with scores evaluated using GMAC percentile tables. Applicants who have taken both tests are encouraged to submit both scores.
Admissions pre-committee
our application will be considered by the committee only when IESE has received copies of all the documents via the online application process and the non-refundable application fee of 200€ has been paid.
Personal interview
Face-to-face interviews can be held on the IESE campus in Barcelona, via videoconference, or with admissions directors who travel around the world to meet candidates every year. Your interview will be conducted in English.
Assessment Day
The Assessment Day is a unique opportunity for candidates to showcase their personality, share experiences, and present their profile in a more personal and original way to potential future classmates and the admissions team. While not mandatory for all applicants—especially if sufficient information has already been gathered—it is highly recommended for those who are invited. Participating can strengthen your application and give you a fuller presence in the admissions process.
Admissions Committee
Once you have finished the selection process your application will be presented to the final committee.
Admission
Successful applicants will be personally welcomed to IESE with a phone call and an email informing them of the admissions committee’s final decision.
Application rounds
Round | Application Deadline | Interview Decision By | Final Decision By | Deadline 1st deposit | Deadline 2nd deposit |
R1 | September 26, 2024 | October 9, 2024 | November 18, 2024 | December 17, 2024 | January 17, 2025 |
R2 | January 9, 2025 | January 24, 2025 | March 24, 2025 | April 25, 2025 | May 16, 2025 |
R3 | March 20, 2025 | April 2, 2025 | May 14, 2025 | June 10, 2025 | June 10, 2025 |
R4 | May 6, 2025 | May 15, 2025 | June 13, 2025 | June 30, 2025 | June 30, 2025 |
Key Dates
July - August, 2025 | Move to Barcelona. Get ready for the MBA. | Reduced office hours on campus 8:30 am – 2:30 pm |
August 18-29, 2025 | Business Spanish Program (BSP) for International Students | Optional - registration required |
September 2, 3, 4 & 16, 2025 | Welcome & Orientation | Mandatory |
September 5, 2025 | Beginning of 1st Term | Mandatory |
December 16, 2025 | End of 1st Term | Mandatory |
Fees
The initial application fee for the IESE MBA is €200.
To hold your position once you have been accepted onto the MBA program, you must pay a non-refundable commitment fee of €4,500 by the 1st deposit deadline.
To confirm your intention to join the program, you must pay a non-refundable reservation fee of €5,500 by the 2nd deposit deadline.
Both fees are deductible from the total program cost and must be paid before the indicated dates. If you are admitted when applying to our last deadline, both fees must be paid together.
Admitted MBA students may also be eligible for Post-Graduation Payment Aid (PPA), a flexible payment option supported by the European Union’s InvestEU Fund. Learn more.
MBA 2025 intake
Commitment Fee | €4,500 |
Tuition Installment | €5,500 |
Payment MBA Year 1 | €45,000 |
Payment MBA Year 2 | €55,000 |
Total | €110,000 |
Financial Aid
Most MiM scholarships at IESE are merit-based, meaning that they are awarded for outstanding academic and professional achievements. Current scholarships are listed here.
IESE Excellence Scholarship
IESE Diversity Scholarship
IESE Ambassadors Scholarship
IESE Women in Management Scholarship
IESE Social Impact Scholarship
IESE Social Entrepreneurship Scholarship
IESE Women in STEM Talent Scholarship
IESE Legacy Scholarship
IESE’s Young Christian Leaders Scholarship
IESE Young Leaders in Africa Scholarship
IESE Young Leaders in Emerging Markets Scholarship
Fundación Princesa de Girona Scholarships
IESE Young Italian Talent Scholarship – Fondazione RUI
Heinrich J. Klein Foundation Scholarship – External Scholarship
IESE International Foundation Scholarship Program
Application process
Due to the continuous admissions process, scholarships are granted on a rolling basis – therefore, you will increase your chances of receiving a scholarship the sooner you apply.
All scholarship candidacies require one cover letter within the application.
Career Outcomes & Support
Career advancement is a central pillar of the IESE MBA experience. Through tailored coaching and access to global opportunities, students are empowered to define and realise their career goals with clarity and confidence.
IESE offers extensive career support through its Career Development Center, which organises personalised coaching, sector-specific preparation, and access to a wide employer network.
Full-time employment Class of 2024
By function
By region
North America | Spain | Europe (excl. Spain) | Middle East | Asia Pacific | Latin America & the Caribbean | Africa | Remote |
4% | 22% | 25% | 16% | 10% | 21% | 1% | 1% |
IESE MBAs are recruited by top global firms in consulting, tech, finance, and beyond. While employer names vary by year, past recruiters have included McKinsey & Company, Amazon, Google, Bain & Co., and IESE Ventures.
