Investing in an Executive MBA programme at a world-class business school like INSEAD is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make. Targeted at experienced executives who aspire to lead at the C-Suite level, it is an investment that will transform the way you think, the way you see and understand leadership and what it takes to thrive globally and sustainably. You will open up new opportunities to grow personally and professionally, and to create meaningful value and impact.
But it is also a significant financial investment that will require serious and considered thought and reflection.
If you are thinking about investing in an INSEAD Executive MBA (GEMBA), there are a number of recommendations and resources available to help you finance your degree.
Irina Schneider-Maunoury is the Associate Director of Financial Aid for degree programmes at INSEAD. These are her top five tips for prospective GEMBA participants.
1. Plan early to finance your INSEAD Executive MBA cost
Make finance your first priority. Early in the application process, it is a great idea to start reviewing all the financing and funding options available to you. GEMBA is a rigorous programme and a major investment in time and money. Executive MBA fees for the Class entering 2025 are €142,000 while costs for living, accommodation and travelling expenses will amount to at least €20,000 while you are studying.
For this reason, it’s unlikely that you will be able to finance the entire programme from one source alone. Most of our participants look at a mixture of personal savings, loans, scholarships and other options. So, planning in advance makes great sense because pulling all of these resources together will require time and effort.
Even before you are admitted onto the GEMBA, get informed and start to identify the best options for you.
This will save you important time (and might avoid stress) when you are making the intellectual and logistical preparations to begin this life-changing learning journey.
2. Investigate Executive MBA loan options: both globally and nationally
GEMBA participants typically take out both global and national loans to finance their programme.
At the global level, Prodigy Finance is a terrific option that will not require you to provide collateral, securities or guarantees. Founded by three INSEAD alumni, Prodigy has been helping participants in 150 countries to finance their INSEAD MBA degrees since 2006. They offer variable interest rates, and no penalties for early settlement.
Lendwise also offers highly competitive loans and other benefits, such as tailored rates and even mentorship programmes and Brain Capital offers income-sharing schemes for OECD countries. Meanwhile, the Juno platform for those with a USA guarantor advocates for better deals for MBA students from big international lenders.
For female applicants, MBA for Women is a global service offering both loans and scholarships. All these organisations have worked with INSEAD over many years and will respond to you quickly and comprehensively.
At the national level, INSEAD works proactively with foundations, institutions and banks to negotiate the best rates for our participants.
This means that we have done the preliminary outreach and the groundwork for you. When you contact one of our national contacts, you won’t need to spend time explaining the benefits of the GEMBA or negotiating preferential repayment rates.
You will find all of this information on our GEMBA financing page along with a search form that will take you directly to the national lenders that we work with. When you’re looking at national loans, take some time to assess the different quotes you will get and figure out what is best for you.
3. Apply for an INSEAD Executive MBA scholarship
INSEAD offers a wealth of Executive MBA scholarships to students and there’s good news: more than half of our GEMBA participants are awarded financial aid that will cover up to 10% of tuition fees. This is a very high proportion of each cohort and it’s something that INSEAD takes pride in doing.
As soon as you are admitted to the GEMBA programme, make it a priority to investigate the diverse scholarships that we offer and make your application as promptly as you can. We make it a priority to get back to you with a decision within two weeks or less.
4. Talk to your employer about Executive MBA company sponsorship
You will want to let your organisation know that you are investing in your leadership capabilities (and that, depending on which GEMBA option you choose, you will be required to travel to different global locations).
At the same time, you should discuss the possibility of securing some of your funding directly from your employer.
Each year, around 20% of our GEMBA students are sponsored by their employers, with 95% receiving full sponsorship.
Doing the INSEAD GEMBA will provide a host of benefits to your organisation. You will come back with:
- Inspiration and empowerment driven by deep interaction with world-class thinkers and practitioners all over the world
- Game-changing knowledge, insights, tools and frameworks that can be applied from the second you graduate and for decades to come
- A global leadership mindset to drive new and innovative initiatives and projects for competitive edge and sustainable growth
- Ongoing access to the INSEAD global network
Before you sit down with your employer, it’s a good idea to think about all of these and more benefits that the GEMBA will bring to your organisation, and to match the curriculum to the role that you currently play, the idea of what it is that you want to build in the organisation, how you see your career path following graduation and the value that you will deliver.
You will also need to think about the kind of agreement you will need to make: whether you agree to stay on in your firm for three or more years following graduation. Doing this will help you structure the conversation purposefully and positively.
5. Talk to us for more INSEAD Executive MBA financing tips
You will take the lead in organising how you fund your GEMBA at INSEAD, but we are also here to help guide you and support you as you do so. We have a wealth of experience and expertise within our team and we are on hand to help you prepare to negotiate with banks, with institutions and with your organisation.
We can also advise you on our scholarship offer, whether you go for options based on need or other attributes. We’re also here to talk to you as an individual with complex and unique needs, responsibilities and expectations.
Beyond financing options and resources, perhaps the one thing that we say to all of our aspiring GEMBA students is this: don’t overburden yourself.
The GEMBA journey is a transformational experience that will fully consume a year of your life. Try not to put any additional strain on your cash flow as you commit to the programme.
We don’t advise combining our GEMBA with any other big investment—buying a house, say, getting married or signing up for expensive school fees. Try not to accumulate too much financial pressure in one year.
Instead, if you can focus on this one key investment, do that. And remember, this is a major investment in your life and the rest of your career—perhaps the biggest that you will make. So give it the time and the focus it deserves.
