IMD
IMD, established in 1990 through the merger of Geneva’s CEI and Lausanne’s IMEDE, is nestled by Lake Geneva, Switzerland, and expanded to Singapore in 2015 with an Executive Learning Center. It offers an MBA program for professionals with at least 2 years of experience and an EMBA for those with over 10 years of experience.
FAQ
What is the tuition for IMD’s MBA program?
The tuition for IMD’s MBA program is CHF 80,000 per year with additional fees of CHF 17,500. This does not include cost of living.
What is the average GMAT score for admission to IMD's MBA program?
The average GMAT score for the incoming class at IMD is 680. IMD tells candidates to aim for a score above 630.
Does the IMD MBA program accept the GRE?
Yes. The IMD MBA program accepts the GREs.
What is the minimum number of years of work experience required for admission to IMD's MBA program?
IMD requires a minimum of 2 years of work experience.
What is the average number of years of work experience for admission to IMD's MBA program? (or, What is the average age of an IMD MBA student?)
The average number of years of work experience among students in IMD's MBA program is 6, while the average age is 29.
What is the average starting salary for graduates of the IMD MBA program?
The average salary for IMD MBA graduates is $111,675, while the average salary before enrolling in the MBA was $56,021.
How long is IMD's full-time MBA program?
IMD offers a one-year MBA program.
What are the application deadlines for IMD's MBA program?
For the January 2026 intake, IMD's MBA program has application deadlines on January 15, March 15, May 15, July 1, and September 15.
What percent of IMD MBA students are women?
The percentage of the class at IMD that are women is 37%.
Admissions
Class Profile
IMD maintains a small class size of 100-120 students annually, and the Class of 2024 is comprised of 103. Women make up 37% of the class, and 44 different nationalities are represented. The average GMAT score for IMD lands at 680. The Class of 2024 matriculated with an average of six years of work experience.
For the class of 2024, students’ professional backgrounds prior to enrolling in the MBA program spanned a diverse range of industries, as follows:
- Finance: The largest segment, with 22% of students coming from this sector.
- Consulting: Representing 16% of the class, this was the second most common background.
- Manufacturing: 12% of the students had experience in this industry, indicating significant representation.
- Consumer and Luxury Goods & Healthcare: These industries combined accounted for 8% of the class’s backgrounds.
- Energy: 5% of the students came from the energy sector.
- Public Sector: 3% of the class had work experience in government or public administration.
- Logistics and Supply Chain: Also contributing 3% to the class composition, reflecting the importance of these fields.
- Other: 12% of the students brought diverse experiences from sectors not specifically categorized above, showcasing the wide range of backgrounds present in the class of 2024.
Application Procedures
IMD provides several admission rounds for prospective students, running from January 15 to September 15 each year. Applicants are required to have a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent, and at least two years of full-time post-graduate work experience. The school’s application requirements include completing a short online form to create an account and then submitting one recommender, a one-page resume using the IMD CV template, and uploaded transcripts and diploma. Applicants must also report their GRE or GMAT score; while there is no minimum requirement, the school recommends aiming for above a 555 in the GMAT Focus edition, 600 in the 10th edition and 320 for GRE. Additionally, students must complete a scholarship and bursaries form and complete any other necessary requirements. After submitting the initial application, candidates are invited to an in-person or virtual assessment day that involves a mix of individual and group tasks, and an interview. Students whose native language is not English will be assessed for English-language proficiency during the assessment days. In its applicants, IMD seeks individuals with steady career growth, demonstrated achievements, an international perspective, academic ability, and a strong vision for the future.
IMD has designed a special profile pre-assessment form for potential candidates to submit their CV and basic information to the school to determine if they would be a good fit for the program.
Application Checklist
- Online Application Form
- One-page resume in the IMD CV template
- Official GRE or GMAT score
- One recommender
- Uploaded transcripts for bachelor’s degree or the equivalent
- Uploaded diploma for bachelor’s degree or the equivalent
- Scholarships and Bursaries form
Essay Topic Analysis
Recommendation Questions
IMD Q&A's
IMD LiveWire and DecisionWire
Academics
Faculty
IMD’s 68 faculty members balance teaching, research, and draw on their frequent collaborations with a variety of industries and businesses to inform both. The faculty represent 55 nationalities and teach across 10 disciplines, including strategy (the largest represented field), finance, innovation, leadership, marketing, economics and more.
Curriculum
The IMD full-time MBA is a one-year program broken into 10 modules as well as a pre-program. Over 40% of the program is hands-on experiential learning, and emphasizes leadership skills, functional skills, transversal skills, and impact potential. The first four modules cover problem-solving, business fundamentals, and value creation. Modules five through nine include an immersive one-month residency in Singapore, electives, the option to partake in an internship, Integrative Week, and the seven-week International Consulting Project. For the last module, students prepare for their post-MBA futures.
Students choose between four and five electives that align with their career goals from six topic areas: finance, strategy, sustainability, entrepreneurship, innovation, operations, and leadership . Elective options change each year based on the latest trends and research. Students can also take electives offered by the partner schools of the Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM).
Other MBA Degree Options
In addition to the one-year full-time MBA, IMD offers an Executive MBA over 18 months, or over a longer period of time depending on the student’s work commitments. Students will only be away from their office for seven to nine weeks, which depends on which option students choose for the Foundation Stage. EMBA students take several modules in the Mastery stage of the program that include core business themes such as leadership, real-world projects, executive career management, and crisis management practice. In addition, EMBA students partake in global immersion weeks.
Degree Offerings
Full-Time MBA
https://www.imd.org/mba/one-year-mba-program/
Executive MBA
http://www.imd.org/emba/executive-mba/
Campus Life
Clubs, Conferences and Competitions
With its spectacular view of the Swiss mountains, Lausanne is both scenic and home to rich cultural and sports activities. IMD’s extracurricular opportunities span a variety of interests—professional, social, and educational. From there, student clusters can explore niche topics, and a social committee coordinates class outings like ski trips and summer barbecues. Group sporting events see students and spectators joining the annual MBA Regatta, weekly soccer matches, and marathons.
During the year, there are specific course-related projects to pursue, including startup projects that invite MBA candidates to help a new high-tech start-up venture. For international consulting projects, students work in teams for several weeks to tackle business challenges and subsequently provide recommendations for multinational corporation and nonprofit clients. Moreover, several large-scale events bring together IMD students, top-ranking executives and speakers, faculty, and other global business leaders. For example, Orchestrating Winning Performance (OWD) is IMD’s biannual five-day flagship program that’s comprised of customizable sessions and topical streams where attendees to explore business issues and present findings to a wider audience. Additionally, Discovery Expeditions invite students to travel to destinations such as Singapore and Silicon Valley, where they can visit companies and engage in discussions on a range of topics.
With the program only lasting one year, the IMD MBA alumni network grows stronger annually. There are a variety of opportunities not just to connect to MBA alumni, but to all IMD alumni. The 49 alumni clubs around the world host speaker events, industry visits, social gatherings, and other events.
Campus Spaces
Just blocks from Lake Geneva, IMD’s scenic campus is situated in one of the most picturesque urban areas in Europe. This region of Switzerland has become one of the world’s top innovation hubs, and is home to a plethora of multinational corporations across diverse sectors. The city and school offer unique access to executive networking and leadership building opportunities.
The campus includes six main buildings in Lausanne’s Ouchy district, including the landmark historic building La Résidence that serves as IMD’s reception hall and the president’s office. Since 2002, IMD has inaugurated the sleek Executive Learning Center building, the research-oriented Nestlé Building, and the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center, which houses a 350-seat auditorium and conference rooms. There is no housing available on campus, but the IMD team is available to assist with lodging for the school year.
MBA Careers
Career Services
The IMD MBA Career Development Center (CDC) collaborates with 60 to 70 companies each year who participate in recruiting events. By building strong relationships with these companies, the CDC is able to facilitate meaningful connections between students and potential employers. The CDC also provides MBA students with mentoring, guest speaker sessions, and sector-specific mock interviews with company presentations, networking lunches, and recruitment events. Additionally, the CDC works to connect students to subject matter experts, faculty, resident executives, and alumni.
Career Statistics
Ninety percent of the 96-student Class of 2021 reported receiving job offers within 3 months of graduation. Consulting was the most popular industry for the Class of 2021, as 39% entered the field. Manufacturing was second, claiming 13% of the graduates. These fields were followed by healthcare at 11% and financial services at 10%. Eight percent pursued work in tech. The average salary landed at $126,236 with average signing bonuses of $25,162.
Sixty-nine percent of IMD students took job opportunities in Europe, by far the most popular destination. MENA was a distant second, taking in 10% of the Class of 2021. Seven percent headed to Asia and six percent to the Americas.
Financing
The cost of tuition is CHF 80,000 with additional mandatory fees of CHF 17,500 that cover all program and project-related expenses for the MBA year. This includes the pre-program course; all books and learning materials; personalized business cards; leadership and career coaching, including 20 hours with a personal analyst ; weekday lunches and coffee breaks on-campus in Lausanne ; accommodation and travel expenses for all IMD-organized projects, and more . IMD estimates average housing and living expenses for a single person to be CHF 36,000.
About half of its MBA students receive a scholarship, and the school is committed to growing its scholarship opportunities.
Estimated Cost of Attendance
- Tuition & Fees: CHF 97,500
- Estimated Living Expenses: CHF 36,000
- Total CHG 133,500
Recent News
Contact
Mailing Address
Ch. de Bellerive 23
P.O. Box 915
CH-1001 Lausanne, Switzerland
Phone: 41-0-21-618-0111
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.imd.org
Blog: blogs.imd.org
X (Twitter): @IMD_Bschool