Constantly ranked #1 as the best European business school, HEC Paris MBA program is among the top choices of business students across the globe. HEC Paris was ranked #9 by the Financial Times in 2020 under Global MBA Ranking. HEC alumni consist of 12 CEOs of F500 companies, more than any other business schools in the world, and third institution only to Harvard & Stanford.
In 2017, The Economist ranked the HEC alumni network as the second-most powerful alumni network in the world. With renowned alumni like Edith Cresson & Paul Reynand (Former Prime Ministers of France), Francois Komara (Former President of France), Jean-Paul Agon (Chairman & CEO of L’Oreal), Pierre Bellon (Chairman of Sodexo) & others, HEC Paris indeed consists of several influential alumni. According to the batch profile of 2021, 94% of the students from the batch size of 281 are international students representing 55 countries. The average age of the students is 30 years, and the percentage of women students in the class is at 34%. Here in this article, we shall let you know every detail you’ll need about the HEC Paris MBA Program:
The curriculum for the HEC Paris MBA program is one of a kind. There are a total of 4 terms in a 16-month program. The first 8-months is known as a fundamental phase where the core subjects are taught to the students to help them gain the necessary managerial skills required to transform business performance. Some of the core subjects taught in the first 8-months are Managerial Economics, Financial Accounting, Statistics Business Analytics, Corporate Finance, Ethics & sustainability, Operation Management, Organizational behavior, etc.
The remaining 8-months of the program is known as a customized phase, where students have the liberty to choose among different electives, double degree options, international exchange programs, & real-world projects. The customized phase helps you to gain experience in different things & hone your abilities in a specific sector.
Following are the eligibility criteria for studying the HEC Paris MBA Program:
-Bachelors in any discipline:
There’s no cutoff for your class 12th marks or graduate GPA. You just need to have an undergraduate degree.
Even the need for an undergraduate degree can be waived, if:
- a) You have the transcript of your secondary education and a minimum of 5 years of work experience with at least 3-years in a managerial position.
- b) You’re an athlete & have represented your country at National Level.
-Work Experience:
A minimum of 2 years of work experience is required for you to apply for the HEC Paris MBA Program. The admission jury looks for your professional experience & career progression, hence a quality professional experience can help you pave your path towards HEC Paris MBA. The average work experience of the class profile is generally 6-years.
-Exams:
A valid GMAT or GRE score is a must requirement. Although there’s no minimum score requirement, the school encourages students to submit a GMAT score of above 60 percentile in quants & verbal, and GRE score of above 65 percentile in quants & verbal. International students are also required to take the English Proficiency Tests like TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, PTE, or Cambridge English Exam if their native language is non-English.
The school follows a minimum score requirement in these exams which are as follows:
TOEFL: 100 Internet based/600 paper-based.
TOEIC: 340 in speaking & writing, 850 in listening & reading.
IELTS: 7.0 with 65 on each part of the test.
PTE: 72
Cambridge English Test: 185 with a minimum of 176 on each part of the test.
Course Fee
The 16-month tuition fee of the HEC Paris MBA program comes at around €72,500. A deposit of €9,000 is to be made at the time of admission, and the remaining amount can be paid in two installments of €38,000 & €25,000. Along with the tuition fees, the other estimated expenses of the 16-month program comes at around €24,945, which includes accommodation & meals (€15,925), books (€1,000), transportation (€4,700), HEC member council membership (€130) and other miscellaneous expenses of €3,200.
The school offers over €1,000,000 in financial aid to students every year. Once selected & admitted into the program, all the applicants are eligible to apply for the scholarships. The scholarship can be Merit-based, Criteria-based, or according to the applicant’s financial condition. Depending upon the type of scholarship, candidates need to submit an essay or appear for the interview.
Apart from this, there are numerous regional financial aid & scholarships. In India, various banks provide loans to students for studying abroad. Some of the prominent scholarships for Indian students include JN Tata Scholarship, KC Mahindra Scholarship, National Overseas Scholarship, & Sahu Jain Trust Scholarship. The French Embassy of India also provides financial support to high-potential students willing to study in France.
From the very beginning of the MBA program, a great deal of focus is given to the student’s career. Students are made placement ready by several activities like regular career workshops, case competitions, formal & informal events with alumni, seminars/Q&A sessions with industry leaders, etc. The graduating batch of 2019 bagged an average annual salary of $128,206 with an average sign-on bonus of $24,423.
Reportedly, 92% of the class accepted job offers within 3-months of graduation. 84% of the students changed their sector, 70% changed their function, & around 64% changed their job location.
The top 3 recruiting industry were:
Consulting 27%
Financial Service 19%
Technology 16%
Some of the top recruiters were:
Amazon
Bain & Company
McKinsey & Company
PwC
The Boston Consulting Group
Uber Inc
Microsoft
L’Oreal
You can check the details here.
Application Process
HEC Paris follows a five-week application process system. Here we list everything you need to know before applying for the HEC Paris MBA program:
- Online Application
Including
-Transcripts
-Copies of passport or Birth certificate
-2 LOR
-Completed Essay (5-6)
-Professional Resume
-Official GMAT/GRE score
-English Language Test
-Application Fee of €200
- Pre Selection Jury:
After you apply, it gets evaluated by the admissions committee. The application is judged based on your academics, professional experiences, essays, & letter of recommendations.
- Two interviews with HEC Paris Alumni:
If your application is given a green signal by the pre-selection jury members, you will be interviewed by the HEC alumni. The interview will consist of a 10-minute oral presentation on a topic of your choice, followed by an in-depth discussion on your application.
- Final Decision:
The interviewers then prepare an interview report & send it to the admissions jury, where your application is evaluated again, and a final decision is made.
Essay Details
Unlike other business schools, HEC Paris asks the applicants to submit a total of 5-6 essays. These essays play a crucial role in your application evaluation process. These many essays aim to know the applicant’s objective, goals, accomplishments, and other key aspects. Last year, students were asked to submit the following essays:
Essay 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 words max.)
Essay 2. What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words max.)
Essay 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 words max.)
Essay 4. Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words max.)
Essay 5. Please choose from one of the following essays. (250 words max.):
- 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 analyze it.
- c) What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc.)
Essay 6: Please describe your immediate career goals following your NBA including location (200 words)
Essay 7. Optional: Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words max.)
With the lowest acceptance rates of 5%, the application process of HEC Paris may exhaust you, considering the number of essays you’ve got to submit but if you get accepted into this school, all this exhaustion will be worth it.
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