IMD EMBA admission

You demonstrate clear career progression, with a strong preference for international experience and responsibility. We look at how your responsibility has increased, the breadth and depth of the knowledge you have acquired in the workplace, and the impact you have made on your organization.

Are you an effective leader? Do you have what it takes to become one? We look for vision, courage, initiative, maturity, curiosity and self-confidence.

You have an undergraduate university degree or equivalent.

The GMAT or other aptitude tests are not required for admissions. Entry into the Mastery Stage of the program is dependent on the assessment taking place at the end of Advanced Management Concepts.

In order to maintain the highly international outlook of the IMD Executive MBA program, we look for candidates with cultural sensitivity, time spent living or working outside your own country, international scope of career, and/or knowledge of foreign languages.

English is the language of instruction. You must have a strong command of both written and spoken English.

The IMD Executive MBA program calls for a serious commitment from you and your sponsoring organization, which must be willing to serve as a “laboratory” for your learning. Although financial support of your organization is a matter to be decided between you and your company, IMD can give you tips and advice on how to pitch a win-win scenario to your company.

As soon as we receive applications, we review them and make acceptance decisions. This means that the class can fill up even several months in advance of the date it actually starts. We, therefore, recommend that you apply early. Typically, we respond to all applicants within 3 weeks.

We ask for three letters of recommendation, written in English. One letter should come from your sponsor, while the other two should come from individuals qualified to comment on your professional achievements and your career potential. The sponsor’s letter should be completed and signed by an executive who personally knows you and is familiar with the company’s future plans for you.

One of our key criteria in deciding whether to accept someone to the Executive MBA program is whether they will be able to contribute to the learning of everyone else in the class. The letters of recommendation give us an extra assessment of your overall personality, your business achievements, and your leadership capabilities, and as such are a critical part of the application. All information provided in the recommendation letter will be kept strictly confidential.

Candidates may be asked to come to IMD for an interview or to take part in a telephone or virtual interview. If an interview is required, you will be notified after we review your completed application. The Admissions Committee will conduct your interview and will make a final decision afterward.

Absolutely! We encourage you to visit to learn more about the school and the Executive MBA program. We endeavor to provide campus tours, and classroom visits whenever feasible, and can certainly arrange a meeting with either the program director or the program manager. You are welcome to visit at any time in the process.

In fact, we highly recommend that you come and see us before you submit your application. This can help you decide if the school and the program are right for you, and it can help us determine together if you are likely to be right for the program.

Please pay the program fee within 30 days of the invoice date and no later than the commencement of the program. If you register within 1 month of the start of the program, you must settle the invoice immediately without exception. Payment can be made by bank transfer or credit card.

Up to six weeks before the program start date, a Program Coordinator will contact you with information about pre-program preparation and hotel accommodation. Please note that IMD reserves enough rooms for each participant on the program. If accepted, you understand that you must be completely free of professional duties while attending this program and that you must attend all scheduled sessions and activities.

If you are admitted to the Executive MBA program but find that you are unable to attend, you must notify IMD in writing to either cancel or transfer to the next available session. In the case of cancellation, the CHF 10,000 deposit, plus any fees paid for program modules that have already started, is non-refundable. Additional cancellation and transfer fees may apply, as described below.

Whether you transfer or cancel before Foundations for Business Leadership (FBL), before Advanced Management Concepts (AMC) or before the mastery stage, the conditions are the same:

Up to 6 weeks before starting

• Cancellation: No cancellation fee.
• Transfer: No transfer fee.

From 6 weeks up to 11 days before starting

• Cancellation fee: 50% of the FBL, AMC or mastery stage fee.
• Transfer fee: 20% of the FBL, AMC or mastery stage fee.

Within 10 days before starting

• Cancellation fee: 100% of the FBL, AMC or mastery stage fee.
• Transfer fee: 100% of the FBL, AMC or mastery stage fee.

IMD Open program cancellation & transfer policy