HEC Paris vs INSEAD

HEC Paris and INSEAD are among the most prestigious business schools with multicultural exposure and quality education for those aspiring to study in Europe. This blog navigates the crucial factors that will help you make the correct decision in selecting the best college.

Rankings across the Globe

Take a look at this comparison table based on worldwide rankings for INSEAD and HEC Paris:

Ranking Given	HEC Paris	INSEAD
Global MBA rank by QS World University Ranking	7	6
FT rank – Global MBA	19	3
Forbes MBA rank 2020 (International criteria)	2	2
Financial times 2021 global rank in MBA	9	3
Bloomberg Business 2021	52	25
The economist – 2019	3	22

Course Timing and Structure

HEC

MBA at HEC Paris is a 16-month (about two years) program and a 2-month summer internship. The course consists of two phases:

• The fundamental phase is an 8-month course covering subjects like business management, finance, policymaking, entrepreneurship, and accounting.
• Customised phase – Students can focus on their other aspirations for the rest of the eight months. Students can choose their electives from international exchanges, specialisations, and fieldwork. 

They undergo two intakes every year, in September and January, respectively.

INSEAD

The university of INSEAD offers a ten-month (1 year) course in MBA with multiple internships. The entire course contains five phases:

• The First 3 phases include courses such as financial accounting, organisational behaviour, corporate policy, finance, etc., about the worldwide economy.
• The latter 2 phases include customised courses with multiple electives over ten subject areas and the opportunity to go abroad.

They undergo two intakes in a year — January and September.

Campuses and Location

HEC is spread across campuses — one is in Paris and France. 

INSEAD runs on three campuses in Singapore, France, and Abu Dhabi.

Study Cost

HEC

• Both intakes charge an (about $10,731) €9,000 deposit, and you can pay the fees in two instalments.
• Tuition fees for Jan intake were (about $90,629) €76,000, and in September, intake was €78,000, i.e., about. US$93,014
• HEC Paris offers multiple internal scholarship schemes offering €1,000,000, i.e., about $1.9m of financial aid annually.
• They also encourage students and help them find funding resources from the country they belong to. They help students with regional funding and also help them with the best student loans.

INSEAD

• Tuition fees for the September 2021 and January 2022 intakes were €89,000 (about $106,132). Fees are paid in four instalments.
• The optional business foundations programme incurs the additional expense of around €1,500 (about US$1,789)
• INSEAD offers 100+ scholarships such that almost 30% of students enrol in one.
• Admitted students can apply for an ILP (International Loan Program) from Prodigy Finance and other external funding sources associated with INSEAD.

Candidate Eligibility Criterion

We strongly recommend checking the eligibility score of your profile before applying for any course. Every applicant who aspires to study at INSEAD or HEC Paris must fulfil the following requirements:

• The avg. GMAT score required for both universities is almost the same, i.e., 700.
• Both universities consider an avg. Six years of work experience as a criterion for eligibility.
• They also ask for certain prerequisite documents:

Application fee of €250 (about 298 USD and non-refundable)

Scores of GMAT/GRE

Certification in English language (TOEFL, IELTS, etc)

Professional LORs (2 or more)

Candidate’s CV/Resume

Academic mark sheets and certificates from all universities the student studied at

Placement 

HEC

1. 281+ participants cleared their MBA from HEC in the year 2021. 
2. 93% of the class accepted job offers within three months after graduating.
3. 78% of students were placed through on-campus offers.
4. The mean salary was $128,628 per year.
5. The highest salary went to candidates from consulting with an annual package of $130,387. Second comes consulting industry, with a mean salary of $117,255 per year.

INSEAD

1. 795 participants finished their MBA in Dec 2020 and July 2021.
2. 92% of students got a minimum of one offer within three months after graduating.
3. 50% got placed through alum recommendations and networking on-campus.
4. The mean salary per year was $ 113,900.
5. The consulting sector bagged the highest salary, followed by the financial services sector.

Which One is Better: INSEAD Or HEC

The above factors and data insights clearly state that INSEAD helps students who want to make their future in management or consulting. HEC should be ideal for finance aspirants. INSEAD will give you worldwide exposure. HEC is also ideal for those who study, stay and settle in Europe.

INSEAD has a bigger Alumni network that offers a broad range of opportunities. So, we discussed everything about the two topmost universities in Europe, HEC Paris vs INSEAD.

If you are aspiring to sign-up for an MBA abroad, especially in Europe, and need help — talk to experts at Leverage Edu.

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.