EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN APPLYING FOR A MASTER AT HEC PARIS, FRANCE

Here, we tell you everything you need to know about business school HEC Paris, their master’s programs, and the admission criteria (GMAT) for applying to one of their master's programs.  

HEC Paris

HEC Paris is one of the oldest and most prestigious and selective business schools in France. Not surprisingly, the school is consistently ranked among the best business schools in the world in all media and programs. For example, the Financial Times ranked HEC Paris as the best business school in Europe in 2021.

The school offers Master in Management, MSc International Finance, MBA and EMBA programs, specialized MSc's, PhD's and executive education. Their Master in Management has been consistently ranked #2 worldwide since 2014 and their Master in International Finance is ranked number one worldwide. (FT Rankings)

Master in Management

In order to be eligible for the Master in Management at HEC Paris, you must hold a bachelor’s degree of at least three years having obtained 180 ECTS in any field of studies. You may apply in the same year you obtain your degree.

You must also turn in a GMAT score, unless you are applying for one of their Double Degree programs where specific criteria apply. No minimum scores are required for HEC master's programs. But for their Master in Management, there was only room for 250 high potentials with an average GMAT score of 708 in the class of 2021. Therefore, we advise you to get as high a score as possible (above 700) if you want to maximize your chances.

You can apply for the Management master's degree in two ways. Either directly through HEC or through Join a School in France. Join a School in France is a French governmental institution that allows international students who have a bachelor’s degree obtained outside of France to apply to the Master in Management of 5 Grandes Ecoles (including HEC) through a simplified application procedure. You may choose only one option. If you apply directly to HEC, you cannot apply through Join a School in France, and vice versa.

There are four admission rounds in which you can apply to the Master of Management as a student. These rounds are in October, January, March and April. It is important to keep in mind that the round 1 admission dates differ when applying directly through HEC or through Join a School in France. 

CEMS Master in International Management

CEMS is a global alliance of 34 leading business schools, multinational corporations and NGOs that together offer the CEMS Master in International Management. The CEMS master’s in international management is a joint degree program that can be pursued at any of the academic member schools around the world, including HEC Paris. Upon completing the program, you will be awarded both the CEMS Master in Management degree and the HEC Master in Management - Grande Ecole degree. The CEMS Master in Management joint degree is mainly available to students specializing in International Business, but there are also certain places available to students specializing in Accounting & Financial Management and Managerial and Financial Economics.

Master in International Finance

For the Master in International Finance at HEC Paris there are no minimum GMAT scores required. The median GMAT score for the 97 students enrolled in this master's program in 2021 was 710. Similar performance is expected from candidates submitting GMAT scores. While the HEC admissions committee certainly looks at GMAT scores, you should be aware that the two main criteria they screen applicants on are transcripts and resume.

There are also four rounds of admissions in which students can apply for the Master in International Finance. These rounds are as well in October, January, March and April. 

What if you have a low GMAT score?

The HEC admissions committee will evaluate all elements of your application, so it is important that you make each element as strong as possible. An average GMAT test may be offset by other positives in your application dossier. In some situations, HEC Paris may ask for a resit of the management test. If you have made the test multiple times, the admissions committee will only consider your highest score when evaluating your application.

Nevertheless, we recommend that you increase your chances of admission to a master's program at HEC Paris by striving for the highest possible GMAT-score immediately. Therefore, we have developed several courses to help you achieve the desired score.