TL;DR: IESE does not publish an official acceptance rate. GMAC lists the IESE MBA acceptance rate at 26% in its July 2026 review and notes that schools outside the United States have not released official figures since 2019. What IESE does publish is a class profile: more than 370 students, 89% international students, 38% women, an average age of 29 and 5.4 years of work experience, with a GMAT range of 545 to 715 on the current exam. The program fee for the September 2027 intake is €117,000. For that intake, Round 2 closes January 7, 2027, Round 3 closes March 9, 2027 and Round 4 closes May 6, 2027 (Sources: IESE Business School MBA class profile and admissions and fees pages; GMAC review of MBA acceptance rates, July 2026). If you are deciding whether IESE belongs on your list beside US programs, Oriel Admissions builds MBA application strategy on this data: schedule a consultation.
What Is the IESE MBA Acceptance Rate?
IESE Business School does not print an acceptance rate, and it does not publish the number of applications it receives. The IESE MBA acceptance rate in circulation is 26%. It comes from the GMAC review of acceptance rates at the top ten schools in the 2026 Financial Times Global MBA Ranking, published in July 2026.
The same review states that schools outside the United States either do not publish official figures or have not released any since 2019. So the 26% is a reference point, not a current statistic. What you can verify directly is the class profile.
| What IESE publishes | MBA class profile |
|---|---|
| Class size | More than 370 students |
| International students | 89% |
| Countries represented | More than 50 |
| Women | 38% |
| Average age | 29 |
| Work experience | 5.4 years |
| GMAT range (current exam) | 545 to 715 |
| Applications received | Not published |
| Acceptance rate | Not published |
How Does the IESE MBA Acceptance Rate Compare With Other Top Schools?
In the GMAC review, IESE sits in the middle of the European group: above HEC Paris, London Business School and Esade, and below INSEAD.
| School | Acceptance rate in the GMAC review | Status of the figure |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford GSB | 6.8% | Updated in 2026; outside the FT top ten |
| Harvard Business School | 11.2% | Updated in 2026 |
| HEC Paris | 18% | Unofficial or not updated since 2019 |
| Wharton | 18.6% | Updated in 2026 |
| MIT Sloan | 18.8% | Updated in 2026 |
| London Business School | 20% | Dates from 2019 |
| Esade | 20% | Dates from 2019 |
| Berkeley Haas | 21.4% | Updated in 2026 |
| IESE | 26% | Unofficial or not updated since 2019 |
| INSEAD | 30% | Unofficial or not updated since 2019 |
| CEIBS | Around 30% | Unofficial or not updated since 2019 |
Read the table with its limits in mind. The US figures were updated in 2026 and the European ones were not. A 26% IESE MBA acceptance rate is also not a sign of an easy admit. IESE states that the Financial Times ranked its MBA second in Europe and fourth in the world in 2026. For the US side of the comparison, our guide to what the M7 schools publish works from the application and enrollment counts each school reports.
What GMAT or GRE Score Do You Need for IESE?
IESE publishes a range, not an average. The class profile gives a GMAT acceptance score range of 545 to 715 on the current exam and 580 to 750 on the previous version. The GMAT or GRE is mandatory for all candidates. IESE accepts scores from the current and previous GMAT editions if they are no older than five years, and it assesses them using the percentile tables published by GMAC. If you have taken both editions, IESE asks you to submit both scores.
The school says test results are important but are not the sole deciding factor. Personality, motivation, goals, leadership abilities and communication skills are also taken into account. If you are not a native English speaker, you also need an English test, with a recommended score of TOEFL 100 or IELTS 7.5.
A range tells you where the floor and ceiling of admitted scores sit, not where the middle is. If your score is near 545, the rest of your file has to carry more weight. Our GMAT prep guide covers how to plan a retake around a round deadline.
Who Gets Into the IESE MBA?
The class profile shows more than 370 students from more than 50 countries, with 89% international students, 38% women, an average age of 29 and 5.4 years of work experience. Most of the class, 60%, has three to six years of experience, and another 30% has six to ten years.
| Geographic origin | Share of the class |
|---|---|
| Latin America | 26% |
| Europe (including Spain at 11%) | 26% |
| Asia Pacific | 24% |
| North America | 19% |
| Middle East and Africa | 5% |
For a US applicant, North America accounts for 19% of the class, so you will be read against a sizable group of candidates with similar backgrounds. By prior sector, 45% of the class comes from the corporate sector, 30% from the financial sector and 25% from consulting.
How Much Does the IESE MBA Cost?
The admissions and fees page lists a total of €117,000 for the September 2027 intake. That is a non-refundable commitment fee of €10,000, a first year payment of €48,500 due by October 15, 2027 and a second year payment of €58,500 due by September 25, 2028. The commitment fee is deducted from the total. The application fee is €200.
IESE describes the MBA as a Traditional or Flexible track that spans 15 or 19 months, based in Barcelona. That is longer than the one year programs at INSEAD, Oxford or Cambridge, so plan for more time out of work. IESE offers scholarships and loan programs, and both are worth researching before you apply.
What Are the IESE MBA Deadlines for the September 2027 Intake?
IESE runs four rounds. The dates below are for the MBA Class of 2029, which starts in September 2027. IESE labels them as expected dates.
| Round | Application deadline | Interview decision by | Final decision by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | September 23, 2026 | October 9, 2026 | November 23, 2026 |
| Round 2 | January 7, 2027 | January 22, 2027 | March 15, 2027 |
| Round 3 | March 9, 2027 | March 19, 2027 | April 30, 2027 |
| Round 4 | May 6, 2027 | May 14, 2027 | June 11, 2027 |
The process has six steps: the online application, an admissions pre-committee, a personal interview, an Assessment Day, the Admissions Committee and the admission decision. The online application includes mandatory essays, one letter of recommendation, a CV, official transcripts and your GMAT or GRE score.
It also includes a video essay with four questions. The link arrives within 24 hours after you submit the written application and pay the fee, it expires 48 hours after you receive it, and the videos must be done by the round deadline. IESE recommends submitting the written section a few days ahead of the deadline for that reason.
Our guides to the core pillars of an MBA application, the one page MBA resume and the weakness question in MBA interviews cover the main components, and our guide to building an MBA school list covers how a European program fits beside US options.
How Do Other European MBA Programs Compare?
None of the leading European business schools publishes a current acceptance rate, so the useful comparison is what each one does publish about its class, its fees and its calendar. We cover the others school by school: the INSEAD acceptance rate, the London Business School acceptance rate, the HEC Paris acceptance rate, the Oxford MBA acceptance rate and the Cambridge MBA acceptance rate. We also cover the IE Business School acceptance rate, and our guide to the best MBA programs in Europe compares all seven schools side by side.
Frequently Asked Questions About the IESE MBA Acceptance Rate
IESE does not publish an official acceptance rate. GMAC lists it at 26 percent in its July 2026 review of the top ten schools in the Financial Times ranking. GMAC also notes that schools outside the United States either do not publish official figures or have not released any since 2019, so the figure is a reference point and not a current statistic.
No. IESE publishes a class profile with class size, the share of international students, the share of women, average age, work experience and a GMAT range. It does not publish applications received or offers made, so an admit rate cannot be computed from official data.
IESE publishes a GMAT acceptance score range of 545 to 715 on the current exam and 580 to 750 on the previous version. It does not publish an average. The GMAT or GRE is mandatory for all candidates, and scores must be no older than five years.
The class profile shows more than 370 students from more than 50 countries. International students make up 89 percent of the class and women make up 38 percent. The average age is 29 and the average work experience is 5.4 years.
The total for the September 2027 intake is 117,000 euros. That includes a non-refundable commitment fee of 10,000 euros, a first year payment of 48,500 euros and a second year payment of 58,500 euros. The application fee is 200 euros.
For the September 2027 intake, Round 1 closed on September 23, 2026. Round 2 closes on January 7, 2027, Round 3 on March 9, 2027 and Round 4 on May 6, 2027. Final decisions follow by November 23, 2026, March 15, 2027, April 30, 2027 and June 11, 2027.
IESE describes the MBA as a Traditional or Flexible track that spans 15 or 19 months. The program is based in Barcelona, with overseas options, and the next intake starts in September 2027.
An online application with mandatory essays, one letter of recommendation, a CV, official transcripts, a GMAT or GRE score and a video essay with four questions. Shortlisted candidates then have a personal interview and attend an Assessment Day before the Admissions Committee decides.
Sources: IESE Business School, MBA Class Profile; IESE Business School, MBA Admissions and Fees; IESE Business School, MBA Program Overview; GMAC, Review of Acceptance Rates at the Top Ten Business Schools (July 2026).
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