As this report is published in 2025, we have a vantage point for viewing the first quarter of this millennium and assessing the impact of our donors over previous decades. Since 2000, scholarships have transformed the lives of more than 7,000 students. This powerful impact is linked to the exponential growth in the number of scholarship funds, which, since 2018, has almost doubled to over 175 today. As a result of this increase, scholarship holders now account for 40% of the 2024 cohorts, the highest percentage ever!
Thanks to our donors, this continuous growth is transforming the school’s capacity to attract and retain talent at every step. In marketing, scholarships boost our value proposition to thousands of possible candidates every year. With regular rises in tuition fees and loan interest rates, 80% of all prospective applicants consider financial aid a “must.” In an emerging phenomenon, scholarship applicants are no longer only from economically underprivileged backgrounds; those of greater means equally seek to reduce costs and gauge the school’s interest in them. In this fiercely competitive market for talent, scholarships empower INSEAD to respond to a wider, shifting audience and propose tangible offers to the most promising candidates.
At the admissions stage, scholarships raise the percentage of admitted applicants who enrol. This increase in yield applies particularly to women. By retaining exceptional women and talent from all backgrounds, donors are helping us maintain our hallmark of diversity, especially during global crises when financial aid is most sought after.
Giving to scholarships has far-reaching impact. It strengthens INSEAD’s position in rankings, such as the Financial Times MBA and Master in Management, by reinforcing criteria that include gender, citizenship, and sector diversity of students as well as value for money. Among the former scholarship recipients are leaders in government, several unicorn entrepreneurs, and managing directors and CEOs of a wide range of companies. Student and alumni growth in Asia, for example, is engendering the creation and rejuvenation of enterprises, adding to the prosperity of the region. And an overwhelming majority of INSEAD alumni are working to solve social, economic, and environmental issues. This immeasurable impact on the world is due, in no small measure, to scholarship gifts to INSEAD.
To learn more about the impact of scholarships at INSEAD - watch this video!
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Professor Mark Stabile |
