At a Glance
From the MBA Admissions Office
Important Updates to the Application Essays for MBA January 2026 intake
By Nancy Gabriel, Executive Director of Admissions, Scholarships & Financial Aid
We are pleased to announce that applications for the January 2026 intake (Class of December 2026) of the INSEAD MBA are now open. Along with this, we have some important updates to the application essays. Below, you'll find details on the changes and what’s new in the application process.
Please note: These updates apply only to the January 2026 intake application form.
What has changed?
We’ve refined the essay questions to help us better understand your motivations, leadership potential, and the unique value you’ll bring to the INSEAD MBA programme.
- Job description: This section has been condensed into two questions:
- The first asks you to describe your career progression since graduation, including your current role, responsibilities, and key achievements.
- The second focuses on your short- and long-term career goals, and how the INSEAD MBA will help you achieve them.
- Candid description of yourself (updated): We’ve enhanced this essay to focus on your strengths and weaknesses as a leader, with an emphasis on your self-awareness and development.
- Lessons learned from a highly stressful situation (updated): This prompt now places more focus on the lessons you’ve learned about yourself and others through a stressful experience, a key aspect of leadership growth.
- Describe your extra-professional activities: A new section allows you to elaborate on your extracurricular activities and explain how they’ve contributed to your personal growth.
- Anything else you would like to share: This optional essay remains unchanged.
The Kira video interview also continues to be an important part of the application process, allowing you to showcase your passions and interests alongside the usual questions.
Why these changes?
These enhancements are designed to give us deeper insights into your unique qualities and leadership potential, helping us better understand how you will succeed in the INSEAD MBA and beyond.
Detailed changes
- Updated job description prompts:
Question 1:
"Provide a summary of your career since graduating from university, explaining the rationale behind your key decisions and career progression. Include a description of your current (or most recent) role, covering the scope of your work, major responsibilities, employees under your supervision, budget size, clients/products, and any notable results achieved." (500 words maximum)
Question 2:
"Describe your short- and long-term career aspirations, including your target geography, industry, and function. How do you plan to bridge the gap between your current position and these goals, and how will INSEAD help you achieve them?" (300 words maximum)
- Updated essay prompt: A candid description of yourself
"Give a candid description of yourself as a person and a leader, emphasising the strengths and weaknesses you recognise in yourself. Explain how you are actively working on your development, sharing key experiences that have shaped you, providing specific examples where relevant." (500 words maximum) - Updated essay prompt: A highly stressful situation
"Describe a highly stressful situation you faced and how you managed it. What did this experience teach you about yourself and your interactions with others?" (400 words maximum)
- Additional question on extra-professional activities
"Describe the activities you listed above and explain how they have enriched your life (e.g., skills developed, personal growth, community impact)." (300 words maximum)
Ready to start your INSEAD journey? Begin your application today!
If you have any questions or would like personalised guidance on strengthening your application, feel free to reach out to our recruitment team. We look forward to learning more about you!
Sincerely,
Nancy Gabriel
Executive Director of Admissions, Scholarships & Financial Aid
