IMD Scholarships for Women in Switzerland (MBA)

IMD Scholarships

We aim to encourage high achievers from around the globe who don’t necessarily have the financial means to apply, but do have the potential, drive and passion that we are looking for. If you have the desire and ability to join the best group of 90, we want to help you.  

IMD is committed to fostering the growth in diversity through our merit and need-based MBA scholarships, which are awarded to candidates who have applied for and accepted an offer to join the IMD MBA program. These include one full scholarship and four 80% scholarships. In our current class, 63% of our women participants were awarded a scholarship.

For all scholarship applications (except the merit and CO-RO scholarships) you will need to submit our MBA Financial Aid form with the following supporting documents: yearly proof of salary, tax return form, latest bank account statements for all your bank accounts.

Scholarship Details

Please don’t forget to attach your Financial Aid Form for all scholarship applications other than Merit and Co-Ro (see above).

Scholarships awarded with specific application deadlines

Scholarship and Amount	Criteria and Profile
IMD Alumni Club of Lausanne Merit Scholarship CHF 50K	Apply for the Feb 1 admissions deadline. Awarded to the best all-round applicant from the February deadline, based on the application and assessment Recipient confirmed at the time of the admissions offer >> Read about the 2020 class winner
Forté Women Scholarships CHF 20K	Apply for the Feb 1 or May 1 admissions deadline. These merit scholarships are awarded to the two best female all-round applicants from either deadline, based on the application and assessment Recipient confirmed at the time of the admissions offer for the Feb or May deadlines >> Read about the 2020 class winners
Stewart Hamilton Scholarship CHF 50K	Apply for the Feb 1 or May 1 admissions deadline. Demonstrate corporate governance and ethics values based on a 750-word essay response to the case study ‘Hollinger and the Downfall of Conrad Black’. Essay: What, in your view, were the failings in the Hollinger corporate governance system? What personal learnings have you drawn from your analysis of the case study? Recipient confirmed by June 26 >> Read about the scholarship’s foundation
IMD MBA Class of 1976 Merit Scholarship CHF 50K	Apply for the May 1 admissions deadline. Awarded to the best all-round applicant from the May deadline, based on the application and assessment Recipient confirmed at the time of the admissions offer >> Read about the 2020 class winner

Scholarships awarded with all application deadlines

Scholarship and Amount	Criteria and Profile
Diversity Merit Scholarships CHF 30K	Awarded to one person from each deadline who demonstrates exceptional qualities throughout the admissions process and enhances the diversity of the class.
Merit Scholarships CHF 10-30K	Awarded to applicants who demonstrate exceptional qualities throughout the admissions process.
Financial Need Scholarships CHF 20-40K	Criteria: proven financial need, good academic results, strong reference letters, and steady career progression.

Recipients of all the above scholarships are confirmed at the time of the admissions offer.

External Donors – Application deadline: September 1

Scholarship and Amount	Criteria and Profile
NEW!! The Hilti Scholarship for Women CHF 25K	Preference given to a female engineer. Submit a 750-word essay on: “Construction is one of the biggest sectors globally. Its scale, ambition and competitiveness pushes suppliers to be highly innovative. Yet these companies are not seen as attractive employers for women. What can they do to change that perception?” Hilti Employees are not eligible to apply >> Read more about Hilti’s viewpoint
The CO-RO Foundation Scholarship CHF 85K	Full scholarship – tuition and fees. Criteria: be a national of Denmark Submit a 500-word motivation essay on: “Why should I be considered for this scholarship and how can I contribute to IMD’s MBA Program?”  >> Watch a video testimonial from CO-RO
The Staton Scholarship CHF 50K	Criteria: be a citizen of Latin America (excluding Brazil) and return for at least three years after graduation. Submit a 750-word essay on: “The role of entrepreneurs in moving my country forward and my contribution to that goal.” >> Watch a video testimonial from Woods Staton
The Nestlé Scholarship for Women CHF 25K	Preference given to women from developing countries. Submit a 750-word essay on: “Many have argued that greater diversity in the top management team of an organization is good for profits and customers. What would you recommend as ways to achieve greater diversity?” Employees of Nestlé or its subsidiaries are not eligible.

Recipients of scholarships awarded by external donors are announced mid-October.

Scholarship essays
Please use the IMD MBA Scholarship Template, respect the word limit and express your personal point of view in your own words, supported by proper citation if necessary.

Scholarships are granted subject to nomination by the scholarship selection committee, acceptance into the program and confirmation of your intention to participate in the program by paying the advance deposit.

IMD reserves the right not to award a scholarship if the criteria are not met to the satisfaction of the jury/sponsors.

Official website