Harvard Vs INSEAD: The Better B-school

INSEAD vs HBS

While being among the top five B schools for the past many years, there is a growing competition between the Harvard Business School (HBS) and the Institut Europeen d’Administration des Affaires (INSEAD) has been growing steadily and the two schools now see eye-to-eye in many respects. The subject of B-schools always gathers a lot of attention and speculation, and there is always the need for a more detailed and impartial analysis. So, here’s an analysis of which of the two top school is better, but first a few details about the lesser known INSEAD.

The European Institute of Business Administration was established in 1957 and started its first MBA graduate program in 1959. It has been consistently rated one of the top five business schools in the world, and the best business school outside the United States of America for the past four years by the Financial Times. Its one-year MBA programme was rated 2^nd in the world by Forbes in 2019. It is called the Business School of the World and boasts of students in 175 countries with 166 nationalities and a sixty thousand plus alumni. Its aim is to produce “value-driven business leaders with a global mindset”.

The first and the most important thing that differentiates INSEAD from HBS is the latter’s brand value. While INSEAD may beat the HBS in many fields currently or in the future, the brand value of the latter is unparalleled. Of the top echelons of most of the corporate giants of the US, HBS alumni make a significant proportion, and the network circles moves especially in favor of HBS graduates. INSEAD does not have much of a market standing in the US, and is more widely known in the Europe.

Second, on pay scales, HBS graduates definitely earn more than the INSEAD graduates, but the latter has more entrepreneurs than the former on a per capita basis and definitely does better producing entrepreneurs. But here again, the funding that the HBS graduates receive is much higher than the entrepreneurs of INSEAD. This too, eventually, comes down to the brand value of the two institutes.

Third, and one where INSEAD most definitely has an edge is the time and cost effectiveness. It offers a one-year MBA course, while HBS offers a full two-year course. In fact, INSEAD was the first institute in the world to start a one-year course in business administration. The fee structure of the INSEAD is much lower than the HBS. On top of that, about 30 percent of the students in INSEAD receive scholarships averaging 18,700 euros.

Fourth, INSEAD provides a diversity that is unmatched by any other B school. While the two schools provide nearly the same variety in choosing electives and specializations, INSEAD caters to a much larger group of diverse people from different countries and nationalities.

Fifth, the admission in Harvard is much more restricted and selective, and there are certainly fewer number of openings than INSEAD. By collaborating with major universities and business schools, INSEAD has created greater chances and greater accessibility for students seeking admission. Additionally, it has a shorter course duration which makes it much more convenient.

Sixth, the alumni of both of the institutes is illustrious and varied, but on closer inspection, INSEAD rightly wins the credit for greater gender balance, visible both in its alumni and students when compared with Harvard.

Seventh, Harvard is better with its exchange programmes and collaborations with business schools and corporates than INSEAD, which though has collaborations with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Kellogg School of Management, Paul H Nitze School of Advances International Studies Teachers College, John Hopkins University, CEIBA (China Europe International Business School) and the likes, lacks in the kind of enriching experiences Harvard can provide. But to counter for this loss, INSEAD mandates that the fifth period of the Careers Elective phase be spent at another of its institutes.

Eighth, and last, INSEAD is more focused on creating core competency while Harvard is aimed at creating overall excellence. The former is most certainly an institute than aims at imparting skills and a competitive edge for better employability.

In my opinion, thought for now Harvard is definitely better than INSEAD, in the future the latter is definitely going to lead the market in terms of creating the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders. And with the shifting arena of the corporates, skills and tact are definitely more important than the brand value of the B school an employee has attended. Outside the US and China, INSEAD is competitive with Harvard, but these two countries currently make up more than a dominant world stake in the global economy, but INSEAD has already started collaborations with American Universities, and is gaining momentum in the US. It is going to be the new style of learning that swiftly adapts to cater to the needs of an ever-changing economy.