IMD MBA: cost, salary and payback

Energy and manufacturing, not only consulting

Consulting is still the first destination, 27% of the class at an average of $144,659, but the next sectors are industrial ones. Manufacturing took 18% at $110,669, technology 16% at $139,163, and energy 9% at $152,748, the highest average of any named sector in the report. Finance is small at 11% and pays $106,511. That energy figure puts IMD first of 8 in our energy ranking, and its product management roles rank it first of 13 by job function; for general management it is 6 of 24.

All these figures are averages of total compensation, bonuses included, converted by the school into nominal dollars; IMD says the overall figure equals roughly CHF 110,000. The career page also shows a larger dollar figure adjusted for purchasing power, which is the one quoted in its banners: the calculator uses the nominal one.

A slower job search, for a smaller class

70% of graduates accepted an offer within three months, the lowest rate among the schools on this site that publish one. Most participants switch role, industry or country, which can lengthen a search; the payback above assumes a job from the first month after graduation, so a slower start lengthens it. 71% of those placed work in Europe, Switzerland included, which ranks IMD 6 of 16 for working in Europe; 15% went to Asia and 7% to the Middle East and Africa. The school publishes no list of employers.

Scholarships for almost half the class

The class of 2026 has 90 participants from 34 countries. IMD says nearly half of its students received a scholarship from the school, and that more than half of its awards go to women, who are 34% of the current class. It does not publish an average amount. A scholarship comes off the CHF 80,000 tuition, not off the fees or the living budget. The tool below shows by how much for the reference person.