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Vaidya
Joined: 02 Oct 2016
Last visit: 10 Sep 2025
Posts: 32
Given Kudos: 20
Location: India
Schools: HEC Dec '17 (D) IE (A) INSEAD Jan'23 intake
GMAT 1: 740 Q49 V42
24 Jul 2020, 02:45
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hello,
Tried searching the forums but I couldn't really find a close match to my situation so thought I'd put this question out for the enlightened ones out there.
I am a prospective applicant to INSEAD for the Jan '22 intake. I wanted to understand whether I meet the eligibility criteria for application since I don't have an undergrad degree.
Context:
27, Indian Male, Non-IT.
Qualifications - Chartered Accountant or CA (Indian equivalent of a CPA - top 1% ile), No undergrad degree.
GMAT 740 (Q49, V42)
Work experience in chronological order
1. 3 years - EY (Big4) Audit - Staff Accountant / Full time apprentice (Mandatory part of the CA Curriculum)
2. 1 year - Investment Analyst at an Education-focused PE Fund.
3. 4 months - Investment Professional at a Seed Stage VC find
4. 1.5 years (current) - Strategy and Corporate Development for a $500M financial services company in India. Part of the founding team.
Question - Will my CA qualification be considered an acceptable substitute for an undergrad degree?
From INSEAD's page:
Academic foundation: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognised college or university (although in exceptional circumstances, we may waive this requirement for outstanding candidates with substantial professional experience). Many of our applicants have advanced degrees but this is not compulsory. To assess your academic background, we consider the competitiveness of the institution you attended and your academic performance.
For those who don't know - The CA takes 3.5-4 years of study to complete at the minimum and also includes a 3-year mandatory full-time apprenticeship.
I wrote to INSEAD to understand whether having the CA qualification would make me eligible to apply (Seemed like an awful lot of effort to go through the entire application process only to find out that I don't meet the bare minimum requirements).
This was the response I received - "Thanks for your email. This will be reviewed in a case by case basis so if you wish you apply I recommend you to attach that certification in supporting documents."
Honestly, I have zero experience with MBA applications so I'm not sure what to expect and how to proceed not knowing whether I'm eligible.
I would greatly appreciate any feedback or thoughts from you guys. I've tried to provide as much context as possible.
Thank you!
Additional context: Why I don't have an undergrad degree
In India, someone from a non-science background in high school typically looks at Commerce/Economics for undergraduate studies. In my case, commerce was my preferred choice. The natural choice for those inclined towards commerce is a B.Com (3-year Bachelors in Commerce). However, this course, in general, does not provide lucrative employment opportunities post-completion. Naturally, many go on to pursue Chartered Accountancy (more advanced) after their Bachelors.
In my case, it was clear that spending 3 years doing an undergrad degree was a waste of time when I could directly commence CA after high school (subject to clearing entry tests). It was a no brainer - spend an extra 6-12 months (over and above the time it would take to do a Bachelors) to get an advanced qualification that would actually mean something. And this is what I did.
Tried searching the forums but I couldn't really find a close match to my situation so thought I'd put this question out for the enlightened ones out there.
I am a prospective applicant to INSEAD for the Jan '22 intake. I wanted to understand whether I meet the eligibility criteria for application since I don't have an undergrad degree.
Context:
27, Indian Male, Non-IT.
Qualifications - Chartered Accountant or CA (Indian equivalent of a CPA - top 1% ile), No undergrad degree.
GMAT 740 (Q49, V42)
Work experience in chronological order
1. 3 years - EY (Big4) Audit - Staff Accountant / Full time apprentice (Mandatory part of the CA Curriculum)
2. 1 year - Investment Analyst at an Education-focused PE Fund.
3. 4 months - Investment Professional at a Seed Stage VC find
4. 1.5 years (current) - Strategy and Corporate Development for a $500M financial services company in India. Part of the founding team.
Question - Will my CA qualification be considered an acceptable substitute for an undergrad degree?
From INSEAD's page:
Academic foundation: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognised college or university (although in exceptional circumstances, we may waive this requirement for outstanding candidates with substantial professional experience). Many of our applicants have advanced degrees but this is not compulsory. To assess your academic background, we consider the competitiveness of the institution you attended and your academic performance.
For those who don't know - The CA takes 3.5-4 years of study to complete at the minimum and also includes a 3-year mandatory full-time apprenticeship.
I wrote to INSEAD to understand whether having the CA qualification would make me eligible to apply (Seemed like an awful lot of effort to go through the entire application process only to find out that I don't meet the bare minimum requirements).
This was the response I received - "Thanks for your email. This will be reviewed in a case by case basis so if you wish you apply I recommend you to attach that certification in supporting documents."
Honestly, I have zero experience with MBA applications so I'm not sure what to expect and how to proceed not knowing whether I'm eligible.
I would greatly appreciate any feedback or thoughts from you guys. I've tried to provide as much context as possible.
Thank you!
Additional context: Why I don't have an undergrad degree
In India, someone from a non-science background in high school typically looks at Commerce/Economics for undergraduate studies. In my case, commerce was my preferred choice. The natural choice for those inclined towards commerce is a B.Com (3-year Bachelors in Commerce). However, this course, in general, does not provide lucrative employment opportunities post-completion. Naturally, many go on to pursue Chartered Accountancy (more advanced) after their Bachelors.
In my case, it was clear that spending 3 years doing an undergrad degree was a waste of time when I could directly commence CA after high school (subject to clearing entry tests). It was a no brainer - spend an extra 6-12 months (over and above the time it would take to do a Bachelors) to get an advanced qualification that would actually mean something. And this is what I did.
Archived INSEAD Discussion
Hi there,
You've stumbled upon an old discussion from our INSEAD Forum
that's now outdated and has been archived. No more replies are possible here.
Interested in current discussions? Feel free to dive into our dedicated INSEAD Forum
for all fresh things related to the INSEAD MBA program.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!
24 Jul 2020, 03:49
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hey, better ask the school providing your details, but I believe that despite the lack of bachelor the CA+GMAT and work experience may be sufficient.
Not sure how strict they are though.
Regars,
Pablo
Posted from my mobile device
Not sure how strict they are though.
Regars,
Pablo
Vaidya
Posted from my mobile device
Vaidya
Joined: 02 Oct 2016
Last visit: 10 Sep 2025
Posts: 32
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 20
Location: India
Schools: HEC Dec '17 (D) IE (A) INSEAD Jan'23 intake
GMAT 1: 740 Q49 V42
24 Jul 2020, 23:38
Kudos
Bookmarks
I did write to INSEAD but the response wasn't very useful. They said they would review it on a case-by-case basis once I apply.
