Full-Time MBA Program –
New Horizons for Your Career
Program Overview
Program Start
- September
Program Length
- 15-21 months
Language of Instruction
- 100% English
Credits
- Advanced Track: 120 ECTS
- Fast Track: 90 ECTS
Application Deadlines
- May 31 (Non-EU)
- June 30 (EU)
- Early Bird rates available
Discover what the future has in store for you
A Master of Business Administration can open new doors for your personal and professional development. Whether you’re looking to shoot up the career ladder, to reinvent yourself in a new function or industry, or to get an entry into a new job market, an MBA from our business schoolcan get you there. And you will have a memorable experience, grow as a person and make connections for life in the process.
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FT Master in Management Ranking 2022
Reach new horizons: Learn to navigate the challenges of tomorrow in our open and diverse learning environment that combines functional subjects, soft skills, practical experience, and personal growth.
Discover the HHL spirit
You cannot grasp it, and yet it is everywhere: the HHL spirit. Our HHL spirit turns your studies into a unique experience.
The small and tight-knit community of students, alumni, professors and staff from around the world creates a community spirit that lives on after graduation.
Six reasons why you should choose HHL’s MBA Program
Become an excellent leader
At HHL we equip you with the skills, knowledge and tools to best manage teams in the volatile and unpredictable business world the future holds in store.
We prepare you for the challenges of tomorrow.
Focus on your strengths
The best precondition to succeed is to work with your talents. We help you identify your top strengths, your personality type and your purpose, so you can pursue a meaningful and successful career.
Upgrade your skills
Our MBA program does not only give you a solid foundation of business know-how like strategy, accounting and finance. It also strengthens soft skills like negotiation, intercultural communication, problem solving and creativity.
Take your career to new horizons
Our top-ranked Career Development team will help you map out a career strategy that will help those job offers pour in – from application prep to mock interviews, we are by your side!
Benefit from a supportive and diverse network
The open-minded HHL community provides a warm and enriching environment. Our students, alumni, staff and faculty are like an extended family you can reach out to for support, guidance, or to exchange ideas.
Experience a life-changing journey
The MBA student experience in Germany’s most dynamic city will give you new perspectives, new challenges and the freedom to choose where to take your life next. Don’t miss out on the adventure of a lifetime!
Chat with our students
Our student ambassadors are here to share their experiences of HHL and to answer any questions you may have about their HHL journey, their student life and their advice on how to make the most of your studies. Simply browse our list of ambassadors and choose the student of the program you are interested in and start the conversation.
N.B. Please contact Ellen, your program consultant, for questions about the application process and fees and financing.
Open new doors for your career!
The MBA program at HHL unleashes your potential for a promising career in Germany and beyond. The MBA allows you to quickly settle into an upward career path in the German and global job market, while also offering an exceptional Return on Investment. Our graduates find that their investment pays of in just three years. We call that “Low risk, high reward”! Want to know more?
Career development
Tailored support for your career
With passion and commitment, and our famous personal touch, HHL’s top-ranked Career Development team we will help you pave the way for a successful and fulfilling career. We will help you identify your strengths, develop your skills and systematically focus on reaching your professional goals. How do we do this?
For international students
Did you know that Germany’s visa regulations are very favorable for international students looking to enter the German job market? After completing your studies, you can apply for a range of options, including:
- 18 months job seeker visa, which gives you plenty of time to find the right career path for you,
- a work permit if you already have an offer,
- apply for an 18 months job-seeker visa, which gives you plenty of time to find the right career path for you, especially considering our graduates’ employment rates.
Want to learn more about your post-MBA visa options?
Contacts are everything!
Having an extensive network is invaluable in today’s world. Whether it acts as a support system or opens the door for your next step on the ladder of your career – knowing the right people is the key to success.
HHL alumni become part of your learning experience as guest lecturers, are available to answer career-related questions, and support the new HHL generation with their know-how, experience, and insider tips for the job search. Many alumni become mentors to HHL students. They make it possible for students to visit their companies, provide opportunities for gaining valuable practical insights, and establish connections to important contacts and decision-makers.
After seeing Bertelsmann’s on-campus presentation at HHL and learning how interested they are in international profiles, I approached the company representative at the get-together afterwards to learn about internship opportunities in HR. One thing leads to another, and I ended up landing an internship in Talent Management at Bertelsmann’s corporate headquarters. This internship turned into a job offer. My first day of work was actually coming to HHL to do a company presentation – talk about full circle! Several years later I’m now Director, Employer Branding & Talent Acquisition, and still visiting HHL once a year to get to know the latest generation of students.
At HHL, I learned how to form a strong team by bringing together different people with different backgrounds and skill sets. HHL’s diverse MBA community was pivotal in teaching me the value of multiple perspectives.
I believe without my MBA it would have been difficult for me to stand out among all other applicants. The HHL MBA gave me confidence that I would be able to perform well in the role at Volkswagen and this definitely shone through during my interview.
My advice? Accept who and what you don’t know, as often in your career, you will be faced with questions and uncertainties. It’s wise to say you don’t know, and it’s perfectly fine that you don’t. Learn something new. Push yourself in areas that you’ve not yet explored, incite and search for constant learning.
It is never too late to start pursuing what is important to you. Being a mother in your mid-20s does not mean that your education and career end. Don’t think you have to trade-off between career and family life.
The MBA program for your success in the management of the future!
Business is changing at an increasing rate, and with change come new challenges. Management and leadership in times of digital transformation demand new approaches. If you want to lead a company to success in a volatile and unpredictable world, you require brand new management competencies and skills. Your studies at HHL will equip you with all the tools to become a responsible leader and effective manager – be it in an international company, a reputable consultancy, or an innovative startup.
Fast Track or Advanced Track? 15 or 21 months? Our MBA program revolves entirely around your individual career goals and your personal growth.
Program Structure
Our MBA program will not only deepen your understanding of state-of-the-art business management concepts, but also strengthen the skills to ensure your success in management in the digital and fast-paced future. Creativity, problem-solving skills, perseverance, leadership and intercultural management; these are just a few of the skills that empower HHL graduates to drive innovation and to take the risks necessary to manage successfully in the rapidly changing business landscape.
At HHL your personal growth is at the center because we believe this is fundamental for professional advancement. You will be challenged on all levels to reach your true potential. The MBA program at HHL is divided into the following segments:
1. The Welcome Weeks
1. The Welcome Weeks: Where your HHL adventure begins!
The Welcome Weeks offer a plunge into the HHL spirit. Through a range of intercultural team-building activities, you will embark on your unforgettable HHL adventure. You will get to know classmates from all of our programs and from all corners of the world and lay the foundation for a powerful network of contacts that will support you not only through your studies but far beyond. Refresher courses on business management fundamentals will also ease you into the program, and an initial introduction to the Leipzig Leadership Model will begin your transformation into the future leader of your aspirations.
2. General Management Essentials
2. General Management Essentials: The key qualifications of tomorrow
Here you lay the foundation for your management career. Three pillars impart a balanced mix of fundamental and state-of-the-art management knowledge.
3. General Management Electives
3. General Management Electives: Tailored to your needs
Our Electives will allow you to focus on those topics that will benefit your personal and professional development most. If you opt for the Fast Track you choose 2 out of 8. In the Advanced Track you select at least 3 Electives:
4. Customization Modules
4. Customization Modules: Gain practical and international experience
In the Advanced Track you have a number of options at no additional cost:
Additional highlight: German language courses
Are you an international student looking to launch your career in Germany after your MBA studies? Then German skills will give you a large advantage! HHL, therefore, offers you the possibility to learn German throughout the program with our tailored language courses offered for all levels. For those particularly committed students among you, we also offer an intensive beginner’s German course in August, prior to the start of the MBA program. For further questions and German course registration, please send an e-mail to germancourse@hhl.de
Term abroad
The world is your oyster at HHL!
International competencies are essential for successful managers, consultants, entrepreneurs and executives in an increasingly globalized world. This is why HHL prioritizes maintaining global partnerships. Whether it’s New York, Paris, Moscow, Stockholm, Singapore, Hong Kong or Sydney; a term abroad at one of our 140 global partner universities will give you an exciting change of perspective. The HHL team will guide you before, during and after your term abroad. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to explore new countries and new cultures and to expand your own international network.
Double Degree Option
Aside from your term abroad, you have the option of receiving an additional degree from one of our global network of partner universities. Don’t worry, there’s no need to decide on your international options just yet! You can take your time until the end of the first term at HHL to choose if you wish to go abroad for a term or for an additional degree. And of course, your HHL team is here to support you!
HHL Professors
Trained by leading experts and selected practitioners
Throughout the MBA program, you will be supported by our exceptional HHL professors. Here you are never just a number; our professors are always approachable and have your personal growth at heart. All HHL professors are respected experts in their fields and rely on practice-oriented and interactive teaching. At HHL you will also benefit from the knowledge and expertise of our visiting professors from around the world – be it Canada, France, Ireland, Belgium, UK, Switzerland or India. They enrich your learning experience through their comprehensive international exposure. In addition, many of our successful alumni return to the campus as guest lecturers, to share their invaluable practical experience with the next HHL generation and to advise them with insider tips for their professional careers.
To ensure the bridge to practice in the full-time MBA Program, leading practitioners with a wide range of professional expertise actively contribute to your learning experience. High-profile personalities from the business and social spheres regularly teach MBA classes as visiting lecturers, including successful entrepreneurs, leading consultants, experienced executives or innovators from the startup world.
HHL differentiates in the sense that it makes you a leader. Rather than being trained to be the best employee, we are trained each day to be the best employer. Motivation is not to be the employee of the month but rather to be the one who decides who shall be the employee of the month. This difference is subtle but astoundingly deep. HHL explores the leadership sides of you and it is complete because you are not coached to spill out jargons like ‘Achieve’, ‘Impress’, or ‘Leverage’ but rather how to make informed decisions in Finance, Strategy, Marketing etc.
On some days, a class at HHL feels like an orchestra – you learn so much from your peers and your colleagues, where the professor seems to play just a conductor. Apart from a lot of other benefits such a transformative study program can bring, what separates HHL from the rest is this unique ability to bring together such a diverse group of people in one place.
The game changer in my life was the international experience I gained from my time at HHL. I cannot think of a better preparation for an international career than opening up for diversity in different dimensions with classmates from around the world and professors coming from different countries.
I visited the HHL Campus Day and I was totally flashed from the spirit, from the people – you could feel that everyone was having fun and that they wanted to do something, to move something. People were living the entrepreneurial spirit. This convinced me to go to HHL.
For me, being exposed to different and opposing cognitive styles is key -this is also true for my MBA experience. It helps me not only to understand different people, but it also leads me to reflect and understand better my own thinking style, approach and potential blind spots.
It was during my MBA that I realized managing business is not about mathematics. It’s all about people and aspirations.
#6 worldwide for innovation
HHL offers one of the most innovative MBA programs in the world and received an ‘outstanding’ score in the AméricaEconomia MBA Ranking 2021, which places HHL closely behind world-leading institutions such as Stanford Graduate School of Business and Yale School of Management when it comes to innovation.
Your Window to Life@HHL
Current MBA students come from across the globe, see for yourself:
65% women in the current MBA class
A diverse class profile is crucial to an enriching learning experience at HHL. The most recent MBA intake is composed of more women than men.
Read more about the inspiring journeys of our female students and alumnae.
Empowering women
Start your educational journey at HHL now and become part of our active and diverse network! Get inspired by our numerous, successful alumnae and their personal journeys.
Discover how our Women in Business networks and initiatives support business women and female founders.
Leading MBA program for women
According to the AméricaEconomia MBA Ranking 2021, the HHL Master of Business Administration program has the highest ratio of female students in the world. With a supportive network, HHL inspires and empowers ever more women to pursue management education.
The HHL Student Experience
Your student life at HHL will far extend the classroom experience. You will receive guidance from staff and faculty. You will make a difference by joining student initiatives. You will live and breathe the HHL entrepreneurial spirit. Perhaps you will even launch your own business venture in the Digital Space. Your time at HHL is a unique moment in your life, where you can experiment, get to know likeminded people, and explore new avenues.
The HHL Spirit
At HHL you are never just a number
We care about your professional and personal development. That is why we guide you through your HHL journey from day one, from supporting you with your application and offering assistance with the visa process. Once enrolled, our staff and faculty are always happy to discuss your ideas, concerns and plans. And as an alum, we will continue to welcome you to your alma mater with open arms. Let’s start the conversation today!
HHL Initiatives
Conferences, workshops, sporting events and social engagement – HHL students have a range of student initiatives to supplement their studies with. This strengthens the HHL spirit, creates room for new ideas and inspiration, and provides access to valuable contacts. Want to join?
HHL: The Startup Mill
With Trivago, About You and Delivery Hero as examples, HHL is THE breeding ground for startups amongst business schools, setting an example for all of Europe. More than 350 startups were established by HHL alumni, generating more than 40,000 jobs. This is no coincidence, given HHL’s core focus on leadership and entrepreneurship in times of digital transformation.
HHL DIGITAL SPACE – The digitial transformation platform
The HHL Digital Space is based on the HHL campus in Leipzig and supports early stage founders together with established companies in their entrepreneurial pursuit with a dedicated 12-week incubation program and workshops. The main goal is to connect founding teams, equip them with business and tech knowledge and provide an open platform to empower entrepreneurship.
SpinLab – The HHL Accelerator
A startup mill in Leipzig’s creative heart
A modern accelerator and co-working space in the middle of the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei, Leipzig’s creative heart, provides aspiring entrepreneurs with resources, partners and support to develop their ideas. Successful entrepreneurs, potential investors, highly engaged coaches and experienced mentors supplement the know-how gained during the program by advising, supporting and establishing the right contacts for your startup dream to take off.
In vogue: Living and learning in Leipzig!
Leipzig is open, international and vibrant. Located at the crossroads of historic European trade routes, Leipzig prides itself on its 1,000-year tradition of commercial vitality and its reputation as a meeting place for trade, science and the arts. Beyond its modern infrastructure, what makes Germany’s fastest-growing city so popular and dynamic is its rapidly expanding economy, housing world-famous brands such as Porsche, BMW, DHL and Amazon. HHL, the first “Handelshochschule” in German-speaking Europe, was established back in 1898 and therefore laid the foundation for Leipzig’s profound management education early on.
Numerous cafés, bars, clubs as well as parks, canals and lakes invite you to enjoy a welcome break from your studies. Plus, Berlin, and all that it has to offer, is just one hour away. And the best of it all? Living expenses in Leipzig are affordable for students!
The Campus
The Campus: In the heart of Leipzig!
The HHL campus is centrally located and, at the same time, surrounded by idyllic parks and rivers. You will experience an inspiring multicultural atmosphere and real campus flair. You also get to take advantage of the adjacent sports department of the University of Leipzig; as an HHL student, you are eligible to use their sports facilities and to sign up for sports courses offered by the Leipzig University*. And to accommodate a flexible study schedule, we grant our students access to HHL’s premises 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can use the library, the study areas and meeting rooms, the lounge and the Student Club any time you want! Intrigued? Please contact us – we would be delighted to show you around our campus in person! We look forward to meeting you!
Want to know what campus life is like during the pandemic?
*additional costs apply for these courses
Living Expenses in Leipzig
Affordable and student-friendly living
Leipzig offers students a very high quality of life for extremely affordable prices. In contrast to many other student cities in Germany, Leipzig still has affordable student accommodation. The approximate living costs per month including accommodation in Leipzig are around EUR 700, while the average living costs in Germany are estimated at EUR 861.
Here is an overview of the monthly costs that you should take into account during your studies in Leipzig:
_Accommodation: EUR 200-350 for student accommodation or private housing
_Health Insurance: EUR 104 for students under 30, EUR 50+ for students over 30*
_Books & Printing: EUR 10
_Food: EUR 200
_Leipzig Student Union fees/transport: EUR 39**
_Other: EUR 100
Additional one-off starting costs
_Residence permit (only for non-EU citizens without a Stibet scholarship): EUR 110
_Rental bond: EUR 250
Maximum amount of initial costs: EUR 360
*Students under the age of 30 are eligible for public health insurance, students over 30 must get private health insurance, where prices will vary.
**All students must pay this fee, which covers a range of services by the student union, including the semester pass for trams and busses in Leipzig. The semester fee is EUR 235.50.
Moving to Germany
Find out everything you need to know before and after arriving in Germany, from visa requirements, health insurance, and housing to residence permits:
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Upcoming Events
Apply now to fast-track your management career!
A diverse student body that brings a broad palette of cultures, nationalities, personal interests and professional backgrounds to the HHL community is very important to us. We, therefore, adhere to a careful and personal selection process. We do not just take into account the hard facts like grades, work experience and GMAT, but also your personality, your motivation and your aspirations.
Is HHL right for you? Are you right for us? Let’s find out together! We look forward to receiving your application. Our advice: the HHL MBA program is very competitive and fills up quickly. The sooner you apply, the higher your chances of admission, and the faster you can start planning your next steps!
Application Criteria
Admission Criteria
Application Deadlines
Application Deadlines
- November 30: Early Bird 1 – Tuition fee: EUR 33,500
- March 31: Early Bird 3 – Tuition fee: EUR 37,500
Your MBA at HHL: Education that pays off!
Investing in your MBA degree at HHL will pay off quickly. The latest QS ranking shows that our MBA graduates enjoy an exceptionally high return on investment, allowing them to pay off their studies within just three years! Why? Our students quickly settle into managerial positions at prominent companies and enjoy an average salary increase of 80 percent. An MBA degree from HHL, therefore, is not only a fantastic career booster, but also pays off in no time!
Tuition Fees
The tuition fees for the MBA program amount to EUR 39,500. We offer a tuition fee reduction if you submit your complete application by the following Early Bird deadlines*:
- Early Bird 1: November 30 – EUR 33,500
- Early Bird 2: January 31 – EUR 34,500
- Early Bird 3: March 31 – EUR 37,500
This covers all tuition including the fees for the term abroad at one of our partner universities.
*The early bird discount is offered to those who have uploaded all mandatory documents and submitted their application by these deadlines and have successfully passed the interview as well as the GMAT/GRE within 1 month of the deadlines. In order to qualify for the early bird discount, the payment of the commitment fee must be transferred within 2 months of the deadlines.
Payment Policy
Pay your tuition fees in installments!
Of course, the tuition fees at HHL do not have to be paid in one lump sum. The fees will be paid as follows:
- Payment of EUR 3,500: 4 weeks after admission (down payment)
- Payment of EUR 12,000: October 1 of the first study year.
- Payment of EUR 12,000: March 1 of the first study year.
- Payment of EUR 12,000: September 1 of the second study year.
Scholarships & Financing Options
The best part? We support the financing of your studies. We offer a range of financing options, as well as a number of scholarship programs for exceptionally driven candidates. How to receive a scholarship? Convince us not only of your outstanding academic and professional records but also of your personality and your ambition.
Have more questions? Get in touch with the HHL community!
Ask our students
Do you have any questions specifically related to the student experience at HHL? Our students are also happy to tell you about life in Leipzig and at HHL:
Contact our student ambassadors
Ask our Chatbot Holly
Do you want instant answers to questions on the program, your eligibility, the admissions process, fees and financing options or career prospects? See, if Holly can help:
Ask the HHL team
Do you want to get to know the HHL community, our campus and the city of Leipzig better? Are you curious about experiencing HHL for yourself? You live abroad and can`t make the visit to Leipzig? Then schedule a Zoom consultation. Please feel free to contact us at any time, we look forward to hearing from you!
