At IE University, we want to make sure the best and brightest fill our classrooms. In order to make sure we get the best candidates, we have designed a personalized admission process that allows students of all different talents and interests to shine. We search for what makes each and every applicant unique to decide whether or not they will excel at IEU.
Our students choose IE University because they seek an innovative approach to higher education within a diverse environment. This generation of students wants to spend their university years at an internationally recognized, globally focused university that will allow them to flourish creatively and academically.
We sat down with Miguel Costa, Director of Admissions of IE University, to discuss the IEU admissions process. Read on for everything you need to know before applying to IE University!
What kind of student is IE University looking for?
Our admissions process goes beyond a candidate’s grades. Focusing only on grades would mean that a candidate with an average of 9.5 or 10 would always be better than another candidate with an average of 8.5, and this is not necessarily true. When we interview prospective students we ask them about their passions inside and outside the classroom. We want to know what they like, which activities they are involved in, how many languages they speak, their future aspirations, and what values they could bring to IE University.
For example, a candidate that has good grades, speaks several languages, plays a musical instrument, has played for a high school sports team, and is passionate about technology (maybe they’ve taught themselves basic programming by watching YouTube videos), would be very interesting for us.
What are applicants looking for when they apply to IE University?
Our ideal students don’t see the university as a means to an end, they see it as an end in itself. Some decades ago, university was something you had to go through in order to get a good job after graduation, but this has changed. Today’s students understand that university is an opportunity to learn more about themselves and become well-rounded people. At IE University, we do whatever we can to encourage students to live their university experience beyond the confines of the classroom.
Could you describe how the IE University admissions process works?
We want to attract precisely the kind of students that we know will have a successful and enriching experience at IE University. Our applicants know that we’re after students with good academic records, intellectual curiosity, and a profound desire for personal development.
We consider each application independently. For us, each individual is a unique case. Our admissions process is divided into five stages: (i) an online application, (ii) an admissions test, (iii) an online assessment, (iv) a personal interview, and (v) the final committee decision. The combination of all these phases allows us to determine whether a person has the necessary skills, qualities, and profile to be a successful student at IEU.
How to apply to IE University: The application process
Online Application: Candidates must fill out an online application form and attach different documents that are important for our assessment, including their admissions test (if they chose to submit SAT, ACT, CAS, or LNAT), a copy of their academic records, letters of recommendation, a recent CV, and additional information about their extracurricular activities, hobbies, awards, and anything else that might be of importance.
Admissions Test: IE University’s admission test is conducted solely in English and assesses your verbal, logical and numerical skills, paying attention to evidence of in class and extracurricular learning.
Online Assessment: This allows the admissions team to get a sense of your personality and potential before proceeding to a possible interview. Completing the assessment is simple—you will be given 3 questions to answer in a set amount of time. One of your responses will be written, and two will be recorded via video. The whole process should only take 20 to 30 minutes to complete.
Personal Interview: These interviews allow our admissions team to get to know applicants on a personal level, and confirm that the information presented up until this point is accurate. In this stage, we’re looking for individuals that can defend their points of view, and surpass our expectations.
Committee Final Decision: If a candidate has successfully completed all the previous phases, the application is reviewed once more by the admissions committee before making the final decision. Successful admissions can be either definitive (if application is complete) or conditional (if the candidate still has to turn in certain documents).
We hope that you have found this information useful. If you have any comments or questions about our admissions process don’t hesitate to contact us at university@ie.edu and we will be happy to help.