Within the framework of effective-mass approximation, exciton states confined in zinc-blende(ZB) InGaN/GaN quantum dot(QD) are investigated by means of a variational approach, considering finite band offsets. The ground-state exciton binding energy and the interband emission energy are investigated as functions of QD structural parameters in detail. Numerical results show clearly that both the QD size and In content of InGaN have a significant influence on the exciton states and interband optical transitions in the ZB InGaN/GaN QD. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.