An MBA from a top European business school can help you take the next step in your career and achieve the goals you have set for yourself. The choice does not come easy, though, because getting an MBA can be very expensive, with high tuition fees at the best schools.
That is why you should do research before you choose which MBA programmes you should apply for. One important thing to look for are academic accreditations by organisations like AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS. Rankings are another helpful resource to make your decision easier. The two most respected rankings are provided annually by the Financial Times and by the Economist.
Learn more about the top MBA programs at business schools in Europe, according to the Economist “Which MBA?” Ranking 2018 and the FT Global MBA Ranking 2019:
Every year, the Financial Times (FT) compiles its ranking of different kinds of MBA programmes. They survey students 3 years after graduation and put a special focus on both the absolute salary as well as the percent increase in salary after having graduated.
The table below shows their most recent ranking of general full-time MBA programmes at European business schools. You can be sure that with a Master of Business Administration from any of these institutions, you are opening the door to an exciting career path:
| Rank (Europe) |
Rank (world) |
Business school | Country | Salary increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | INSEAD | France | +104% |
| 2 | 6 | London Business School | United Kingdom | +102% |
| 3 | 12 | Iese Business School | Spain | +128% |
| 4 | 13 | University of Oxford: Saïd | United Kingdom | +118% |
| 5 | 16 | University of Cambridge: Judge | United Kingdom | +98% |
| 6 | 19 | HEC Paris | France | +106% |
| 7 | 21 | Esade Business School | Spain | +116% |
| 8 | 22 | IMD Business School | Switzerland | +76% |
| 9 | 31 | IE Business School | Spain | +100% |
| 10 | 31 | SDA Bocconi | Italy | +124% |
Find an MBA programme in Europe
Like FT, the Economist ranks business schools every year. They also survey graduates; salary development plays a smaller role than in the FT ranking, but is still important. The larger focus is put on the academic and student life experience as well as how graduates thought the MBA degree enabled them to pursue the career options they were hoping to get.
Although there are differences in the methodology, and handful of top schools are found near the top in both MBA rankings:
| Rank (Europe) |
Rank (world) |
Business school | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | University of Navarra – IESE Business School | Spain |
| 2 | 13 | HEC School of Management, Paris | France |
| 3 | 18 | University of Warwick – Warwick Business School | United Kingdom |
| 4 | 19 | INSEAD | France |
| 5 | 24 | SDA Bocconi – School of Management | Italy |
| 6 | 27 | London Business School | United Kingdom |
| 7 | 34 | EDHEC Business School | France |
| 8 | 35 | IMD - International Institute for Management Development | Switzerland |
| 9 | 42 | University of Mannheim – Mannheim Business School | Germany |
| 10 | 45 | University of Cambridge – Judge Business School | United Kingdom |
Find an MBA programme in Europe
14527 Programmes in Europe