The top 10 business schools in Europe to get an MBA in 2022
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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. European business schools often score very high in those league tables, with many well-known names particularly from the UK, France and Spain.
Learn more about the top MBA programs at business schools in Europe, according to the Economist “Which MBA?” Ranking 2021 and the FT Global MBA Ranking 2021:
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 | 1 | INSEAD | France | +96% |
| 2 | 2 | London Business School | United Kingdom | +103% |
| 3 | 4 | Iese Business School | Spain | +131% |
| 4 | 7 | HEC Paris | France | +118% |
| 5 | 12 | SDA Bocconi School of Management | Italy | +126% |
| 6 | 16 | University of Cambridge: Judge | United Kingdom | +87% |
| 7 | 17 | University of Oxford: Saïd | United Kingdom | +85% |
| 8 | 19 | IMD Business School | Switzerland | +68% |
| 9 | 20 | Esade Business School | Spain | +113% |
| 10 | 30 | Alliance Manchester Business School | United Kingdom | +101% |
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 | 1 | University of Navarra – IESE Business School | Spain |
| 2 | 2 | HEC School of Management, Paris | France |
| 3 | 6 | SDA Bocconi – School of Management | Italy |
| 4 | 7 | EDHEC Business School | France |
| 5 | 10 | IMD - International Institute for Management Development | Switzerland |
| 6 | 20 | ESADE Business School | Spain |
| 7 | 22 | emlyon Business School | France |
| 8 | 26 | University of Mannheim – Mannheim Business School | Germany |
| 9 | 33 | International University of Monaco | Monaco |
| 10 | 37 | Durham University - Durham University Business School | United Kingdom |
Find an MBA programme in Europe
92 Master of Business Administration (MBA) Programmes in Europe
