The 2025 edition of the Financial Times European business school rankings includes two Spanish institutions among the top five. These are ESCP Business School and IESE Business School, ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in this overall ranking led by Insead (France), HEC Paris (France), and London Business School (United Kingdom).

In the partial rankings, Spain-based IESE leads the MBA rankings in Europe, while ESCP, which has one of its six campuses in Spain, is number one in EMBA (Executive MBA). ESADE, fifth in MBA, ranks eleventh in the overall ranking, while IE, first in online MBA, ranks twenty-first.

The top 100
A total of eight Spanish schools appear in this ranking, which evaluates the performance of 100 institutions in their different programmes, specifically based on their five annual rankings: MBA, Executive MBA, Master in Management, and open and customized executive training programmes.

ESCP's Executive MBA, ranked fifth worldwide, is the only part-time programme, according to the financial media outlet, that allows students to customize their curriculum according to their needs: where, when, for how long, and what to study. This programme, it says, is dedicated to “training the responsible leaders of the future and promoting sustainable business practices.”

Increased demand in Europe
The British newspaper's report reflects the trend among schools to expand their campuses to other parts of Europe and the world. It also highlights the increase in demand for places in Europe, up 11% this year, compared to a 4% decline in the UK and 1% in the US, mainly as a result of Donald Trump's attacks on higher education institutions and the imposition of stricter visa requirements for international students. The UK also restricted visas, limited family attendance, and outlined plans to impose a 6% tax on international student fees.

On the other hand, the newspaper points to a slowdown in demand for MBAs in North America and Europe, which has been offset by proposals for master's degrees in administration and finance.

^{Photo: Financial Times}