Forbes: IMD Top International B-School

IMD is ranked best among international schools by Forbes

IMD is ranked best among international schools by Forbes

If you’re looking for a quick return on your MBA investment, the best place to find it is a one-year program. Based on Forbes’ 2013 ranking of the best international MBA programs, published today (Oct. 9), an investment in a one-year program is pretty much a no-brainer.

And the 12-month program that blows every other school in the world away? IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland. Forbes said that MBA grads from IMD are making $211,000 five years out of school. It is the second straight time that IMD finished on top of the biennial Forbes business school ranking. “We rank the U.S. and non-U.S. schools separately,” noted Forbes, :but a combined list would be a blowout for Europe. European b-schools have the seven highest 5-year M.B.A. gains in the world led by IMD, where students had a median gain of $196,300.” The payback on the IMD degree is just 2.3 years.

Compared to Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, Forbes’ No. 1 business school in the U.S., IMD’s Class of 2008 grads are making just a little less: $211K vs. $221K for Stanford MBAs. But the five-year gain due to the MBA at IMD is more than double Stanford: $196,300 vs. $99,700 at Stanford largely because the program is only 12 months long.

The best international two-year program, according to Forbes’ return-on-investment ranking, was London Business School, which delivered the strongest return on investment of all schools with a two-year MBA. The magazine noted that the Class of 2008 entered the school in 2006 with a median salary of $77,000 but five years after graduation they were earning $214,000 – an increase of almost 180%.

Erica Hensens, MBA program director at London Business School, said in a statement: “The Class of 2008 graduated into one of the toughest job markets for business postgraduates. It is testament to both London Business School and the calibre of our students that we have achieved this placement. Applicants have tough choices to make when selecting a school and naturally value for money and return on investment are crucial factors in making a decision to join an MBA program. London Business School’s two-year MBA has once again demonstrated that it can meet these expectations.”

Forbes’ 2013 Best International Business Schools

2013 Rank & School               5-Year Gain    Payback in Years
  1. IMD $196,300 2.3
  2. INSEAD $168,700 2.0
  3. SDA Bocconi $155,800 2.4
  4. London $120,700 3.4
  5. IE Business School $113,700 3.0
  6. Oxford (Said) $103,500 2.6
  7. Warwick $102,800 2.6
  8. Cambridge (Judge) $99,000 2.9
  9. Nat’l Univ. of Singapore $95,900 2.1
10. Cranfield $94,500 2.8
11. Hong Kong UST $91,000 3.0
12. Lancaster $86,700 2.6
13. Manchester $84,500 3.3
14. IESE $80,300 3.6
15. Ipade $78,100 3.0
16. City Univ. (Cass) $76,800 3.1
17. CEIBS $73,100 3.1
18. ESADE $65,500 3.6
19. S.P. Jain $63,900 3.3
20. HEC Paris $61,600 3.8
21. York (Schulich) $54,400 3.6
22. HEC Montreal $31,100 3.5
23. British Columbia (Sauder) $28,100 4.1
24. Australian GSM $24,700 4.4

 Source: Forbes 2013 MBA ranking for international schools

 

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