Poets&Quants Top Business Schools

ESIC Business and Marketing School

Contact our general manager with any questions. Profile updated: June 28, 2023.

Contact Information

Location:
Avenida Juan XXIII,12
28224
Madrid, Spain
Admissions Office:
+34 9145241 00
School Social Media:

School Data

Annual Tuition: €32,800

Acceptance Rate: 33%

Full-Time Enrollment: 91

International: 80%

Average Age: 29

Female: 50%

Male: 50%

Application Deadlines: The application processes are continuous throughout the year.

ESIC is one of the leading business schools in Spain, with over 55 years’ experience training business and marketing professionals. Perhaps because it’s a nonprofit, Madrid’s ESIC – which was established in 1965 — has a slightly different approach than most business schools. It foregrounds “citizenship” and “inclusion” and aims to craft professionals who are good citizens and will improve their community.

The “international” in IMBA contains a strong vein of progressiveness, with courses like Corporate Social Responsibility, Responsible Leadership, and The Company as Responsible and Global Citizen, among others.

Because it is delivered half in Madrid and half in Canada at HEC Montreal, graduates from ESIC’s 18-month IMBA get two degrees and are encouraged to take an extra semester at HEC Montreal. The school also plans to give students more flexibility to study abroad with its partner schools and offers additional certificates and even dual degrees for MBAs who do.


A typical ESIC class consists of about 25 students, 15 of whom are from outside Spain. Staff too are a diverse bunch. They either must be non-Spanish or to have extensive experience working outside the country.

The B-school recently adopted their new Transformative Learning style, which is characterized by a mix of remote attendance and in-person attendance. The idea is to help their MBAs develop both the personal and professional skills to succeed in changing scenarios as global business professionals.

Students often customize their degree with a specialization in Business Administration & Management, Strategy & Organization, Marketing, Digital Economy, Data & Business Analytics, Communication, Advertising or Public Relations.

MBAs can take three electives, which include unique subjects such as Neuromarketing and Public Relations. ESIC recently added a project called Empowering Creative Thinking for Decision Making, which is taught by army pilots. The school is also strong in data-driven subjects, being backed by Spain’s Institute of Digital Economics, the country’s leading body for teaching digital marketing and related subjects.

“I worked in IT in Bangalore for 10 years, but I want to start my own business one day. I decided that an MBA would give me the technical expertise to better understand business situations and manage complex teams. I am glad I chose ESIC over the U.S. There is a good mix of fun and intense coursework, and Madrid is a welcoming city. The professors are experienced, and I am satisfied that some courses are Ivy League-standard. One issue has been that the Spanish students sometimes don’t communicate or socialize with the non-Spanish ones. I have learned that cultural barriers can be bigger than economic and technical challenges, and that a leader needs to be conscious of cultural balance,” says MBA Mayank Kumar.

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