Wharton | Mr. European Finance
GMAT 740, GPA 3.3-3.7 range - Second Class Honours
Harvard | Ms. Social Do-Gooder
GRE 330, GPA 3.14
Columbia | Mr. Retail Consultant
GRE 337, GPA 2.9
Wharton | Ms. Woman In STEM
GMAT N/A, GPA 3.68
Ross | Mr. Global Finance Consultant
GMAT 730, GPA 2.88
SDA Bocconi | Mr. Auction King
GMAT 730, GPA 3.6
Stanford GSB | Mr. Lucky Loggie
GMAT 750, GPA 3.29
Harvard | Mr. PM Looking For Something New
GRE 330, GPA 3.71
Harvard | Mr. International Business
GMAT 750, GPA 3.3
Berkeley Haas | Mr. Brainiac
GRE 330, GPA 3.71
Tuck | Ms. Ballerina
GRE 640 on practice test, GPA 3.8
Kellogg | Mr. Baseball Analytics
GMAT 720, GPA 3.62
Duke Fuqua | Ms. Sustainable Food Manufacturing
GMAT 710, GPA 2.94
Harvard | Ms. Community Engagement
GRE 320, GPA 3.4
MIT Sloan | Mr. CPG Senior Manager/ Climbing Enthusiast
GMAT 720, GPA 3.6 (Top 5%)

Poets&Quants Top Business Schools

IE Business School

#12

Contact our general manager with any questions. Profile updated: March 10, 2023.

School Data

Annual Tuition: €72,200

Annual Tuition Non-Resident: €72,200

Acceptance Rate: 33%

Full-Time Enrollment: 450

Average GPA: 4

Median GMAT: 680

International: 95%

Minority: N/A%

Female: 35%

Male: 65%

Average Age: 29

Application Deadlines: Rolling Admissions

The IE Business School MBA: What You Need To Know

A lot of business schools talk about being entrepreneurial, but entrepreneurship is in Madrid-based IE’s DNA. The school was set up in 1973 by three entrepreneurs, rather than academics, and it retains a creative spirit that other schools can only aspire to — as well as the flagship International MBA (IMBA), a highly regarded executive MBA, an online Global MBA (the world’s first), and an Asian-focused program run with Singapore Management University.

IE has enjoyed a stellar rise in the business school rankings in the last 15 years. In 2002 its full-time course was ranked just 35th in the world by the Financial Times, but IE’s ability to read the changes in the business education market meant that by 2010 it was a fixture in the top 10, and in 2017 it was ranked third in Europe. Its Global MBA is regularly ranked best in the world. Eyebrows were raised, however, when the FT excluded the school from its 2018 rankings because some of the data it supplied was incorrect. IE has acted quickly to protect its reputation by firing those responsible.

True to IE’s commitment to doing things differently, the 12-month IMBA is organized in an unusual way. It starts with a six-month Core Period that includes the usual business fundamentals, such as accounting and managerial decision-making. But it gives equal weight to two other areas: Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset — IE was the first business school to make an entrepreneurial course a requirement — and Thinking Beyond Business, which includes courses on Innovation in a Digital World, Critical Management Thinking, and Business, Government, and Society.

This is followed by a two-month Lab Period. Depending on how they see their futures, students can choose between Business Lab (for those wanting to work in a corporation), Start-Up Lab (for entrepreneurs), or Social Impact Lab. Alternatively, those focused on a career change can do a four- to seven-week internship.

The final, four-month Elective Period is where students choose from a long menu of electives and/or take on consulting projects, exchanges, or treks. There is also Venture Lab, which helps take a business idea to investment-readiness. All of this runs parallel with courses in Career and Behavioral Fitness, which promise to develop students’ soft skills to make them more competitive.

IE is committed to having a diverse cohort; each year 90% or more of its students are international, with 70-75 nationalities among the 440 students. Typically, a quarter comes from Europe, the same amount hails from Latin America, and North America and Asia account for another 15% each. Half of the cohort comes from non-finance or banking backgrounds, with 20% from industry, energy, and construction, and a further 15% each from consulting and consumer goods. Up to 40% of IE’s students get some sort of financial help with their fees.

Lee Newman, Dean

“At our business school, we believe education isn’t really about filling your head with facts. It’s about transforming you personally and professionally, creating those game-changing moments that all of us have at different times in our lives, that move us from being what we are now to something better. We call that the Next Best You.”

Nicholas Zeppel, MBA 2018

“I was looking for an international school in Europe, and one that involves lots of diversity. I am from South Africa, so I am used to working with a lot of cultures, and I know that it adds a lot to a learning environment. IE ticked that box: there is a vast range of students from different cultures. The other thing that attracted me was the entrepreneurial side. I am looking to move out of the corporate world and into entrepreneurship, and in common with a lot of students here I am currently working in the Start-Up Lab, where you take an idea and turn it into a viable business in six weeks. I am very much enjoying it — there is a real buzz around the place. The professors teaching entrepreneurship are excellent — they teach their own experience and their passion shines through — and there are lots of opportunities to talk to alumni who are generous with advice about their own experiences.”

IE Business School MBA Rankings Data

IE Business School MBA Employment Stats

Relevant Features:

2019 Best Online MBAs: Chiara Molena, IE Business School

2019 Best Online MBAs: Sarah Genelle Castagnola, IE Business School

2019 MBAs To Watch: Glaxton Elliott Robinson, IE Business School

2019 Best & Brightest MBAs: Alissa Warne, IE Business School

Meet IE Business School’s MBA Class Of 2019

LGBT & Mainstream At IE Business School

Contact Information

Location:
Instituto de Empresa, S.L.
Maria de Molina, 15
Madrid, Spain 28006
Admissions Office:
34 915689600
School Social Media:

FROM IE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Welcome to a globally acclaimed international school and leader in innovative learning. Consistently recognized as one of the top business schools in the world based on international rankings, IE Business School will empower you to reach the pinnacle of personal and professional excellence.

With a risk-taking and boundary-breaking entrepreneurial foundation, IE Business School is an institution of restless learning. An institution of powerful connection. An institution that always strives for more. It mirrors the market, molding its education to incorporate current trends using innovative methodologies. The faculty of more than 500 professors represents countless years of hands-on professional expertise, giving you access to the latest in industry insights and cutting-edge analysis.

IE Business School offers a wide array of programs in different areas of study. From bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and dual degrees; to MBA & EMBA, certificate, and executive education programs—we will empower you to find the perfect fit for your unique profile. You will develop deep skill sets in specific areas of business: management, finance, marketing and communication, talent development and leadership, and business tech and analytics. Catering to the real needs of the real world, the school offers programs in full-time, part-time or blended formats to ensure utmost flexibility.

A state-of-the-art urban campus in Madrid, delegations across five continents, and students from over 140 nations give IE Business School its distinctly international flair. Its global network represents international, transformational entrepreneurial vision. Through an unabashed celebration of multicultural perspectives, you will gain invaluable insights into today’s most important economic regions and a truly global outlook of the modern business world.

MASTER IN MANAGEMENT

“The Master in Management is a comprehensive program for managers of the future. Designed for persons with 0-2 years of experience in management, you’ll undertake a transformative journey that will completely update your management skills, kick-start your career and prepare you to lead in an evolving business ecosystem.

Available in English only or Engllish and Spanish, the program covers every aspect of modern management—from the fundamentals of finance to critical thinking...

Read More