2026 edition published today

Polimi's Graduate School of Management takes first place in Italia in the world ranking of the best Executive MBAs

The Executive MBA ranking includes 215 of the world's best Executive MBA (EMBA) programmes in 55 countries and territories. In addition, 31 EMBA programmes offered jointly by two or more business schools were ranked

by School Editorial

29 April 2026

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

QS Quacquarelli Symonds, a company specialising in the evaluation of university and management education, today released the 2026 edition of the QS Executive MBA ranking. The Executive MBA ranking includes 215 of the world's best Executive MBA (EMBA) programmes in 55 countries and territories. In addition, 31 EMBA programmes offered jointly by two or more business schools were ranked. A total of 48 business schools from 12 continental European countries feature in the global ranking. Of these, 16 go up, 21 go down and five remain stable in their positions or bands. Six schools appear for the first time, with ESSEC Business School in France making its debut in the top 20, ranking 12th globally, making it the top-ranked debutant.

On a global scale

Globally, Oxford (Said) and HEC Paris retain the first and second positions, while MIT (Sloan) rises to third place, ousting IESE Business School which drops to fourth. Northwestern (Kellogg) rises from eighth to fifth place ex aequo, along with the Yale School of Management, itself up from sixth place last year. London Business School, previously fifth, drops to seventh place.

France Most represented country

France is the most represented country in continental Europe, with 14 business schools in the ranking, followed by Spain with nine, while Germany, Italia and Switzerland have four each. France continues to boast many of the best business schools in Europe, with two among the top 10 in the world and the second highest number of placements in the top 50, surpassed only by the United States.

The analysis

QS analyses different datasets to assess the quality of Executive MBA programmes worldwide. The table below highlights the leading Italian business school in each evaluation category. The full methodology is available here.

The President of QS

Nunzio Quacquarelli, President of QS. said: "Executive MBA programmes continue to represent one of the most strategic investments for mid-career professionals. The salary increases are well documented, the networks are invaluable and the demand for high quality programmes is constantly growing. For organisations that choose to invest in their talent, the return in terms of retention, skills development and the creation of a strong leadership pipeline is equally evident."
"In the increasingly interconnected global business environment, agility and cross-cultural competencies have become indispensable. Leading Executive MBA programmes, such as the one offered by Oxford (Saïd), should continue to focus on international diversity, concrete career outcomes and highly selected cohorts in order to train the leaders of the future."

Overview of Europe

- HEC Paris remains the best-ranked EMBA in continental Europe, ranking second globally due to its strong employability, thought leadership and career outcomes.

- French business schools perform exceptionally well in all QS evaluation parameters, taking five first places, more than any other country, with a highlight in career results, where three French business schools ranked first.

- The ESSEC Business School enters the rankings for the first time and is the highest ranked debutant, in 12th place. It boasts exceptional levels of diversity, where it ranks fourth, and professional achievement, where it ranks first ex aequo.

- The top EMBA ranking in Spain goes to IESE Business School, which ranks fourth worldwide, thanks to the exceptional diversity and profile of its executives, which see it ranked seventh and sixth respectively in these categories.

- IE Business School ranks 15th, down from 13th place. It is closely followed by its compatriot ESADE Business School in 16th place, down from 11th place last year. IE boasts an outstanding executive profile, where it ranks fifth globally. Meanwhile, ESADE ranks third in diversity.

- Germany's Mannheim Business School ranks 30th, supported by excellent career results, in which it ranks 19th. Three German schools rank in the top 100.

- The POLIMI Graduate School of Management is the only Italian business school to be ranked in the top 100. It ranks 83rd thanks to its strong executive profile.

Global highlights

- The United States continues to dominate the top of the rankings, taking four of the top ten positions. MIT Sloan holds the top spot in the country, moving up to third place globally.

- Meanwhile, Northwestern (Kellogg) enters the top five, driven by improvements in employability, thought leadership and executive profile. It performs particularly well in employability, where it ranks fourth globally.

- With the UK boasting three business schools in the top 10 and six in the top 20, only the US has more placements in these bands, with one more in each. Oxford (Said) remains the top EMBA in the world. While it does not excel in any of the QS assessment categories, it scores highly in many of them, particularly in employability and thought leadership. However, it is in diversity that it really outperforms its nearest competitors, placing second in this category, while HEC Paris and MIT (Sloan) are ranked 30th and 77th respectively.

- India's best EMBA is offered by the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, which ranks 64th, down fourteen places from the previous year. It performs well in employer reputation, ranking 42nd in this indicator despite losing five places from last year. Similarly, it ranks 47th in career results. No other Indian business school ranks in the top 100.

- Canada's most prestigious business school is Toronto's (Rotman), which drops from 28thto 30th place due to a decline in career achievements and executive profile. The Ivey Business School is home to the only other Canadian EMBA to rank in the top 50 in the world, at 48th.

- Two Chinese business schools rank among the world's top 50. Peking University HSBC Business School ranks 47th, followed by Fudan University at 50th, both falling. Meanwhile, the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics offers some of the best career results in the world.

- Three Latin American business schools feature in the top 100. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile boasts the best EMBA in the region, but dropped out of the top 50 globally. It is a regional leader in Thought Leadership and Diversity. EGADE in Mexico ranks 63rd, followed by INCAE Business School in Costa Rica, which ranks 96th.

- South Africa hosts the only EMBAs in the top 100 in Africa, with the University of Cape Town GSB ranked 73rd and the University of Pretoria (Gibs) ranked 97th.

- In the Arab region, the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Lebanon and the KFUPM Business School in Saudi Arabia are tied for first place, both ranking in the 121-130 bracket.

Scuola, tutti gli approfondimenti

La newsletter di Scuola+

Professionisti, dirigenti, docenti e non docenti, amministratori pubblici, operatori ma anche studenti e le loro famiglie possono informarsi attraverso Scuola+, la newsletter settimanale de Il Sole 24 Ore che mette al centro del sistema d'istruzione i suoi reali fruitori. La ricevi, ogni lunedì nel tuo inbox. Ecco come abbonarsi

Le guide e i data base

Come scegliere l’Università e i master? Ecco le guide a disposizione degli abbonati a Scuola+ o a 24+. Qui la guida all’università con le lauree del futuro e il database con tutti i corsi di laura

Lo speciale ITS

Il viaggio del Sole 24 Ore negli Its per scoprire come intrecciare al meglio la formazione con le opportunità di lavoro nei distretti produttivi delle eccellenze del made in Italy. Tutti i servizi