Comparing Top EU MBA Programs Vs. Top US Programs
INSEAD in France, London Business School, Oxford’s Saïd Business School, and Cambridge’s Judge Business School are among the top EU MBA programs. While INSEAD and LBS rank highest, HEC Paris, Italy’s SDA Bocconi, and Spain’s IESE shine in their home markets.
There are several factors to consider while weighing whether an MBA in Europe will help you reach your career goals. From cost to duration to brand reputation and more, keep the following in mind as you make your decision.
The SBC consulting team includes former Admissions Officers from all of the top MBA programs in the US and Europe. Check out the exceptional talent on our team.
Cost and ROI for Top EU MBA Programs
First, these programs boast a high return on investment (ROI), as most last just one year. For example, you can complete an MBA program at INSEAD in as little as ten months. Compared to a two-year or US MBA program, lower tuition and opportunity costs look enticing.
Plus, tuition fees are lower even for the longer EU MBA programs like London Business School and IESE Business School in Spain. In a survey of SBC’s EU applicant pool, 48% cited reasons such as shorter duration and lower tuition costs.
Global Experience
Secondly, EU MBA programs are more global in nature compared to even the most “global” US program. They attract students who want a truly international experience with their education. They also attract professionals planning to work in Europe after their studies.
We consider an MBA in Europe an excellent complement to an undergraduate degree earned in the US. It positions students for global careers better than doing both college and an MBA in the same country or continent.
Pursuing an MBA abroad is arguably the best introduction to local business life if your professional goal is to live and work in Europe. Keep this fact in mind: INSEAD, LBS, and HEC Paris place less than 10% of graduates into US-based employment roles. Meanwhile, they place 50-to-66% of graduates in Europe.
Niche Work Opportunities
MBA hopefuls may also favor specialized industry recruiting where the EU has the edge over the US. While the US is the technology industry hub (tech is still a nascent market in the EU), Europe dominates the fintech industry. London is considered the world’s fintech capital because of the banking passport legislation that governs Europe and standardizes products across the 27 member countries.
Europe has an advantage over the US in the fintech industry because the US must contend with legislation that varies by state and can be an impediment to digital banking.
Less Competitive Admissions
For some MBA applicants, the relative competitiveness of the schools is another factor. We have seen better admissions odds for top EU programs relative to the M7 top US programs for a typical applicant. We had a recent inquiry who experienced rejection from every top US program to which she applied but got accepted to LBS.
Generally, EU schools are more open to having larger percentages of international students, particularly from Commonwealth countries (e.g., India). Meanwhile, US schools are more competitive for applicants with overrepresented backgrounds.
Are you curious about your chances of getting into a top B-school? Contact us to talk strategy with a free 15-minute advising session with an SBC Principal Consultant.
Why Choose a top US MBA program over a top EU program?
Reputation matters. Top schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, and others are in demand because top employers source their talent from these student pools. This is especially critical for students wishing to make an industry and/or functional pivot post-MBA.
Career potential is the key advantage that US MBA programs have over European (EU) schools. Applicants highly favor top US MBA programs across the career-related attributes of reputation, recruiting, and networking as compared to EU programs. In a survey of the SBC client pool, applicants reported as follows:
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75% said reputation is stronger for US MBA programs than non-US MBA programs
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62% said US programs will accelerate their career path
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54% said US programs have strong professional networks
“Between the on-campus recruiting opportunities and broad-reaching alumni networks, there is tremendous value in a US-based MBA,” shared a current top-five MBA career coach who works for the SBC team.
Access to US employers is a key advantage of top US MBA programs for international applicants. One client shared, “I would like to change markets and go to the States. But it’s difficult coming from a German undergrad.”
Industry switchers also favor the US MBA program. As one respondent commented: “Coming from a non-business background, I am looking for two-year MBA programs versus the European one-year MBA.”
Many consider the depth of coursework and intellectual rigor better in a two-year, top US program. As one of our clients echoed, “case-based and experiential pedagogies that are popular across US schools is why I’m applying instead of my local EU programs.”
And, for many US-based applicants, it’s merely a matter of logistics. A client said, “Travel costs would be prohibitive for an international program; I wouldn’t like to travel overseas away from family for an extended period.”
How to decide: US or EU
Differences between US and EU programs also include the composition of the student class and geographical outplacement profiles.
Do you want a student class that is US or international-dominant? If your preference is fewer US students (10%) and a dominant (90%) international student class, programs in the EU such as INSEAD, LBS, and HEC Paris are excellent choices. If you favor a US peer group with around 30% international students, US MBA programs are your best fit.
Next, think about where you want to live upon graduation. INSEAD, LBS, and HEC Paris place under 10% in US-based employment roles and many more, at 50-to-66% in Europe. If you prefer to work in the US, the US MBA programs dominate, with 87-to-89% outplacement in the US.
So, what will it be, an MBA in Europe or the US? The truth is, no matter where your career path leads, an MBA will help you get there.
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Stacy Blackman Consulting offers multiple services to meet your MBA application needs, from our All-In Partnership and Interview Prep to hourly help with essay editing, resume review, and much more! Contact us today for a free 15-minute advising session to talk strategy with a Principal SBC consultant.
Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
×Kerry
Kerry is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). During her 5+ year tenure at HBS, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the globe. She also led marketing and outreach efforts focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, ran the Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP), and launched the 2+2 Program during her time in Admissions. Kerry holds a B.A. from Bates College and ...
×Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally. Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
×Geri
Geri is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). In her 7 year tenure in HBS Admissions, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a diverse set of academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds. Geri also traveled globally representing the school at outreach events in order to raise awareness for women and international students. In additio ...
×Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years. Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
×Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
×Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
×Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
×Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
×Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford. Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
×Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
×Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
×Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team. During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
×Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS). During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
×Erin B.
Erin has over seven years of experience working across major institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, and NYU's Stern School of Business. At Columbia Business School, Erin was an Assistant Director of Admissions where she evaluated applications for both the full time and executive MBA programs, sat on the admissions and merit scholarship committees and advised applicants on which program might be the best fit for them based on their work experience and pro ...
×Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director. Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants. ×