Once again, three Barcelona business schools have been ranked among the best worldwide, highlighting the international prestige of Barcelona’s business education.

According to the Executive Education Open 2025 ranking published by the Financial Times magazine, IESE Business School ranks third, outranked only by London Business School and HEC Paris. This is the fourth consecutive year that the institution has placed on the podium. ESADE has been placed fifth in the ranking, while EADA is ranked 19th.

The three institutions also feature in the Executive Education Custom 2025 ranking, which assesses tailored programmes for companies: IESE ranks seventh, ESADE 11th and EADA 39th, in a field led by the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland.

This ranking also features another Barcelona institution: the UPF Barcelona School of Management, ranked 76, its third consecutive year on the list.

Analysis of training quality

The Financial Times ranking also classifies schools using various criteria. IESE ranks first in the world for participant satisfaction, with a score of 9.96 out of 10 in terms of training experience in open programmes. The high level of follow-up provided after the programme ends is also notable, with the institution ranking second in this area.

ESADE ranks first for post-programme support for managers and second for the acquisition of new skills.

The ranking is based on survey responses by programme participants and data from business schools. As part of the analysis, consideration is given to factors such as course design, innovation in teaching methods and materials, student diversity, international outlook and school infrastructure.