FT European Business School Ranking: WU holds its own against strong competitors
In the current European Business School Ranking issued by the renowned Financial Times, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business is ranked 46th in a strong field of 100 competing institutions. The ranking only includes European universities that appear in the global FT rankings and have a strong international orientation. WU’s good ranking result reflects the international focus of WU’s degree programs, which offer graduates excellent career opportunities in the international job market as well as in Austria. At the same time, however, the ranking also shows that European universities are coming under increasing pressure due to international dynamics, driven primarily by competition from the Asian region.
Every year, the Financial Times puts together a list of 100 institutions ranked based on results from five selected global sub-rankings, including for example MBA, executive MBA, and master’s in management programs. WU is represented in two of these sub-rankings, which compare programs worldwide, and it achieved an excellent result in the Masters in Management 2024 ranking, where it came in 20th out of 100. In the second sub-ranking, the Executive MBA ranking, the salaries that a university’s alumni make are a particularly important factor. “We’ve seen that the graduates of some up-and-coming Asian universities earn such high salaries that these universities have been able to overtake internationally renowned top schools in the ranking. At 60th place out of 100, WU achieved a very respectable result in the Executive MBA Ranking,” says WU Rector Rupert Sausgruber.
More sub-rankings equal more weight
Universities that are represented in several global sub-rankings have the advantage of a correspondingly higher weighting in the European Business School Ranking. As the only Austrian university represented in the ranking, WU occupies a strong position at 46th place. WU is the highest-ranked institution that is only represented in two sub-rankings, and it is ahead of well-known universities such as Copenhagen Business School.
A great success in the international context
WU Rector Rupert Sausgruber maintains a nuanced view of international developments and is satisfied with the overall result. He says, “It’s gratifying to see that we’re able to hold our own in Europe when competing with such renowned universities. Looking at the German-speaking countries, WU has achieved a respectable sixth place in the overall ranking. This good result, despite participating in only two sub-rankings, speaks to the high quality of our programs and their relevance to the international job market.”
International success for an Austrian university
It must also be noted that the FT European Business School Ranking compares universities that operate under very different conditions – from private institutions with high budgets to state-funded universities such as WU. WU proves that it is possible for a public university to maintain a top position even in an intensely competitive environment.
The extent to which the sub-rankings influence the overall result is evidenced by this year’s top-ranked university: France’s INSEAD, which also has campuses in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and San Francisco, is represented in all sub-rankings for the first time this year, catapulting itself from 18th place last year to first place in 2024, and relegating HEC Paris to second place for the first time.
Find out more about the European Business School Rankingand other FT Business School Rankings
Press contact:
Cornelia Moll
Press Relations Officer
Tel: + 43-1-31336-4977
Email: cornelia.moll@wu.ac.at