This is an attempt to categorize of non-US business schools in terms of reputation. The issue with international school rankings is that it makes little sense to compare schools with a similar reputation but a vast geographical distance (for example, Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands and HKUST in Hong Kong), so the categorization includes two global groups (“Ultra Elites” and ”Elites”) followed by and extra level of “Regional Elites”, which includes schools which are extremely strong within their own region but perhaps not quite so recognized internationally.
Keep in mind that, as it occurs with any rankings out there, the criteria is subjective and open to debate.
Ultra Elites
London Business School (LBS)
INSEAD
Elites
Oxford (Said)
Cambridge (Judge)
IMD
Warwick
IESE
IE
Regional Elites
Europe:
HEC Paris (France)
ESADE (Spain)
St. Gallen (Switzerland)
SDA Bocconi (Italy)
RSM Erasmus (Netherlands)
Mannheim (Germany)
WHU (Germany)
Vlerick Leuven Gent (Belgium)
India:
ISB
China:
Tsinghua
CEIBS
Other Asia:
HKUST (Hong Kong)
Nanyang (Singapore)
NUS (Singapore)
SMU (Singapore)
Australia:
Australian School of Business
Melbourne Business School
Canada:
Queens
Ivey
Rotman
Africa:
University of Cape Town GSB
Popularity: 1% [?]
How about LSE?
I think LSE is not there because it doesn’t have a business school, so they don’t offer MBAs or post-experience masters. I think Imperial’s Tanaka is missing, though.
I can’t hardly see how Vlerick Leuven Gent or Mannheim can be compared to HEC Paris, Bocconi or ESADE. They are in totally different leagues.