Why More MBA Applicants Are Choosing European Business Schoo

Vault's own Madison Priest has written a great article about why more prospective MBAs are choosing to apply and attend European business schools. Here is a short excerpt:

For over a century now, MBA programs have been considered quintessentially American institutions. The first American Master of Business Administration program, was founded at Tuck Business School at Dartmouth in 1900, whereas Europe waited another 57 years for the creation of INSEAD. Even today, six of the are American, as compared to only three European schools. Yet European schools have recently been giving American schools a run for their money--their actual money.

The increase in applicants to European schools isn't just coming from outside the United States, full of students who might otherwise have gone to an American school. MBA applicants across the United States are also increasingly looking towards Europe. The strongest data in favor of this trend comes from a 2010 Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) Geographic Trend Report for Europe.

Europe has become an increasingly attractive destination for prospective business school students from around the globe. The number of GMAT score reports received by programs in the top 10 European countries increased 96 percent between TY 2005 and TY 2009, outpacing a worldwide increase of 41 percent over the same period.

In addition, there is also a great deal of anecdotal data from individual institutions. Both IE Business School in Madrid and ESADE in Barcelona, for instance, reported an increase in applications for full-time MBA programs; and ESADE's applicant pool expanded by over 60 percent.

Read Madison's full article on Why more prospective MBA students are applying to European business schools on Vault.