Top 10 Most Entrepreneurial Business Schools!

Which business school’s alumni go on to found the most successful companies? Which fosters the most entrepreneurial spirit? QS TopMBA.com Return on Investment Report: Full-Time MBA 2018 looks at which institution produces the most enterprising students, by analyzing the percentage of graduates who create their own companies. 

Here are the top 10 institutions across the world for setting up your own business:

1. Kingston Business School, Kingston University - 33%

Despite its brief 30-year history, Kingston Business School’s students are the most entrepreneurial this year - with a third of all graduates setting up their own businesses. This is supported by a syllabus which focuses heavily on tailoring courses to students’ own business interests. The school’s alumni network includes Tony Ball, the former CEO of BSkyB and Francis Yeoh, the CEO of YTL Corporation. That being said, Kingston's MBA course has a very small class size, which inevitably has an effect on the averages.

2. ESSEC Business School - 30%

ESSEC is one of Europe’s most competitive business schools. Graduates of the MBA course include many notable CEOs and company founders, including the CEO of Accenture, the chairman of Coca-Cola Europe, and the CEO of Adidas. The institution clearly fosters an air of innovation and entrepreneurship as 30% of graduates go on to found their own companies.

3. The International University of Monaco (IUM) - 28%

The Principality of Monaco is one of the most international countries in the world, comprising over 100 nationalities. This means students of IUM are immersed in true cultural diversity, allowing them to expand their global awareness and business knowledge - essential for running companies in today’s multinational world. Around 28% go on to found their own businesses.

4. Universidad Adolfo Ibañez - 26%

The first business school in Latin America, and still one of the top institutions on the continent, Universidad Adolfo Ibañez was founded in Chile in 1953. The institution regularly ranks highly in Latin American regional assessments and graduates go on to lucrative and prestigious careers. Around 26% of MBA alumni from this school go on to found their own companies

5. ESAN - 25%

ESAN was founded by Stanford University in 1963 and was the first institution to offer an MBA program in Hispanic America. ESAN´s mission is to contribute to the development of management education in the Latin American region. A quarter of all MBAs from this school go on to found their own companies - consistent with QS’s other research, which shows that Latin American students are particularly entrepreneurial.

6. Liverpool Management School - 21%

The Liverpool Management School offers two MBAs - a Finance and Management MBA, and the unique Football Industries MBA. The extensive alumni network have careers in companies as diverse as Liverpool FC, HSBC, AOL and Adidas, thanks to a syllabus which focuses on equipping students with the ‘soft skills’ which are so intensely sought by employers. The institution’s entrepreneurial spirit is displayed by a fifth of the graduates starting their own companies.

7. HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management (HHL) - 17%

HHL is one of the leading business schools in Europe, and the first German business school accredited by AACSB. The institution values the entrepreneurial spirit of its students- estimating that more than 150 start-ups have been launched by graduates, creating 3,000 jobs. Around 17% of graduates go on to set up their own companies, including the likes of Spreadshirt, Trivago and Mister Spex in previous years.

8. Graduate School of Business, Universidad de Palermo  - 17%

Argentina’s best-known business school offers an innovative MBA program which focuses on preparing business leaders and entrepreneurs for the future. The university has an enviable alumni network and maintains ties with some of the world’s top universities, including Yale, Harvard and NYU. Of the institution’s graduates, 17% go on to found their own companies.

9. The Nagoya University of Commerce and Business - 16%

This Japanese university is the only institution in the country to be accredited by both AACSB and AMBA. The school focuses on innovation and internationalization, with a growing list of partner institutions that enables students to study abroad and immerse themselves in other cultures. 16% of graduates used this experience to start their own businesses.

10. Aston Business School - 15%

Aston University offers the only 100% online MBA program in the top 10. Students can work while studying and the global alumni networks means that opportunities are expansive. The 12-month MBA course sees 15% of graduates going on to start their own businesses. With previously alumni founding business in sectors including travel and tourism, fashion, and engineering, it’s not hard to see why.