Real Numbers of MBA Admissions: MBA Class Size at Top Programs in Europe
MBA class size in Europe varies as much as it does in the U.S. London Business School and INSEAD lead the pack with around 500 students each. At the other end of the spectrum, some European schools have fewer than 80 candidates. Most of the classes represented below will be graduating in 2026, as the European MBA programs are typically one year in duration.
Applicants may want to consider MBA class size when considering fit. While MBA programs thrive on relationship-building, a smaller class size can lend itself to a more intimate, close knit culture.
Review the chart below to see the class sizes of European MBA programs.
| European School | Class Size 2026 | Class Size 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Judge | 217 | 244 |
| Esade | 180 | 182 |
| ESMT Berlin | ~60 | ~40 |
| HEC Paris | 265* | 268* |
| IE Business School | ~400 | ~400 |
| IESE Business School | 400+ | 350+ |
| IMD Business School | 78 | 103** |
| Imperial College Business School | 75 | 76 |
| INSEAD | 454 | 486 |
| London Business School | 514 | 431* |
| Manchester AMBS | TBA | 113* |
| Oxford Saïd Business School | 332 | 348 |
| Rotterdam Business School | 112 | 127* |
*Class of 2026
**Class of 2024
***Class of 2027
The figures for this Real Numbers of MBA Admissions: MBA Class Size at Top Programs in Europe were drawn from the Classes of 2025 and 2026, unless otherwise noted.
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MBA Applywire
In addition to my undergraduate degrees in landscape architecture and geography, I also have an MA in geography 3.9 gpa, and a PhD in Architecture. I am currently a VP at my company and a likely candidate for CEO in the near future. I want to continue working while pursuing my MBA to increase my chances of moving into the CEO role. Also, my goal is to start my own ClimateTech firm in the next several years. An MBA will help achieve both of these goals. For each of the selected schools, I would pursue their online MBA program so I can continue working. While I, of course, want to attend a prestigious program, I'm not willing to sacrifice my money or too much of my company's money to spend six figures on an online MBA. That is a part of the driver for the programs I have selected to look at. In the US, it is rare that online programs provide funding; a bit seems to be available at European programs.
- International Male, 26, southeast Asian (non-Chinese/indian)
- BEng, top 15% of the class, the best local uni (but unknown outside of the country)
- (0.5Y) Global LDP program of a F500, left early to join consulting
- (2.5Y) at S&, strategy consulting in the field of fintech/ banking, top tier performance (5% of the cohort in the region, early promotion)
- (1Y) Left S&, started my own fintech for underserved teenagers, got pre-seed funding from a tier 2 Banking VC, closed after a year due to regulations change, small scale with multiple impact rewards (20k+ farmers
Goals: Join a fintech in the US (strategy div), or Financial services consulting (like OW, McK) incase i can't secure a fintech position (internationals), with a long term goal of starting another fintech
- International Male, 26, southeast Asian (non-Chinese/indian)
- BEng, top 15% of the class, the best local uni (but unknown outside of the country)
- (0.5Y) Global LDP program of a F500, left early to join consulting
- (2.5Y) at S&, strategy consulting in the field of fintech/ banking, top tier performance (5% of the cohort in the region, early promotion)
- (1Y) Left S&, started my own fintech for underserved teenagers, got pre-seed funding from a tier 2 Banking VC, closed after a year due to regulations change, small scale with multiple impact rewards (20k+ farmers
Goals: Join a fintech in the US (strategy div), or Financial services consulting (like OW, McK) incase i can't secure a fintech position (internationals), with a long term goal of starting another fintech
Education: B.Tech Information Technology (Tier-2 college)
GPA: 9.16/10 (Converted equivalent: 3.91).
Standardized Testing: 715 GMAT Focus (99th percentile equivalent).
Professional Achievements (Bulge bracket investment Bank)
Role: ML Engineer , ~3 YOE now (will have 5 at the time of matriculation).
High-Impact Innovation: Awarded "Most Innovative Project" for three consecutive years (2024 ,2025 and 2026).
Secured 1st Place in 2025 and 2nd Place in 2024 in the Technology Innovation Program
Revenue Generation: Designed and implemented a scalable recommendation system for wealth management that drove a 45% increase in revenue for the targeted segment.
Operational Efficiency: Engineered an Agentic AI system for automated customer support, significantly reducing overhead and optimizing resource allocation.
System Integrity: Spearheaded a performance audit that resolved critical failure rates in cloud-native microservices, ensuring zero-downtime for high-stakes financial data.
Leadership & Civic Engagement
Youth Parliament: Recognized for leadership in simulated legislative environments; developed high-level skills in policy advocacy, structured debate, and consensus-building. Winner of District level in 2025,2026
Strategic Collaboration: Partnered with senior stakeholders to align technical roadmaps with institutional wealth management goals.
Post-MBA Goal
Short-Term: Transition into Investment Banking (IB), specifically within Technology or FinTech coverage groups, leveraging technical depth to advise on M&A and capital markets activity.
Long-Term: Executive leadership within the global financial services ecosystem.
MBA LiveWire
Waitlisted R3 and accepted in R4 with $! quant was low - completed MBA math, sent 2 updates, talked to current students, sent an additional LoR, showed my genuine interest in Fuqua. Super excited!
Military applicant. Waitlisted in Round 2 with a 317 GRE and I took the EA while on the waitlist.
Recommended to transfer application to EWMBA