FT Executive Education Rankings 2026 | UNICON Featured

May 25, 2026

Financial Times Read the full FT Executive Education Rankings 2026 article →

The Financial Times Executive Education Rankings 2026 are out — and UNICON’s Executive Director Melanie Weaver Barnett was featured prominently, offering her perspective on the forces reshaping demand for corporate learning. UNICON research cited in the article projects 37% global growth and 47% US growth in executive education over the next decade.

Melanie Weaver Barnett

Executive Director, UNICON

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There has been a reconfiguration since Covid-19, so employers expect to get online anything that can be effectively delivered that way, but they definitely also want in-person experiences too, for more complex work around collaboration, innovation and building relationships.

— Melanie Weaver Barnett, UNICON Executive Director

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Open-enrolment programmes for AI seem to be very popular, and in general leadership development. But given the geopolitical challenges around the world, some companies are focusing on their own region and there is downward pressure on almost every school operating internationally. The Middle East is really curtailed.

— Melanie Weaver Barnett, UNICON Executive Director

UNICON Research: The Industry Picture

$0M

Annual revenues among leading business schools from executive education

Projected global growth in executive education over the next decade

Projected US growth over the next decade

UNICON members across 33 countries

From the Rankings

Five Themes Shaping the Field

AI Is Now Mainstream

AI features in three-quarters of all ranked programmes. Open-enrolment AI courses are seeing especially strong demand, with schools moving earliest on agentic AI positioning as market leaders.

Hybrid Is the New Normal

Employers expect online delivery for what can be done digitally, and in-person for the complex work — collaboration, innovation, relationship-building — where presence counts.

Geopolitics Is Reshaping Demand

Conflict in the Middle East has significantly curtailed regional expansion, with companies increasingly refocusing on home markets and pushing down international programme demand.

Custom Programmes Are More Ambitious

Clients want programmes locked to their strategic priorities — some commissioning bespoke master’s degrees. This rewards schools with deep faculty expertise and agile delivery capacity.

Value for Money Under Scrutiny

With some employers requiring staff to co-fund open programmes, the ROI case for learning must be made sharply. Schools with strong repeat business data are winning.

FT Executive Education 2026

Top 10 at a Glance

Open-Enrolment Programmes

#1London Business SchoolUNICON

#2HEC ParisUNICON

#3IESE Business SchoolUNICON

#4Fundação Dom CabralUNICON

#5Esade Business SchoolUNICON

#6Edhec Business SchoolUNICON

#7Oxford: SaïdUNICON

#7IMDUNICON

#9InseadUNICON

#9ESMT Berlin

Custom Programmes

#1SDA Bocconi

#2London Business SchoolUNICON

#3IMDUNICON

#4IESE Business SchoolUNICON

#5ESMT Berlin

#6ESCP Business SchoolUNICON

#7InseadUNICON

#8HEC ParisUNICON

#9Nova School of Business & EconomicsUNICON

#10Oxford: SaïdUNICON

Our Community in the Rankings

Congratulations to Our Ranked Members

UNICON member institutions appeared across both tables this year, spanning six continents. We are proud of every school that took part.

A note on participation: The FT rankings are opt-in. Not all UNICON members submitted data this year — whether due to programme focus, revenue thresholds, or strategic choice. The absence of any school reflects a decision, not its quality.

#1O #2C

London Business SchoolUnited Kingdom

#2O #8C

HEC ParisFrance

#3O #4C

IESE Business SchoolSpain

#4O #11C

Fundação Dom CabralBrazil

#5O #13C

Esade Business SchoolSpain

#6O #20C

Edhec Business SchoolFrance

#7O #10C

Oxford: SaïdUnited Kingdom

#7O #3C

IMDSwitzerland

#9O #7C

InseadFrance / Singapore

#11O #16C

Essec Business SchoolFrance

#14O #19C

Stockholm School of EconomicsSweden

#16O #23C

Univ. of Michigan: RossUnited States

#17O #42C

EMLyon Business SchoolFrance

#18O #15C

University of St. GallenSwitzerland

#19O #32C

InsperBrazil

#20O #9C

Nova School of B&EPortugal

#23O #66C

Universidad de los AndesColombia

#25O #6C

ESCP Business SchoolFrance / Europe

#27O #65C

Univ. of Utah: EcclesUnited States

#28O #85C

HEC MontréalCanada

#31O #22C

Cambridge: JudgeUnited Kingdom

#35O #36C

Vlerick Business SchoolBelgium

#35O #54C

Porto Business SchoolPortugal

#38O #74C

Warwick Business SchoolUnited Kingdom

#39O #51C

GIBS / Univ. of PretoriaSouth Africa

#42O #26C

Western University: IveyCanada

#44O #78C

Egade / Tec de MonterreyMexico

#47O #18C

Ipade Business SchoolMexico

#50O #80C

Kozminski UniversityPoland

#54O #52C

AGSM / UNSWAustralia

#54O #68C

Rutgers Business SchoolUnited States

#54O #38C

Aalto UniversityFinland

#59O #73C

UCD: SmurfitIreland

#59O #93C

BI Norwegian Business SchoolNorway

#62O #68C

Trinity College DublinIreland

#67O #64C

Alliance Manchester Business SchoolUnited Kingdom

#71O #86C

UCT Graduate School of BusinessSouth Africa

#74O #84C

ESAN Graduate School of BusinessPeru

#84O #67C

UBC: SauderCanada

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