London Business School tops Forbes international MBA

London Business School has retained its position at the top of a table listing the most successful institutions offering two-year full-time MBA programmes.

The School beat Manchester and IESE, based at the University of Navarra in Barcelona and Madrid, to hold on to its top ranking in Forbes' two-year international (non-US) category.

The ranking is based on a survey sent out to alumni of business schools five years after they graduated and measures return on investment.

A total of 16,000 graduates from the class of 2006 at more than 100 schools were questioned. The earnings in the first five years out of business school of the 30% of those who responded were measured against their opportunity cost (two years of foregone compensation, tuition and required fees).

The figures were adjusted to take into account cost of living expenses and earnings were measured based on a rate tied to money market yields but taxes were not deducted from the earnings gains.

Harvard topped the US poll, with IMD taking the top spot in the one-year international programme poll.

View the rankings in full at www.forbes.com/lists/2011/95/best-business-schools-11_land.html