Most European institutions reported growth in applications from abroad this year[…]

Samantha Williams would have been well served by excellent business schools in the US, her home and birthplace of the MBA. Yet she chose MIP Politecnico di Milano in Italy to do the flagship business qualification this year.

Her transatlantic crossing reflects her perception that Italy is open for business. […] International students can stay in Italy for a year after graduation while they search for a job.

“I chose to receive my MBA from an Italian university because of the ability to return to Italy for an extended period of time and further my career,” says Williams. “Also, the USA can feel very closed, even though it is a country of immigrants. And I wanted to experience something more international.”
Diversity enriches the learning experience through group discussion. Williams says: “I have been able to increase my knowledge of the EU and gain different perspectives.”

MIP registered a 25 percent increase in foreign students enrolling in its full-time MBA course this year, and they comprise 70 percent of the overall cohort. Federico Frattini, director of the course, explains that Italy’s reputation for arts, culture and fashion are also attractive to overseas students.

MIP’s diversity is typical of European business schools, which have long boasted more global intakes than their peers in the US, where a confluence of factors — including the perception that overseas students are less welcome — are behind a fifth year of declining demand.

In contrast, according to figures from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC, which runs the GMAT), 60 percent of European institutions reported growth in their applications from abroad this year. Almost 80 percent of overall applications to these schools came from abroad, with 59 percent from outside the EU. […]

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