Hungary ranks among the World’s best in QS 2026 International Trade Rankings

Hungary has once again gained international attention in business education: programmes based in Budapest have been ranked among the world’s leading in the newly released QS 2026 International Trade Rankings, a specialised assessment by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The rankings recognise universities that excel in international trade and business education — and Corvinus University of Budapest remains the only Hungarian institution represented.

Two programmes from Hungary in the global elite

Corvinus earned distinction with two separate programmes:

• its Executive MBA (EMBA), ranked 9th in Europe and 26th globally, and
• its Master’s in International Economy and Business, placed 76th worldwide in the MBA/Master’s category.

Published on 22 October 2025, the QS 2026 International Trade Rankings assessed 30 Executive MBA and 106 Master’s/MBA programmes from top institutions worldwide. Each university could nominate only one programme per category, and Corvinus was the sole Hungarian entrant in both.

Consistent performance and growing reputation

Corvinus has appeared in every edition of the QS International Trade Rankings since their launch in 2022. In 2025, its EMBA was ranked 8th in Europe and 20th worldwide, while the Master’s in International Economy and Business made its debut. These achievements mark a consistent upward trajectory for Hungary’s most internationally oriented business school.

“Being ranked once again among the world’s best provides an internationally recognised mark of quality for our students,” said Bruno van Pottelsberghe, Rector of Corvinus University. “The Corvinus EMBA, delivered jointly with Maastricht University, focuses on strategic and critical thinking combined with real-world practice.”

He added that the Master’s programme improved its position this year, reflecting Corvinus’ commitment to global learning and academic partnerships such as the double-degree collaboration with University College London.

Regional context: Central Europe rising

While Corvinus is the only Hungarian institution on this list, several Central European universities also achieved remarkable results in the QS 2026 business-focused rankings, underlining the region’s growing competitiveness.

In Austria, WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business) achieved outstanding results across multiple categories in the QS Business Master’s Rankings 2026.

• Its Master’s in Supply Chain Management ranked 2nd globally (out of 106 programmes).
• The Master’s in Marketing took 12th place (out of 164).
• The MSc in Strategy, Innovation and Management Control ranked 17th out of 235.
• And the Master’s in Quantitative Finance placed 22nd out of 248.

In Poland, SGH Warsaw School of Economics (Szkoła Główna Handlowa w Warszawie) continues to strengthen its global profile. The institution appears in the QS 2026 International Trade Rankings and was positioned in the 301–350 band globally. Its Master’s in Management (MiM) earned an impressive 4th place worldwide, improving six positions from 2025 — a remarkable achievement for the region. SGH also ranks among Central Europe’s leaders in research and international reputation.

Together, these results signal that Central Europe’s business schools are gaining international prominence, driven by innovative teaching and expanding corporate engagement — a trend that Hungary is clearly part of.

Read also: 15+1 Hungarian university terms every international student should know

What the QS International Trade Rankings measure

Unlike the broader QS World University Rankings, this specialised list focuses exclusively on trade- and business-oriented education. The methodology weighs:

• Trade programme content (30 %)
• Academic and employer reputation (20–25 %)
• Graduate outcomes (15 %)
• Industry engagement (15 %)
• Innovative teaching (5–10 %)
• Research output (10 %)

For 2026, the University of Cambridge led the Executive MBA ranking, while Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management topped the full-time MBA/Master’s list.

Recognition for Hungary’s higher education

Corvinus’ inclusion in the QS 2026 International Trade Rankings reinforces Hungary’s growing role as a regional hub for business education. With Austria’s WU Vienna and Poland’s SGH Warsaw also performing exceptionally, the 2026 results confirm that Central Europe is emerging as a powerhouse of international business education, connecting local expertise with global excellence.

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