School achieves its best-ever position in Custom (42nd) and rises to 43rd in Open
Porto Business School (PBS) continues to strengthen its position among the world’s leading business schools, with a new rise in the global top 50 for executive education. According to the Financial Times Executive Education 2025 ranking, the business school of the University of Porto rose one place in the Open category (43rd) and five places in the Custom category (42nd), achieving its best-ever ranking in the latter.
With these results, PBS stands out as the Portuguese business school with the greatest progress in the Custom category — further recognition of the quality of the programs developed in partnership with companies and organizations.
In the Open category, PBS improved its leadership across several indicators and, in the “Participant Survey,” recorded better scores in five areas (Faculty Diversity, International Location, Growth, International Participants and Female Participants) compared to last year. It was the highest-ranked Portuguese school in “Follow-up” and achieved the best overall satisfaction rating among Portuguese schools — 9.66 out of 10 — ranking 17th globally in this criterion. The school’s investment in international weeks and strategic partnerships with leading institutions contributed to higher positions in the “Partner Schools” (33rd) and “International Location” (24th) indicators.
In the Custom category, the school ranked among the best in seven of the nine evaluated dimensions and recorded the largest jump among Portuguese schools in the “Client Survey” parameter. It also earned the second-highest national score for “Overall Satisfaction” — 7.92 out of 10 — which represented the second-largest increase in Portugal compared to last year. Additionally, PBS rose to 29th place globally in programs delivered in partnership with other international schools.
Finally, the “School Survey” confirms this positive trend, with improvements in five of the six indicators assessed. One notable highlight is the percentage of female participants, where PBS leads nationally — a direct reflection of a strong commitment to inclusion. In 2024, this was reflected in the allocation of more than €1.2 million in scholarships, 43% of which were exclusively for women.
According to José Esteves, Dean of Porto Business School, “These results reinforce the international positioning of Porto Business School as a school of excellence in executive education, focused on preparing leaders for current and future challenges.” He adds: “Seeing the school rise in both categories and achieve its best-ever position in Custom is a clear sign of the relevance and success of our work and the trust placed in us by our partners and participants. Our focus on custom programs — integrating topics such as artificial intelligence, sustainability, and digital transformation — has allowed us to effectively address real market needs while reaching a more balanced level of female participation. These are transformative learning experiences, tailored for organizations, that continue to deliver results and raise the standards of executive education in Portugal and worldwide.”
The Financial Times Executive Education ranking annually assesses the world’s top institutions in executive education. In this edition, 85 schools were evaluated in the Open category and 95 in Custom.