IE University (IE Business School) vs UPF Barcelona School of Management (Universitat Pompeu Fabra): which trading school is better?
As of October 29, 2026, IE University (IE Business School) leads UPF Barcelona School of Management (Universitat Pompeu Fabra) by 0.1 point in the 2027 trading school ranking: #130 internationally against #132. The gap comes mainly from the Student reviews and Visibility pillars. UPF Barcelona School of Management (Universitat Pompeu Fabra) does better on Recognition and employability and Trust. On Teaching, they are level.
2027 edition · updated October 29, 2026 · next updates planned for December 2026 and January 2027 · Ranking methodology
All 25 criteria, side by side
| Criterion | IE University (IE Business School) | UPF Barcelona School of Management (Universitat Pompeu Fabra) |
|---|---|---|
| Score out of 100 | 66.0 | 65.9 |
| International rank | #130 | #132 |
| Rank in Spain | #4 of 75 | #5 of 75 |
| Trust · 10 % | 3.86/5 | 4.43/5 |
| 1. Regulator warnings | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| 2. Registered company and age | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| 3. Transparency: price, refunds, legal notice, contact | 3/5 | 5/5 |
| 4. Named, verifiable instructors | 1/5 | 4/5 |
| 5. Honest marketing, no promise of profit | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| 6. Secure website | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| 7. Protected domain (SPF, DMARC, headers) | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| Teaching · 20 % | 2.00/5 | 2.00/5 |
| 8. Curriculum coverage | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| 9. Real practice | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| 10. Mentoring and support | 1/5 | 1/5 |
| 11. Cost per training hour | 1/5 | n/a |
| Student reviews · 20 % | 4.33/5 | 3.00/5 |
| 13. Student rating (Trustpilot and Google) | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| 14. Number of reviews | 4/5 | 3/5 |
| 15. Suspicious review warning | 5/5 | n/a |
| 16. 12-month trend | n/a | n/a |
| Recognition and employability · 30 % | 2.50/5 | 3.83/5 |
| 12. Degree-granting program | 1/5 | 5/5 |
| 18. Degree recognized by a state or the profession | 2/5 | 5/5 |
| 25. Employability and career outcomes | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| 17. Institutional accreditation | 5/5 | 4/5 |
| 19. Labels and awards | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| 20. Official partners | 1/5 | 3/5 |
| Visibility · 20 % | 4.50/5 | 3.50/5 |
| 21. Domain age | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| 22. Websites linking to it | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| 23. Press mentions, Wikipedia page | 5/5 | 1/5 |
| 24. Social media audience | 3/5 | 3/5 |
In green, the better of the two scores. “n/a”: not applicable, the criterion is left out of its pillar. “–”: criterion not yet assessed. The evidence and source for each score are on each school's listing.
IE University (IE Business School): full listingUPF Barcelona School of Management (Universitat Pompeu Fabra): full listing