• International survey  found that Europe is increasingly popular among African and Middle Eastern MBA  candidates
• Germany displaces France to become 5^th most preferred MBA  destination.
• Top European business schools arrive in Johannesburg to recruit African candidates

According to the latest QS TopMBA.com Applicant survey  2010, there has been a 19.9% rise in the number of MBA  candidates from Africa and the Middle East selecting UK, Germany, France, Spain and Switzerland as their preferred study destination from 2009-2010. In the same year, the number of candidates choosing the US as their preferred study destination dropped considerably from 71.1% to 60.4%. Germany has also become the fifth most preferred destination for the region’s MBA candidates, displacing France.

Ross Geraghty, managing editor of the TopMBA career  Guide says: “What is surprising about these MBA study destination preferences is the disparity between MBA applicants in different regions. The US is no longer dominant and more and more European countries are at the top of people’s lists. Germany has risen to prominence in recent years, especially among candidates from Africa and the Middle East.”

Nick Barniville, MBA director at ESMT European School of management  and Technology believes Germany’s high employment figures play a significant part in its popularity: "With its growing number of high-quality MBA programs, Germany is a prime destination for MBA candidates. The chance for employment after graduation is high. Over 90% of MBA students who graduated in December 2009 were in employment by March 2010. Over 60% of these graduates found employment in Germany."

To meet this growing demand for European MBA programmes, some of the world’s best business schools in Europe such as Vlerick, ESMT, IE, IMD and ESSEC Business School among others from around world will be travelling with the QS World MBA Tour to Johannesburg on Tuesday, 29 March 2011 to meet and recruit some of the country’s best candidates. Candidates can register on www.topmba.com/mba-tour. Registration is free.

For more information, contact:

Barak Cerff

barak@qs.com

+27 (011) 867 3466