Ie University

Name

Ie University

Legal name

Instituto de Empresa, S.L.

Website

https://ie.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online For-Profit Career Universities (EDAHALAJ)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Business school
• Executive education
• Degree programs
• Online learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Education Fees: IE University generates revenue primarily through tuition fees for its diverse range of undergraduate, master's, summer school, and executive education programs. The university offers various program types including business & management, design & architecture, finance, law, science & technology, and more.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IE University is a private higher education institution that offers undergraduate, master's, MBA, doctoral, and executive education programs across multiple disciplines including business, law, architecture and design, science and technology, arts and humanities, and politics. It delivers education through a proprietary "Liquid Learning" methodology that blends online and face-to-face instruction across campuses in Madrid, Segovia, and New York, supported by 25 international hubs.

Product overview

IE University is a comprehensive higher education institution offering a multi-school portfolio of degree programs through seven distinct schools: IE Business School, IE School of Politics, Economics & Global Affairs, IE Law School, IE School of Architecture & Design, IE School of Science & Technology, IE School of Arts & Humanities, and IE Lifelong Learning. The university utilizes a Liquid Learning educational approach combining in-person and online modalities. Key offerings include undergraduate and graduate degree programs, executive education, summer schools, and co-organizes the South Summit innovation event. The institution operates campuses in Madrid, Segovia, and New York, with 25 international hubs worldwide supporting over 65,000 alumni across 140 countries. Supporting infrastructure includes the IE Store for branded merchandise and Campus Online for student services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IE Business School: The business school division of IE University offering MBA, Executive Education, and other business programs.
• IE School of Architecture & Design
• IE School of Politics, Economics & Global Affairs
• IE Law School
• IE School of Science & Technology
• IE School of Arts & Humanities
• IE Lifelong Learning
• IE Summer School
• IE Foundation
• IE Store

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Bachelor's degree programs spanning business, law, architecture and design, science and technology, arts and humanities, and politics, designed for recent secondary school graduates seeking a full-time higher education experience.
• Master's Degree Programs Postgraduate master's programs including MBAs, master of science, and master of arts degrees across multiple disciplines, targeted at graduates and working professionals seeking specialization.
• Executive Education Short-form and modular executive education programs designed for mid-career professionals and senior executives to upskill or reskill without committing to a full degree.
• Online Learning Programs Fully online degree and certificate programs delivered through the Liquid Learning methodology, enabling global access to IE University credentials without on-campus attendance.
• Doctoral Programs PhD-level research programs for scholars and practitioners pursuing advanced academic research across the university's disciplines.
• South Summit Annual entrepreneurship and innovation event co-organized by IE University, connecting startups, investors, and corporate leaders; functions as both a networking platform and a flagship university brand initiative.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25% of IE University alumni go on to found their own companies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• South SummitcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026IE University co-organizes South Summit, one of Europe's premier startup summits. The 2026 edition (June 3-5) at La Nave in Madrid focused on 'AI Convergence' with 600+ speakers, nearly 30 unicorn companies, and over 4,500 applications from 110 countries. South Summit is a flagship event showcasing innovation and connecting startups with investors.
• NATO DIANAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026South Summit Madrid 2026, co-organized by IE University, features a 'Defense & AI' track involving NATO's DIANA defense accelerator program, highlighting the intersection of defense technology and AI innovation.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026JLL Project and Development Services and IE School of Architecture & Design launched the second year of the IE and JLL Design Wonder Award, supporting nine post-graduate students to pursue a Master of Interior Design in Madrid. JLL provides course content and lectures, developing future design talent.
• American University in DubaicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Partnership to launch a Global Bachelor in Business Administration (Global BBA), a four-year international degree program allowing students to study across Madrid, Dubai, Singapore, and optionally New York. Builds on existing relationship covering student exchanges and faculty collaboration.
• Cambridge University Press & AssessmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026IE University collaborated with Cambridge University Press & Assessment to develop a new entrepreneurship course for Cambridge International A Level students, extending IE's educational methodology to secondary education.
• Caprae Capital PartnersminorOthers · 1 January 2026IE University is one of six educational institutions (along with IESE Business School, CUNEF in Spain, and IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras in India) participating in Caprae's global internship program. Caprae converted IE interns to full-time employees and reports 20%+ month-over-month growth.
• Banco SabadellminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 June 2025Banco Sabadell's BStartup program reached its 100th direct startup investment at South Summit Madrid 2025, highlighting support for the startup ecosystem.
• PwCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025South Summit and PwC released a joint report on AI's growing role in venture capital and startup ecosystems ahead of the South Summit 2026 conference.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hult International Business School: Private for-profit international business school with campuses in Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai, and Shanghai. Closely matches IE's for-profit, multi-jurisdiction, globally-recruited model and degree portfolio.
• ESCP Business School: Multi-campus European business school with locations across Paris, Berlin, London, Madrid, Turin and Warsaw. Directly comparable structure of cross-border undergraduate, master's, MBA and executive programs targeting similar international cohorts.
• SP Jain School of Global Management: Multi-campus private business school with locations in Dubai, Singapore, Mumbai and Sydney. Closely mirrors IE's international, multi-jurisdiction for-profit model targeting globally mobile undergraduate and graduate students.
• INSEAD: Multi-campus international business school with campuses in France, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and San Francisco. Operates the same global-mobile model as IE with one-year MBA and executive programs targeting the same cross-border professional audience.
• London Business School: Premier graduate-only business school with strong MBA, MiF, and executive education programs. Targets the same global professional audience as IE with London as a competing European hub city for IE's London office.
• IESE Business School: Spain-based private graduate business school and IE's most direct domestic competitor. Both target similar international MBA/executive audiences with premium pricing and global recruitment models.
• ESADE Business School: Private Barcelona-based business and law school competing head-to-head with IE for Spanish and international MBA, MiM, and executive education students across overlapping program verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Harvard Business School Online: HBS's online credential and degree offerings compete with IE's online MBA and executive programs, leveraging Harvard's brand to push into the same digital executive education category where IE holds its #1 ranking.
• Wharton Online (University of Pennsylvania): Wharton's online MBA and executive education programs serve the same premium online segment as IE, with deeper brand recognition and broader course catalog appealing to overlapping corporate clients.

Emerging players

• Quantic School of Business: Mobile-first accredited online MBA and business school competing directly in the same online format that drives IE's #1 FT Online MBA ranking. Represents the new wave of low-cost, software-native disruptors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IEuniversity
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ieuniversity
• Facebookfacebook.com/ieuniversity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ie-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/ieuniversity
• TikToktiktok.com/@ieuniversity?

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ie University