ESCP Business School vs IU International University of Applied Sciences vs GISMA Business School vs Open School of Management vs Ironhack

Side-by-side comparison from 202 verified student reviews. Scan one row at a time — winners are highlighted

Quick verdict
Higher overall rating: Forward College (4.90)
ESCP Business School: wins 0/6 categories
IU International University of Applied Sciences: wins 0/6 categories
GISMA Business School: wins 0/6 categories
Open School of Management: wins 0/6 categories
Ironhack: wins 2/6 categories
Forward College: wins 3/6 categories
Catalyst – Institute for Creative Arts and Technology: wins 1/6 categories
Comparing
Best programme: Bachelor in Management
Best programme: MBA
Best programme: International Marketing
Not rated
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0 reviews
×
Barcelona, Spain
3.00
Read more reviews
2 reviews
×
Best programme: UX/UI Design (User Experience / User Interface Design)
Paris, France
4.90
Top
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16 reviews
×
Best programme: Politics and International Relations
Best programme: Music Production and Sound Engineering
Category ratings
Facilities
4.09
3.69
3.71
Not rated
5.00
Win
4.47
4.75
Location
4.33
3.87
4.14
Not rated
5.00
5.00
4.25
Professors
4.11
4.43
4.21
Not rated
3.00
5.00
Win
3.88
Internationality
4.80
4.44
4.29
Not rated
3.00
4.75
5.00
Win
Student life
4.17
3.62
4.08
Not rated
5.00
Win
4.73
4.75
Value
4.39
4.32
4.00
Not rated
3.00
4.63
Win
4.13
Accommodation
3.27
3.11
3.77
Not rated
4.00
4.33
Win
2.25
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • +European campuses and multicultural environment
  • +Strong career preparation and top company recruitment
  • +Development of interpersonal and managerial skills
  • +Flexible online study for work-life balance
  • +Modern, intuitive digital platform for easy access
  • +Relevant, high-quality educational content
  • +Supportive professors and quality curriculum
  • +International focus and career relevance
  • +Friendly faculty and good learning environment

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  • +Practical, hands-on learning with immediate application
  • +Experienced, professional instructors with industry expertise
  • +Engaging hybrid learning format
  • +Engaging learning environment with interactive methods
  • +Diverse and international student community
  • +Unique multi-city European study experience
  • +Hands-on learning and practical experience
  • +Access to professional gear and facilities
  • +Supportive and collaborative environment
Cons
  • -Administrative and management issues cause significant frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and poor campus infrastructure are a recurring problem.
  • -The curriculum often lacks practical application and relevance.
  • -Slow and unresponsive administrative processes, including grade processing and student support.
  • -Poor staff attitude and lack of accountability for errors in student records and applications.
  • -Inadequate support and guidance for online students.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause significant frustration.
  • -Lack of refund processing and poor communication are major concerns.

Nothing to show

  • -Administrative and management issues.
  • -Perceived lack of value for money.
  • -Administrative & management issues cause frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and equipment are a concern.
  • -Lack of transparency and communication is prevalent.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and equipment are a recurring problem.
  • -Lack of clear communication and support is a major concern.
Rating summary
What students say

Across various aspects, this institution shows considerable strengths, particularly in **Internationality**, earning a near-perfect score. **Location** and **Value** also received very high marks. Student life and professors are rated positively, as are facilities. However, the lowest-rated category is **Accomodation**, indicating an area for potential improvement.

This institution garners notable praise in several key areas, with **Internationality** and **Professors** receiving particularly high scores. The **Value** proposition is also well-regarded. Conversely, **Accomodation** stands out as the lowest-rated aspect. Other aspects like Facilities, Location, and Student Life fall within a more moderate range of positive feedback.

This institution performs strongest in Internationality, with a rating of 4.29. Professors and Location also receive high marks, both above 4.14. Conversely, Facilities and Accomodation are the weakest areas, scoring 3.71 and 3.77 respectively. Student Life and Value are rated solidly around 4.

Nothing to show

With exceptional marks in Facilities and Location, this institution clearly excels in its physical environment and accessibility. Student Life also receives top scores, suggesting a vibrant campus experience. Conversely, the university's weakest areas lie in its Professors and Internationality, both rated a moderate three. Value also sits at this mid-tier rating, indicating areas for potential improvement.

This university garners excellent reviews, particularly excelling in its **professors and location**, both achieving perfect scores. Student life and internationality also stand out with scores above 4.7. Areas with slightly lower, though still strong, ratings include **facilities and accommodation**. Overall, the university presents a well-rounded positive student experience with high marks across most aspects.

This institution achieves outstanding scores in several key areas, notably Internationality (5.0) and Facilities and Student Life, both at an impressive 4.75. However, Accomodation presents a significant challenge, receiving the lowest rating at 2.25. Professors and Value also received solid, above-average scores.

Reviews summary
Highlights

Approximately 97.6% of reviews are positive, highlighting rewarding experiences, multicultural environments, and personal/professional growth. A single negative review mentioned the EMIB program should be updated.

~95% of reviews are positive, praising flexibility, modern platforms, and accessible materials. A small percentage (~5%) mention issues with grading delays and slow administrative support.

With an average rating of 4.14/5, ~86% of reviews are positive, praising quality education and helpful faculty. Approximately 14% of feedback mentions administrative issues.

Nothing to show

With an average rating of 3/5, feedback is evenly split, with ~50% positive and ~50% negative. Positive comments highlight practical, hands-on learning and professional instructors. Negative reviews express dissatisfaction with program value and staff.

Students highly praise the interactive learning, international community, and opportunities for academic and personal growth. There are no negative reviews.

University reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with ~88% of feedback being 4-5 stars. Students praise hands-on learning, creative freedom, and access to professional-grade equipment. There is virtually no negative feedback.

Rating distribution
5★
55%
63%
57%
0%
50%
94%
25%
4★
38%
27%
21%
0%
0%
6%
63%
3★
5%
6%
7%
0%
0%
0%
13%
2★
0%
2%
7%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1★
2%
3%
7%
0%
50%
0%
0%
Most useful review
Most liked
Great international exposure

To me, studying at ESCP has been a really rewarding experience. The multicultural environment helped me grow both personally and professionally. Professors are very supportive and bring real-world insights into the classroom. I rlly liked the flexibility to study in different campuses across Europe. Although some admin processes can be slow, but overall I felt well-prepared for the job market.

The best university in the world

My experience with IU is very wonderful and exceptional. The learning process is smooth and easy especially for online students and the exams are well tailored to test your knowledge on what you have been learning. It is quite great indeed.

Msc international business management

The MSc in international business management has the main subject like finance and risk management. International economics, and research methods and scientific work, which helps students in business.

Nothing to show

Nothing to show

Great modern university approach

I am currently a 3rd year student at Forward College and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to other students. The interactive approach of Forward where questions, debate, and discussion were encouraged enhanced my learning so much and I feel like I genuinely enjoyed every class. Having the experience of living in 3 different cultures, surrounded by people from all over the world made this experience even more special and helped me develop and grow in so many ways. Another aspect I have loved are the professors. Speaking with friends at other university I am so grateful to have teachers that actually know us, are excited to teach and interact with us, and will always take the time to help you.

The Challenge

I'm a Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering graduate. My experience at Catalyst was generally positive. It had a culture of friendliness, kindness and helpfulness from the staff, professors and students. The classes are not the typical classes but are more so akin to workshops. You get introduced to a subject, technique or idea and you are very quickly thrown in the deep end to get your hands dirty in experimentation and practice, which I prefer. You get access to studios and a lot of fancy audio gear. One downside I experienced is the limited studio time. I loved working in the big studios but they increasingly over the years kept getting harder to book due to limited availability. What I found to be the most impactful experience was how challenging the projects were. There were no exams, fun fact. Instead of exams, we had big projects that spanned the entirety of each semester with hard milestone deadlines in between. Since these projects span the whole semester, you can begin to imagine the scale of work involved in completing them. The challenge in handling all the projects pushed me to achieve more than I could have imagined. I needed an environment like that. In conclusion, my time at Catalyst was great. Through all the hard work my skills increased exponentially in a short period of time. The staff and teachers are amazing and always ready to help.

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