History of QS

1988-90

QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd was founded as a student initiative whilst Nunzio Quacquarelli was completing his MBA at Wharton.

1990

TopMBA Career Guide first published

QS TopMBA International MBA Recruitment & Salary Research. The first report of this annual research was published determining trends in international MBA salaries and recruitment. Today, it presents an unrivalled overview of the world MBA recruitment market.

1995

The first QS World MBA Tour was held in just two cities – London and Paris. Today, the tour travels to 72 cities across five continents.

1996

QS TopMBA Global Recruiters Top 100 Business Schools - an alternative to business school rankings, this research provides the definitive list of business schools currently preferred by the most international MBA recruiters.

1998

QS TopMBA Applicants Research - the largest survey into the mindset and aspirations of MBA applicants. The results of this research provide a detailed insight into the status, attitudes, goals and ambitions of MBA applications worldwide.

2001

QS World Grad School Tour - in a short time, the QS World Grad School Tour has grown to be the world’s number one source of international masters and PhD students for graduate schools around the world and the only global series of information fairs that focus exclusively on international masters and PhDs. Today, the tour visits 47 cities in 31 countries.

Global Workplace - QS acquired the world’s leading network for top professionals and employers looking to connect with alumni from international business schools.

2002

QS Career Forums - a unique programme of recruitment and career development events involving workshops and seminars from senior business professionals on leadership skills, interview techniques, personal branding and career progression.

2004

QS World University Rankings - the world’s most comprehensive rankings of the world’s top 400 universities was launched

2005

Scorecard - an online search and personal ranking tool of over 350 business schools worldwide. Candidates can select the best business school for them by their own criteria.

2005

QS APPLE - The Asia Pacific Professional Leaders in Education annual conference is the prime conference and exhibition for top international educators in Asia, Europe, America and Australasia.

QS Education Trust - a non-profit trust company providing scholarships for international study to candidates each year. Its aim is to become the world’s largest independent community-based provider of postgraduate scholarships.

2005/2006

QS TopApply - a specialized CRM system was launched that tunes in with business schools’ internal application and candidate management processes. 

2007

QS TopInternships – a community web site dedicated to helping first degree and Masters students locate internships, with an initial focus on English speaking countries around the world.

2008

QS Asian University Rankings launch announced in partnership with Chosun Ilbo in Korea (other media partnerships pending)

2009

TopUniversities & World of Study Tour launches in London – serving high school students and young professionals looking to emigrate through an international degree or vocational qualification