The Financial Times Publishes 2018 Global MBA Ranking

Stanford leads this year's ranking; the Insead MBA falls to position number two

The Financial Times has released the 2018 edition of its Global MBA Ranking.

This year, the Stanford Graduate School of Business takes the top position. This is the first time since 2012 that the school has taken the top spot. According to the ranking data, Stanford MBA graduates (from the class of 2014) make just over $214,000 per year, on average - the highest for all schools in the ranking.

Stanford has taken the top spot from the one-year Insead MBA program, which had led the ranking for the previous two years. In this year's ranking, it has dropped to position number two.

Insead is followed by the Wharton School, which retains its third-place ranking this year. 

At position number four is London Business School's MBA, which has dropped two spots. It's followed by Harvard, which has fallen one position to number five. Booth's MBA comes next, rising three spots to number six; Booth is followed by Columbia Business School, which holds on to position number seven this year. China's CEIBS has risen three spots to land at position number eight, while MIT - Sloan's MBA has climbed four spots to land at position number nine. The top 10 is rounded out by UC Berkeley - Haas' MBA.

Big Movers in the 2018 FT Global MBA Ranking

Although there wasn't much substantial movement in the top 10, some schools further down the ranking have shifted. The MBA from Cambridge - Judge has fallen out of the top 10, going from number five to number 13 this year. The MBA from Cornell - Johnson, for example, has gained ten spots this year to land at position number 17. Singapore's NUS has dropped out the top 20, going from position number 18 to 26. On the other hand, the MBA from UCLA - Anderson has made strong progress this year, jumping from number 32 to 25. Georgetown's MBA has also gained, jumping from 30 to 40.

Further down, there was even more substantial upward movement, especially among US business schools.. The MBA from Texas' Rice - Jones has jumped almost 20 spots, moving from number 64 last year to 45 this year. Also, WUSTL - Olin, which was ranked  68 last year, takes spot number 50 this year. 

On the other hand, some UK schools have not faired as well in this year's Global MBA Ranking. The Cass MBA, for instance, has last nine spots, falling from position 37 to 46. The Lancaster MBA has also dropped, from position 42 last year to number 70 this year. Strathclyde Business School has also lost ground. 

Here's a list of the top 20 schools in this year's FT Global MBA Ranking, as well as their change from last year.

Business Schools in Australia, Canada, and elsewhere

For schools outside the US and the UK, there were also some changes. Canada's McGill reappeared on the ranking this year, at position number 78. Another Canadian school, Toronto - Rotman, lost ground this year, dropping from 65 to 86. Queen's University, which was ranked at position 100 last year, has dropped off the ranking this year.

In Australia, the two business schools in the country also shifted a bit in this year's ranking: AGSM dropped from 54 to 63, while Melbourne Business School's MBA went from 76 to 66. MGSM, which was ranked in the top 50 last year, has dropped off the ranking this year.

Denmark's Copenhagen Business School debuted in the ranking this year, at position number 100.

Drop-offs

A few business schools that were listed in the 2017 Global MBA Ranking from the FT have dropped off in this year's ranking. Spain's IE Business School, which was ranked eighth last year, is nowhere to be found in the 2018 ranking. George Washington University, which was ranked 86 last year, has also dropped off. 

Other schools that were ranked last year and did not make the cut in 2018 include Vlerick Business School, Iowa - Tippie, Temple - Fox, Costa Rica's INCAE, South Carolina - Moore, IPADE, Grenoble Graduate School of Business, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The FT's Global MBA Ranking 2018

FT MBA Ranking 2017 Business School Location Change from 2016
1 Stanford USA +1
2 Insead France/Singapore -1
3 UPenn - Wharton USA no change
4 London Business School UK +2
5 Harvard USA -1
6 Chicago - Booth USA +3
7 Columbia Business School USA no change
8 CEIBS China +4
9 MIT - Sloan USA +4
10 UC Berkeley - Haas USA +3
11 IESE Business School Spain -1
12 Northwestern - Kellogg USA no change
13 Cambridge - Judge UK -8
14 HKUST Hong Kong +1
15 Yale SOM USA no change
16 Dartmouth - Tuck USA +2
17 Cornell - Johnson USA +10
18 NUS Singapore +8
19 Duke - Fuqua USA +5
20 ESADE Business School Spain -2
       

FIND MBA's previous coverage of the Financial Times' Global MBA Ranking:

Read more about MBA Rankings on FIND MBA's MBA Rankings page.

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