MBA Rankings 2018

An overview of the main MBA rankings and their expected publication dates

For MBA rankings in 2018, a lot of potential disruptions are may be in store. Will changes like the planned Brexit have an effect on UK business schools? Will Asian business schools increase in stature? Will Donald Trump’s immigration policies impact the perceived prestige of US business schools?

Overall, last year’s ranking changes saw minor shifts among top schools, but overall, MBA salaries continued to improve across the board. In the 2017 Global MBA Ranking from the Financial Times, top UK business schools did fairly well, while some in the lower half of the ranking weren't quite so lucky. Insead led the list, but half of the top ten schools were based in the US. US business schools, in general, improved their standings in that ranking, with some exceptions. Schools in Australia also did well, while the Canadian schools lost ground. On the international version of the Best Business Schools Ranking from Bloomberg Businessweek, Insead led the pack here as well, while the UK schools in the top 10: London Business School, Oxford - Said, and Cambridge - Judge, lost some ground. 

What's in store for 2018? If the 2018 Global MBA Ranking from the Financial Times is any indication, improvement will be seen by US business schools, while there will be more of a mixed bag for UK schools. 

Below you’ll find a list of the main MBA rankings and their expected publication dates in 2018. For the rankings that have already been published, we’ll note the top 5 schools.

2018 MBA Rankings: An Overview

US News & World Report: Online MBA Ranking: Published on January 9, 2018

When this ranking was first published, Temple - Fox had the number one position, but was removed from the ranking after the publication reported that the GMAT statistics the school had reported were not correct. It's since been moved to the 'unranked' category.

Top Schools:

2. (tie) Carnegie Mellon - Tepper

2. (tie) IU - Kelley

4. UNC Kenan-Flagler

5. (tie) ASU - Carey

5. (tie) Florida - Hough

Financial Times: Global MBA Ranking: Published on January 29, 2018

Stanford's MBA took the top spot in this ranking, for the first year since 2012. Insead, which was ranked at the top of last year's ranking, fell to number two. 

Top schools:

1. Stanford

2. Insead

3. Upenn - Wharton

4. London Business School

5. Harvard

Financial Times: Online MBA Ranking 2018: Published March 4, 2018

For the first time in this ranking's history, the Online MBA from Warwick Business School leads the pack. IE Business School, which had taken the number one spot since it was first published in 2014, has fallen to spot number two.

Top schools:

1. Warwick Business School

2. IE Business School

3. UMass Amherst - Isenberg

4. IU - Kelley

5. Durham University Business School

US News & World Report MBA Ranking - Published March 20, 2018

For full-time MBA programs, Harvard and Chicago - Booth were tied for first place. Yale School of Management has left the top-10 this year; Michigan - Ross entered the top-10 at position number seven. For the part-time MBA programs, UC Berkeley - Haas was the leader. This year, there was a slight change to the ranking's methodology: any school that reported less than 50 percent of its students' GMAT or GRE scores lost points. Here are the top five schools in the full-time ranking:

  1. (tie) Harvard
  2. (tie) Chicago - Booth
  3. Wharton
  4. Stanford
  5. MIT - Sloan

Financial Times: Executive MBA Ranking - Published October 15, 2018

Joint Executive MBA programs did well in this ranking. The EMBA from Kellogg and HKUST Business School led the ranking for the third year in a row. For the first time ever, the publication took into account corporate social responsibility (CSR) factors as part of the ranking. Here are the top five Executive MBA programs in the 2018 ranking:

  1. Kellogg / HKUST - EMBA
  2. HEC Paris / LSE / NYU - Trium Global EMBA
  3. Tsinghhua / Insead - Tsinghua-Insead Dual Degree EMBA
  4. Columbia / HKU / LBS - EMBA-Global Asia

Economist: Which MBA? Ranking - Published  October 26, 2018

The MBA from Chicago - Booth led this ranking in 2018, unseating Kellogg, which dropped to number two. The publication found that both post-MBA salaries at top schools—as well as tuition fees—have been rising. Here are the top-five MBA programs:

  1. Chicago - Booth
  2. Northwestern - Kellogg
  3. Harvard
  4. Wharton
  5. Stanford

Bloomberg Businessweek: MBA Rankings (US Business Schools): Published November 9, 2018

The Stanford MBA leads this list of all-US business schools, both overall and in terms of total post-MBA compensation. The MBAs from Wharton, Harvard, MIT - Sloan, and Chicago - Booth all feature strongly. These are the top-five programs:

  1. Stanford
  2. Wharton
  3. Harvard
  4. MIT - Sloan
  5. Chicago - Booth

Expected Publication Dates of 2018 MBA Rankings

Forbes: MBA Ranking: September 2018

Bloomberg Businessweek: Business School Rankings (Non-US schools): December, 2018

Financial Times: European Business School Ranking: December 2018

Related Business Schools

Fontainebleau, France 71 Followers 309 Discussions
Singapore 33 Followers 171 Discussions
London, United Kingdom 168 Followers 475 Discussions
Oxford, United Kingdom 70 Followers 277 Discussions
Cambridge, United Kingdom 53 Followers 289 Discussions
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 37 Followers 92 Discussions
Bloomington, Indiana 41 Followers 82 Discussions
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 37 Followers 76 Discussions
Tempe, Arizona 26 Followers 65 Discussions
Stanford, California 96 Followers 171 Discussions
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 67 Followers 171 Discussions
Boston, Massachusetts 84 Followers 204 Discussions
Coventry, United Kingdom 100 Followers 583 Discussions
Madrid, Spain 114 Followers 366 Discussions
Amherst, Massachusetts 12 Followers 24 Discussions
Durham, United Kingdom 74 Followers 400 Discussions

More MBA News

Feb 07, 2024

London Business School Announces New 1-Year MBA

Feb 07, 2024

More MBA News

MBA Articles

Beyond Perfection: How Authenticity is Reshaping MBA Essays

Feb 29, 2024

As AI tools like ChatGPT grow in appeal, the ability to craft essays that resonate with authenticity has become a powerful differentiator for applicants seeking to stand out from the crowd.

The Ultimate Guide to moving to Germany as an International Student

Feb 23, 2024

As an international student who made the leap from sunny Singapore to Germany for a Master’s degree..

The Rise of Joint-Degree Programs in MBA and Sustainability

Feb 21, 2024

Business schools have developed new joint-degree programs that blend business acumen and environmental stewardship

More Articles

Related Top 10 Lists

More Top 10 Lists