QS World University Rankings: Global MBA Rankings 2021
Stanford Graduate School of Business has been ranked as the home of the best full-time MBA program in the world, according to the QS Global MBA Rankings 2021.
Stanford is the first in all-American top three in this year's ranking, with Harvard Business School and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania ranked in second and third respectively.
More than 250 MBA programs around the world took part in the rankings, which assess schools based on the following indicators:
- Employability – 40%
- Entrepreneurship and Alumni Outcomes – 15%
- Return on Investment – 20%
- Thought Leadership – 15%
- Class & Faculty Diversity – 10%
More information about this methodology can be found here, while a top 10 and closer analysis of this year's results can be found below.
QS Global MBA Rankings 2019: Top 10 |
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| Rank | School | Location |
| 1 | Stanford | United States |
| 2 | Harvard | United States |
| 3 | Penn (Wharton) | United States |
| 4 | London Business School | United Kingdom |
| 5 | MIT (Sloan) | United States |
| 6 | INSEAD | France |
| 7 | HEC Paris | France |
| =8 | Chicago (Booth) | United States |
| =8 | IE Business School | Spain |
| 10 | Columbia | United States |
United States schools top the board
The prestigious business schools in North America are often regarded as the leading establishments to study an MBA, and this year's ranking continues to prove that to be accurate. In addition to the three US institutions at the very top of the ranking, a further three are in the top 10 listed above.
The United Kingdom is the top European location for studying an MBA
Much like North America, Europe (and particularly the United Kingdom) has a history of providing exceptional business education. Four European programs can be found in the global top 10, with London Business School in fourth place, followed by INSEAD at sixth and HEC Paris in seventh.
David Simpson, Admissions Director, MBA & MiF at LBS says, “We have just welcomed our most global MBA class with no more than about 20 percent from any region, more than 60 nationalities per class, and a network of alumni spanning more than 150 countries.
“The class size too has grown. We now have 485 MBAs and women make up 40 percent of the class.”
Singapore and Hong Kong offer the most top 10 institutions for Asia
In Asia’s top 10, three programs are based in Singapore and three programs are based in Hong Kong, suggesting these two locations are the top business education hubs in the region. The top school in Asia’s rankings is INSEAD, and with campuses in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, it’s hard to rival INSEAD’s international ethos.
EGADE Business School is top for Latin America
Although Latin American programs aren’t often as highly represented in the global MBA rankings compared to other regions, there are 10 schools featured this year, up from five last year. EGADE Business School, based in Mexico, is ranked best in the region with INCAE Business School in second place, followed by IPADE Business School, Mexico, in third. Mexico, Argentina and Peru are all represented in Latin America’s top 10 with two institutions respectively.
A brand new Oceania ranking
This year we’ve created a dedicated Oceania ranking table, which shines a focus on 14 business schools. Topping the list is Melbourne Business School, which also landed a spot in the global top 30 at 28th. In second place for Oceania is the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at the University of New South Wales Business School, based in Sydney, which actually comes out on top for entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes in the region. In third place is Monash Business School, a new addition this year.
