History and Scope
The first ever Financial Times (FT) ranking was published in 1999 and had an international focus from the start. Factors such as where students worked, their background, what they wanted from their education, as well as the level of gender diversity at school have all been part of the annual publication since then.
Today the FT Global MBA ranking features business schools from countries all over the world, including the US, the UK, Spain, France, Italy, China, Singapore, India, Canada, and more. In February each year, prospective students can consult the latest edition of the top 100 global MBA programs ranked by the Financial Times.
Methodology and Stand-out Features
Next to its global focus, what makes this ranking stand out is its strong emphasis on post-MBA career progression and salary increase. It places about 40% of the total score on average post-MBA salaries and salary increases three years after graduation (including value for money and career progress ranks). This makes it highly reflective of the return on investment (ROI) for MBA graduates – a valuable point of information for those prioritizing financial gains.
Unlike some rankings that rely more on academic reputation or recruiter surveys, the FT heavily incorporates alumni feedback. Data collected from alumni surveys informs criteria such as salary progression, career services, and career progress.
The FT Global MBA ranking also includes a research score weighing 10%, which is calculated according to the number of articles published by full-time faculty members. Although they carry less weight in the final score, the carbon footprint rank and the ESG and net zero teaching rank reflect the growing importance of responsible leadership.
Besides the Global MBA edition, the Financial Times publishes six other rankings:
- Online MBA
- Executive MBA
- Executive Education
- Masters in Finance
- Masters in Management
- European Business Schools
Limitations and Considerations
As with any MBA ranking, the FT edition has its limitations too. It primarily features schools that are accredited and willing to participate, and relies heavily on data reported by alumni. This means that smaller or newer programs with innovative approaches may not have the opportunity to get ranked because they don’t meet the inclusion criteria. Rankings are most useful when combined with other tools for researching schools. Comparing MBA curricula, talking to alumni or admissions consultants, and campus visits can all help candidates make a well-rounded decision.
FT Global MBA Ranking 2025
1. University of Pennsylvania: The Wharton School
2. Columbia University: Columbia Business School
4. SDA Bocconi: School of Management
6. MIT: Sloan School of Management
10. Northwestern University: The Kellogg School of Management
11. Duke University: Fuqua School of Business
13. Cornell University: Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
13. Harvard Business School (HBS)
15. University of California Berkeley: Haas School of Business
15. Shanghai University of Finance and Economics: College of Business
17. The University of Chicago: Booth School of Business
19. UCLA: Anderson School of Management
20. Dartmouth College: Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
20. University of Virginia: Darden School of Business
22. Nanyang Technological University: Nanyang Business School
24. Yale University: School of Management
25. Peking University: Guanghua School of Management
26. University of Oxford: SaГЇd Business School
29. University of Michigan: Ross School of Business
30. Fudan University: School of Management
31. New York University: Stern School of Business
31. Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
31. Tongji University: School of Economics and Management
34. University of Washington: Foster School of Business
35. University of Cambridge: Judge Business School
37. National University of Singapore: Business School
39. Rice University: Jones Graduate School of Business
39. The University of Texas at Austin: McCombs School of Business
41. The University of Hong Kong: Faculty of Business and Economics
42. Washington University in St. Louis: Olin Business School
43. Georgetown University: McDonough School of Business
45. Emory University: Goizueta Business School
46. Alliance Manchester Business School
48. University of Florida: Warrington College of Business
49. Carnegie Mellon: Tepper School of Business
50. University of Southern California: Marshall School of Business
51. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Kenan-Flagler Business School
52. Vanderbilt University: Owen Graduate School of Management
53. University of California at Irvine: Paul Merage School Of Business
54. The University of Texas at Dallas: Naveen Jindal School of Management
55. University of Georgia: Terry College of Business
56. Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University
57. Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
58. Georgia Institute of Technology: Scheller College of Business
59. Arizona State University: W. P. Carey School of Business
60. University of Rochester: Simon Business School
61. Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
65. Chinese University of Hong Kong: CUHK Business School
66. WHU: Otto Beisheim School of Management
67. City University of London: Bayes Business School
67. University of New South Wales: AGSM Business School
69. Indian Institute of Management - Indore
70. Texas A&M University: Mays Business School
71. University of Mannheim: Mannheim Business School
71. Indian Institute of Management - Lucknow
73. UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School
74. Boston University: Questrom School of Business
75. University of Notre Dame: Mendoza College of Business
76. University of Toronto: Rotman School of Management
78. Fordham University: Gabelli School of Business
79. Queen's University: Smith School of Business
80. College of William and Mary: Raymond A. Mason School of Business
82. Cranfield University: Cranfield School of Management
83. Brigham Young University: Marriott School of Management
83. Babson College: Olin Graduate School of Business
83. XLRI: Xavier School of Management
86. Durham University: Durham University Business School
86. Western University: Ivey Business School
86. Indian Institute of Management - Kozhikode
89. Grenoble Ecole de Management
91. University of Edinburgh Business School
92. Hult International Business School
93. Copenhagen Business School
94. McGill University: Desautels Faculty of Management
95. University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business
96. Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
97. University of Glasgow: Adam Smith Business School
98. Sungkyunkwan University: Graduate School of Business
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