Which business schools are the best for earning an MBA? We rank the top programs here.
See our complete guide to MBAs for more information.
When it comes to business schools, reputation can be very important. After all, earning an MBA from an elite institution like the Harvard Business School or the Stanford Graduate School of Business can carry a lot of weight in both education and the business world.
But how can prospective students choose the best business school for their MBA?
Find top schools with a look at our College and University Rankings, or read on to find out how an MBA could further your career.
MBA programs are extremely popular for a reason. Business administration is a gateway to countless careers in the business sector. However, many of the top careers are highly competitive. Business leaders will typically earn their master’s degree in order to compete for top roles.
Attending a top school of business can significantly improve your chances of ascending to a leadership role and earning executive level pay.
Indeed, many of the nation’s best-paid chief executives are MBA graduates from the top business schools. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, chief executives are among the best paid professionals in the labor market.
Top executives earned a median salary of $179,520 in 2021. While a bachelor’s degree can technically qualify you for many roles in business, most of these elite leadership roles are held by those with an advanced business degree from a top business school with a fantastic reputation.
Many MBA programs will require you to submit Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) Scores or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores. These test scores can impact your chances of admission. The best MBA programs—those offered by the most prestigious business schools—may have minimum GMAT or GRE scores.
If you are applying to top business schools that don’t have a minimum score requirement, pay close attention to the average GMAT score or GRE score for students who are admitted. For instance, the average GMAT score for students in the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business Class of 2024 was 733; the average GRE scores were 162 verbal and 162 quant.
MBA applicants can improve their chances of admission to the best MBA programs by ensuring that their standardized test scores match those of current enrollees.
Looking to save time and money on testing? Check out these MBA programs with no GRE and no GMAT required.
You need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year program. This undergraduate degree can be in any subject. You don’t necessarily have to major in business to pursue an MBA program at a top business school.
In fact, many business schools take an interest in students with unique undergraduate backgrounds in areas like psychology, sociology, and legal studies.
The typical graduate level business administration program will include a requirement for a minimum—usually 3.0. However, students applying to a top business school should generally have an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or better to be considered competitive.
Each college of business will require the completion of different courses, although there are similarities in programs. There are typically core courses, as well as electives and an individualized capstone project.
Typical business master’s program courses include:
Key Point: Top MBA programs will cover topics such as organizational behavior, corporate finance, and business ethics.
Graduates with an MBA from the best business schools will often qualify for elite leadership roles including:
Key Points:According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job openings for top executives are projected to grow by 6% from 2021 to 2031.
The picture is even brighter for those who use their graduate degree to pursue careers as administrative services and facilities managers. Jobs for these positions are expected to grow by 7% from 2021 to 2031.
If you’re looking to attend one of the top business schools, be sure you’re ready for a competitive admissions process and a challenging educational experience. Here are the factors that you need to consider when choosing from the best business schools for your MBA:
In addition to institutional accreditation, be sure your affordable online MBA is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). This national board provides programmatic accreditation, which is an important mark of credibility and academic excellence for the master’s of business administration degree.
This prestigious accreditation has been awarded to less than 1% of MBA programs in the world.
Find out what kinds of course delivery options are available through these prestigious schools.
Learn how to find accredited online MBA programs.
Top business schools will typically be highly reputable as well as highly influential. MBA rankings published by sites like U.S. News & World Report place a heavy weight on reputation surveys alongside factors like acceptance rate and graduation rate.
By contrast, Academic Influence measures excellence with a unique metric called Influence. Influence-based MBA rankings spotlight the real-world impact of a school’s students, alumni, and faculty members.
The resulting ranking does reflect some of the same outcomes as the annual U.S. News rankings. For instance, top business schools like University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, the Columbia Business School, The Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business, and other highly prestigious business schools rank both for reputation and Influence.
The following graph depicts the average salaries of Business Operations Specialists for each percentile in the U.S.
Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
SVG Attribution: Wikipedia
Tuition + fees
$64K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
97%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/34
Columbia University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Columbia University sits in the heart of bustling Manhattan. Founded in 1754 under the name King’s College, Columbia is the oldest university in New York and the fifth oldest in the nation. Today, Columbia serves more than 33,000 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
The private research university is a member of the vaunted Ivy League, and is widely recognized as a hotbed for scientific innovation and cutting edge research. And with an endowment of over $13 billion, Columbia has the largest endowment of any academic institution in the world!
The Columbia Business School is among the most prestigious graduate schools in the world.
Enjoy a college experience in the heart of a vibrant city.
Have a limited budget. Tuition for Columbia typically ranks among the highest in the nation.
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
5%
Graduation
97%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
Yale University is among the most highly regarded schools in the world. Based in New Haven, Connecticut, Yale was founded in 1701. This makes it the third oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S.
A member of the vaunted Ivy League, Yale is a private research university serving more than 12,000 elite students. It is noteworthy that more than half of enrollees are in pursuit of a graduate degree.
The Yale School of Management serves roughly 1000 postgraduate students today.
Rank near the top of their class. Yale is among the most selective schools in the world.
Prefer an emphasis on science over humanities. Yale is noteworthy for its excellent liberal arts programs.
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
96%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1545/35
MIT is among the most selective, influential, and prestigious universities in the world. Founded in 1861 as the United States approached the age of industrialization, the private research university is regarded today among the top destinations in the world for studying, teaching, and researching applied sciences, engineering, and more.
In addition to serving roughly 12,000 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, the Cambridge, Massachusetts institute is widely recognized as a key contributor to essential scientific developments, innovations, and discoveries since its founding.
1300 graduate students are currently in pursuit of an MBA or related degree at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Have achieved academic excellence in the hard sciences. MIT is one of the top destinations in the world for scientific research and innovation.
Prefer a liberal arts experience.
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
94%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1470/33
Cornell University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Cornell University was formed in 1865 with the lofty mission of providing education in both the classical and scientific traditions, as well as offering both theoretical and applied learning opportunities. Today, the Ithaca, New York-based Ivy League institution is among the most prestigious institutions in the world.
Cornell University is one of just a few private land-grant universities, and its main campus spans more than 700 acres in the lush Finger Lakes Region of New York. Today, more than 25,000 students are pursuing undergraduate and graduate level degrees at Cornell.
Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business currently serves close to 700 students per year.
Appreciate diversity. All 50 states and more than 100 nations are represented in Cornell’s multicultural student body.
Have financial limitations. Students describe both the cost of attendance and the cost of living as comparatively high.
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
13%
Graduation
87%
Student body
49K
Median SAT/ACT
1455/32
New York University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
New York University was chartered by the New York state legislature in 1831, and began life as the University of the City of New York. Adopting its less cumbersome name in 1896, NYU rapidly emerged as one of the largest institutions in the U.S. By 1917, the Manhattan-based school had topped 9000 in enrollment, and began expanding outward to the Bronx.
In fact, by 1935, New York University had spun off the independent Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island. Today, NYU serves more than 50,000 students across nearly 20 campuses all over the world.
The NYU Stern School of Business serves roughly 3000 MBA candidates today.
Are pursuing postgraduate degrees. Of its enormous student body, roughly half are pursuing an advanced degree.
Do not prefer attending college in a major metropolitan city. NYU is directly immersed in bustling Manhattan.
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
96%
Student body
28K
Median SAT/ACT
1515/34
University of Pennsylvania’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
The University of Pennsylvania was founded in Philadelphia in 1740 by civic leaders including Founding Father and inventor Benjamin Franklin. Today, the vaunted Ivy League institution is the 4th oldest in the United States.
University of Pennsylvania serves over 22,000 students. Of those, more than half are studying to earn a graduate level degree.
University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business serves more than 2500 postgraduates today
Are at the top of their graduating class. University of Pennsylvania is among the most selective schools in the nation.
Don’t wish to attend college in a big city like Philadelphia.
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
84%
Student body
42K
Median SAT/ACT
1350/28
University of Minnesota’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
University of Minnesota was founded in 1851, which actually makes it seven years older than the state of Minnesota itself. Starting life as a preparatory academy, it would gradually evolve into the flagship school in the public state university system. With campuses roughly three miles apart in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the University is among the nation’s leading research institutions.
With a student body of well over 52,000, University of Minnesota isn’t just the biggest school in its state, but is also among the ten largest schools by enrollment in the nation.
The university’s Carlson School of Management currently enrolls roughly 1600 students in its MBA programs.
Students who are still choosing a discipline. The university offers countless specialized degree programs across 19 academic schools.
Don’t enjoy a large school environment.
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
96%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
Duke University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Duke University was founded in 1838 in what is now Trinity, North Carolina. Moving to their present location 1892, today Duke covers 8,600 acres of land across Durham, North Carolina.
The private university consistently ranks among the top schools in the world, and serves nearly 17,000 students across three campuses. And with nearly 10,000 graduate students, Duke dedicates nearly $1 billion to research efforts every year.
Duke’s Fuqua School of Business serves roughly 1500 MBA candidates a year.
Love college sports. Duke’s men’s basketball is among the most successful programs in NCAA history.
Don’t have excellent grades. Duke is one of the most selective schools in the country.
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
53%
Graduation
84%
Student body
44K
Median SAT/ACT
1326/30
University of Washington’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
The University of Washington was founded in 1861, just ten years after the birth of its hometown of Seattle, Washington. This makes the public research university one of the oldest schools on the American West Coast.
With campuses in Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell, the University of Washington covers a sprawling 20 million square feet of space in the state of Washington.
University of Washington’s Foster School of Business enrolls roughly 2500 students each year at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Love reading. With 26 libraries, art centers, museums, labs, and lecture halls, UW boasts one of the largest library systems in the world.
Prefer sunny skies. The Pacific Northwest is famous for its cloudy climate.
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
29%
Graduation
88%
Student body
45K
Median SAT/ACT
1340/29
University of Texas at Austin’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
The University of Texas at Austin was founded in 1883, which makes it both the oldest institution in the state of Texas and the flagship school in the state university system. Today, the public research university is highly regarded for its elite level of research activity. For this reason, University of Texas at Austin is often referred to as one of the “Public Ivies.”
The University of Texas at Austin is the second largest school in a state that is notable for its large campus populations. Today, UT Austin serves more than 52,000 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
The McCombs School of Business serves about 1700 MBA candidates each year.
Are looking for a college in a vibrant city. Austin is noted for its live music, nightlife, and cultural offerings.
Are seeking a more intimate educational setting.
Tuition + fees
$20K
Acceptance
21%
Graduation
94%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/32
University of Virginia’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
University of Virginia is a public university with an extremely prestigious history. In fact, the original governing board for this “Public Ivy” included Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. At the time of its founding, Monroe was the President of the United States.
Among the many prominent graduates of UVA are the founders of Reddit and CNET.
The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business serves just over 300 MBA candidates each year.
Enjoy the prestige of an Ivy League school with the affordability of a public university. In-state students enjoy tuition discounts while joining a tradition that has produced 55 Rhodes Scholars.
Prefer a more personalized experience. UVA students will often take introductory courses in large lecture halls with scores of other students.
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
12%
Graduation
95%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1465/33
Georgetown University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Georgetown University began life in 1789 as Georgetown College and retains its founding affiliation with the Society of Jesus. Though Georgetown’s student body is largely secular, it is also the oldest Catholic university in the United States.
Standing on a hill overlooking the Potomac River in Washington D.C., this private research university provides an immersive capital city experience for its 19,000 students.
Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business serves roughly 1000 MBA candidates today.
Enjoy college basketball. The Hoyas men’s basketball team has won a record eight Big East titles with five Final Four appearances and one national championship to show for it.
Are not among the top students in their class. Georgetown is a highly selective institution.
Rutgers University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Rutgers University was formed in 1766 as Queen’s College. Based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Rutgers is the second oldest university in the state and the eighth oldest in the nation. In fact, Rutgers is one of only nine colleges to be chartered before the American Revolution.
For its first two centuries of operation, Rutgers was a private liberal arts school, but became a public research university in the mid-20th Century. Today, the state university of New Jersey serves more than 68,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students across three campuses.
Rutgers Business School serves roughly 2500 MBA candidates across its Newark and New Brunswick campuses.
Are seeking an affordable education with a wide variety of degree programs to choose from.
Are looking for a more intimate academic experience. Students describe class sizes as very large.
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
19%
Graduation
89%
Student body
32K
Median SAT/ACT
1405/32
Boston University is a private university located in Boston, Massachusetts. BU is especially noted for its high level of research activity. In fact, Alexander Graham Bell was a BU professor in 1876 when he used the school’s laboratory to invent the telephone.
Boston University was founded in 1838 and, today, serves more than 33,000 students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Boston University’s Questrom School of Business enrolls about 900 MBA candidates each academic year.
Are seeking a postgraduate education. Roughly half of the school’s student body is made up of graduate students.
Prefer a small, intimate campus. Boston University reflects the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan campus.
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
34%
Graduation
89%
Student body
41K
Median SAT/ACT
1375/31
University of California, San Diego’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
University of California, San Diego was formed in 1960 as part of the broader University of California public system. Today, San Diego is the southernmost of the state system’s ten campuses. The public research university is also among the most popular schools in the U.S. With more than 140,000 applications submitted for the Fall of 2021, UCSD is the second most applied to school in the nation.
Today, University of California, San Diego. serves a student body of roughly 43,000, with an estimated 10,000 of these students pursuing postgraduate degrees.
The Rady School of Management serves roughly 2200 MBA candidates today.
Enjoy a temperate climate and ocean views. UCSD spans more than 2000 acres just off the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
Are looking for a small school with an intimate campus.
Tuition + fees
$20K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
84%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1331/30
University of Pittsburgh’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
The University of Pittsburgh was formed in 1787 and began its history as the Pittsburgh Academy. Though the University of Pittsburgh took its present name in 1908, it was a private institution until 1966. Today, Pitt is described as a public, state-related university.
Pitt encompasses 17 undergraduate and graduate schools. In fact, the University of Pittsburgh is the second largest non-government employer in this major metropolitan city. Roughly 28,000 students are currently enrolled at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Today, roughly 900 students are pursuing their MBA at Pittsburgh University’s Katz School of business.
Are looking for a top research institution in a bustling metropolis.
Are looking for a more intimate school with smaller class sizes.
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
81%
Student body
41K
Median SAT/ACT
1235/27
Indiana University Bloomington’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Indiana University Bloomington was founded as State Seminary in 1820 and evolved into Indiana College within the decade. The Bloomington campus is the flagship institution in the state public university system.
Indiana University Bloomington is noted for its high level of research activity, and has been referred to as a “Public Ivy.” With top-ranked programs in areas like environmental policy, public finance, and nonprofit management, Bloomington serves more than 45,000 undergraduate and graduate students today.
Bloomington’s Kelley School of Business serves roughly 2000 MBA candidates today.
Like to get involved in campus life. With more than 700 groups and clubs, Bloomington offers an incredible variety of social and recreational opportunities.
Prefer a small campus atmosphere.
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
94%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1500/33
Dartmouth College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Dartmouth College was founded in 1769. The prestigious Hanover, New Hampshire institution is a part of the esteemed Ivy League. The private research university actually began as a relatively obscure institution constructed to teach Christian values to Native Americans. By the 20th century, Dartmouth had achieved national prominence for its liberal arts curriculum.
Today, Dartmouth College is noted for its excellence as both a teaching and research institution, with more than 6500 students pursuing degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Roughly 500+ students are enrolled in MBA programs at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business today.
Enjoy academic freedom. Dartmouth offers undergraduates the unique opportunity to develop their own major.
Have financial constraints. Students describe both the cost of attendance and the cost of living as very high.
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
20%
Graduation
90%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1385/30
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill is considered a “Public Ivy,” a school with state funding that offers the prestige and educational experience akin to those at a private Ivy League school.
The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill is the flagship campus for the broader University of North Carolina system and began enrolling students in 1795. This makes UNC the only public school in the U.S. to both teach and graduate students in the 18th Century!
UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School currently serves 1800 MBA candidates.
Desire a well-rounded education. All students are required to complete a liberal arts education on the way to their chosen major. Popular majors include biology, business administration, and psychology.
Prefer a more conservative environment. Many students at UNC note that the campus culture tends to lean to the liberal side of the political spectrum.
Many of the best business schools also offer a wide range of online part time MBA programs as well as full time MBA programs online with self-pacing and asynchronous distance learning opportunities.
To learn more about your options, check out the best online master’s programs for MBA students. You can also check out our complete Guide to Online Degrees.
Before you launch into business school, it’s worth also considering traditional MBA programs that offer fully online master options. Many of the best business schools offer an array of online courses. And if you are working to balance job responsibilities while attending business school, an online MBA program may make it possible to manage everything at one.
Learn more about applying to and excelling in your advanced degree program with a look at our Guide to Grad Life.
Or jump to our student resource library for tips on everything from studying to starting on your career path.