The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School has been ranked the best business school in the world for its full-time MBA programme in the QS Global MBA Rankings 2026. Wharton, based in Philadelphia, secured the top spot with a perfect score of 100.
Harvard Business School came in second with a score of 99.6, followed by MIT's Sloan School of Management in Cambridge with 99.4. Stanford Graduate School of Business, located in California, was ranked fourth with a score of 99.
Among European institutions, HEC Paris emerged as the highest-ranked, securing fifth place with a score of 98.8. Other schools in the top 10 include London Business School, University of Cambridge (Judge), INSEAD, Northwestern University (Kellogg), and Columbia Business School in New York. In Asia, the National University of Singapore (NUS) was the highest-ranked, placed 23rd globally.
How The Rankings Were Compiled
The QS Global MBA Rankings assess full-time MBA programmes taught mainly on campus with at least 15 students per class, accredited by AACSB, AMBA, or EQUIS. The evaluation is based on 13 criteria grouped into five key indicators:
- Employability (40%)
- Return on Investment (20%)
- Entrepreneurship and Alumni Outcomes (15%)
- Thought Leadership (15%)
- Class and Faculty Diversity (10%)
The QS Global Employer Survey includes responses from global recruiters such as Google, Facebook, Uber, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America-formed the backbone of the rankings, making up 35% of the employability score. Employment rates within three months of graduation also contributed to the assessment.
The rankings aim to provide insights into the reputation, value, and global impact of MBA programmes worldwide.
