A Master’s of Business Administration, or an MBA as it is commonly known, is one of the world’s most popular graduate degrees, with millions of students studying it every year. In the US, the MBA is a postgraduate degree that requires an undergraduate education. We’ve compiled a helpful list of the top 5 MBA programs according to US News, QS and Bloomberg - each publish a highly respected annual ranking.
The skyrocketing popularity of MBA has meant that admissions into these schools is getting harder and harder - the schools listed below all have highly competitive admission rates. However, don’t let that discourage you!
US MBA Rankings
Ranking | US News | QS | Bloomberg |
---|
1 | University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) | Stanford University | Stanford University |
2 | Stanford University | Harvard University | Dartmouth College,(Tuck) |
3 | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) | Harvard University |
4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) | University of Chicago (Booth) |
5 | University of Chicago (Booth) | University of Chicago (Booth) | University of Virginia (Darden) |
As you can see, there are few common names, highlighted below:
Enjoy unlimited no fee ATM withdrawals with a student account
Harvard University
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Year Founded: 1908
Median GMAT Score: 730
Admission Rate: 10%
Harvard Business School, commonly referred to as HBS, is amongst the world’s oldest and most prestigious business programs. HBS counts industry leaders across the world as its alumni, and consistently ranks in the top 5 business schools.
University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Year Founded: 1881
Median GMAT Score: 732
Admission Rate: 9%
Wharton is the world’s oldest business school, founded in 1881. Wharton has more billionaire alumni than any other business school in the US. Unlike many of the other schools on this list, Wharton also has a 4-year undergraduate program that is consistently ranked amongst the world’s best.
Stanford University
Location: Palo Alto, California
Year Founded: 1925
GMAT Score: 734
Admission Rate: 6%
The only school in the list from the West Coast of the US, Stanford’s Graduate School of Business (GSB) is a famous business school that includes many famous alumni. In the heart of Silicon Valley, GSB’s alumni include many tech industry and venture capital leaders.
University of Chicago (Booth)
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Year Founded: 1898
Median GMAT Score: 730
Admission Rate: 22.5%
The second-oldest business school in the US, Booth hosts the world-renowned MBA program of the University of Chicago. Including Booth, the University of Chicago has produced more Nobel Economic Prize winners than any other school in the world.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Year Founded: 1914
Median GMAT Score: 730
Admission Rate: 11.5%
Many people are surprised to find that famed engineering university MIT has a business school, let alone one considered amongst the world’s best. Smaller in class size than many of the schools listed above, Sloan has a reputation for both academic excellence as well as producing exceptional alumni. Many influential financial theories have originated from research conducted at Sloan.
Conclusion
As with many other things in life, it doesn’t matter which school you go to but what you make of the experience. You won’t be successful if you get into these programs, and you won’t be unsuccessful if you don’t!