Eight years is a long time to wait, but that’s how long it took for Stanford Graduate School of Business to once again be named the best MBA experience in the world, according to the Financial Times. This is only the second time in 23 years that Stanford has taken the top spot.
Stanford replaced INSEAD, who occupied the number one position for 2016 and 2017, by doing better on the three most crucial measurements used by the FT in its Global MBA ranking. Stanford beat INSEAD on “weighted salary” and “salary increase” over pre-MBA wages. These two factors account for 40% of the ranking. Stanford also bested INSEAD on faculty research, accounting for 10% of the ranking.
Stanford receives one of the highest volumes of applications of any of the main schools and has one of the lowest acceptance rates, this year at 5%. Those lucky enough to get one of these coveted spots can expect rewards after graduation. Salaries for Stanford MBA students three years after graduation are just below $215,000. The next highest, Harvard Business School is less than $200,000.
Other highlights from the FT ranking (from Poets & Quants):
• IE Business School, ranked 8th last year, did not make the list at all this year. It has been ranked in 22 of the previous annual lists (from 1999). This is the first time that a top 10 school has disappeared from the ranking.
• CEIBS (China Europe International Business School) of Shanghai rose from 11th place last year to 8th place this year.
• A total of 13 schools left the list completely and there were 13 new schools. 23 of the schools that stayed in the top 100 had double-digit rises or falls.
• There are 7 US schools in the top 10, up from 5 last year.
Here are the Financial Times 2018 Top 25 Global MBA Programs:
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Related Resources:
• 9 Secrets to Standing Out in Your MBA Application, a free guide
• Harvard, Stanford, Wharton: What’s the Difference?, a short video
• Business School Selectivity Index [Can I Get Into My Dream School?]
