Top 10 MBA programmes in the world 2021

Updated February 2, 2023 Updated February 2, 2023

Discover the world's top business school with our latest rankings

The QS Global MBA Rankings 2021 have been released today, ranking business schools from around the world. The rankings are also split up into regions: Europe, Asia, Oceania, Latin America, US and Canada.

MBA programs were ranked based on the indicators of employability, entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes, return on investment, thought leadership, and diversity. You can find out more about the rankings’ methodology here.

The top 10 business schools in the Global MBA Rankings 2021 are:

QS Global MBA Rankings 2021: Top MBA Programs in the World
Rank	School	Location
1	Stanford Graduate School of Business	Stanford (CA)	United States
2	The Wharton School	Philadelphia (PA)	United States
3	MIT Sloan School of Management	Cambridge (MA)	United States
4	Harvard Business School	Boston (MA)	United States
5	HEC Paris	Jouy-en-Josas	France
6	INSEAD	Paris; Singapore	France
7	London Business School	London	United Kingdom
8	Columbia Business School	New York (NY)	United States
9	IE Business School	Madrid	Spain
10	Haas School of Business	Berkeley (CA)	United States

10) Haas School of Business

Tuition: US$119,622
Students in class: 283
Percentage of female students: 37 percent
Percentage of international students: 35 percent

Kicking off the global top 10 is the MBA program at Haas School of Business at the University of California Berkeley. The 21-month program is comprised of 12 required core courses and a selection of electives to tailor the curriculum to your needs. The Haas MBA scored highly for thought leadership, employability, and return on investment. During their degree, students must complete an ‘Applied Innovation’ requirement, which hones leadership skills through experiential learning and teamwork.

9) IE Business School

Tuition: US$79,634
Students in class: 598
Percentage of female students: 32 percent
Percentage of international students: 91 percent

The International MBA is IE Business School’s flagship full-time MBA program, based in Madrid. A total of 45 percent of the program is customizable, allowing students to fulfill their professional needs. During the core period, candidates can choose from four labs to further pursue their business interests. The program scored particularly high for return on investment and employability.

8) Columbia Business School

Tuition: US$143,088
Students in class: 1022
Percentage of female students: 38 percent
Percentage of international students: 47 percent

In eighth place is the full-time MBA from Columbia Business School (CBS), situated in NYC. The program features over 200 electives, access to over 4,000 graduate-level courses and career-focused concentrations for students to choose from, including accounting, finance and entrepreneurship. The school scored highly for employability and thought leadership.

7) London Business School

Tuition: US$104,493
Students in class: 497
Percentage of female students: 31 percent
Percentage of international students: 92 percent

The only British business school in the global top 10 is London Business School. The 21-month MBA program, based in one of the world’s financial capitals, ranked high for employability and thought leadership. LBS students can benefit from a customizable curriculum and access to a professional network of global top 500 companies.

6) INSEAD

Tuition: US$98,009
Students in class: 536
Percentage of female students: 35 percent
Percentage of international students: 91 percent

In sixth place is INSEAD, the second-best ranked European program in the world, which received high scores for thought leadership and employability. The 10-month course gives students the opportunity to choose from 75 electives and study at the school’s two campuses in Fontainebleau and Singapore.

5) HEC Paris

Tuition: US$76,434
Students in class: 281
Percentage of female students: 34 percent
Percentage of international students: 95 percent

Surpassing INSEAD as the best European school in the world is HEC Paris, which received a perfect score for return on investment. The 15-month program focuses on developing leadership skills through leadership seminars, a student-run MBA multisport tournament and the HEC Global Leaders Series, with influential industry experts.

4) Harvard Business School

Tuition: US$146,880
Students in class: 938
Percentage of female students: 43 percent
Percentage of international students: 37 percent

Moving up a spot from its position in last year’s global rankings and landing in fourth place is Harvard Business School, the originator of the MBA. The school produces over 80 percent of business school cases sold globally, which MBA students will read and work on throughout their degree. The 24-month program at HBS scored highly for employability and thought leadership.

3) MIT Sloan School of Management

Tuition: US$148,400
Students in class: 416
Percentage of female students: 41 percent
Percentage of international students: 41 percent

Retaining its bronze medal position from last year is the 24-month program at MIT Sloan School of Management. The school is well-renowned for its faculty’s research excellence and received a near-perfect score for thought leadership. The MIT Sloan MBA focuses on ‘Action Learning’, meaning that students can develop management and leadership skills hands-on, helping companies solve real-life business challenges.

2) The Wharton School

Tuition: US$162,756
Students in class: 856
Percentage of female students: 46 percent
Percentage of international students: 30 percent

Losing the top spot from last year’s rankings attaining the silver medal position is The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, which received some of the highest scores on the list for thought leadership, employability and return on investment. The 21-month Wharton MBA includes 18 majors (including accounting, finance and marketing) and a recommended summer internship program.

1) Stanford Graduate School of Business

Tuition: US$141,180
Students in class: 417
Percentage of female students: 47 percent
Percentage of international students: 43 percent

This year’s top business school in the world is Stanford Graduate School of Business, which received the highest score for entrepreneurship and alumni outcomes. Throughout their degree, MBA students can customize their curriculum with courses, electives, or seminars taught at other Stanford schools, or students can choose to undertake a joint or dual degree. Moreover, they must complete a Global Experience Requirement, where they study and work abroad for a minimum of 10 days. Previous destinations have included South Korea, Greece and Brazil.

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Discover the world's top business school with our latest rankings

This article was originally published in September 2020 . It was last updated in February 2023

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Written by

Linda Mohamed

Linda was a Content Writer at TopMBA, creating content about students, courses, universities and businesses. She recently graduated in Journalism & Creative Writing with Politics and International Relations, and now enjoys writing for a student audience.