What to Expect from the QS Global MBA Rankings 2019

By Craig OCallaghan Updated Sep 14, 2018

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Introduction
European schools are leading the way for gender equality
Tuition fees in the US are the most expensive, but are they worth it?
Entrepreneurship boosts the best business schools
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What to Expect from the QS Global MBA Rankings 2019 main image

Check out last year's results while you wait for September 25

The QS World University Rankings: Global MBA Rankings 2019 will be released on September 25, featuring nearly 250 of the world’s top business schools.

This year’s ranking looked at more data points than ever before to ensure the most comprehensive MBA rankings yet. As well as publishing a list of the best programs on a global scale, regional tables will also be available for the US, Europe, Canada, Asia, Oceania and Latin America.

To be included, the MBA program must be taught mainly on-campus (i.e. not distance-learning), be taught full-time (or at least have the option to be) and have a class size of at least 10 students.

You’ll have to wait until September 25 to find out the full results, but in the meantime here are some interesting insights we’ve gleaned from collecting data on the world’s top MBA programs.

European schools are leading the way for gender equality

On a regional level, European business schools are ahead of the rest when it comes to female representation in the MBA classroom. 40 percent of students at European schools identify as female, more than any other part of the world.

Europe does, however, lag behind in one aspect: its faculty. 34 percent of MBA faculty at European schools are female, which is bested by schools in Australia and New Zealand which report an average of 36 percent.

In terms of wider representation, Europe also boasts the highest proportions of both international students (88 percent) and faculty (52 percent).

Tuition fees in the US are the most expensive, but are they worth it?

The average full-time MBA program in the US will set you back a whopping US$87,094, making it the most expensive place in the world to study an MBA. However, schools will likely point to the high salaries earned by graduates (on average US$91,381) as justification for the high fees.

However, when analyzing schools by region and taking into consideration the percentage change in salary from pre-MBA to post-MBA, questions emerge over whether an MBA in the US offers you the greatest return on investment.

Below is a table detailing the average salaries pre- and post-MBA for students in each region of the world, as well as the % change. As you can see, Europe actually out-performs the US in this aspect.

Region	Pre-MBA salary (US$)	Post-MBA salary (US$)	% change
Asia	27,000	44,458	65
Canada	38,259	61,619	61
Europe	46,347	83,043	79
Latin America	27,812	40,285	45
Oceania	73,400	99,701	36
United States	53,000	91,381	72

Entrepreneurship boosts the best business schools

Unlike other full-time MBA programs, the QS Global MBA Rankings considers entrepreneurship in addition to other alumni outcomes, looking at the proportion of students from each program who have gone on to set up their own business.

Entrepreneurship has become an extremely important component of an MBA education over the years, with as many as 10 percent of MBA students in Europe going on to start their own business. The inclusion of this indicator is therefore key and looking at the results it’s clear that schools which place an emphasis on entrepreneurship have been among the highest performers.