Top MBA programmes for return on investment in 2023

An MBA requires significant time investment, the ability to handle an intensive study schedule and cover the high cost of tuition, so, naturally, many prospective students will want to know whether those high costs will have a worthwhile impact on their professional careers.  

The release of the QS Global MBA Rankings 2023 showcases the world’s top business schools for full-time MBA education and features over 300 institutions.  

One of the key indicators used in the rankings is the 10-year return on investment (ROI), which maps average post-MBA salaries against average salaries before enrolment, taking into account forgone salary as well as tuition and cost of living (using Mercer Quality of City Living Ranking). 

You can learn more about the methodology used for return on investment here.  

Here are the top 10 business schools for return on investment: 

To learn more about how top-ranked institutions are ensuring that the cost of their MBA degree is worth the investment, we spoke to WHU (Otto Beisheim), Mannheim Business School and ESCP Business School - all of which rank joint first for ROI.  

WHU: The WHU MBA career centre has developed what we call the ‘Triple M Career Roadmap Approach’, which guides our MBA students towards a career path that matches their personal ambitions.  

The ‘Triple M Career Roadmap’ is broken up into three parts: 

1. The ‘me’ part, helps students to identify their VIPS (values, interests, personality, and skills). They are asked to complete a range of self-assessment tools and are offered individualised sessions with a coach who will support them throughout their MBA journey.  

2. The ‘market’ part is all about getting to know the market and potential employers, especially in Germany. The students learn about the requirements of different industries, companies and about their cultures and hiring practices. They learn how to conduct research, network effectively and create a strong online presence.  

3. The ‘match’ part is about matching students with the market. Once they know what their VIPS are and what they want their next career step to be, they learn how to create effective CVs and cover letters suited for the German market. Mock interview sessions with their coaches prepare them for real-world situations so that they can make their next career move with confidence. The MBA career center invites companies and alumni to online and offline events, making ample use of WHU’s alumni network and entrepreneurial ecosystem.  

Mannheim Business School: In order to join forces around our network, we merged the career services and alumni relations departments into a single organisational unit. As a result, we can offer optimum services from our network of participants, alumni and corporate partners to the benefit of all involved.  

Our alumni are now represented in more than 900 companies in Germany alone, companies which often seek to employ even more ‘Mannheimers’ because of the strict selection processes for our programmes and therefore the high quality of our graduates. 

ESCP Business School: ESCP’s MBA programme was designed with the understanding that students aim to accelerate their careers and change, in many cases, country, function or sector. 

Career services are fully integrated in the MBA programme, with all Wednesday afternoons dedicated to career events and workshops. This allows our MBA students to devote the necessary amount of time to their job search and encourages them to take full advantage of the events and activities organised throughout their 10-month journey.