There’s something special about visiting campus. From landing at the airport to dining at a local haunt, you get a real sense of a place. You can quickly discern if you feel welcome, comfortable, and riveted. Let’s face it: this campus is going to be your home for two years. Now might be the right time to pursue an MBA, but you still want to be around the right people with the right backgrounds with the right focus.

That’s why business school is hardly a snap choice, regardless of reputation, history, or culture. If you’re going to miss two years of work – and shell out six figures between tuition and costs – you’re going to pore over every data point you can find. And MBAs – more than anyone else – follow the maxim of legendary statistician W. Edwards Deming: In God we trust. All others must bring data.”

A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR ALL THE DATA YOU NEED

On the surface, data is transparency, a safeguard that enables applicants to compare schools, identify trends, and narrow choices down to schools that fit their criteria. It is a process as personal as it is scientific. Problem is, where do you find all this data in one spot? Even more, what does this data mean and how does it compare between schools?

That’s where P&Q comes into the equation. Forget wasting time digging through sources that sometimes come with an agenda. This year, we posted original articles that analyzed over 60 different data points. Take GMAT scores. Want a school-by-school breakdown? You’ll find that here….along with average scores for test-takers in over 100 different countries. How about pay? We list the latest base, bonus, and additional compensation for all the top schools…and then slice-and-dice it by industry, region, and concentration to boot. Weighing the executive and online MBA options? We offer a treasure trove of original data there too.

From inputs to outputs, these 2018 articles provide a glimpse into which MBA programs are soaring…and which ones are struggling. Even more, our in-depth analysis looks at what the data means…and why it matters to MBA applicants, students, and even alumni. Here are the links to the data that can help you get started – or pinpoint the final choices with the biggest long-term return.