Ten Biggest Surprises In Businessweek’s 2021 MBA Ranking

8) Where The Crying-In-The-Beer Crowd Gathers

A dramatic decline in a ranking is never good news for a business school, no matter how credible or questionable a ranking may be. Students and alumni get upset. It scares away future applicants. And deans and the faculty lose some bragging rights. This year, the MBA program that took it most on the chin was William & Mary. The school’s MBA ranking plunged 24 places to rank 58th, from 34th two years earlier.

But William & Mary had plenty of company. A dozen business schools fell in double-digits this year, including highly prominent and respected programs at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. Kenan-Flagler lost 15 places to rank outside the Top 25 in 33th place, down from 18th in 2019, while Foster fell 14 spots , also out of the Top 25, to rank 30th, from its perch of 18th place two years ago.

9) Where The Champaigne Corks Are Popping

When things go up, it puts smiles on a lot of faces. And the students, alumni and leadership of at least 18 schools have a lot to smile about with this new ranking. Led by the University of Miami Herbert Business School, which gained 26 places to rank 46th this year, all 18 MBA programs advanced by double-digits over the last Businessweek ranking. You can expect their PR machines to crank out news releases celebrating their good fortune.

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.