Ten Biggest Surprises In The 2023-2024 U.S. News MBA Ranking

9) The MBA Programs That Lost The Most Ground This Year

Many MBA programs fall in rank in any given year but the most difficult to endure is a double-digit declines. This year, at least 15 schools suffered that fate, with American University showing the single biggest decline, a breaktaking 46-place plunge to rank 122nd from 76 just a year ago.

Big drops like that inevitably have deans scrambling to explain exactly what went wrong–or why U.S. News‘ ranking is not reflective of a decline in a program’s quality.


10) The MBA Programs That Picked Up The Most Ground This Year

Going up is always better than going down--and 12 business schools this year had the distinct pleasure of rising by double digits. The happy parade was led by North Carolina A&T State University whose MBA program rose a remarkable 31 places to finish 63rd, up from 94 a year ago. These are all surprises because programs rarely change from year-to-year to justify a double-digit move.