2025 Bloomberg Businessweek MBA Ranking: Stanford Retains #1 Spot

TERRY IS GETTING SCARY

Alas, the Ross can take inspiration from USC’s Marshall School. Five years ago, Marshall was framed as a sleeping giant, blessed with deep resources and a fervent alumni base. After poaching Geoffrey Garrett, the Wharton dean, Marshall was expected to rocket up the rankings. That didn’t happen, with Marshall slumbering at 30 in last year’s Bloomberg Businessweek Ranking. This year, Marshall stirred, climbing to 20th, thanks to double-digit improvements in Learning, Networking, Entrepreneurship, and Inclusivity. Oh, and the school emerged as a Top 20 program for Compensation too.

Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and the University of Washington’s Foster School also made moves into the Top 20 in the 2025-2026 Bloomberg Businessweek Best Business Schools Ranking, ultimately landing at 16th and 18th respectively. Goizueta either improved or held steady across all five dimensions, notably boosting their Learning ranking from 40th to 23rd. The Foster School’s results were less steady. On one hand, Foster entered the Top 20 in Compensation, hardly a surprise for a program sitting in the backyard of Microsoft, Amazon, and Starbucks. Contrast that with Networking and Inclusion, however, where the program fell back by double-digits.

And then there’s the University of Georgia’s Terry College, which ranked 50th just four years ago. In 2025, it tied its Innovation Corridor cousin, Georgia Tech’s Scheller College, at 23rd. Like the Goizueta School – another Georgia gem – Terry’s ranking rose across every dimension. In fact, Terry finished behind only the College of William & Mary’s Mason School in terms of the Learning. What’s more, Terry boasts two other Top 10 finishes: Networking (3rd) and Entrepreneurship (8th). While Compensation lags behind at 28th, it still represents a seven-spot ascent over the previous ranking.

STATEMENTS MADE IN TAMPA AND SAN DIEGO

Which business schools could follow in Terry’s path? How about the University of Maryland’s Smith College! After bottoming out at 40th last year, Smith returned to 26th, where it had ranked before COVID hit. The University of Texas at Dallas’ Jindal School enjoyed a similar homecoming. It moved up 14 spots to 32nd, the same spot it held in 2021. Just last year, the University of Tampa’s Sykes College made it to 72nd (after being unranked the previous year). This year, Sykes nearly marched into the Top 50. In fact, the program ranked above the Top 50 in every dimension except Compensation (53rd), posting its best performance in Learning (27th). Along the same lines, the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College and American University’s Kogod School also made strides, entering the Top 50 courtesy of 10- and 9-spot climbs.

While corks are popping on the Suncoast, several programs will be scrutinizing the Bloomberg Businessweek results. Case in point: Southern Methodist University’s Cox School, which plummeted from 26th to 40th. The culprit: Cox fell 62 points in Learning. The same soul-searching is certain in Tempe, where Arizona State’s W. P. Carey School moved from 44th to 29th, the residue of an 11-spot decrease in Compensation. George Washington University and Michigan State’s Broad College also experienced double-digit losses that knocked both schools out of the Top 50.

Of course, falling behind is better than falling out of the ranking altogether. That was the fate of the University of Florida’s Warrington College, which had ranked as high as 27th in 2021. Another stalwart, Boston College’s Carroll School, also wasn’t included in the 2025-2026 MBA ranking, after staking its claim on the 51st spot in 2024. This year’s splashiest debut came courtesy of the University of San Diego’s Knauss School, which ranked 4th for Learning, 9th for Entrepreneurship, and 11th for Inclusion.  So why did Knauss only rank 48th? Simple: the school finished 57th for Compensation and 35th for Networking (though the latter reflects a 14-spot jump).

SDA BOCCONI SQUEEZES OUT THE WIN IN EUROPE

Bloomberg Businessweek also produces separate international business school rankings, which cover Europe and the Middle East, Canada, and the Asia-Pacific separately. However, these rankings don’t fully follow the American weights, notably removing Inclusion (6%) from consideration.

Compensation: 36.1%
Learning: 25.9%
Networking: 23.8%
Entrepreneurship 14.1%

The biggest difference? Networking and Entrepreneurship carry 5% and 2.5% greater weights outside the United States.

In the European theater, SDA Bocconi shoved IMD Business School out of the top spot. Among the 16 European MBA programs ranked, SDA Bocconi posted the highest scores in both Compensation and Networking, while adding a 2nd-place finish in Learning. In fact, SDA Bocconi improved by two spots in Compensation, the highest weight at 36.1%. At the same time, the program rose by three spots in Learning and four points by Networking.

In contrast, IMD Business School also claimed two first-place finishes: Learning and Entrepreneurship. The school also ranked 2nd in Networking and 3rd in Compensation. In fact, IMD rose in the rankings by 2-4 spots across the Learning, Networking, and Entrepreneurship dimensions. However, it finished behind SDA Bocconi in Compensation, which ultimately made the difference.

CHINESE SCHOOLS SET THE BAR IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC

IESE Business School, London Business School, and INSEAD round out the Top 5 in that order. IESE’s best performance came in Learning (3rd), with the London Business School excelling in Compensation (2nd). INSEAD performed best in Compensation (5th) and Networking (5th). The biggest anomaly: Esade Business School. Despite finishing 10th overall, the program ranked 2nd in Entrepreneurship, 3rd in Networking, and 4th in Learning. However, these scores were pulled down by Esade finishing 13th out of 16 schools in Compensation. In addition, the ranking excludes HEC Paris, which is regularly ranked among the world’s 10-best business schools by The Financial Times (including 9th in 2025).

In the Asia-Pacific region, the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics wrestled the #1 spot away from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). This aligns with The Financial Times MBA Ranking, where Shanghai University finished behind CEIBS – which isn’t ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek – as the top MBA program in the Asia-Pacific. Among the nine Asia-Pacific programs ranked, Shanghai University ranked 1st in three dimensions: Learning, Networking, and Entrepreneurship. HKUST produced the other #1 ranking in Compensation. That enabled the school to fend off IIM Bangalore (#2 in Compensation and Learning and #3 in Networking and Entrepreneurship) and the Indian School of Business (#2 in Networking and Entrepreneurship and #3 in Learning). IIM Ahmedabad, considered by some to be the top MBA program in India, was not ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek.

In a surprise, the John Molson MBA at Concordia University beat out the Ivey School at Western University to rank as Canada’s top MBA program. Among four business schools ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, Molson placed 1st in Compensation and Entrepreneurship, while finishing 2nd in Networking. The Ivey Business School at Western University picked up the remaining #1 spots in Learning and Networking, with HEC Montreal posting the 2nd-highest scores in Learning and Entrepreneurship. Like the Asia-Pacific, the Canadian ranking suffers from the exclusion of a top program: the University of Toronto’s Rotman School.

Next Pages: MBA Programs Ranked 1-68 Plus 7 Years of Historical Rankings 

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