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Business Schools - News

Mangnifying glasses

10 Business Schools To Watch In 2025

Companies routinely battle for customers and talent. They want to be the first and the best – the most profitable and the most respected. And they’re always seeking out those small edges.See a gap? Fill it. Identify a trend? Project it. Smell weakness? Exploit it. Frame, plan, invest, recruit, and train. Reality is, the underlying fundamentals haven’t changed much. In every business failure, the same theme emerges time after time: the biggest threat is a failure of imagination.Business schools face the same issues. In business analytics, the question remains: how do you collect the right data to find the right patterns so you can take the right actions? With Artificial Intelligence, leaders are wrestling with how it works and how fast and how far to take it. Then, there are the timeless questions. When do you follow the pack – or strike out on your own? Where do you devote the most resources for the biggest return? Of course – how do you structure your operation to focus on the best opportunities?

Jeff Schmitt

February 3 2025
THE Register

How Business Schools Can Unlock Global Visibility & Credibility

In today’s fast-paced global business environment, business schools play a pivotal role in shaping tomorrow’s leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators. With over 16,000 business schools worldwide, the challenge of standing out in a crowded field has never been greater. Institutions constantly strive to enhance their visibility, credibility, and reputation to attract top students, forge academic and corporate partnerships, and establish their global presence.To address these challenges, ߣߣÊÓƵ (THE) and Poets&Quants (P&Q) have joined forces to launch THE Business School Register. This groundbreaking initiative offers business schools a platform to bolster their legitimacy, expand their reach, and connect with a global network of stakeholders. Designed to reward quality and inclusivity, the register recognizes institutions that positively impact their local, regional, and international communities.

John Byrne, Benjamin Stevenin, Björn Kjellander

December 30 2024
INSEAD is celebrating its first No. 1 ranking in The Financial Times‘s annual ranking of European business schools. The school ranked 18th last year

Ranking: INSEAD Breaks Through As The Financial Times’s Top European B-School

When INSEAD launched a master in management program in 2019, it put the Fontainebleau, France-based business school on a path to rankings glory.That journey came to a successful conclusion today (December 1), as INSEAD was named No. 1 for the first time in The Financial Times‘s annual ranking of European business schools. INSEAD jumped an incredible 17 places from last year as its MiM program, launched in 2019, was factored into its overall score for the first time, giving the French school programs in all categories in the magazine’s ranking.HEC Paris fell out of first place in the Euro B-school ranking for the first time in six years, dropping to second. London Business School slipped to third from second, IESE of Spain dropped to fourth from third, and ESCP, which has multiple campuses around Europe, dropped to fifth from fourth.

MARC ETHIER

December 30 2024
The 2025 World’s Best MBA Programs For Entrepreneurship

The 2025 World’s Best MBA Programs For Entrepreneurship

Hamid Rafieian already had solid entrepreneurship experience when he enrolled in EDHEC Business School’s Global MBA Class of 2024. He is co-founder and CEO of Karafs, Iran’s leading digital healthcare company. Along with Luna, another digital health startup Rafieian founded, his ventures have attracted more than 8 million users in his country.But he wanted more international training, exposure, and contacts — the things an MBA can provide. He chose EDHEC’s program based in part on the chance to network with successful entrepreneurs from around the world, while getting support to develop a business plan, go-to-market strategy, and business forecasting for the next venture he is cooking up.

Kristy Bleizeffer

December 30 2024

Business Schools - Rankings

International MBA

Poets&Quants International 2024-2025 MBA Ranking: It’s INSEAD Again!

For the tenth time in the past 15 years, INSEAD has captured first place in Poets&Quants‘ ranking of the best full-time MBA programs outside the U.S. This latest win in our 2024-2025 international MBA ranking follows last year’s No. 1 showing for the European school with campuses in Fontainebleau, France, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and San Francisco.It’s an extraordinary level of achievement. In the 15 years that Poets&Quants has published its composite rankings, no school has racked up more top honors than INSEAD. The closest is Harvard Business School, which has taken over the top spot in our U.S. MBA ranking seven times.INSEAD’s 10-month Accelerated MBA program allows students to start in January or August on its France or Singapore campuses. The school takes in roughly 1,000 MBA students each year, making it the largest full-time MBA program in the world. With more than 80 different nationalities in a typical class, students enter into a truly diverse and quintessentially global experience. A recent revamping of the MBA curriculum has increased the focus on sustainability, with a real-life business simulation capstone. The program was named Poets&Quants MBA Program of the Year in 2023.

John Byrne

December 30 2024
OMBA

2025 OMBA Ranking: Acceptance Rates At The Top Online MBA Programs

In our annual ranking of the best Online MBA Programs in the United States, we count Admission Standards as a full one-third of a school’s final score. We believe the quality of the cohort makes for a better learning environment for all students, and the more evaluation candidates are subjected to on the front end, the better the class experience at the back.A big part of a school’s Admissions score – 15 out of a possible 100 points – comes from its acceptance rate: That is the percentage of applicants who actually end up getting in. While we lowered the metric five points from last year’s ranking methodology to better measure the quality of the eventual cohort, we still believe it to be an important factor in a program’s rigor. (See the full methodology for the 2025 ranking here.)It’s not surprising, then, that the most selective schools are also among the most highly ranked – generally speaking.

Kristy Bleizeffer

December 30 2024
MBA Ranking

Poets&Quant’s 2024-2025 MBA Ranking: For The First Time Ever, Kellogg Takes First

For the first time since Poets&Quants began ranking full-time MBA programs in 2010, Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management has earned top honors on our 2024-2025 list of the best MBA programs in the U.S. Kellogg slipped past last year’s winner, Stanford Graduate School of Business, by outdistancing the West Coast giant of business education in this year’s Financial Times ranking, where the GSB shockingly slumped to a 15th-place finish, and by scoring slightly higher on student experience.Though this is Kellogg’s first time at the top, the M7 school is no stranger to winning big in MBA rankings. Kellogg has ranked first in Bloomberg Businessweek‘s rankings on five different occasions, with only one school winning more often: Stanford has sat at the top of that ranking a half dozen times. But Kellogg hasn’t sat atop a major MBA ranking since 2004 when it last came in first on Businessweek‘s list.In the Top Five this year in Poets&Quants‘ composite ranking–a mashup of the five most credible MBA rankings published this year–are third place Chicago Booth, fourth place Harvard Business School, and in fifth, the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. It is Darden’s highest P&Q rank, rising from eighth last year to 14th in 2022. Rounding out the Top Ten are No. 6 Dartmouth Tuck, No. 7 Columbia Business School, No. 8 Yale School of Management, No. 9 Cornell Johnson, and finally No. 10 Duke Fuqua.

John Byrne

December 30 2024
Undergraduate Ranking

Poets&Quants’ Best Undergraduate Business Schools Of 2024-2025

After slipping two spots last year to No. 3, University of Pennsylvania’s The Wharton School has regained the top spot in Poets&Quants’ Ranking of Best Undergraduate Business Schools.It’s a familiar spot for the Philadelphia business school. This is Wharton’s sixth time at No. 1, including a five-year streak at the top between 2018 and 2022. In our 2023 ranking, the B-school ranked No. 3 after it failed to meet the minimum response requirement on the alumni survey portion of our ranking, which accounts for a third of the final result. Wharton met the response requirement this year, helping it regain its No. 1 spot.University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business slipped one spot from last year to No. 2 while Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business fell one spot to No. 3.2024’s Top 10 best undergraduate business schools includes all the schools in 2023’s ranking except for one: Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis fell just out of the Top 10, dropping two spots to No. 11. That made way for Georgia Institute of Technology’s Scheller College of Business which rose one spot to No. 10.

Kristy Bleizeffer

December 30 2024

Business Schools - Admissions Advice

checklist

Top MBA Acceptance Rates in the US

Pursuing an MBA from a top business school in the United States is a dream for many. However, the process of securing a spot in these prestigious programs is highly competitive. Understanding the acceptance rates of business schools can provide valuable insight into their selectivity and help you form your initial school list.In this article, we will look at the acceptance rates of top business schools, discuss how to interpret these numbers, and offer guidance on how to use this information to build a smart application strategy based on your profile. Whether you’re aiming for the elite schools only or considering a healthy mix of reach and safety schools, this data will help you navigate the complex landscape of MBA admissions.

Daniel Sweet, Menlo Coaching

October 22 2024
Unlocking your potential

Unlocking Your Potential: A Coach’s Guide To Presenting Your Offer & Owning The Room

I am a coach and business school instructor based in Paris, with a Canadian background. As a guest educator at HEC, keynote speaker, and success coach, I have guided countless students through the nuanced process of articulating their unique strengths and making a lasting impression.As prospective business school students, you’ve likely crafted a strong resume, aced challenging exams, and worked hard to build a compelling story. But there’s a critical element often overlooked — the art of understanding and presenting your unique offer.This understanding goes beyond impressive words and polished anecdotes; it’s about clarity, confidence, and an unmistakable presence.

Charles Bennett

December 30 2024
Apply to Business School in fewer than 6 weeks

How To Apply To Business School In Fewer Than 6 Weeks

Welcome to Round 2! If you’re applying to business school in a short time, we’re here to tell you that a.) you’re not alone and b.) you’re not crazy. If an MBA is part of your ideal career plan, if it’s part of your destiny, then you owe it to yourself to go for it. And, yes, there’s work ahead. Here’s your week-by-week guide to finishing your successful MBA applications in a time crunch. Whether you’ve got 3, 4, or 6 weeks to finalize your MBA applications, this timeline will get you across the finish line as efficiently and awesomely as possible.

Angela Guido

December 30 2024

Business Schools - Financing your MBA

M7

The M7 By The Numbers: What It Takes To Get In & What It Means For Your Career

In the 2021-2022 MBA application cycle, only around 7,700 out of more than 40,000 applicants earned admission to an MBA program at one of the vaunted M7 business schools. About 4,700 enrolled that fall. That’s a 20.3% acceptance rate and a 60.3% yield.A year later, in 2022-2023, applicants to the M7 dropped by about 500, while admits grew to more than 8,000 — increasing the collective acceptance rate at Harvard Business School, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Columbia Business School, MIT Sloan School of Management, Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, and Chicago Booth School of Business to 21.8%. In two short years, the acceptance rate to an M7 had ballooned by more a third, up from an anemic 16.2%. Meanwhile, yield — the percentage of admits who actually enroll — fell at five schools, dropping collectively to 58.8%.The bottom line: In two short application cycles, M7 acceptance rate jumped 34% and yield dropped 10%. Is this the start of an era of greater accessibility at the most elite business schools in the U.S., which are among the most elite in the world — or the tail end of a short window, of a kind we have seen before? For the time being, it sure looks like the M7 are easier to get into now than they have been for many years.

MARC ETHIER

December 30 2024
What is the Cost of an MBA

What It Costs To Get An MBA From A Top Business School

If you want an elite two-year MBA from a top business school in the United States, and you don’t want to pay in excess of $200,000 for the privilege, you have very few options — and those options are dwindling every year.Twenty-two U.S. B-schools in the Poets&Quants top 25 charge admits to their full-time MBA programs at least $100K annually, according to a P&Q analysis, up from 19 schools at this time last year. In 2022, there were 15 B-schools whose MBAs cost that much; in 2018, there were only nine. The five most expensive MBAs in the U.S. carry price tags of more than a quarter million dollars.The only top-25 B-schools where an MBA can be earned for less than $200K over two years — a tally that includes tuition, living expenses and fees — are both in the same state: Texas. No. 18 Rice Jones Graduate School of Business carries an estimated two-year price tag of $195,789, while the full MBA experience at No. 19 Texas-Austin McCombs School of Business costs approximately $167,343.

MARC ETHIER

December 30 2024
MBAs Borrow

What MBAs Borrow & How Much It Ultimately Costs Them

There’s no getting around it. For many people, getting a prestigious MBA experience is an expensive proposition. It often leads young professionals into considerable MBA student debt.Just how much borrowing people do to obtain an MBA will likely surprise you. But the sums spent are an investment in yourself and your future. And the rewards, both tangible and intangible, do pay off over the course of one’s career.Even so, the MBA student debt numbers can feel like a difficult mountain to climb. The highest borrowing occurs at The Wharton School where graduates who borrow to get an MBA there leave campus with median debt of $161,635, higher than any other business school in the world. That’s more than the cost of a brand new Maserati Gran Turismo.

John Byrne

December 30 2024
Cost OMBA

2024 OMBA RANKING: What It Costs To Get An Online MBA

Not so long ago, many believed that online MBAs and other digitally-delivered degrees would democratize graduate business education, making it more accessible and affordable than their in-person counterparts.While those assumptions have played out in some disruptively priced programs, the cost of premium programs often tops six figures.In Poets&Quants’ seventh annual ranking of the best OMBAs, eight of 51 ranked programs charged tuition of $100,000. Just five schools charged that much in our two previous rankings.Business schools will argue that the curriculum, electives and even faculty are nearly identical to their full-time, in-person MBAs. Many also require in-person modules and residencies, and some offer trips around the country and abroad to supplement online learning.

Kristy Bleizeffer

December 30 2024

Learn More About Business Education From Poets&Quants

Poets&Quants is the ultimate resource for business school intelligence.

— Daniel Bonsoms, Yale School of Management MBA

Poets&Quants is the essential, trusted source for breakthrough reporting and thorough, intelligent analysis of the business school sector.

— Barbara Coward, Founder and Principal, Enrollment Strategies

I’ve been a huge fan of Poets&Quants since day one. Their offerings are consistently fresh, intelligent, timely and thought-provoking.

— Dan Bauer Chief Executive Officer, The MBA Exchange, Ltd., Admissions and Career Consulting Services

Poets&Quants is widely considered to be the leading publication for all things business school.

— Navin Thawani, Georgetown McDonough MBA

Poets&Quants was an invaluable resource before and during the application process.

— Paresh Khatwani MBA Candidate, Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business

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