The annually published Financial Times Global MBA Ranking provides important school-related intel such as the salaries that graduates achieve, postgraduate employment rates, the diversity of classrooms, and schools' ESG (environmental, social and governance) teaching ratings.
In the 2025 Financial Times Global MBA Ranking, 41 US business schools secured spots in the top 100, with four institutions ranking in the global top 10.
This year’s ranking brings some surprises. Graduates from Harvard Business School continue to earn the highest MBA salaries (US$256,731 on average, three years after graduation), yet the school’s overall ranking dropped from 11th in 2024 to 13th in 2025.
Meanwhile, Stanford Graduate School of Business, another M7 school, has dropped out of the ranking having failed to secure enough responses to the FT's alumni survey—The Wharton School encountered a similar situation in 2023.
So, with several big changes occurring this year, we've compiled a list of the top 10 US business schools according to the 2025 Financial Times Global MBA Ranking:
The 10 best MBA programs in the US
10. UCLA Anderson School of Management
Estimated cost of attendance: $252,332
The UCLA Anderson MBA program is a STEM-designated degree, making it an attractive option for international students aiming to work in the US after graduation, as they can apply for the Optional Practical Training (OPT) visa extension. This grants up to 12 months of work authorization, with an additional 24-month extension for those eligible under the STEM OPT extension, enabling them to stay in the US for up to 36 months on an F-1 visa.
The UCLA MBA Class of 2026 is made up of 305 students hailing from 39 countries. Anderson’s acceptance rate of 40.4% makes it one of the more accessible top-tier MBA programs, particularly compared to the elite M7 schools.
The 22-month MBA program offers 15 optional specializations, including corporate finance, health care management, social impact, and leadership development. The average work experience of students is around five years, with most coming from finance (21%), tech (16%), and consulting (12%) backgrounds.
After three years, UCLA Anderson MBAs earn an average salary of $203,117.
9. University of Chicago: Booth School of Business
Estimated cost of attendance: $245,195
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business MBA program has been producing experienced grads leading companies and teams all over the world for some time.
As an elite M7 business school, Booth MBAs are in demand, with 84.1% securing full-time roles three months from graduation. The Big Three consulting firms—McKinsey, BCG, and Bain—were the largest employers of the 2024 cohort, collectively hiring over 100 graduates.
The Booth MBA program lasts around 21 months and focuses on accounting, economics, psychology, sociology, statistics, and other topics related to management.
The latest intake has 632 students, mostly from the US but with 66 countries represented within the classroom. Upon entry, students have an average of five years’ work experience and come mostly from consulting, financial services, technology, and nonprofit backgrounds.
Within three years, MBAs from Booth can command salaries of around $236,474, according to the FT ranking.
Check out our Chicago Booth MBA jobs and salary review
8. University of California Berkeley: Haas School of Business
Estimated cost of attendance: $254,990
The UC Berkeley Haas MBA program offers a versatile curriculum that includes economics for decision-making, business communication in diverse work environments, and innovation, alongside core courses such as financial accounting and operations.
As expected from a top-ranked MBA, Haas provides numerous international opportunities, including an exchange program that allows students to study in Hong Kong, Barcelona, London, or New York City.
Most MBA graduates go into (or return to) consulting (25.4%) or technology (24.3%) and command an average salary of $219,388 within three years of graduation. Top employers include Bain & Company, McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, EY, Deloitte and Amazon—among others.
Check out our Berkeley Haas MBA jobs and salary review
7. Cornell University: Johnson Graduate School of Management
Estimated cost of attendance: $219,562
Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management is a highly-regarded full-time MBA program with a STEM designation option. Students at the Ivy League school can command salaries of $200,517 within three years of graduation.
Of the graduating class of 2024, 42% entered financial services upon graduation, while 31% went into consulting. Hiring companies included BCG, McKinsey, Bain, EY, Deloitte and many other desirable firms.
In 2024, the two-year MBA program accepted students who were on average 28 years old, with around five years of work experience. The Cornell Johnson MBA helps students learn common aspects of management such as marketing, finance, and human resources, and places a lot of emphasis on teaching strong analytical and decision-making skills.
Check out our Cornell Johnson MBA jobs and salary review
6. Harvard Business School
Estimated cost of attendance: $254,990
Harvard Business School is the birthplace of the MBA. Despite a dip in performance in the last two FT Global MBA Rankings, its reputation precedes it. Harvard alumni lead some of the world's major companies and organizations.
An MBA from Harvard is practically guaranteed to take your career to the next level and will open up a diverse range of opportunities. Apple, Microsoft, and SpaceX are among the recruiters of Harvard MBA grads. Traditional MBA routes such as finance and consulting are also popular among HBS grads. Many go on to land jobs at the big three consulting firms, Bain, McKinsey, and Boston Consulting Group, as well as firms such as IBM and JP Morgan Chase.
The Harvard MBA program includes courses in business, strategy, finance, and leadership, and recently incorporated a STEM designation in 2024. Within three years of graduation, Harvard MBAs earn the highest average salaries of all schools in this year's ranking—$256,731.
Check out our Harvard MBA jobs and salary review
5. Duke University Fuqua School of Business
Estimated cost of attendance: $220,804
Duke University's Fuqua School of Business offers a dynamic MBA program that places a lot of emphasis on community and values. Students come from a range of backgrounds to develop managerial skills and get a career boost with an MBA from Duke.
On average, the MBA Class of 2026 brings 6 years of work experience, with most students coming from financial services, technology, and consulting backgrounds. More than 10% are either serving or have served in the US military, and the class comprises 51% women and 41% international students.
The program offers courses in accounting, decision sciences, economics, finance, energy and accounting, leadership communication, and others.
Duke MBA graduates command salaries of $208,261 on average (three years from graduation).
4. Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
Estimated cost of attendance: $239,770
The Kellogg School of Management MBA has a history of producing high-quality management professionals. The recent class was no exception with students going on to acquire positions in top organizations worldwide. In 2024, by graduation, 35% of students had secured jobs in consulting, with a significant number joining the Big Three firms.
Financial services and technology were also among the top career destinations, supported by specialist pathways in AI and Analytics, Asset Management, Technology Management, and Private Equity and Venture Capital. Other top industries for grads at Kellogg are healthcare and consumer packaged goods.
Three years after graduation, MBAs from Kellogg achieve an average salary of $219,487.
Check out our Kellogg MBA jobs and salary review
3. MIT Sloan School of Management
Estimated cost of attendance: $249,993
The management program at MIT Sloan School of Management focuses slightly more on the technology sector than other programs in this list, but its intake remains diverse. For the Class of 2026, students joined from a range of industries, with 30% coming from consulting, 21% from tech, and 20% from financial services.
The latest intake hails from 53 different countries, and around a third can expect to go on to work in consulting, with finance and technology being the second and third career destinations in terms of popularity.
The program offers courses in finance, marketing, and strategy, along with other management streams, and has courses to build leadership skills among students, such as the Spring Sloan Intensive Period.
Within three years of graduation, MIT Sloan MBAs achieve an average salary of $232,565.
Check out our MIT Sloan MBA jobs and salary review
2. Columbia Business School
Estimated cost of attendance: $257,409
Columbia Business School is a tough school to enter—just 972 students were selected from 7487 applications in the last cohort. Of those who made the grade, around 46% were international students, and on average those students had five years of work experience.
In 2023 Columbia topped the FT Global MBA Ranking. The New York-based Ivy League school offers courses in leadership, finance, accounting, and marketing. Within three years of graduation, students command an average salary of $242,747.
Columbia also boasts a high-achieving class: MBA graduates in 2024 secured roles at top employers across consulting, finance, and tech, including McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Goldman Sachs, Google, and more.
Check out our Columbia MBA jobs and salary review
1. The Wharton School At The University Of Pennsylvania
Estimated cost of attendance: $249,712
University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton MBA program is ranked best in the entire world according to the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking in 2025. After dropping out of the ranking in 2023 due to a lack of graduate responses to the mandatory alumni survey, the Ivy League school made a strong comeback, reclaiming first place in 2024. The school has topped the overall ranking 13 times, more than any other institution.
Wharton is exclusive, with 866 students enrolled in the latest cohort from 7322 applications (an acceptance rate of 11.8%). The Wharton MBA Class of 2026 reached 47% female representation and students had around five years of prior work experience, with the majority having worked in consulting, private equity and venture capital, nonprofits and government, and technology.
Besides accounting, business, finance, and other fundamental management concepts, the Wharton program also offers courses on DEI and innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Grads from the program usually go into (or return to) financial services and consulting, with an average salary of $241,522 within three years.
Check out our Wharton MBA jobs and salary review
Financial Times MBA Ranking: Top 10 programs in the US
*The cost of attendance is an estimate, calculated for the BusinessBecause Cost of MBA Report 2024.
