Networking in particular is a standout strength for MBAs in India, according to LinkedIn.
In 2023, LinkedIn joined the roster of MBA ranking providers, offering prospective MBA students ranking insights to help them plan their business school journeys. Now in its second year, the ranking includes a new global outlook.
While last year's list focused on top US MBA programs, the online networking platform's 2024 ranking incorporates career outcome data from users worldwide. The result is a global, career-focused ranking that isn't reliant on MBA graduate submissions, unlike some other rankings, such as the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking.
Let's dig into LinkedIn’s Top MBA Ranking.
Top b-schools for career growth after MBA
The ranking may have gone global, but this year's top ten is still dominated by US business schools. In fact, every M7 business school makes the LinkedIn top ten, with Stanford Graduate School of Business ranking in first place.
International business school INSEAD takes second place, and Harvard Business School is third. Wharton ranks fourth followed by MIT Sloan in fifth. Coming in sixth position, the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, is LinkedIn's top-ranked business school outside of the US and Europe. It is followed by the more familiar listings of Kellogg (7th), Tuck (8th), Columbia (9th) and Chicago Booth (10th).
LinkedIn MBA Ranking Top 10 In 2024
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How is the LinkedIn Top MBA Ranking compiled?
LinkedIn compiles its ranking using its own data on full-time MBA programs. It ranks across five pillars: hiring and demand, ability to advance, network strength, leadership potential, and gender diversity. However, despite some changes for its second year, it’s still not clear what weighting is given to each pillar, or the data sets involved.
When comparing the ranking to others, such as the FT Global MBA Ranking, the performances of many top schools aren't wholly dissimilar. However one difference is that LinkedIn puts Stanford Business School in first place, compared to FT’s 23rd-place ranking.
There are some further significant gaps. For example, Indian School of Business takes sixth position in the LinkedIn ranking, compared to 31st in the FT Global MBA Ranking.
Indian business schools rank top for networking
Five more business schools in India join the Indian School of Business in LinkedIn's top 50. Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad is in 19th position, giving Indian b-schools 10% of the top 20 positions.
Ranking just out of the top 50 is the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) in 52nd position, and Symbiosis Centre For Management and Human Development makes it into the top 100, ranking 97th. Overall, Indian b-schools account for 8% of LinkedIn's Top MBA Ranking.
Indian institutions lead the way in the network strength criteria. All five of the schools named as being top for networking are located in India: the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), IIM Indore, IIM Lucknow, IIM Calcutta, and IIM Ahmedabad.
Indian performance in LinkedIn MBA Ranking In 2024
The expert view of this year's LinkedIn Top MBA rankings
Sameer Kamat, founder of MBA Crystal Ball, author of Beyond The MBA Hype, and creator of the Mini MBA, gave his thoughts LinkedIn's Top MBA ranking.
"My first reaction, when LinkedIn came out with its first ranking last year, was—do we really need another ranking? It was only focused on American programs then, limiting its utility for folks who were hoping to use it to discover good programs in other countries."
He says he feels that LinkedIn has fixed that gap by making the ranking international for its second year, but questions what role the ranking will play. He also believes that having more information about the ranking data would make it more useful for students.
"Making the ranking more international, that's a welcome change. However, my original question remains—what's this ranking bringing to the table that the older ones like the one from the Financial Times lack?"
What place do rankings have in choosing a b-school?
Prospective students are likely to use rankings as one of the considerations when choosing a b-school. However, other factors may include reputation, specializations offered, outcomes and modality.
