Our business school rankings appear on our website at Best Business Schools 2024. Here’s what each ranking list is based on:

On-Campus MBA Ranking Lists
Online MBA Ranking List
Top Entrepreneurship Programs Ranking Lists

Top On-Campus MBA Ranking Lists

Our Best On-Campus MBA cohort includes 244 business schools which were selected using a combination of factors including institutional and student survey data. Data used includes career outcomes, admissions selectivity, and academic rigor, among others. Within that cohort we report the top 10 business schools for each of 18 categories. The categories cover topics that we think prospective applicants might want to know or would ask during a campus visit, including academics, career prospects, and campus diversity. Seventeen of the 18 lists incorporate or are based entirely on opinions from 21,500 students that we collected through our on-campus MBA student survey. A few of the lists incorporate institutional data we collect from administrators at the schools. One list, "Toughest to Get Into," is based entirely on institutional data.

Note: We don't have a "Best Overall Academics" ranking list nor do we rank the schools on a single list because we believe each of the schools included offers outstanding academics, We believe that hierarchical ranking lists that focus solely on academics offer very little value to students and only add to the stress of applying to business school.

Also note: Our business school rankings are different from our business school ratings. The rankings are lists. The ratings are numerical scores we give to all on-campus MBA programs on a scale of 60 to 99 in various areas. Every business school on PrincetonReview.com has at least one rating, and some have as many as five. For information about them, see our On-Campus MBA Ratings .

What are the 18 on-campus MBA ranking lists based on?

Some are based on school reported data, some on data only from our surveys of students and some on a combination of both. Here is information what each ranking list category is based on:

Toughest to Get Into

Based on school reported data. Factors include: GMAT & GRE scores and undergraduate GPAs of the first-year class, the percent of applicants accepted, and the percent of accepted applicants who enrolled.

Best Classroom Experience

Based on student answers to survey questions concerning their professors' teaching abilities, the integration of new business trends and practices in the curricula, the intellectual level of their classmates' contributions in course discussions, and whether the business school is meeting their academic expectations.

Best Career Prospects

Based on school reported data and student surveys. School data include: starting salary and percent of students employed within three months of graduation. Student answers to survey questions assessing the efforts of the placement office, the quality and availability of the alumni network, the quality and diversity of the companies recruiting, and the opportunities for off-campus internships and to work with mentors.

Best Professors

Based on student answers to survey questions concerning how good their professors are as teachers and how accessible they are outside the classroom.

Most Competitive Students

Based on student answers to survey questions concerning how competitive their classmates are, how heavy the workload is, and the perceived academic pressure.

Most Family Friendly

Based on student answers to survey questions concerning: how happy married students are, how many students have children, how helpful the school is to students with children, and how much the school does for spouses of students.

Best Campus Environment

Based on student answers to survey questions concerning how happy students are and how they rate the town the school is located in and the campus community, the availability of school activities and level of participation from fellow students. 

Best Green MBA

Based on students' assessments of how well their school is preparing them in environmental/sustainability and social responsibility issues, and for a career in a green job market.

Best Administered

Based on student answers to survey questions concerning how smoothly the school is run, and the ease with which students can get into required and popular courses.

Greatest Resources for Minority Students

Based on school reported data and student surveys. School data include: percent of students and faculty from underrepresented minority groups. Student answers to survey questions on: assessment of resources for minority students, how supportive the culture is of minority students, and whether fellow students are ethnically and racially diverse.

Greatest Resources for Women

Based on school reported data and student surveys. School data include: percent of students who are female and percent of faculty who are female. Student answers to survey questions on: assessment of resources for female students, whether the school offers coursework for women entrepreneurs, and whether case study materials for classes proportionately reflect women in business.

Best MBA for Consulting

Based on school reported data and student surveys. School data include the percent of graduates going into consulting and their starting salary. This list is also based on students' assessments of how well their school is preparing them for a consulting career.

Best MBA for Finance

Based on school reported data and student surveys. School data include the percent of graduates going into finance and their starting salary. This list is also based on students' assessments of how well their school is preparing them for a finance career.

Best MBA for Human Resources

Based on school reported data and student surveys. School data include the percent of graduates going into human resources and their starting salary. This list is also based on students' assessments of how well their school is preparing them for a human resources career.

Best MBA for Management

Based on school reported data and student surveys. School data include the percent of graduates going into management and their starting salary. This list is also based on students' assessments of how well their school is preparing them for a management career.

Best MBA for Marketing

Based on school reported data and student surveys. School data include the percent of graduates going into marketing and their starting salary. This list is also based on students' assessments of how well their school is preparing them for a marketing career.

Best MBA for Nonprofit

Based on school reported data and student surveys. School data include the percent of graduates going into nonprofit and their starting salary. This list is also based on students' assessments of how well their school is preparing them for a nonprofit career.

Best MBA for Operations

Based on school reported data and student surveys. School data include the percent of graduates going into operations and their starting salary. This list is also based on students' assessments of how well their school is preparing them for an operations career.

Top Online MBA Ranking List

We report the top 50 online MBA programs that offer a majority of their program of study online. Our list of Top 50 Online MBA Programs incorporates student opinions that we collected through our online MBA student survey and institutional data reported to us by administrators at the business schools.

The Princeton Review developed the surveys with the assistance of an advisory board formed for this project in 2014. Advisory board members included faculty and administrators at top institutions offering online MBA programs. The survey for school administrators, which evaluated more than 30 fields, covers admissions selectivity, graduation and retention rates, faculty training and credentials, technological infrastructure, student indebtedness, and career outcomes among other items.

The survey for students, which also evaluates more than 30 unique fields, allows students to rate their faculty, their fellow students, career preparation, academics, the technology platform, and overall satisfaction with their programs.

Student Survey fields include:

Program expectations

  • Business school is meeting my academic expectations.

  • How positive of an impact do you believe obtaining your degree from this program will have on your career in the immediate future?

  • How positive of an impact do you believe obtaining your degree from this program will have on your career in the long term?

Fellow Students

  • Your business school classmates:

    • Contribute to an intellectually challenging atmosphere.
    • Help fellow students.
    • Are the type of people you want to network with after graduation.
Academics

  • My program has done a good job of enhancing my skills in the following areas.

    • operations
    • teamwork
    • communication/interpersonal skills
    • presentation skills
    • quantitative skills
    • software skills

  • How would you rate the depth and breadth of classes available through your program?

Administration

  • How well is your program run?

Faculty

  • Overall, how good are your professors as teachers?

  • How engaging are your professors in their lectures and associated offerings?

  • How well do your professors utilize the online platform?

  • How accessible are your professors?

Program Technology

  • How would you rate the technology/platform of your coursework?

  • Please rate how your school helps facilitate interaction with your fellow classmates in live online classes

  • How well does your school help facilitate interaction with your fellow classmates outside of the classroom?

  • Please rate the quality of the tools your school uses in the online environment (Videos, asynchronous content, feedback tools)

  • In cases where there is a technology issue, how would you rate the speed and efficiency with which the school resolves the problem?

Immersion Programs

  • If you have participated, how would you rate the quality of your experience with the immersion programs?

Career Services

  • Please rate the effectiveness and counsel of career services office.

  • How invested do you feel your school is in advancing your career and life goals?

  • How effective are the resources that have been put into place to help you achieve your career and life goals?

Overall Satisfaction

  • Overall how satisfied are you with your decision to enroll in your program?

  • Do you feel that you will graduate within the prescribed range of time for your program, without incurring any added expenses?

  • Are you satisfied with the efforts of the administration to ensure you complete the program in your target time?

  • Alumni have been helpful in my job search/career advancement?

  • How likely is it that you would recommend your program to a friend or colleague?

School survey questions include:

Persistence

  • Percent of Online MBA students that have graduated on time

  • Percent of Online MBA students that have come back for a second term

Admissions Selectivity

  • GPA

  • GMAT

  • Acceptance rate

Faculty & Staff

  • Average Online Class Size

  • Student Faculty Ratio

  • Faculty with Terminal Degree

  • Online MBA faculty must meet a minimum amount of technological training before teaching

  • Faculty have dedicated office hours for Online MBA students

  • Number of full-time staff dedicated to technical support for Online MBA program

  • Number of instructional designers on staff dedicated to Online MBA program

Technology & Support

  • School offers 24/7 technical support for Online MBA students

  • A list of technologies your Online MBA program supports

  • List of technologies, engines, or learning management systems school utilizes for Online MBA classes

  • Students can download a full text transcript from archived class videos

  • Total number of faculty who have recorded an archived video for your Online MBA program

  • Total number of archived videos produced by your program that are available to your Online MBA students

Cost & Aid

  • Average outstanding educational Online MBA loans at the time of graduation

  • Total Program Cost

Career

  • Dedicated Career Services Center

  • Percent salary change after graduation

  • Percentage of students receiving a promotion while attending program

Time

  • Minimum number of in-person days a student will be required to attend during the program (not including travel days)

  • In-person attendance requirements include immersions

Students

  • Percent of Online MBA students who have earned a graduate degree before enrolling in program

Alumni giving

  • Percent of graduates making class gifts