The Economist Releases 2015 Full-Time MBA Rankings

LONDON, Oct. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- America remains the dominant force in the business-school world, according to The Economist's latest ranking of full-time MBA programmes. Fourteen of the top 20 schools in our latest ranking are based in the United States, including the number one programme at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.

It is the sixth time in seven years that Chicago has topped our ranking, which is based on a mixture of hard data and subjective marks given by the students. Chicago students give the school glowing reviews for its career service, faculty and facilities. This is not surprising given the school is home to seven Nobel laureates, maintains impressive campuses in London and Hong Kong as well as Chicago, and that 98% of its students find jobs within three months of graduation. Virginia (Darden), Dartmouth (Tuck) and Harvard take the next three places.

A full ranking of top programmes is available at www.economist.com/whichmba

American schools are under pressure
Despite their dominance, American business schools are under pressure, in particular because of the country's strict visa requirements. It may seem obvious that a nation would wish to attract and retain the brightest young minds to work in its companies. Yet, America now places tough restrictions on foreign students who want to stay and work in the country after they study.  Unsurprisingly, countries with a more welcoming attitude, such as Canada, are seeing applications from prospective international students rise while those to the US fall.

Another beneficiary of this might be Asia. The proportion of students applying to an Asian business school has doubled to 4.4%. Eight-and-a-half Asian business schools now make it into The Economist ranking of full-time programmes (INSEAD has dual campuses in France and Singapore). This is likely to continue to rise as China, in particular, looks to improve its business schools to meet demand for local managers.

HOW RANK WAS DETERMINED
This is the 13th time we have published the ranking. Each year we ask students why they decided to take an MBA. Our ranking weights data according to what they say is important. The four categories covered are: opening new career opportunities (35%); personal development/educational experience (35%); increasing salary (20%); and the potential to network (10%).

About Which MBA? (economist.com/whichmba)
Which MBA? is a division of The Economist Newspaper Group, NA, which offers a suite of online products serving both prospective MBA students and business schools who wish to reach this audience. Our consumer products for prospective students include GMAT and GRE preparation courses, annual MBA rankings, and content on Economist.com. We offer multi-media advertising solutions for business schools ranging from online MBA fairs, to traditional online and print mediums, to custom white-label lead generation tools.

About The Economist (economist.com)
With a growing global circulation (more than 1.5 million including both print and digital) and a reputation for insightful analysis and perspective on every aspect of world events, The Economist is one of the most widely recognised and well-read current affairs publications.

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SOURCE The Economist

Related Links

http://www.economist.com/whichmba