Top business schools
580 of the best universities for studying business and business management were listed in the most current QS World University Rankings by Subject.
Citations per paper, employer and academic reputations, and H-index citations—a metric used to gauge a scientist or scholar’s productivity and body of published work—are the four factors that determine the subject rankings. Further information on the process used to determine the subject rankings is available here.
Continue reading to learn about the best business schools in each area. Alternatively, you may examine the complete list of business subject rankings by clicking here.
1 Harvard University, United States
2 INSEAD, France
3 London Business School ,United Kingdom
4 Stanford University, United States
5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT ,United States
6 University of Pennsylvania, United States
7 Bocconi University, Italy
8 University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
9 University of Oxford, United Kingdom
10 HEC Paris School of Management, France
best business schools in Canada and the United States
This year, there are 102 business schools in the US. Four business schools in the United States are among the top 10 globally. Harvard is the top-ranked among them and has been the world’s greatest business school for the past eight years. Harvard University receives a flawless employer reputation rating. The business school graduates of the institution are expected to earn a typical base income of US$150,000, and the school boasts a robust network of alumni.
This year’s rankings feature 21 Canadian business schools, with two of them—the University of Toronto, which is ranked 29th, and the University of British Columbia, which is ranked 39th—making it into the global top 50. High marks are obtained by both schools in the H-index citations indicator.
implying the faculty’s influence and output.
Europe’s best business schools
In terms of business school rankings, Europe is the most well-represented area, with 220 institutions listed, six of which are in the top 10 worldwide.
INSEAD, one of the 17 French universities included this year, is rated as the top business school in Europe for the fifth consecutive year. INSEAD is an international business school with campuses in San Francisco, Singapore, France, and Abu Dhabi. This year, it received a flawless score for academic reputation due to the course’s strong emphasis on diversity.
London Business School is once again the UK’s best institution, ranking third. It is one of 62 UK business schools in the rankings this year, seven of which are in the top 50. Other notable business schools in the UK rankings this year are The London School of Economics (11th), The University of Warwick (=21st), Imperial College London (=25th), and The University of Manchester (=32nd).
The rankings for Spain have not changed from year to year, with University at Ramon once again being named the finest in the nation and ranked 17th globally. University of Navarra (ranked 23rd), IE University (ranked 25th), and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (ranked 132nd) are the other universities in the top 200.
The fourteenth-ranked Copenhagen Business School is one of the five Danish institutions this year. Out of its 11 universities, the Netherlands Erasmus University Rotterdam comes in first place (18th), with three of them ranking in the top 100 globally for business.
Two other prominent European universities in the top 50 are WU Vienna University of Economics and Business (=36th) in Austria and the University of St. Gallen (ranked 31st) in Switzerland.
Top business schools in Asia
There are 147 Asian business schools in the rankings this year, including 11 in the global top 50.
The highest-ranked school in Asia is the National University of Singapore in 13th place globally. NUS earns a high score for H-index citations this year. It has advocated for the value of transparency, making its student feedback forms open to the entire community in order to continuously improve their teaching standards.
The two other Singaporean schools also made it into the top 50: Nanyang Technological University (20th) and Singapore Management University (=36th).
Mainland China is the best represented study destination in Asia for business schools, with 17 institutions in the rankings. Three of these are in the global top 50: Tsinghua University (=41st), Peking University (38th) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (=50th).
Hong Kong SAR also has a significant presence in the global top 50, with seven business schools featured and their highest-ranked school, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, is 24th. HKUST’s business courses cover a wide range of topics, from Chinese business to Asian financial markets to entrepreneurship.
Three schools in South Korea round out the Asian presence in the global top 50 – Seoul National University in joint 39th, Korea University in joint 48th and Yonsei University in 54th.
Outside of the top 50, India also contributes significantly to the business subject rankings with the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (joint 63rd) and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (65th) both still ranked within the top 100.
Top business schools in the Middle East
37 Middle Eastern schools feature in the business school rankings with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz University topping the rankings at 151-200. This year, Lebanon and Turkey have done well with two and eight entries respectively. Lebanon’s highest-ranking university, American University of Beirut is 151-200, and Turkey’s highest-ranked universities, Koç University and Bilkent University, are both 201-250.
Another Middle Eastern country which also has a highly-ranked business school is Pakistan with the Lahore University of Management Sciences also ranked 151-200.
In the United Arab Emirates, the American University of Sharjar ranked 201-250.
Top business schools in Australia and New Zealand
There are 22 business schools from Australia and seven from New Zealand in this year’s rankings.
Australia’s highest-ranked programme can be found at The University of Melbourne which ranks joint 34th globally. The University of Melbourne prepares graduates for a successful career in business, combining theoretical teaching with real life studies and even offering industry integration programmes.
Other Australian schools in the global top 100 are The University of New South Wales (44th), The University of Sydney (47th), Monash University (52nd), The University of Queensland (joint 76th) and Australian National University (joint 83rd).
New Zealand has no business schools in the global top 50, but their highest-ranked school, The University of Auckland (joint 105th), scores highly in the H-index citations indicator. It is home to 10 research and engagement centres, including the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Top business schools in Latin America
There are 43 Latin American business schools featured in the rankings this year.
Mexico’s Tecnológico de Monterrey (30th) is the highest-ranked university in Latin America this year, earning a particularly high score for employer reputation. Mexico has a total of 10 universities in the ranking this year, three of which are in the top 200.
Colombia is the most well-represented Latin American country with 11 business schools in the rankings. One of these ranks in the top 100, Universidad de los Andes (91st), scoring highly in the citations per paper indicator.
Brazil’s seven entries this year include University de São Paulo (joint 97th). It has quickly achieved a leading role in many different fields as a research centre and is responsible for around 20 percent of all Brazilian academic output, earning a high score for H-index citations.
Three world-class business schools are found in Argentina this year: Universidad de Buenos Aires (151-200), Universidad Austral (251-300) and Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (351-400). Peru has three entries this year whereas Chile has seven. Its highest-ranked university, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (58th), is the only institution that ranks within the top 100, just falling short of the title of the best business school in Latin America.
Top business schools in Africa
There are five African universities in the business school rankings with two institutions in Egypt and three in South Africa.
The highest-ranked university on the continent is The American University in Cairo, (201-250). The business course in the American University in Cairo prepares students for a career in business, embedding real-world industry experience throughout the curriculum.
South Africa’s top-ranked university, the University of Cape Town, is 301-350 in the world.